• Burmese
Sunday, July 20, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
24 °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

Prominent Arakanese Reject Gov’t Claim that AA Has Links to ARSA

Htet Naing Zaw by Htet Naing Zaw
January 9, 2019
in News
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
AA troops / Arakan Army Information Department

AA troops / Arakan Army Information Department

7.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

NAYPYITAW—The Arakanese community has responded with anger and disbelief to an accusation by the Myanmar President’s Office that the Arakan Army (AA) has ties to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Rohingya insurgent group denounced by the government as a terrorist organization.

Numerous prominent Arakanese figures told The Irrawaddy they believed the accusation was baseless, casting serious doubt on the idea that the AA would ever cooperate with ARSA.

Following the deadly attacks launched by the Arakanese armed group against four Border Guard Police outposts in Rakhine State’s Buthidaung Township on Jan. 4, President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said at a press conference on Jan. 7 that the attacks were the outcome of meetings between the AA and ARSA in July last year.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Using Conscripts as Cannon Fodder, Defectors Say

Myanmar Junta Using Conscripts as Cannon Fodder, Defectors Say

July 18, 2025
623
Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

Rakhine Fighters Close In on Myanmar Junta’s Naval Base

July 16, 2025
2.3k
Bangladesh Vows to Break Rohingya Crime Gangs

Bangladesh Vows to Break Rohingya Crime Gangs

July 15, 2025
764

He said AA and ARSA officials met in Ramu, Bangladesh and were likely to have discussed the groups’ respective areas of control within Myanmar.

“We learned they agreed that areas west of the Mayu mountain range [close to Bangladesh] would be controlled by ARSA, while areas to the east would be for the AA,” he said.

U Zaw Htay urged the Arakanese people to think about what kind of future they wanted for Rakhine State, and urged them to take the consequences into consideration before supporting the AA.

Arakanese people do not believe the government’s accusation at all, said Upper House Arakanese lawmaker U Khing Maung Latt. He described U Zaw Htay’s remarks regarding the Arakanese people as provocative.

“He offered his personal views, rather than the policy of the government. He is not authorized to make such comments, and they are not official. [The Arakanese community] perceives his words as a threat. [His remarks] are not peaceful. He spoke as if [the government] would use force,” said U Khin Maung Latt, who is also a member of the Arakan National Party.

The lawmaker added that he did not believe the spokesman’s warning to the Arakanese people was the result of the high-level meeting between government and Tatmadaw leaders in Naypyitaw on Monday.

According to Lower House lawmaker U Pe Than of Rakhine State’s Myebon Township, the Arakanese people would not accept the AA if it cooperated with ARSA. They do not believe that such ties exist, he added.

“We can’t accept that [the government] is only coming out with this after the recent attacks,” said U Pe Than, adding that it is unnatural that the AA would cooperate with the ARSA, a group he said was loathed in the Arakanese community.

U Tun Kyi, a prominent activist in the Rakhine community, said the Rakhine and “Bengali” communities are historical enemies, so it is impossible that the AA would have ties with ARSA. “Bengali” is a term used by the Arakanese community to refer to the Rohingya to imply that they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

The Rakhine issue has been described as “Arakanese-Bengali” crisis, and it is unacceptable that the government has only made the claim after the recent attacks, he said.

“The AA is supported by more than 99 percent of Arakanese people. Not only Rakhine State, but other states also have armed groups. Not only the Arakanese people, but all ethnic people support their own armed groups. The Kachin support the KIO [Kachin Independence Organization],” U Tun Kyi said.

Some Arakanese lawmakers believe both the AA and ARSA are being used as pawns by interest groups based in the US, China and Muslim countries.

The government’s statements regarding the Rakhine issue must be based on hard evidence, said political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein, pointing out that even news organizations need strong evidence before publishing a report.

“The Rakhine issue concerns the national peace process. It is very delicate and sensitive. So, there is a need to take a far-sighted and restrained approach to find an answer,” U Yan Myo Thein said.

In a statement released on Monday, the AA denied having ties with ARSA and called U Zaw Htay’s remark an “ultimatum” and an “insult to all Arakanese people”.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Arakan ArmyARSAEthnic ConflictPresident’s OfficeRakhineRohingya
Htet Naing Zaw

Htet Naing Zaw

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
Residents among the ruins of their home destroyed by Tuesday’s storm on Kalegauk Island in Ye Township, Mon State on January 8, 2019. / Mem3/Mon Era News / Facebook

Homes Levelled by Storm in Mon State

The office of the Union Civil Service Board in Naypyitaw / ucsb.gov

Civil Service Board Insists It Has Cut Ties With Fake Universities

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

4 days ago
1.5k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

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

1 week ago
3.5k

Most Read

  • More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Indian Top Brass Visit Myanmar After Cross-Border Drone Attack

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Nation Where Brave Hearts—and Martyrs—Dwell

    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.