AA accused of killing ALP leaders, allegation denied by AA

Narinjara News, 6 January 2023

Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), in a statement issued on Thursday, accused the United League of Arakan /Arakan Army (ULA/AA) of killing three leaders including the chief of staff Khaing Soe Mya on 4 January in Sittwe.

However, the ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha, while talking to Narinjara News, termed the accusation baseless.

"It is possible that those who named us they themselves killed their leaders. Maybe the ALP leaders wanted to get media headlines for the organisation,” he added.

The victims included the battalion commander lieutenant colonel Khaing Kyaw Soe (34 years old) and captain Kyaw Min Soe (alias Khaing Thu Rinda, 31) besides Soe Mya (53).

It may be mentioned that all three ALP leaders died on the spot as they faced the bullet attacks near Setan area during the evening hours in the Arakanese capital city.

The ALP issued a statement on 5 January and claimed that they were assassinated by the ULA/AA members.

Narinjara News questioned ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha about the statement and he stated that factional divisions are going on inside ALP for power shares. He asserted that it was may be because of financial conflicts or another force tried to complicate the issue.

"Some other forces may also try to create troubles for complicating the problem. We don't know who did it. And hence we have no comment over the matter," added the ULA/AA spokesperson.

According to the ALP source, their leaders were shot and killed while they were returning to the office by a car after attending the diamond jubilee celebration of independence, organised by the military council in Sittwe.

When contacted Daw Saw Mya Raza Lin for information over the assassination, the ALP vice-president said, “ A statement was already issued. There is nothing else about it.”

ALP, a ceasefire ethnic armed organisation of Rakhine State with the military council, had a comfortable relationship with the authorities. Particularly, soon after it signed an accord on nationwide ceasefire agreement with the Union government in Paypietaw the relationship improved significantly.