Statement of Solidarity with Bangladesh on International Mother Language Day by Arakan Army

 United League of Arakan (ULA)

February 20, 2022

Statement of Solidarity

The upcoming February 21, 2022, is the 23rd anniversary of “International Mother Language Day” recognized by the UNESCO in 1999. This is also the occasion for us to commemorate the diversity of languages and cultures that our “Mother World” has embraced. We, the ULA/AA, herewith would like to congratulate all people of the world on their mother tongue languages.

For our natural neighbor, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, this day marks as the great juncture for becoming the ‘Shaheed Day (Language Martyrs Day)’ and we pay our deep homage to those language-martyrs namely Salam, Barkat, Rafiq, Jabbar, Shafiur and other heroes who sacrificed their lives for the cause of their mother tongue Bangla. Under the charismatic leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Founding Father of Bangladesh, the people of Bangladesh were able to achieve their priceless and invaluable sovereignty and independence in 1971 which, we believe, is also the primal foundation for maintaining the political and cultural identity of a nation.

Our forefathers from the lands of Bengal and Arakan strove to have their respective civilizations thrive on the banks of the Bay of Bengal and of the Naf river. They constitute the natural bond between the people and regions of Bangladesh and Arakan. We deeply regard that both our societies are historically and culturally interlinked. The Arakanese community is a part of the Bengali nation, and in the same way the Bengali community is a part of our Arakan nation. Since both territories are comprised of our brothers and sisters, we firmly believe that it is our responsibility to serve both our people for the best.

Sending this statement of solidarity on this day on behalf of the Arakan people is an honor for us. We profoundly believe that the restitution of Arakan sovereignty to our people is the ultimate aim of our national liberation movement and the right to mother tongue language is also a part of that. We desire to bolster a better future between our nations and regions in terms of military, political, economic, cultural and diplomatic relations. “Good Neighbor Shall be Good Friend”. May Bangladesh Live Forever!

Central Executive Committee

United League of Arakan (ULA)

The political transition in Arakan

We, Arakan, are so much happy and satisfied very much about the improving Arakan National Politics.

The national politics of the Arakanese people are changing and evolving. Today, the politics of the Arakanese people, which have been in the downstream water for decades under the shadow of Burmese politics, have now been almost completely left.

Since the Arakanese people lost faith in Burmese politics, the Arakanese national politicians have become united with the Arakanese people.

This situation is being mediated by the Arakan Army, which is replacing the administration in Arakan with the Arakan Army's political leadership. I am very happy to know that my teacher is now taking responsibility for Arakan national politics on behalf of the Arakan administration of Arakan Army. I am proud of him as one of his disciples.

Arakan Army pulls the trigger of the gun again with the finger after over one year of the informal cease-fire

 After a period of over one year of informal cease-fire 🔥 with Myanmar Army , Arakan Army again pulled the Trigger of 🔫 gun with the
finger by the time Myanmar Army intruded into Arakan Army's controlling areas of Maung Daw Township On 9/11/2021. 

The residents of those villages who knew the information were saying that fighting lasted for haft hours on the mountain ⛰   near the Renaughthar village in MaungDaw Township.

Within clash with Myanmar Army,  Arakan Army killed at least half dozen of Myanmar Soldiers. Military ⚔   trucks from Myanmar Army's side were seen driving 🚘 to Renaughthar villages to collect bodies killed by Arakan Army.

The atmosphere around the village is right now appearing tense. The residents of the village also are at high levels of anxiety.

Where Is the Arakanese Revolution Heading?

: Zaw Htun (Mrauk - U)

 : 18 September 2021

Written By Zaw Htun (Mrauk-U) 

The Mughal emperors thought they were the largest empire ever built, and the British even described their territory as an empire upon which the sun never set. But empires come and go. On the world map, the borders of countries change one by one, and the flags sometimes change from one colour to another. We can easily say that in the 21st century, new flags and new maps have and will appear. There are people who have established new nations and there are still many who are trying to establish nations. 

I would like to compare some of the countries that have succeeded and also look at how they have failed, and why they remain relevant in the 21st century. 

Czech Republic 

The Czech Republic was formed in 1993. On January 1 of that year, it raised its own flag on the world map, as an independent nation. It was located in what was known as Czechoslovakia before the Czech Republic was established. When I look at the main reasons for the breakup of Czechoslovakia and the emergence of a new Czech Republic, I notice four main features that distinguish the dissolution/independence processes as being both successful and bloodless: 

(1)    A nationalist spirit of wanting to establish one’s own nation;
(2)    Populations and boundaries that can build a nation;
(3)   Having the infrastructure and human resources to run a country;
(4)   Slovakia could not be ignored; with no bloodshed, a split vote was held in the Federal Parliament, with former Czechoslovakia emerging as the new Czech Republic and Slovakia as separate nations. 

Another point is that their people are on average well educated and have a generally peaceful outlook, allowing for the civil consideration of differences as a means of settling disputes. 

East Timor 

East Timor (aka Timor-Leste) is a small island nation in Southeast Asia that became independent on May 20, 2002. East Timor was not only colonised by the Portuguese for many years, but also was subsequently colonised by Indonesia. It’s very interesting to see how East Timor, with just over a million people, defeated Indonesia, many times more powerful, and how it was able to establish itself as an independent nation. Here, too, I will present my point of view in a very simple way. I am aware of the three main points that Timor-Leste’s desire for liberation from slavery was furthered among the international community and at the United Nations by the ability to form an alliance with someone stronger than the enemy, in order to confront the local superpower. 

With an ally like Australia, which has a wide range of political, economic and social interests, not just territorial waters, East Timor has been aided greatly. At the height of the rivalry between communism and democracy, access to the help of the more powerful pro-democracy Australia made it easier and faster to obtain assistance from Western Europe as well as the United Nations. That is why, despite Timor-Leste’s many sacrifices, it eventually won a peaceful referendum, and gained a lot of UN assistance in rebuilding the country after independence. 

South Sudan 

If you look at South Sudan, it is a small, landlocked country in Africa. It seceded from Sudan on July 9, 2011. An analysis of the reasons for gaining independence reveals that the South Sudanese people have been able to identify with the world the distinctive characteristics of segregation, sectarianism, sectarian strife, and ethnic conflict in almost half of Sudan’s borders. 

The world came to realise that these nations would not be at peace without independence after the end of fierce conflict. That is why South Sudan succeeded in becoming an independent nation.  

Somaliland 

Somaliland declared independence from Somalia on May 18, 1991. However, it has not yet become an official country on the world map, as it is not recognised by the African Union, which is made up of countries in Africa including Somalia. Somaliland has its own army, its own police, its own laws, its own courts, its own government, but it is not yet a legal nation.  

The lesson is that the two main components of independence for Somaliland are the lack of consensus of the mainland and the lack of recognition by regional countries, no matter how strong the military struggle for independence as a nation may be. 

Where Is Arakan’s Revolution Moving Toward? 

When I’ve been asked if Arakan State could become a country, I’ll reply: “It will be difficult. But it is possible.”  

Arakan State has a long history of being a de facto nation and has a strong geographical location. It also has a strong literary and artistic heritage, as well as a wealth of resources and infrastructure to provide good food and services to its people. There are people in Arakan State who will be satisfied under an Arakan government and administration that can lead the people to security and development.  

But for Arakan State, the question of how to achieve independence has become a difficult one. Fighting and territorial integrity have been achieved, and the administrative and judicial machinery is functioning well and the Arakan Army/United League of Arakan (AA/ULA) is a de facto government. This revolutionary de facto government has able to balance the Muslim crisis, which no successive de jure government has been able to deal with. If the Arakan Army occupies Arakan State and declares independence, it will have to work hard to get more votes in the UN General Assembly if the five members of the UN Security Council and the 15 permanent members of the Security Council do not object. But the process is not as easy as it sounds. 

• If intense battles, such as those in Syria, were fought on the pathway to independence, would an alliance like that between East Timor and Australia be sought, and relied upon if secured, with a world/regional power? 
• We must try to persuade the United Nations to differentiate between two literary cultures and two religions that have almost identical religious backgrounds.
• If the two territories, which are closely intertwined in economics, education, religion and culture, are suddenly separated by hostility, we must do our best not to be left in the same predicament as South Sudan. 

It is possible that the chief of the Arakan Army said that the first step was to rule Arakan State with a confederate state no less than the “Wa” Self-Administered Division. That is why I have to consider the independence of Arakan State as a difficult but possible proposition

UN body should enter into Myanmar

 What I learned through the Burmese media is that refugees are fleeing to Thailand and India due to the repression and bombing of the Burmese military.

 

But this time it was different from the previous ones. The Burmans themselves, who were building political power to dominate minorities on behalf of the majority Burmans by centered on the military, were among the runners.

 

This is because the ghost that is brought to be alive by Burmans is trying to get them to suck blood back. Now, in the two months since the military coup, the Burmese military has killed more than 400 people ─ but just in one day, the Burmese Army has killed over 300 Arakanese people in the capital city of Sittwe in 1967 when Arakanese people asked the Burmese government to return back their rice which was being taken away to the Burmese region from Arakan and Major Tin Oo of the Burmese Army, who committed massacre and being a criminal was once the most senior leader in NLD party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.

 

After all, the ghost, brought by the majority Burmans to dominate minorities, does not care about its own creator and about the freedom of expression practiced by the

civilized world.  Burmese protesters now call their movement as the Spring Revolution. Well. If we look back at the history of the successes of the revolutions, we can see that it was successful only when it makes the center of the armed revolution. Otherwise, the revolution will only succeed if the government army becomes to join the rebels. It is not easy to succeed by just only protesting in the streets.  

 

Now we have heard that some protestors have gone to the trainee in the jungle to fight Burmese Army when minority ethnic Armies support this movement to overthrow military rule. Therefore, the Burmese Army is bombing that jungle area on the Thailand border, killing nearly  20 Karen villagers and displeasing over 10 thousand. Most of them fled into Thailand but Thailand is pushing them back because this time is so dreadful for Thailand and its citizens due to covid-19.

 

There is nothing in Myanmar to gut out covid-19 and people are more and more gathering everywhere to protest the military coup. This situation is causing very much worry not only for Thailand but also for the world. However, Burmans are still going on without caring covid-19 to protest military coup in a large gathering of people in every city in Myanmar by the time virus is still spreading in large level in the world from man to man that we are to know.

 

This situation of protestors of Burman burdens the world and it makes mankind of the world to be afraid of spreading covid-19. The current hell and the ghost of Myanmar military brought to be alive  to dominate minorities by majority Burman becomes to kill Burman  also in Myanmar should be terminated by entering UN body forces into Myanmar once for forever peace there in Myanmar otherwise there will never be peaceful at each certain time.

The rhetoric of political slogans

From time to tim
e we have heard military coup in Myanmar and anti-military rhetoric. And every time Myanmar calls on the world to help and save. All right.

 

The question is whether they really did the opposition against the military dictator?

If the Burmans do not want a military dictator, the Burmans should disband the Burmese army

and then rebuild a new Army that will be proportional to the ethnic Armies. This would have led to the formation of a federal Army and the disappearance of the military coup in Myanmar. But no Burman has demanded to disband the Myanmar army.

 

Even Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the Burmese protestors currently on the streets in the cities in Myanmar, said that the Myanmar Army was founded by her father which is why the Myanmar army is her brothers. Moreover, she ordered to completely destroy Arakan Army.  Due to instruction of her, Burmese soldiers killed Arakan and Rohingya atrociously and displaced them.  She did a good job.

 

So this time, when the military took power, It is not surprising that Arakan and Rohingya feel sorry for her and her followers. However,  in reality, the Burmans did not oppose Myanmar Army because it was their Army. They only opposed the military coup.

 

If Burmans do not want a military coup in Myanmar, the Burmans need to do the right thing. The Myanmar Army

must be Abolished and form a federal Army with ethnic  Armies in proportion.

 

Protesters on the streets are now chanting slogans against the military coup, calling for the  restoration of so-called democracy based in 2008- constitution. No one shouted for ethnic Armies and the formation of a federal Army.

If Burmans can disband Myanmar Army and establish a federal Army with ethnic Armies,

there will never be another military coup in Myanmar.

 

Whoever gains power, it is the same

 

The ongoing protests in Burma are a showdown between those who have lost political power and those who have gained it. It represents the whole followers of NLD party led by Aung San Suu Kyi. She was also known by the world because of her Burmanism and Democratic dictatorship and her party makes allies to the notorious Myanmar Army to gain political benefit.

What was Aung San Suu Kyi and what did she do not only for Myanmar but also for the world? Everyone knows. Therefore, all the prizes given to her by the international community were revoked when she became a democratic dictatorship.

I guess this protest right now in Myanmar means no movement of changing the political system but gaining power just for them ─ NLD party led by Aung San Suu Kyi ─ because Army has already taken it. But, it is sure that if the party backed by Army won the election, this military coup will not happen. So, there are two majorities parties which is just fighting each other to gain political power. However, a party backed by Army is right now sitting and relaxing behind the Army to gain power next coming time by the time followers of Aung Sun Suu Kyi are desperately fighting day in day out on the streets in the cities in Myanmar.

Myanmar Army is shelling villages of Karen

 The Free Burma Rangers had reported on January 27, 2021 that over 4,000 people are in hiding as Burma Army attacks continue. 3,000 have been displaced in Papun District, Northern Karen State and now over 1,000 IDPS from six villages around Tha Kaw Der and Keh Der, Ler Doh, Nyaunglebin District, western Karen State are displaced.

 

“We had to flee as the Burma Army is shelling us every day," said a mother as she held her baby. Today the Burma Army shelled and shot machine-guns most of the morning but we had no casualties.

 

The Free Burma Rangers said that their teams are providing medical care and trying to get food in but the Burma Army is blocking all access to the area so people have to carry all the rice and find ways around them.

 

They sent message people around the world as follow.

 

(Please pray we can help more and that they feel Jesus's love.

Thank you and God bless you,

The Free Burma Rangers)

 

Myanmar regime leaves the civilians of Arakan in a neglected state

From time to time, Myanmar regime left the civilians of Arakan in a neglected state because it supposes Arakan is historically Burma or Myanmar’s inner enemy and they believe that if they must keep pressing civilians of Arakan, it will only work for them. To prove this, there are a lot of shreds of evidence and how they oppress Arakan currently is as follows.

The mask on the face of Myanmar Human Rights commission was removed and was seen as a very ugly ogre when it accepted Myanmar military statement and  it denied  that Myanmar Military had abducted 19 Arakanese villagers from Timma village, KyaukTaw Township in Arakan, nine months ago.

Family members of missing villagers overheard and got clues that their beloved were forced to work in the Myanmar military camp but some people believe that on the evidence of Myanmar Army’s recent atrocity, it was likely to be that Myanmar Army had massacred (19) villagers and it disposes of them somewhere else.

Even if the commission did not conduct investigation due to the Myanmar Army’s restriction not to do so,  it became unilaterally to accept Myanmar Army’s denial statement.

Nine of the original group of 18 villagers were abducted from Tin Ma New village on March 13, while the other 10 from Tin Ma Gyi village were arrested by Myanmar troops on March 16 — all on suspicions of having ties to the Arakan Army. The body of one of them, Maung Win, was discovered two months later in the Kaladan River, riddled with bullet holes.

Tun Thein, whose brother-in-law Aung Nyunt and brother Aung Tha Pan are among the missing villagers, said he and others are concerned that soldiers may have killed the men.

“We want to know if they are still alive or not,” he said. “That’s why we tried to file the case at the Kyauktaw Myoma Police Station.” But a police officer there told Tun Thein that the relatives would have to file a complaint with the military, not the police.

“The police should have accepted the missing person cases,” Tun Thein said. “We have evidence.” Reported RFA media.

Local Media Narinjara News earlier reported that a group of people approached the officer of Kyauktaw Myoma police station at around 3:30 pm on 8 December to file a case of 21 missing villagers, but the police officer denied it and even threatened them with arrest.

And also a 63-year-old woman has gone to complain about her missing husband after the abduction by Myanmar troops to the police station to file a case about her beloved husband who went missing in March 2020 but the police officer again denied and threatened of her arresting, Narinjara News reported.

Family members of the missing villagers said they have evidence that the Myanmar military abducted their relatives and the soldiers involved wore uniforms with the insignia of Myanmar Army Division No. 55.

An abductee’s wife 63-year-old woman said her husband was arrested before her eyes while he was having foods at home in Tinma village under Kyauktaw township. The Burmese army personnel took him to their camp atop Taung Shay hills located nearby to their village reported Narinjara News.

MNHRC was sent a complaint by four local lawmakers, requesting investigation be conducted and action be taken against the war criminal Myanmar troops for abducting the poor villagers but it was to no avail and one can realize that the
Myanmar regime left the civilians of Arakan in a neglected state.

 

Does Aung San Suu Kyi smear her hands with the blood of people of Arakan again?

Due to the statement released by the Arakan Army to hold an election before December 31, 2020, in northern Arakan where ballot casting was deliberately canceled by the ruling party of Myanmar for the security reason, Myanmar Military has halted its fighting against the Arakan Army and against the civilians of Arakan.

But after Japanese envoy ─ who said that he has realized the ECU, controlled by the ruling party, does not want an election in Arakan ─ visited Arakan to be held an election,  Myanmar Army starts its military build

ing up again in Arakan even if Internally Displaced Persons are going back to their villages where fighting broke out heavily almost every day in the last two years and currently is calm.

In the recent days, local residents have reported that large Myanmar military forces are building up in Rathitaung and Buthitaung townships in Arakan (western Myanmar) and Myanmar Navy is dropping thousands of troops near the mouth of Mayu river to attack the position of Arakan Army from the east side and from the west side near the Mayu mountain.

 In fact, this region is mostly under the control of Arakan Army therefore Arakan Army is aware large troops of the Myanmar Army which is approaching Mayu mountain range gradually again.

Military tension is slowly becoming high between the Arakan Army and Myanmar Army on these days and fighting also can be broken out at any time.

According to local military analysts,  Consequentially, In this region or in these  townships, Arakan Army completely prepares for any type of attack ─ offensive and defensive.

One can remember that government spokesperson Zaw Htay said Myanmar military will assault until the end of the war against the Arakan  Army, the war will prolong and civilians will die from war. In 2019, Aung San Suu Kyi instructed Myanmar Army to crush down Arakan Army and she paid homage Myanmar soldiers for fighting against the Arakan Army. She also ordered the military to use a combination of air, navy, and ground troops to fight against the Arakan Army and she declared the Arakan Army as a terrorist organization.

She still has no friendly thought for Arakan National. Arakan was once independence kingdom  and is now being colonized by Myanmar. She has arrested Arakanese political leader Dr. Aye Maung and nationalist writer Wai Hun Aung and she has done to pass judgment of the judicial court for life sentence to both Dr. Aye Maung and author Wai Hun Aung. They pled judicially petitions to court after court but she forced every court to turn down all petitions.

Therefore, after she forms her new government again, she will resume her intention to crush Arakan Army by ordering the Myanmar Army to launch military offensive operation again against the Arakan army.

Most people of Arakan believe that Aung San Suu Kyi will again participate in the killing field in Arakan from behind the Myanmar Army by instructing her Army in her second term of government.