• Burmese
Friday, July 11, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

AA Deputy Leader Says Fighting Could Spread Beyond N. Rakhine

Moe Myint by Moe Myint
February 7, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
AA deputy chief Maj-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung delivers a speech at a military parade in Laiza, Kachin State in 2018.  / AA information page

AA deputy chief Maj-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung delivers a speech at a military parade in Laiza, Kachin State in 2018.  / AA information page

12.4k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON—In a video message, the Arakan Army (AA)’s deputy chief, Brigadier-General Nyo Tun Aung, told ordinary Arakanese on Wednesday that if the current fighting in northern Rakhine State continues to worsen, it could spread to other places in the state.

His message followed a number of actions by the Myanmar military that have seen it send more troops to northern Rakhine State. Additionally, National League for Democracy (NLD)-appointed Chief Minister U Nyi Pu recently gave permission to the Army and state police to conduct household checks to squeeze out AA members in seven townships.

The video message was made in the Arakanese language by AA deputy chief Nyo Tun Aung at the AA’s headquarters in Laiza, in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)’s area of control in Kachin State.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Trains Staff on Electronic Voting Machines Across the Country

Myanmar Junta Trains Staff on Electronic Voting Machines Across the Country

July 8, 2025
628
Thirteen Myanmar junta aircraft shot down since coup

Thirteen Myanmar junta aircraft shot down since coup

July 5, 2025
1.4k
Malaria Cases Rise in Western Myanmar 

Malaria Cases Rise in Western Myanmar 

July 2, 2025
652

Brig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung said that government soldiers and police are forcibly searching suspected homes in the middle of the night without prior warning, referring to an incident that happened on Tuesday in Kyauktaw Township’s Pan Hpe Chaung village.

About 40 soldiers and police forcibly raided a home where housewife Daw Tin Shwe was alone while her husband, U Kyaw Win, was traveling to a neighboring village to purchase timber.  The village is close to Kan Sauk military battalion.Brig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung’s message contained a number of safety recommendations for villagers and a list of dos and don’ts while travelling in conflict zones. He issued four warning statements regarding areas in Rakhine State and said the conflict zone was broadening.

He said, “Women and the elderly should not stay alone at home. They should practice living all together with their relatives.”

He also repeatedly urged villagers to implement such practices in the villages as soon as possible and requested the villagers spread his message. He added that in the ongoing battles in Rakhine, the casualties of the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw) appeared to be high. In January and early February, the government Army lost hundreds of soldiers in battle, the AA vice chief claimed.

Soldiers and police search travelers in northern Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township this week. / Zaw Win / Facebook

Brig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung said that in order to prevent dejection in the ranks, the military never publicly announces the death toll for its soldiers. He said that because the Army had been firmly defeated in the clashes, it was being aggressive toward Arakanese civilians. He warned that the Tatmadaw would continue to commit rights abuses, including torture and arbitrary arrests of Arakanese civilians.

He promised villagers that if the authorities badly treat the Arakanese people, they will be made to pay an eye for an eye. The AA expected fierce fighting would continue and that the death toll on both sides would likely rise in the near future.

Brig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung said, “My message to those who are away from their homes is please return to protect your own family. Nothing is worth more than a life. You can earn [money] as long as you are alive. Money can’t buy life.”

The AA’s deputy chief reiterated that the ultimate goal of the United League for Arakan (ULA/AA), the AA’s political wing, is that the AA must be the only army in Rakhine State. Tatmadaw battalions have a heavy presence in Rakhine State, but the AA will drive them out of the Arakanese lands, he said. The AA designates the armed resistance period in 2019 and 2020 as a “transitional period.”

“We will not give up on our ultimate mission, no matter what the circumstances,” he said.

Brig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung told villagers via a live-stream that Tatmadaw soldiers exploit ordinary commuters in the region by offering free rides to their destination. If the troops are ambushed by AA fighters, they denounce the AA as targeting civilians. He suggested the villagers avoid riding in military trucks or private trucks with soldiers.

According toBrig-Gen. Nyo Tun Aung, the AA plans to issue more statements to the Arakanese public, keeping community leaders in the villages informed, and issuing warning letters to traitors and so on. He also warned the public to be careful about the authenticity of statements they read, as some fake announcements had been published in the past by supporters of the government Army.

“If it reaches beyond your knowledge, please consult with well-educated people or those who have enough knowledge to judge the authenticity [of the statements],” he said.

AA leaders have occasionally conducted such online conferences in the past. Both AA chief Tun Myat Naing and deputy chief Nyo Tun Aung have held such conferences with Arakanese scholars and residents of the U.S. in recent months.

Since early January, the AA rebels have been staging attacks on the government Army in five townships in northern Rakhine State, as well as in Chin State’s Paletwa. They have clashed with Army troops on more than 100 occasions within 40 days. Aid shipments from international relief agencies to Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Township and Chin State’s upper Paletwa are being blocked by frontline commanders despite hundreds of displaced villagers being in need.

Local relief groups estimate that armed clashes between the government Army and the AA has resulted in more than 6,000 IDPs in Rakhine State. More than 200 Arakanese and ethnic Chin from Paletwa were driven from their homes to neighboring Bangladesh’s Bandarban District last weekend. The Bangladesh authorities summoned Myanmar’s ambassador to discuss the new refugee arrivals in recent days.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated the AA’s deputy chief Nyo Tun Aung’s ranking as Major-General when, in fact, his ranking is Brigadier-General.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Arakan ArmyRakhine StateTatmadaw
Moe Myint

Moe Myint

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report
Burma

Arakan Army Captures Myanmar Junta Brigade General in Chin State Rout: Report

by The Irrawaddy
January 15, 2024
36.6k

Rakhine-based armed group has reportedly detained the chief of 19th Military Operations Command after seizing his base in Paletwa Township.

Read moreDetails
Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta
Burma

Three Rebel Army Chiefs Predict Rapid Fall of Myanmar Junta

by The Irrawaddy
August 18, 2023
27k

Powerful armed groups in Karen, Kachin and Kayah states say the regime is ready to topple.

Read moreDetails
Interview

Myanmar’s Junta And Its Military Face Annihilation, Arakan Army Says

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 25, 2023
22.5k

The current war in Myanmar differs from past conflicts in the country because ethnic armies are no longer on the...

Read moreDetails
Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    
Analysis

Rakhine Reset: India, Bangladesh Turn to AA as Myanmar Junta Ousted    

by Banyar Aung
June 4, 2025
22.1k

Growing engagement with the Arakan Army reflects realities on the ground, where Myanmar’s regime has lost control of its western...

Read moreDetails
Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front
Analysis

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front

by Moe Sett Nyein Chan
January 23, 2024
22k

The military’s demoralized Western Command is feeling the heat as the Arakan Army closes in on towns in northern Rakhine,...

Read moreDetails
Another Myanmar Battalion Routed in Rakhine as AA Eyes State Capital
War Against the Junta

Another Myanmar Battalion Routed in Rakhine as AA Eyes State Capital

by The Irrawaddy
February 1, 2024
16.1k

The Arakan Army says it seized one of three junta bases in historic Mrauk-U on Tuesday as fighting intensified across...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Pattanachat Monkhatha (left) and Vitaya Saeng-Aroon walk pass a billboard near a department store in Bangkok on Aug. 16, 2013. / Reuters

Gay Couples to 'Live More Freely' With Thai Civil Unions

A container is carried away from a cargo ship at Tianjin Port, in northern China, on Feb. 23, 2017. / Reuters

Long, Strange Trip: How U.S. Ethanol Reaches China Tariff-Free

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

2 days ago
939
‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

2 days ago
925

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Junta Bombing of Resistance-Held Areas in Mandalay, Karenni Kills Seven Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Chin Resistance Tensions Boil Over as CNA Seizes Rival’s Myanmar HQ

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.