• Burmese
Thursday, July 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
30 °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

Myanmar’s Arakan Liberation Party Seeks to Hold Rakhine National-Level Dialogue

Nyein Nyein by Nyein Nyein
February 4, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Members of the Arakan Liberation Party and its armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army, pose for a photo at an event in October 2016. / Arakan Liberation Party / Facebook

Members of the Arakan Liberation Party and its armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army, pose for a photo at an event in October 2016. / Arakan Liberation Party / Facebook

7.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

CHIANG MAI, Thailand—The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), a Rakhine armed group, has asked the government to allow Rakhine people to hold a national-level political dialogue prior to the upcoming Union Peace Conference. If permitted, the public consultations—to be held in Rakhine and Yangon—would allow Rakhine people to contribute their views on what shape a future federal union should take, as Naypyitaw engages in political negotiations with the country’s ethnic armed organizations.

Active since 1967, the ALP is one of the ethnic armed groups claiming to fight for equality and freedom from oppression in Rakhine. It joined peace negotiations in 2012, signing a bilateral ceasefire in April that year. In October 2015 the ALP signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government, and is now one of 10 ethnic armed groups to have done so. Only the NCA signatories are entitled to hold political dialogues.

All 10 of these EAOs have requested permission to hold political dialogues in their respective regions. So far the government has yet to officially reply, as the decision can only be made at meetings of the secretariat of the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC). The next is expected to happen later this month.

RelatedPosts

Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

July 16, 2025
1.7k
Bangladesh Vows to Break Rohingya Crime Gangs

Bangladesh Vows to Break Rohingya Crime Gangs

July 15, 2025
535
Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

Parading Comedians and Machines for Election Circus; Rousing the Military Vote; and More

July 12, 2025
753

The ALP has been pushing unsuccessfully to convene a Rakhine national-level political dialogue since 2017. The government has rejected its requests, citing instability due to the communal conflicts in the region, according to Daw Saw Mra Yar Zar Lin, the deputy head of the ALP’s peace negotiation team.

The ALP seeks to hold the dialogue in southern Rakhine State’s Thandwe and in Yangon. It made the proposal during a two-day meeting between the 10 ethnic armed groups’ negotiation team and  government negotiators from the National Reconciliation and Peace Center in Yangon on Feb. 2-3.

“We propose two locations for these dialogues, in Thandwe as well as in Yangon, because we have many ethnic Rakhine in Yangon too,” she told The Irrawaddy on Monday, adding that it has proposed that the dialogue be held next month.

“We believe that the national-level political dialogue will help to achieve national reconciliation,” she said, adding that dialogue and related public consultations are integral to the peace process.

Neither the ALP nor the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), another NCA signatory, were able to hold ethnicity-based national-level political dialogues (NDs) in 2017 or 2018, while others, including the Karen National Union, were able to do so.

In 2019, Myanmar’s formal peace negotiations stalled. Formal talks recommenced only a month ago, with an agreement to resume the 21st-Century Panglong Union Peace Conference in April.

Sai Ngern, the head of the EAOs’ negotiation team on the political dialogue framework and a secretary of the RCSS, insisted last month that every NCA signatory is entitled to organize a national-level political dialogue before the peace summit.

The RCSS plans to convene its Shan national-level political dialogue in late March, having resolved a disagreement over the location.

Sai Ngern is currently leading the 10 EAOs’ negotiation team in discussions with the government on finding ways to move the peace process forward.

The Feb. 2-3 meeting between the representatives of the government led by Union Attorney-General U Tun Tun Oo, the vice chairman of the NRPC and the 10-EAO negotiation team at the Yangon’s NRPC office focused on preparations for formulating the implementation of eight points agreed at last month’s joint ceasefire implementation talks.

On Jan. 8 in Naypyitaw, the negotiators discussed how they would implement all of the Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting’s decisions, which cover eight points including the need for stronger ceasefires, convening the fourth session of the UPC, and continuing the peace process beyond the 2020 general elections, according to government spokesman U Zaw Htay.

He emphasized at a press briefing after Monday’s meeting that the participants agreed during the two-day talks to hold further negotiations to establish a stronger ceasefire and implement interim arrangements as outlined in chapters 3, 4 and 6 of the NCA text; a framework on the NCA’s implementation beyond 2020; and a common understanding of the NCA’s terms and definitions.

Both sides agreed to meet again on Feb. 16.

The decision on whether the ALP will be allowed to hold a national-level political dialogue will have to wait until after the next round of talks between the EAOs and the government’s negotiation teams on Feb. 16.

The ALP’s inability to convene an ND has damaged Rakhine people’s confidence in party’s political negotiation process; many believe this has been a push factor boosting support for the Arakan Army, which is currently engaged in active military conflict with Myanmar’s armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw.

Militarily strong, the AA has gained widespread support from the local community since it launched coordinated attacks against security outposts in January last year. It has continued to fight against the Tatmadaw in what it says is an effort to reclaim the sovereignty of ethnic Rakhine people.

Daw Saw Mra Yar Zar Lin added that the ALP “hopes the government will change” its thinking and allow the party to convene a dialogue this time.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: 21st Century Panglong Union Peace ConferenceAAALPArakan ArmyArakan Liberation PartyEAOsEthnic Armed Groupsfederal unionframework agreementJICMJoint Implementation Coordination MeetingNational Reconciliation and Peace Centernational-level dialoguenationwide ceasefire agreementNCANDPeace ProcessRakhineRCSSRestoration Council of Shan StateUnion Peace Dialogue Joint CommitteeUPDJC
Nyein Nyein

Nyein Nyein

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
Has China Lost Control of Ethnic Armies in Myanmar’s War-Torn Borderland?
Guest Column

Has China Lost Control of Ethnic Armies in Myanmar’s War-Torn Borderland?

by Bertil Lintner
November 6, 2023
21.4k

The Brotherhood Alliance’s offensive against the junta in northern Shan has shut down trade and resource access, but Beijing still...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Burned trucks lie abandoned next to the Yangon-Sittwe Highway near Yoe Ta Yoke Village in Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, in September 2019. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Internet Ban Reimposed in Five Townships in Western Myanmar

Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun at a press conference in Naypyitaw on Feb. 3, 2020. / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Military Asks Govt to Punish Minister for Police Remark

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

21 hours ago
1.1k
‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

‘Not a Witch Hunt’: Upholding Survivor-Centered Justice in Myanmar

6 days ago
769

Most Read

  • Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    Indian Army Accused of Deadly Strike on Separatists in Myanmar

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Behind the Scenes: China’s Hand in Myanmar’s Election

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Recaptures Nawnghkio After Months-Long Counteroffensive

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Rogue Sagaing Resistance Fighters Held Over Robbery Gone Wrong

    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.