• Burmese
Friday, June 20, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
28 °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

War-Weary Rakhine Residents Cautiously Welcome Détente Between Military, AA

Khine Rola by Khine Rola
December 4, 2020
in Burma
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Myanmar military personnel in northern Rakhine State / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar military personnel in northern Rakhine State / The Irrawaddy

5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SITTWE, Rakhine State—Rakhine people have welcomed the launch of online discussions between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA) on Nov. 25 as a sign that military tensions are easing in the region.

The AA on Nov. 12 called on the Myanmar military and government to hold elections before Dec. 31 in nine northern Rakhine townships where voting in the Nov. 8 general election was canceled for security reasons. The statement said voters in the affected areas had lost their rights. Within hours of the statement being issued, Myanmar’s military welcomed the AA’s request.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the AA provided details of the Nov. 25 meeting, saying the two sides discussed holding elections in Rakhine and enabling the transport of food and medical supplies to villages that have been isolated by clashes, as well as maintaining the mutual understanding the two sides have achieved so far.

RelatedPosts

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

June 19, 2025
514
Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

June 13, 2025
1.8k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

June 11, 2025
1.3k

More than 230,000 people have been displaced since fighting broke out in Chin State’s Paletwa and northern Rakhine State in November 2018, according to the Rakhine Ethnic Congress.

However, the region has seen no clashes since the Nov. 8 election, and some displaced persons have started to return to their homes and resumed harvesting paddy.

“We’d be very glad if both sides continued to hold their fire for longer, considering the interests of the people. The two sides have stopped fighting for the [sake of the] people, because it is the paddy harvest season now. People are at peace, now that they aren’t hearing gunfire. We want to see further discussions,” said Rathedaung resident Ko Kyaw Min Khaing.

Rakhine politicians are optimistic about the meeting—the first bilateral talks in recent years. They believe the preliminary meeting will help build mutual trust and pave the way for further discussions.

U Kyaw Lwin, a patron of the Arakan Front Party and a Rakhine State MP for Kyaukphyu Township, said: “In my view, this is the first step toward a roundtable meeting where the two sides can hold thorough discussions.”

Local residents have called on both sides to hold further talks in consideration of security and peace in the region, lamenting that they have borne the brunt of the fighting over the past two years.

Minbya resident Ann Thar Gyi, who helps internally displaced persons (IDPs), said: “Political conflicts are the cause of the fighting in Rakhine State. I want to see political issues solved at the table and not by military means. In two years of war in Rakhine, many people have died, been displaced and had their houses burned down, and arrested on suspicion [of helping one side or the other]. We no longer want to see those things. Military tensions have eased now, and we want this to continue.”

The de-escalation of clashes in the region has seen a drop in the number of checks on civilians at military checkpoints on both roads and waterways, according to local residents. But they are also concerned that present conditions are just a lull before another round of clashes, as the Myanmar military’s Z-craft are seen moving along the rivers in the region almost every day. They are concerned that the military is transporting reinforcements, food and weapons to prepare for fresh fighting.

“We are not sure if there will be a more concrete peace or if the two sides are taking a break before they fight again. But we have seen military reinforcements. And there are still inspections at military checkpoints, though there are fewer than in the past,” Ko Ann Thar Gyi said.

U Kyaw Lwin said: “So far they have not signed any agreement at the [negotiating] table. So they still have suspicions toward each other. So clashes could break out at any time if one side enters the territory of the other. So, progress in the Rakhine peace process is not yet steady.”

While some IDPs have returned to their homes following the de-escalation of military tensions, some are even going on pilgrimages to Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U townships.

U Tun Aung Kyaw, a member of the Central Executive Committee of the Arakan National Party, said: “The fact that the two sides have held talks on a ceasefire in consideration of public interests is good for Rakhine State. I hope they will be able to meet around a table and successfully solve the problems through political means.”

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Military Chief Promises to Ease Return of Kachin IDPs

Villagers Flee Their Homes After Myanmar’s Military Clashes with TNLA

Thousands of Rakhine Civilians Return Home Amid Stability in Western Myanmar

Your Thoughts …
Tags: MilitaryPeaceRakhine conflict
Khine Rola

Khine Rola

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

AA Urges Myanmar Junta Troops to Surrender as Western Command Burns
War Against the Junta

AA Urges Myanmar Junta Troops to Surrender as Western Command Burns

by The Irrawaddy
December 18, 2024
25.3k

Ethnic army reportedly poised to capture regime’s last stronghold in Rakhine State.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar General in Charge of Shan State Disaster Handed Surprise Promotion
Burma

Myanmar General in Charge of Shan State Disaster Handed Surprise Promotion

by The Irrawaddy
February 5, 2024
24.4k

Naing Naing Oo elevated to Lieutenant-General and made chief of powerful Bureau of Special Operations No. 2, in a reshuffle...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Chief of Eastern Command Purged After Karenni Defeats
Burma

Myanmar’s Chief of Eastern Command Purged After Karenni Defeats

by The Irrawaddy
January 12, 2024
20.1k

Major-General Hla Moe is reportedly the latest junta commander to pay the price for sweeping gains made by resistance forces. 

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts
Analysis

Myanmar Junta Counteroffensives Failing Across Country: Analysts

by Hein Htoo Zan
September 20, 2024
16.7k

Three major operations to retake territory from ethnic armies and their allies are being hampered by troop shortages, experts say.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Orders All Security Personnel to Frontline as Losses Mount in Hard-Hit Regional Commands
Burma

Myanmar Junta Orders All Security Personnel to Frontline as Losses Mount in Hard-Hit Regional Commands

by The Irrawaddy
May 31, 2024
13.5k

Full-time military service order covers soldiers, personnel, police and border guards in eight regional commands.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Begins Forced Conscription of Women in Some Areas, Residents Say
Burma

Myanmar Junta Begins Forced Conscription of Women in Some Areas, Residents Say

by Hein Htoo Zan
May 31, 2024
13.5k

The regime is selecting women from lists of eligible conscripts and building barracks for them in Ayeyarwady; in Bago, women...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Mandalay has seen an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. / Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy

Medics in Myanmar’s Mandalay Fall Sick with COVID-19 as Cases Spike

Drivers have nasal swabs taken for COVID-19 test on the Yangon-Mandalay highway on Oct. 16, 2020. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar Moves Ahead with COVID-19 Vaccine Plans

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

Myanmar Tourism Sector Mocks Junta’s Russia Tourist Drive

1 week ago
1.8k
Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

1 week ago
1.8k

Most Read

  • Myanmar’s Aging Leaders Continue to Suffer in Junta Jails

    Myanmar’s Aging Leaders Continue to Suffer in Junta Jails

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Trade and Traffic from Thai Border Region Dwindle as Checkpoints Multiply

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mon Groups Vow to Boost Attacks on Myanmar junta

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Thai PM Faces Growing Calls to Quit in Cambodia Phone Row

    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.