The most significant events in 2019 –Rakhine State

03 January 2020
The most significant events in 2019 –Rakhine State
Photo: Arakan Army

 If we are asked to select the most significant event in 2019, Mizzima will say instantly without any hesitation, it is the events that developed in Rakhine State.

Previously in Rakhine State, the situation with the Rohingya overshadowed all the news reports but it has been flooded with a series of news reports of conflict with the Arakan Army (AA) since January 4, 2019, after the AA launched coordinated and simultaneous attacks on four police outposts in Buthidaung Township by over 100 AA troops.

Though AA had an armed conflict with Tatmadaw (government military) in the past too, this new opening in Rakhine State is an attempt by an ethnic armed group which has not signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the government.

This incident of a coordinated attack on four police outposts occurred just weeks after the Tatmadaw declared a unilateral ceasefire with most of the ethnic armed groups (EAOs) in almost the entire country other than Rakhine State.

The attacks by AA in Buthidaung Township stunned the Myanmar security forces. Later Myanmar Police Force Pol. Brig. Gen. Myint Toe told media that they did not expect such an instant attack on them although they got prior information.

This new armed conflict happened in Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Ponnagyun, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Myebon in Rakhine State and also in Paletwa of Chin State.

A Myanmar border guard police officer talks to journalist about the several attacks at Goke Pi police outpost, in Buthidaung Township, northern Rakhine State, western Myanmar, 07 January 2019. Photo - EPA

After the breakout of conflict, many police outposts of Maungdaw border guard police, Thandaung police outpost, Yotayoke police patrol and outpost, Oakpho and Nyaung Chaung police stations, Lay Hnyin Taung temporary police station were attacked and raided and moreover, some of the policemen were assassinated and attacked by remotely triggered mine explosions.

The police personnel on duty in Rakhine State have become the main targets of the AA while firefighters, administrators and public servants have been arrested by the AA.

As the conflict spreads to widespread areas, personnel from both sides of AA and Tatmadaw are increasingly arrested and also civilians. According to the state-run daily paper, The Mirror, published on November 1, 82 civilians have been arrested by the AA.

Tatmadaw arrested the younger brother, brother-in-law and younger sister of AA Chief of Staff Tun Myat Naing and also some local people in conflict areas.

Sometimes heavy weapons shells exploded in villages not concerned with the conflict. In these incidents, casualties were inflicted on innocent civilians, both sides denied their responsibility and no culprit could not be found.

The political objectives of AA

AA Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing. Photo - EPA

In an interview with Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint from Irrawaddy News, AA Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tun Myat Naing expressed that he wanted to establish Rakhine State as a confederate status.

“We prefer high autonomy and having a high division of power like Wa State is currently enjoying in accordance with the constitution. I think this status is more appropriate with the history of Rakhine State and aspirations of Rakhine people,” AA CS Tun Myat Naing said.

Tun Myat Naing told media that they had no reason to oppose Chinese invested projects in Rakhine State.

“This is our country and yes this is the country of Rakhine people but this country does not belong to our people. The central government sells everything in our country by pointing fingers. We have nothing to get from our own country. If we can get something from Chinese investment projects it will be better than nothing. So, we don’t have any reason to oppose Chinese projects in our State,” Tun Myat Naing said.

Tun Myat Naing’s interviews with media made waves among Myanmar Facebook users and Myanmar political circles and they also became controversial. In an interview with Irrawaddy News, Tun Myat Naing said that they would collect money from businesses in Rakhine State in the name of taxes, starting from 2020.

He said that they were scrutinizing and studying all businesses and projects in Rakhine State and Paletwa Township in Chin State and they were calculating tax amounts to be levied on these businesses and projects. And also, he added that they were considering collecting taxes from public servants, police personnel, cabinet ministers of State Government and MPs and MLAs elected from Rakhine State.

“They must pay taxes to our ULA (United League of Arakan). It is mandatory, they must pay taxes. They will not be allowed to do business in Rakhine State unless they pay taxes to us. We will not install our Arakan Government yet but we will establish our Rakhine People’s Authority instead first,” he said in the interview.

He further said that the government must coordinate with them for holding elections in Rakhine State. “If the people want to hold elections in the State and so does the government, they must come and negotiate and coordinate with us,” he said.

The arrest of Chin State House of Nationalities MP Whet Ting

MP Whet Ting

AA arrested House of Nationalities MP Whet Ting from Chin State No. 11 constituency Paletwa along with five Indians and five more people on November 3, 2019, while they were travelling in a speedboat from Paletwa, Chin State to Kyauktaw in Rakhine State.

Among these captives, an Indian engineer died of heart attack and then all these people apart from MP Whet Ting were released by the AA. This MP Whet Ting is still held by AA.

Investment

This photo taken from a boat on October 2, 2019 shows a Chinese-owned oil refinery plant on Made Island off Kyaukphyu, Rakhine State. Photo - AFP

Rakhine is crucial for energy projects in Myanmar. According to figures released by Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration, Rakhine State office, among the 27 investment projects in Rakhine State, 25 are in the energy sector.

Most of these energy projects are in Kyaukpyu. The domestic investment in the hotel and tourism sector has also increased with foreign investments in Rakhine State. Among the 25 domestic investments, 13 are in the hotel and tourism sector.

Rakhine State is strategically important in geopolitics and also it is one of the States where the government is trying to implement development projects.

Rakhine State is the region where many development projects are being implemented such as Kaladan multi-modal development project, Kyaukpyu deep-sea port project, Kyaukpyu special economic zone, Mrauk-U urban development and airport project, Ponnagyun industrial zone project, Kanyin Chaung trade zone project etc. and also there is the project of China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) which is the part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

Kaladan multi-modal development project was proposed and initiated by the Indian government and it is worth US$ 500 million. This project will connect its landlocked regions to the Indian mainland via Myanmar and it is expected to be completed in 2020.

But this project is now adversely affected by the armed conflict in Rakhine State. The major construction works of this project are in Paletwa in Chin State and now this area has become the main operation area and the base area of AA so the Chin State government had to suspend project work on the Kaladan bridge project and Kaladan River waterway project.

Moreover, the ancient city  of Mrauk-U is a cultural heritage and tourist attraction site and it has a flourishing hotel and tourism business with over 4,000 tourists visiting annually but now there are no tourists at all. A hotelier said that over 20 hotels and guesthouses had to stop and close their businesses.

Ponnagyun industrial zone project has not been started and Kanyin Chaung trade zone project is behind schedule with the completion date still uncertain.

A part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or modern Silk Road which will give China gateway to the Indian ocean, Kyaukpyu special economic zone (SEZ), is the second SEZ of Myanmar and the situation of this project is better than other projects in Rakhine State.

There are two parts in Kyaukpyu SEZ, a deep-sea port and a residential area. The total project cost will be US$ 7 billion. China said that they would continue this project work as it was not in the conflict-affected zone. 

Internet

A Rakhine man rides a rickshaw past a telecommunications tower in Sittwe, Rakhine state, Myanmar, 22 June 2019. Photo - EPA

There has been a mobile communication and internet blackout in Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Minbya and Ponnagyun for over six months. Even though, previously nine townships were disconnected this blackout has been reduced by over half and now restored except for the four townships mentioned above.

Nearly 700,000 people live in these four townships. 19 CSOs issued a press statement on December 21 which says that internet access is the basic human rights.

Gutabyin incident

AP reported on February 1, 2018, that hundreds of Rohingya people were buried in five mass graves found near Gutabyin village in Buthidaung Township and these corpses were found disfigured and believed to have had acid poured on them to destroy evidence.

One month after this news report, the President’s Office issued a press statement which said a field survey team of local people found the news report incorrect.

But later in late November 2018, the same office issued a press statement saying those found responsible for the massacre would be put on trial and be heard at a court-martial at a local military unit in Buthidaung Township.  

Tatmadaw True News Information Team issued a press statement dated August 30, 2019, which says that the Enquiry and Investigating Team led by Maj. Gen. Myat Kyaw visited Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas for the second time from July 15 to August 5, 2019.

According to government statements, reconstruction work on houses in Gutabyin village which were destroyed by fire were completed in May 2019.

Gambia files case against Myanmar at International Court of Justice (ICJ)

Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (R) during the second day before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Peace Palace, The Hague, The Netherlands, 11 December 2019. Photo - EPA

ICJ, the highest court of the UN, officially notified Myanmar on November 11, 2019, that the Gambia filed a case against Myanmar.

In filing the case against Myanmar, Gambia pleaded for provisional measures in the case.

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi led the Myanmar legal team in defending the case at ICJ.

NLD party township branch chairman Ye Thein died in AA custody

NLD party township branch chairman Ye Thein. Photo - Facebook

Ye Thein made arrangements to organize a mass rally supporting State Counsellor and NLD Chairperson Aung San Suu Kyi in Buthidaung Township and then was arrested by AA on December 11. The AA made an announcement on December 25 which said that Ye Thein was killed by enemy heavy weapon’s fire in their custody.

AA spokesman told media that Ye Thein was killed by a heavy weapon fired by Tatmadaw and his body was mutilated and dismembered by the artillery shell and he was buried so they had no plan to give the dead body back to his family.

On the same day, Brig. Gen. Zaw Min Tun from Tatmadaw True News Information Team said that they learned from local people that Ye Thein was not killed by heavy weapons fired by Tatmadaw but he had already been killed by torture and persecution committed by AA earlier than that date.