‘We Are Fighting for Human Rights, for Equal Rights, so Please Try to Help Us’: Arakan Army (AA) Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Han

[Burma Army] are often sending more troops, making bigger troops. So when we meet each other the fighting breaks out. There were clashes on April 16th and May 23rd, also June 5th and 6th. Altogether there have been about 80 clashes, since April 2004 to right now; the Burma Army has attacked AA about 60 times and AA has attacked the Burma Army about 20 times.

Can you describe what happened on June 5th and 6th?

When they [the AA and Burma Army] went to the front line and met each other the fighting broke out. From our side, from AA side, there were no dead bodies or big injuries, just small injuries, but from the Burma Army side, some were badly injured.

During this ceasefire time, the peace process time, we are trying not to be aggressive towards them as much as possible, but they come and are aggressive and are entering our area, so therefore the fighting is breaking out.

The conflict situation became worse in mid-April. What happened?

During April we didn’t go to fight them. The Burma Army thought during the water festival the Arakanese people will be drunk, so they tried to get them killed. But when they came they were ambushed from AA’s side and they [Burma Army] got a lot of injuries. [The Burma Army] tried to attack us. But we were already awake, we don’t sleep, we are always aware. The Burmese side thought that we will be drunk and they can kill us easily.

What do you think needs to happen for the fighting to stop?

The first step that we really want in order to stop the fighting is that we want a nationwide ceasefire. The first step is a nationwide ceasefire, and then to have political talks on political ground. And then stopping taking of land, for the military camps, needs to stop. There are a lot of army camps and they confiscate land. If they stop, it is going to be one solution for stopping the fighting.

 

NEW GOVERNMENT AND PROPECTS FOR PEACE

How do you currently view the peace process?

Right now the peace process with the new government, if it happens well then it will be really good, if it happens badly it is going to be really bad.

Why do you think the previous government excluded the three groups, the AA, TNLA and MNDAA, from the NCA?

The main problem is the Kokang [MNDAA] fighting, and the government is fed up with this group because when they fought the Kokang they said they will demolish this group, but they couldn’t because the AA and TNLA were helping the Kokang so therefore they couldn’t win. So in their mind set that was a problem, and they didn’t want to let us into the NCA. Before fighting with the Kokang they had a bilateral agreement with TNLA, with the Palaung. The government had a bilateral agreement with them. After the fighting they didn’t recognise anything. The question is, why did they give a bilateral agreement before fighting the Kokang? After the fighting why are they not doing for the peace process, for [inclusive] NCA?

It’s obvious that if they politicise like this they say ‘look at Manerplaw’ [former Karen Nation Union (KNU) and pro-democracy headquarters], a lot of problems and a lot of people died there. So, why do they [Burma Army] have a good relationship with the KNU? Because they won, the Burmese, they won, they demolished the headquarters at Manerplaw. They would not have included them to be a signatory to the NCA, but because the KNU have lost their headquarters, they allowed them. But the Burmese government couldn’t win the fight against the Kokang so therefore they didn’t allow then to be a signatory.

What kind of approach would you like the new government to take towards the peace process?

The NLD is the government right now, but if the NLD is under the military, and they say there’s going to be a peace process, it’s difficult because the military have their principles and the roadmap. So if the NLD is still under the military regime, nothing is going to happen with the process. I really hope the government is not like the military government and I want the government to really control the military regime, and then it will be successful for the peace process. If the NLD just listens to what the military say it’s going to be back like it was previously under the military ruling. It will come back to that in the future.

Has the NLD approached the AA since they’ve taken office?

We have already made a statement in cooperation with the three groups – TNLA, AA, and the MNDAA –  that we are welcoming the new government, the NLD, and we really hope to have a peace process soon. So then on the NLD side, it is the NLD government’s responsibility to send somebody here, and from the peace process committee they sent a representative, to tell the AA, not directly but from ANP (Arakan National Party) to AA. So they will try to have a political meeting, but they haven’t had it yet.

What are your thoughts about the “21st Century Panglong Conference” that they are planning now?

With the 21st century Panglong conference, according to Aung San Suu Kyi, it’s to have the Panglong mind-set, but this is not right according to our terms. We don’t want only the mind-set, we want the policy that we had before, the principles of the previous Panglong agreement, so that we can work on it, otherwise it will be the same thing. It’s going to be the Burmanisation of the Panglong agreement.

I would like to give a message that in the 21st Panglong conference; they should call all the CSO (Civil Society Organisation) and CBO (Community Based Organisation) groups, even the non-winner political groups, including all of the armed groups. They should call all of them and have a discussion. Right now they have only called the winning parties, the ones that won in political lines, they haven’t called the others, also CSOs and CBOs. We want them to call the outside groups too and to discuss what needs to be discussed and come together in one group and have a roundtable discussion.

 

INTERNAL DISPLACEMENT

How would you describe the IDP situation now in the Arakan State?

Now there are 2,500-3,000 IDPs. For the IDPs, Burmese government haven’t conducted a legal count, so the local people, the Arakanese people, they have given them a place to live. They are in Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Ponnagyun and Kyauktaw.

Are there any IDP camps or where are the IDPs staying?

No they are not legal IDP camps, just areas for IDPs to stay. Some of them stay at schools and temples. The local [Burmese] authorities [in Buthidaung], where the IDPs are staying right now, say, ‘OK you can go now’, but when they go back, the Burmese Army says ‘No you shouldn’t go there, there are mines.’ So right now I’m asking ‘where will they live, the IDPs’? The local authorities tell them to go back to their land and then the Burma Army says there are mines in the land. So where will they stay?

Even though the government [troops] put the mines there, they will tell the local people that they are from the Arakan Army. Because local people and the Arakan Army have joined together, the Burmese side are worried. Therefore, they say there are a lot of mines.

Have the IDPs set up any new temporary shelters?

From the national government, the Burmese government, they say they will use their budget. Arakan State Government say they will use money for IDPs but they haven’t spent anything yet. So some of CSO groups have come and given shelter and some aid.

How is the humanitarian situation for the IDPs? Are their basic needs being met?

Right now the rainy season is coming in Burma, and in the rainy season the Arakanese people are fasting; they don’t eat food, they just go to the temple for 3 months’ worship [for the Buddhist lent]. The war victims, the IDPs, they live in temples and class rooms in the schools, and the schools have already opened, and the temples are needed by the local people, so then where will they live? They [IDPs] need buildings for them and also the main necessity is toilets for them. First, they need shelter and toilets, then they need food and everything else.

How can the international community support them?

I want the local NGOs and INGOs to give their full support to the IDPs. Right now is a good time to support them because the Arakanese people feel left out as they believe the INGOs are only giving help to the Muslim community, because when the Muslim people need it, they go and help them. So the local Arakanese people feel like they aren’t getting any support, the international people are only giving it out to the Muslims. And right now, when we have these problems, the International community doesn’t come. So therefore, I really want the International community to give their direct support so that Arakanese people can feel that we aren’t also being discriminated against.

Are there any INGOs giving any aid?

I know of two NGOs that are helping by handing aid to the ANP and a CBO group.

 

BURMA ARMY AND ‘DIVIDE AND RULE’ TACTICS

Divide and rule: Arakanese Buddhists and Muslims

The Burma Army have forbidden the local Arakanese people to go find teak or take any vegetables or anything in the forest, but they are allowing Muslims to find teak and food and everything from the jungle. The Burmese regime is trying to put the Muslims in jeopardy, they want [Arakanese] to kill Muslims to gain political credibility for the Burma government so they can say ‘Oh, look at the terrorists, they’re killing Muslims, Arakan terrorists killing Muslims.’ They would like to publish these things, and we already know that this is what is happening, so we have told people not to take it out on the Muslim population. We have told our AA people not to have a problem with Muslims.

Divide and rule: Arakanese and other ethnics

Three months ago the Burmese started giving police training to 150 people from other ethnicities in Arakan State, to make problems between Arakanese and other ethnics, such as Mro, Khami and Dainet. They try to make communal conflict, so we often worry about these things. They are just giving training to them as standby troops. They say it’s for police training, but they will use them for whatever they want.

It is obvious that it will create problems, because they only took other ethnics except for Arakanese. They will use them later in their operations, fighting operations, and they will put them in the front line, and they [the Burmese] will stay at the back, then they [the other ethnics and Arakanese] will kill each other and it will be a problem. This is what I think; why are there no Arakanese people in the 150? If they give training to the Khumi and others, why separate them from the Arakanese?

 

ALLIANCES AND CIVILIAN SUPPORT

How does the AA work together with other ethnic armed organisations?

We have applied to become a member of the UNFC, still processing the application. And right now there are three armed groups that are cooperating with each other, TNLA, MNDA and AA. We have an alliance, in political dialogue, so if something happens, the three groups will have one voice and unity.

Before there was AIA, 40 years ago, the AIA was the Arakan Independence Army, and they were in the Kachin State, and then afterwards the AIA were in Karen State. Why they did that was because there was no freedom to do that in Arakan State, to do military training, to set up a military base camp, so therefore the Arakan groups had to go to the ethnic alliance areas to freely give training there. When they would have a bigger group, like right now, they are able to operate inside the Arakan State. They set up there and they now give training there. Now when they have a bigger group so the enemy cannot demolish them easily.

The AA has a relationship with all the ethnics.

 

Could you describe the relationship between the AA and the ALP/ALA (Arakan Liberation Party/Arakan Liberation Army)?

We tried to do a joint committee of our own armed groups with ALP/ALA and AA. We tried to do a joint committee and tried to cooperate together from around 2013 to 2015. Then after the NCA and the peace process, the ALA signed. We had an agreement to have a joint committee to work together, but we hadn’t implemented it. We had just only an oral agreement that we will do a joint committee, but now the ALA cooperates with the Burma Army, they have a ceasefire, so then after 2015 [NCA] we haven’t had any sort of agreement or anything.

We don’t have any problem between ALA and AA, but after the signing of the NCA, we haven’t had a relationship at all. Under their [government] policy, only 8 groups signed the NCA, 3 groups were left out. There are 21 groups that should be NCA signatories, but only 8 groups signed. There are another 13 groups that didn’t sign.

How do you think the Arakanese people feel about the AA?

It is clear that the ANP, the Arakan National Party, even though they won [in the election], the NLD occupied everything and took seats in the parliament. So even though ANP won they are just losing, so all of Arakanese people think that right now there is only one solution, which is fighting. Right now everybody is supporting the AA.

Now in Arakan State, [in May] local people were demonstrating and they were putting up posters saying ‘Get out Burma Army’ because now they dare to do this publically and to demonstrate. So you see this is how they give support to us. Civilians, Arakanese civilians, they don’t like the Burma Army to be in the Arakan state, because for six decades they have just been taking all the resources from Arakanese, and occupied everything, even fisheries, and confiscated land, so therefore they are fed up with them. So they really want the Arakan Army to come to the Arakan State, and therefore they are demonstrating openly ‘we don’t want you’ to the Burma Army.

 

SUPPORTING THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM

How can the international community support the ethnic and the Arakanese struggle for equality and self-determination?

The 2008 Constitution is still under the military’s burmanisation, so therefore the international community shouldn’t support too much the Burmese military regime; they [international community] don’t realise about the 2008 Constitution and how badly it affects the ethnic groups. The INGOS and the international community really should think about the 2008 Constitution and they really shouldn’t cooperate too much with the government.

We are not fighting the Burmese government because we like to fight, the mission is that we would like to get self-determination, to control our territory and we want to lead our territory, to have self-determination. This is why we fight. We are fighting for human rights, for equal rights, so please [international community] try to help us as much as you can. I believe that when we have the power in Arakan State, we can control the discrimination and the conflict, we can control everything in order to have no further conflict or discrimination anymore. I believe that after getting control and power we will be able to handle everything.

Is there anything you would like to say to the people of Burma?

I would like to give the message to all of Burma, that as it has already been six decades of dictatorial rule across all of Burma, not just the Burmese, but all of the ethnicities have problems because of dictatorship. So if, still, the military regime controls the country, again it will be a dictatorship like in the past; the same problems. So therefore, everyone needs to push the system, and let’s cooperate all together on these things. Because of the Panglong Agreement, we have freedom in Burma, but after Aung San died, the central government at that time didn’t recognise the smaller ethnic groups, therefore they were broken up and still have a problem. If it happens again like that, it will create problems, so let’s work together for the Panglong Agreement and freedom.

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Burma Link interviewed AA Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Han on June 7, 2016.