Lu Htet Naing, Narinjara News, 27 September 2024

Arakan State and its people have suffered the mostsevere oppression under successive military dictators and the currentdifficulties they face are a test of their morale and resilience in theirpursuit of ultimate victory, said Myanmar political analyst and Senior lawyer U KyiMyint.

"I have deep sympathy for the people of Arakan.They have endured immense suffering from the severe oppression from successivemilitary dictators. Arakan is one of the most severely oppressed states underthese regimes. We, Bamars are just now experiencing this oppression as well. Wewant to encourage the people of Arakan to endure- you can overcome this,"he added.

After witnessing Vietnam's victory in the war againstAmerica, he noted that it was clear that, regardless of the opponent'sstrength, morale is what really  matters.

"The United States dropped tons of bombs onVietnam—3.5 times more than the total dropped worldwide during World War II. Atthe end, the US lost the war. Morale is crucial. The current situation is theultimate test of our morale and resilience. When we rebuild our country, ourmorale will be a hundred times stronger," he said.

U Kyi Myint also emphasized that Arakan has strongleaders and praised the commendable performance of the Arakan Army (AA).

"The performance of the AA is outstanding. Theyhave earned praise and respect from around the world. The AA is achievingvictories everywhere. Their spirit is strong, their conduct is admirable, andtheir leaders are exceptional. It is very difficult to find good leaders inMyanmar," commented  U Kyi Myint.

He further noted that successes of the AA haverevitalized Myanmar's ‘Spring Revolution’, and the awakening has alsostrengthened the AA. Additionally, he highlighted that the momentum of therevolution has been revitalized by the strength of the ‘Three BrotherhoodAlliance’.

He stated that the Arakanese are an ethnic group thathas lived in an independent kingdom for centuries and the people of Arakan havethe right to choose and determine their own future.

"I firmly believe that Arakan State can bedeveloped successfully under the leadership of the AA. I deeply sympathize withthe Arakanese people, who have been  affected by the oppressive militarydictators and successive regimes. The people of Arakan have the right to maketheir own decisions regarding their affairs,” asserted U Kyi Myint.

The Arakanese people lived as an independent sovereignnation until 1785. Taking advantage of the disintegration of Arakanese unity,the Bamar king Bodawpaya launched a surprise attack without declaring a warthat led to the fall of Arakanese sovereignty.

Despite the loss of sovereignty, the Arakanesenational leaders allied with Bamar nationalist leaders, including General AungSan, to fight for and achieve the unified independence of Myanmar from theBritish colonial rule.

The Arakanese people achieved independence throughcollaboration with the Bamar people. However, fearing that Arakan State wouldbe re-established as a separate country after Myanmar's independence, thesuccessive rulers oppressed the Arakan people in various ways, engaging in astrategy of ‘divide and rule’.

As a result of this oppression, Arakan State, once therichest and most educated region during British rule, now becomes the secondpoorest state among the 14 regions and states after 70 years after Myanmar'sindependence, as stated by the current economic indicators. (Photo by AI)