Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation

Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation (Burmese: ပြည်သာယာ စစ်ဆင်ရေး), officially known as Operation Pyi Thaya in English, was a military operation conducted by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in northern Rakhine State, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh.^[3][6][7][8] The operation took place between 1991 and 1992,^[1] under the military junta of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), officially as a response to the military expansion of the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO).^[4]

Operation Pyi Thaya
Part of the Rohingya conflict
Date 1991–1992[1] Location Northern Rakhine State; Bangladesh–Myanmar border Result Burmese tactical failure Failure to disarm and expel RSO insurgents Brief strain in Bangladesh–Myanmar relations in December 1991
Belligerents
Myanmar (SLORC)	Rohingya Solidarity Organisation Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami[2]  Bangladesh (border skirmish)
Commanders and leaders
Saw Maung	Muhammad Yunus
Casualties and losses
200,000[3]–250,000[4][1] displaced (150,000 later repatriated)[5]

Similar to Operation Nagamin (Operation Dragon King) in 1978, the government's official explanation for the operation was to expel so-called "foreigners" from the area, as well as capturing RSO insurgents. The resulting violence however, resulted in 200,000^[3] to 250,000^[4] civilians being displaced (most of whom fled to neighbouring Bangladesh) and failed to prevent further attacks by the RSO, which continued until the end of the 1990s.^[6][8]

In December 1991, Tatmadaw soldiers crossed the border and accidentally fired on a Bangladeshi military outpost, causing a brief strain in Bangladesh–Myanmar relations.^[4]