Myanmar’s armed group Arakan Army (AA) has said it will build a temporary headquarters in Rakhine State very soon, reports The Irrawaddy.
The English daily said it has seen a video message from the AA chief Tun Myat Naing in the Arakanese language issued on Feb 10.
The newspaper confirmed the authenticity of video citing several sources close to the AA.
It’s the second such video issued by the group this month as AA deputy chief Nyo Tun Aung released by the first week of February, says the report.
In the video, the AA chief repeatedly urged Arakanese who live abroad to return to Rakhine State in order to take part in what he said was a turning point in the history of the region.
He is seen telling an audience of villagers that the current battle against government troops in Rakhine State is not just an armed conflict between the AA and the Myanmar military, but a struggle between the Arakanese people as a whole and the country’s military.
“I absolutely believe that the Arakanese public and the AA stand side by side. We have also frequently said that the government military is fighting against the whole Arakanese public,” The Irrawaddy quoted the AA chief.
Tun Myat Naing said he suggested Arakanese return to Rakhine because once, many Arakanese went to other states or foreign countries to join in armed revolution. He said that era was over now because the AA’s battlefield commanders and its supporters would recruit interested members. The AA chief promised they will fight until they achieve their ultimate goal.
“If you are interested in being an AA soldier, you don’t need to travel Karen state. Just go back to your homes and enquire a bit about the AA,” he said, adding, “The world-famous AK assault rifles, brand new AK firearms are waiting for you. Just come and join, OK?”
In the video, the Arakanese audience listening to his speech responds “Yes!” in unison. He appealed to women and disabled persons, explaining that carrying a gun in battle is not the only way to support revolution, and there are many different ways to revolt nowadays. For instance, acting as an informant on the ground is also a way of being a revolutionary, he said.
“Guns do not discriminate between men and women. All you need to do is just squeeze your finger,” said Tun Myat Naing.
He asked the Arakanese people whether they were willing to join the AA this month and then instantly about 100 villagers in the audience raised their hands. He reminded them that a real battle is harder than they can imagine, and that there is a strong possibility of them dying or being wounded during the fighting. It is a tough journey, he said, but Arakanese need to sacrifice for a brighter future by taking action with their own hands for the sake of the next generation.
A Reuters report says the Arakan Army was founded nearly a decade ago to fight for self-determination for Rakhine, which it says has been exploited by a remote central government.
Many early recruits were ethnic Rakhine Buddhists who had traveled to northern Myanmar to make their fortune toiling in the jade mines there.
They gathered and trained in territory along Myanmar’s border with China that is held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the largest ethnic armed groups still fighting the Myanmar military. Arakan Army fighters have fought the military alongside the KIA as part of a “northern alliance” in northern Shan state since late 2016.
Arakan Army forces have also moved into the rugged western borderlands with India and Bangladesh, where they are believed to number about 3,000.
In parallel, the group has launched a propaganda push aimed at inspiring an uprising across Rakhine in 2020.