It is close to the east coast of the Ramree island, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the Tan River.

[1] The town was captured by the Arakan Army in March 2024 from the Tatmadaw during the ongoing Myanmar civil war.

During the existence of the kingdom of Arakan, it was the site of a Governor of the island and then it was also called Tan-Myo (name that subsequently subsisted Tan river locally).

At the beginning of the 19th century it was a prosperous city with an intense trade with Bengal, Vasai and Tavoy ; but a few years later he suffered seriously during the rebellion of Khyin-Bran (Chinbryan, King Bering) since 1811, and the repressive measures of the Burmese; Khyin-Bran had many supporters in the city and after his defeat and death in 1815 a large number of inhabitants were assassinated or forced to flee the country.

The town was the site of a battle between the Arakan Army (AA) and the ruling military junta during Myanmar's civil war.