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75-566: PSLF may refer to: Palaung State Liberation Front Public Service Loan Forgiveness Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title PSLF . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=PSLF&oldid=1182726295 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

150-717: A ceasefire in late 2020 after eroding the central government's control in northern Rakhine. The power vacuum was filled by the AA over the next 18 months with state-building efforts, like their COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. During the Myanmar civil war , the ceasefire broke down and armed clashes resumed in July 2022 after a Tatmadaw airstrike against an AA base. The two sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire in November 2022, reportedly for humanitarian reasons. On 10 April 2024, AA announced it

225-790: A ceasefire with the State Law and Order Restoration Council . In reaction, several of its members based at the headquarters of the Karen National Union in Manerplaw , on the Thailand-Myanmar border, decided to reject the decision of their mother organization and on 12 January 1992 formed the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) under the leadership of Mai Tin Moung. In the subsequent years,

300-637: A gateway preventing AA from attacking southern Rakhine State. On 27 March, Arakan Army forces seized a camp near Ge Laung village, Ann Township. On 2 April, the Arakan Army announced it had captured a portion of the Ann- Minbu Highway, cutting off Ann from neighboring Padein. During these offensives, on 10 April, the Arakan Army rebranded itself as the "Arakha Army" to represent all people living in Rakhine State. The Arakan Army and

375-404: A health disaster for the local population, conducting operations where they actively destroy poppy fields, heroin refineries and meth labs . The TNLA claims that they arrest opium smugglers regularly and the narcotics seized are publicly burned on special occasions to deter drug trade. In August 2012, a PSLF Central Committee meeting set up a 5 year plan for the eradication of drugs and in 2014

450-660: A notice blocking non-governmental organisations and UN agencies , except for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme , from travelling to rural areas in these townships affected by the conflict. The fighting prompted 5,000 civilians to flee from their homes and to take shelter in monasteries and communal areas across the region, according to the UN Office for

525-678: A ransom is paid. Since its creation the PSLF/TNLA has been frequently engaged in clashes with local armed militias established by the State Peace and Development Council junta, that are often involved in drug trafficking. From 2009 to 2011, more aggressive attempts by the Tatmadaw to subordinate groups in the region led to an increase in direct clashes with the TNLA, as well as with the KIA and

600-729: A result, they took up arms against the Myanmar Army in support of the KIA . In 2014, the AA started a settlement in Rakhine State near the border with Bangladesh and another near the border of Thai-Myanmar with which it has become much stronger and its combat abilities have been positively impacted. In February 2015, the AA fought alongside the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an ethnic armed group, and its ally

675-413: A statement claiming that its forces could break the Arakan Army's siege of the outpost. On 26 May 2020, the Arakan Army released a statement demanding the immediate withdrawal of Burmese Government administration and Burmese Armed Forces from Arakan. In January 2019, Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee designated Arakan Army as a terrorist group under the country's counter-terrorism law. AA and

750-783: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Palaung State Liberation Front The PSLF has its origins in the Palaung National Front (PNF), a Ta’ang armed group that was founded in 1963. In 1976, a PNF leader, Mai Kwan Tong, broke away with the support of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO) and formed the Palaung State Liberation Organisation/Palaung State Liberation Army (PSLO/PSLA), which quickly upstaged

825-596: Is known to have "engaged indirectly with the NUG and provided support to PDFs and anti-military forces, even if mostly covertly". In December 2023, the PSLF/NLA took control of the Pa Laung Self-Administered Zone following the capture of the towns of Namhsan and Mantong as part of Operation 1027 during the current Myanmar civil war . Although in theory the TNLA is supposed to simply be

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900-669: The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) clashed in Buthidaung Township on 15 April, killing 25 Rohingyas. A local reported that the Tatmadaw and ARSA fought together during the clashes. On 27 April, the Arakan Army captured Taw Hein Taung base in the hilltops of Ann township. On 6 May, the Arakan army also captured the 15th MOC headquarters. On 3 May, the Arakan Army captured the headquarters of

975-598: The Arakha Army , is an ethno-nationalist armed organisation based in Rakhine State ( Arakan ). Founded in April 2009, the AA is the military wing of the United League of Arakan (ULA). The Arakan Army are followers of Theravada Buddhism . It is currently led by Commander-in-Chief Major General Twan Mrat Naing and vice deputy commander-in-chief Brigadier General Nyo Twan Awng . The Arakan Army states that

1050-633: The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). In 2019, the AA, the MNDAA and the PSLF/TNLA strengthened their military cooperation by founding the Three Brotherhood Alliance . Following the 2021 coup d'état the PSLF/NLA initially avoided conflict with junta troops and took advantage of the drop in fighting to boost its governance capacities in northern Shan State. However, he group

1125-636: The Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in their conflict with the Myanmar Army. Hundreds of the Tatmadaw's soldiers were reportedly killed in this conflict. On 27 August 2015, there was a clash between the AA and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces, with both sides opening fire near the Boro Modak area of Thanci in the Bandarban district , near the shared Burma-Bangladesh border. On 20 August 2015,

1200-685: The Three Brotherhood Alliance and is reportedly involved in joint operations outside of Rakhine State, including Operation 1027 , an offensive ranging from Lashio to Kokang , northern Shan State, in October 2023. AA also had multiple skirmishes with junta forces in Htigyaing Township , Sagaing Region . AA claimed that these skirmishes are part of Operation 1027 . AA and KIA combined forces captured Gangdau Yang base on Myitkyina - Bhamo road on 31 October. A combined force of AA, KIA and local PDF started attacking Kawlin on 3 November and it

1275-578: The Township's police station. By the next morning, the Arakan Army had taken control of the town. Pauktaw's proximity to the Rakhine state capital, Sittwe, posed a threat to the junta. The town was retaken by the junta the following day. In December 2023, the Three Brotherhood Alliance , of which AA is a part, and the junta agreed on a ceasefire in northern Shan State. Following this, in January 2024,

1350-736: The central government partly because of their lack of confidence in the latter's ability to control the army's actions. It was not a signatory of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015 but joined the UWSA -led Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee . In 2016, it joined the Northern Alliance along with the Arakan Army (AA), the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and

1425-551: The 22nd Light Infantry Division, elements of the 66th and 99th Light Infantry Divisions, and battalions from the Western Command of the Tatmadaw were reportedly involved in the subsequent military offensive against the Arakan Army. Clashes were reported in Maungdaw , Buthidaung, Kyauktaw , Rathedaung and Ponnagyun Townships , located in the northern and central parts of Rakhine State. The Rakhine State government issued

1500-410: The AA and the junta placed blockaded and strict prior notice for all travelers attempting to cross river and land blockades. The renewed war was markedly different as the junta had significantly less morale and the AA was now part of a popular de-facto alliance with NUG-led resistance forces. On 26 November, the Arakan Army and the junta agreed to a temporary ceasefire beginning on the following day. It

1575-576: The AA chief claimed that the group has more than 20,000 soldiers. In a December 2021 interview, Twan Mrat Naing claimed that the AA had grown to 30,000 troops. Although the AA was initially trained by the KIA, it later aligned itself more with the United Wa State Army (UWSA) through the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee . In 2020, India accused China of assisting rebel groups, including

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1650-467: The AA denied regime claims that they were targeting them for recruitment, Khine Thu Kha encouraged anyone to volunteer if they wished, regardless of ethnicity or religion. In 10 April 2024, the Arakan Army rebranded its Arakanese name from "Rakhine Army" ( Rakhine : ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော် ) to "Arakan Army" ( Rakhine : အာရက္ခတပ်တော် ) to represent all people of Rakhine State. In 18 May 2024, when Arakan Army captured Buthidaung , Rohingya activists accused

1725-587: The AA seized the Taung Pyo junta outpost along the border with Bangladesh in Maungdaw Township. The Arakan Army additionally captured Kyauktaw on 7 February, while heavy fighting continued in Mrauk U and Ramree . The Tatmadaw abandoned Myebon to go to Kyaukphyu on 9 February, leaving ammunition behind in their rush and abandoning the southern township of Mrauk-U District . The following day,

1800-484: The AA took the historic town of Mrauk U completing their control over the township. During the battle, three Myanmar Navy landing craft were reportedly sunk. In response to the seizure of the three towns, the junta blew up bridges in Kyauktaw Township and the state capital, Sittwe. 5 days later, the Arakan Army captured Myebon, completing their capture of the entirety of Mrauk-U District . On 24 March,

1875-554: The AA urged residents of Maungdaw to evacuate the town, claiming that all junta bases in the township had either been captured or encircled, and that they would attack the town. In response to the fighting in Maungdaw, the Bangladesh Navy deployed warships around St. Martin's Island , which has been shot at several times by junta forces. The island has been the site of controversy, as, since 2019, Burmese maps have included

1950-568: The Arakan Army clashed with a group of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), after ten of their horses were confiscated by the BGB earlier that day. The Arakan Army claim that they stand for self-determination for the multi-ethnic Arakanese population as well as the safeguarding and promotion of the national identity and cultural heritage of the Arakan people. The army has forcibly recruited Rohingya people into its organisational structure and claims to be creating an inclusive, federalist government to counter

2025-570: The Arakan Army and the junta broke down. With the military's attention on the increasing resistance elsewhere and increasing popular support to partner with the Nation Unity Government (NUG), AA began to seek an expansion of its influence into southern Rakhine. Rhetoric from AA leader Twan Mrat Naing in June grew more provocative with military spokespeople stating that the AA was inviting conflict. Armed clashes resumed in July after

2100-603: The Arakan Army began an offensive on Ann Township concurrently with their offensive on Sittwe, launching attacks on Ann , the headquarters of the junta's Western Command . North of Ann, the Arakan Army launched attacks on neighbouring Ngape Township in Magway Region . Ann's location is strategically important as the link between Rakhine and Magway via the Minbu-Ann road through the Arakan Mountains and as

2175-572: The Arakan Army began clashing with junta forces along the Thandwe - Taungup highway. On 22 April, intense clashes broke out around the Tha Htay hydropower plant in norther Thandwe Township , reportedly leading to the deaths of "dozens" of junta soldiers. On 25 April, the Arakan Army began clashing with junta forces near the Ngapali Beach. On 18 May, the Arakan Army captured Buthidaung and

2250-593: The Arakan Army escalated their offence into Paletwa Township and captured Paletwa , a strategic town for the Indo-Myanmar Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project A week later, the Arakan Army again captured the town of Pauktaw, concluding a three-month battle. The Arakan Army captured the remaining Tatmadaw bases in Minbya on 6 February, thus taking full control of Minbya Township . The same day,

2325-406: The Arakan Army launched an offensive to capture neighboring Taungup , with AA forces launching attacks on the junta base near Taungup University. After months of relative peace, heavy clashes broke out outside of Kyaukphyu on 17 June after junta forces were leaving Danyawaddy naval base, near Thaing Chaung village, leading to 10 junta deaths. On 20 June, AA forces ambushed a junta column along

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2400-752: The Arakan Army launched attacks on Rakhine BGP outposts in Maungdaw Township, later alleging without providing evidence that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) fought alongside the Rakhine BGP. The RSO denounced AA's accusations and the AA labeling them as " Bengalis " among other issues. Later in February when the junta began conscripting largely non-citizen displaced Rohingyas living in Kyaukphyu , AA spokesman, Khine Thu Ka, called upon young Rohingya men fleeing conscription to seek refuge in their territory. While

2475-584: The Arakan Army released a press statement calling the perpetrators (the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army ) "savage Bengali Muslim terrorists" and the violence a "rampage of the Bengali Islamic fundamentalist militants in northern Arakan." In November 2017, the Arakan Army was involved in heavy clashes with the Tatmadaw in Chin State, in which 11 Tatmadaw soldiers were killed. According to the BBC , there

2550-666: The Arakan Army. The Arakan Army later stated that it had captured nine BGP personnel and five civilians, and that three of its fighters were also killed in the attacks. Following the attacks, the Office of the President of Myanmar held a high-level meeting on national security in the capital Naypyidaw on 7 January 2019, and instructed the Defense Ministry to increase troop deployments in the areas that were attacked and to use aircraft if necessary. Myanmar Army soldiers from

2625-600: The Border Guard Police in Maungdaw Township at Kyee Kan Pyin, forcing at least 128 junta soldiers to cross the border into Bangladesh. The next day, the Arakan Army announced that, after a prolonged siege, it had captured the 15th Military Operations Command near Buthidaung . The Arakan Army claimed that the battle for the base killed "hundreds" of junta soldiers, and that hundreds of junta soldiers and their families had surrendered. On 13 April,

2700-506: The Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs . Civilian casualties, arbitrary detention of ethnic Rakhine villagers, and military blockage of food aid and medical relief were also reported. On 9 March 2019, around 60 AA insurgents launched an evening attack on Yoe-ta-yoke Police Station. According to a leaked combat report, nine policemen were killed, two were injured, and a dozen weapons, including 10 BA-63 battle rifles , were stolen by

2775-588: The MNDAA. Fighting between the TNLA and government troops then reached a new high in 2013 and 2014, leading to the death of 200 people and the displacement of more than 4,000 inhabitants. In November 2016, Northen Alliance forces launched coordinated attacks on military targets in northern Shan State and briefly took control of a portion of the Mandalay-Muse Highway. In November 2017, the TNLA attacked two Burma Army bases in Namhsan . After joining

2850-630: The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in October 2015, the RCSS / Shan State Army-South began expanding its operations towards the China border, thus encroaching on territories controlled by the PSLF/TNLA. Hostilies between the two groups broke out in November 2015 after RCSS forces ambushed TNLA soldiers near Namkham. The two groups engaged in regular skirmishes in the following years. In late 2020, fighting escalated again. In 2021,

2925-637: The No. 31 Police Security Unit at 10 p.m. The Tatmadaw retaliated with fighter jets, bombing AA positions until 6 a.m. the next day. On 22 September, fighting broke out near Taunggyi Village in Myebon Township , as the ceasefire expired. In October, AA soldiers captured a ferry on the Mayu River between Sittwe and Buthidaung Township and abducted a group of 58 passengers, which included soldiers, police officers and government workers. A rescue attempt by

3000-761: The PNF. The PSLA then waged a guerrilla war against the armed forces of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma . In the late 1980s, the group was weakened by the introduction of new counter-insurgency tactics and the signing of a ceasefire agreement by the KIO 4th Brigade, its long-time ally, who became the Kachin Defence Army and stopped supplying it with weapons. On 27 April 1991, the PSLA agreed to sign

3075-429: The PSLF/TNLA has set up their own education system in partnership with local civil society groups and NUG workers, under the umbrella of the Ta’ang National Education Committee (TNEC). In 2023, the committee said it ran more than 420 schools, providing education to around 25,000 students. The PSLF/TNLA largely generates revenue through taxes on the transportation of goods and people. Another important financing source of

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3150-437: The PSLO progressively lost its influence and was eventually forced to the regime to disarm and demobilize in 2005. Many dissatisfied rank-and-file members of the PSLO then joined the PSLF and were provided training by the KIA’s 3rd and 4th Brigades in Laiza . In October 2009, the PSLF held its 3rd congress and its leaders Tar Aik Bong and Tar Bone Kyaw announced the creation of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) as

3225-404: The SSPP over the control and administration of territories liberated from the junta have also arose in several occasions. This article about an organisation in Myanmar is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Arakan Army Other allies: The Arakan Army ( Rakhine : အာရက္ခတပ်တော် , romanized:  Araka Tatdaw ; abbreviated AA ), sometimes referred to as

3300-401: The TNLA, in cooperation with the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP), managed to register gains against RCSS troops, forcing them to withdraw south of the Mandalay-Muse Highway before pushing them back to their strongholds near the Thailand-Myanmar border. The PSLF/TNLA has long been allied with the KIO/KIA, with whom it maintains close ties and cooperates militarily. However, in recent years,

3375-491: The Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army engaged in several days of fighting around 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Sittwe at the border between Kyauktaw and Mrauk U townships. An unknown number of military personnel were killed in the fighting. Several Tatmadaw personnel, including one commanding officer, were killed in sniper attacks. Many others were injured. Following clashes between Rohingya insurgents and Burmese security forces in northern Rakhine State in October 2016,

3450-417: The Tatmadaw in Rakhine, but there are reports of atrocities being carried out by the AA and the use of Rohingya people as cannon fodder and human shields . There are also reports of the Junta exploiting tensions between the Arakanese and Rohingya by forcefully recruiting Rohingya people to be used as human shields and cannon fodders. In a 2021 interview with Prothom Alo , army chief Twan Mrat Naing said

3525-415: The Tatmadaw using a helicopter resulted in an exchange of gunfire, killing several of the hostages. On 6 February 2020, the Arakan Army attacked an outpost of the Tatmadaw on a bank of Kaladan River in Chin State. Fighting continued for weeks and peaked in the second week of March when the Arakan Army claimed it had captured 36 soldiers, including a battalion commander. On 19 March 2020, the Tatmadaw made

3600-434: The Taungup- Pandaung road, leading to 60 junta deaths. On 23 June, AA forces captured Thandwe Airport, the first airport to be captured by resistance forces since the 2021 coup. By 26 June, fighting had spread to Ngapali Beach, and the AA began launching attacks on the last 2 junta bases in Thandwe town. On 2 September, the SAC redeclared the AA as a terrorist group for "bombing civilians." Between 4 and 6 February 2024,

3675-506: The UWSA and AA, by supplying weapons and providing hideouts within Indian territory. AA has received Chinese-made weapons, such as surface-to-surface missiles used during an attack on the Myanmar Navy in 2019. However, there is little evidence to directly confirm Chinese involvement, as Chinese weapons may have been supplied by the UWSA, which has a closer relationship with China. The Arakan Army has targeted India's Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project but not China's projects in

3750-425: The areas they control, the PSLF has set up a bureaucracy of 1,500 staff, divided into thirteen departments. Many of these lower-ranking administrators are members of the junta's administrative apparatus that were assimilated by the PSLF/TNLA as they took control of their villages. This administrative network comprises "a central office, five district-level offices, eighteen offices at the township level and many more at

3825-403: The armed wing of the PSLF. The TNLA then started operating in Ta'ang populated areas of northern Shan State and engaging in occasional clashes with the Tatmadaw. On 9 November 2012, it held an unofficial meeting with the junta's negotiating body, the Union Peace-making Work Committee, but contacts were not further developed. The PSLF/TNLA subsequently did not take part in peace negotiations with

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3900-486: The attackers. On the same day, AA insurgents managed to conquer the front line commanding post of Rakhine State's Gwa Township -based No. 563 Light Infantry Battalion under the supervision of Light Infantry Division No. 5. According to a press release by the Arakan Army, 11 personnel, including four military engineers, were captured and 16 backhoe excavators, a car, a dump truck, and 60 mm and 80 mm mortars were confiscated. In April, around 200 AA insurgents attacked

3975-415: The ceasefire with the Tatmadaw should the SAC refuse to order a halt to the massacre of civilians protesting the coup . On 10 April 2021, the AA alongside its allies, TNLA and MNDAA , launched an attack on a police station south of Lashio in Shan State , killing at least 14 police officers and burning the station to the ground. Between June and August 2022, the informal ceasefire in late 2020 between

4050-406: The central government reached a ceasefire in November 2020. At the time of the ceasefire, Myanmar's control had been severely eroded in central and northern Rakhine State, leaving a vacuum that the Arakan Army would fill out of the next 18 months. AA rolled out many public services, like COVID-19 vaccines and local administrators in northern Rakhine State. After the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état both

4125-547: The defense department of the PSLF, in practice “there is little separation between the two" and "most PSLF officials are seconded from the armed wing". In 2013, the PSLF/TNLA started to organize their armed forces across Ta’ang areas in five regular battalions, plus one dedicated to headquarters-defence and special forces. The number of battalions has been increased to 7 in 2013 and to 21 in 2015, divided into 3 brigades and supervised by two tactical operation commands. In 2024, Tar Hod Plarng, TNLA’s commander-in-chief, claimed that

4200-405: The early 2010s, the Arakan Army fought alongside the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) against the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) in the Kachin conflict . Following the 2016 outbreak of conflict in Rakhine state , the AA became more heavily involved in the Arakan region. In 2019, the AA launched attacks on state security forces and the Myanmar Army responded, heightening clashes. The AA reached

4275-484: The future either. Most AA soldiers were originally trained at the KIA Military Academy. Since 2014, the AA has set up its own training camps in Rakhine State. According to the Myanmar Peace Monitor, the AA had more than 1,500 troops in 2014, including personnel stationed in the Rakhine State near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh. The Irrawaddy stated in September 2015 that the AA had more than 2,500 troops and 10,000 personnel in their civilian wing. In June 2020,

4350-403: The group claimed to have been “able to destroy more than 1,000 acres of opium farms in Ta’ang regions” in two years. The group regularly detains drug users and send them by to “detention centres” in order to cut them off from their addictions. They also try to discourage local farmers from continuing to grow poppy by offering them crop substitution programs and interest-free micro-financing. In

4425-444: The group had now "seven brigades and more than 30 battalions.” The PSLF/TNLA recruits primarily through a conscription policy that obliges eah household in areas under their control to provide at least one male recruit. Those with many sons often have to provide two. The group has also been accused of enlisting child soldiers. The PSLF/TNLA is known for their opposition to drug trade and drug use, which they see as they see it as

4500-424: The group has increasingly turned towards the SSPP, which fought alongside it against the RCSS, as well as the UWSA, which supplies it with weapons. In May 2018, the PSLF/TNLA opened its first liaison office in Panghsang , the de facto capital of Wa State . This turnaround has led to a deterioration in relations with the KIA, coupled with mutual accusations of mistreatment of the local populations. Tensions with

4575-413: The group is the payment of fees by Chinese contractors conducting infrastructure projects in the region in exchange for ensuring their free access and safety. The PSLF/TNLA has also been accused of making money from taxing the local drug market, despite its anti-drug stance. Resistance on the part of certain inhabitants to pay taxes to the group have led its members to kidnap resisters and detain them until

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4650-415: The island as Burmese territory. On 2 June, clashes again erupted on the Thandwe-Taungup highway near Ngapali Beach, with the AA captured Gawt village during the fighting. Over the next week, the fighting moved closer to Thandwe and neighboring Ngapali Beach, forcing the Thandwe Airport to close. During the fighting, Burmese forces shelled Singaung village, killing between 60–120 villagers. On 15 June,

4725-476: The junta launched an airstrike against an AA base in Kayin State , killing 6 AA soldiers. AA retaliated in Maungdaw Township 12 days later killing four and capturing fourteen junta soldiers. Armed clashes broke out in northern Rakhine and western Chin State in late July and early August, including in the city of Paletwa , Chin State. By late August, travel to northern Rakhine required notifying series of checkpoints and all public transport ships ceased operating. Both

4800-401: The military junta and government-in-exile withdrew its designation of the AA as a terrorist group. The State Administration Council (SAC) withdrew its designation on 11 March 2021, while the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) announced a few days later that it was rescinding its terrorist designation for all insurgent groups. Nevertheless, on 30 March, the AA threatened to end

4875-439: The name "Arakan Army" on its English website. The Arakan Army was founded on 10 April 2009 along with its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), in what it describes as its "temporary headquarters" in Laiza , Kachin State . Following training, the group planned to return to Arakan State and fight for self-determination; however, with the outbreak of fighting in Kachin State in June 2011, they were unable to. As

4950-525: The objective of its armed revolution is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan people . It was declared a terrorist organization in 2020 by Myanmar, and again by the State Administration Council junta in 2024. In February 2024, Twan Mrat Naing claimed that the AA had grown to at least 38000 troops. Anthony Davis, an expert in military and security, rejected this claim and estimated that it has at least 15,000 troops in Chinland and Rakhine State, and around 1,500 in Kachin State and Shan State . In

5025-429: The organization wanted to have good relations with Bangladesh and work with them on the Rohingya issue. In an interview with the Arakha Media (AKK) conducted in August 2021, the Commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army stated that the political objective of the armed revolution is to restore the sovereignty of the Arakan, and there had been no bargaining in the attempt to regain the lost sovereignty and there would not be in

5100-416: The region , leading some to accuse China of diplo-terrorism. However, in February 2024 it stated that it would not prevent the completion of the project. Its representatives met with K. Vanlalvena , an Indian senator who came to observe road construction. In April 2015, the AA clashed with the Myanmar Army in Kyauktaw Township of Rakhine State and Paletwa Township of Chin State . In December 2015,

5175-448: The remainder of Buthidaung Township. The Arakan Army began launching attacks on neighboring Maungdaw on 22 May. On 29 May, junta and the allied Arakan Liberation Army soldiers killed over 70 villagers from the village of Byian Phyu near Sittwe due to suspected Arakan Army sympathies in the village. From late May to early June, the Arakan Army launched attacks on the remaining junta bases throughout Maungdaw Township. On 16 June,

5250-472: The village-tract level". The PSLF/TNLA has set up their own police force since 2018 to maintain public order. The group also operates a parallel justice system with dedicated courts and prisons by recruiting civil servants and lawyers who sought refuge in their territory after defecting from the junta. In June 2023, the PSLF/TNLA announced that they would establish forest reserve areas to prevent deforestation and preserving local species. In terms of education,

5325-545: Was brokered by Yōhei Sasakawa of the Nippon Foundation who acted as an intermediary. AA spokseman Khine Thu Kha stated that they agreed to it for humanitarian reasons and not because of international pressure. The group did not withdraw from fortifications held at the time of the ceasefire. A junta official told The Irrawaddy that it was the first step towards a permanent ceasefire. As of mid-December, tensions remained high with forces from both sides remaining in deployment within northern Rakhine State. AA remained part of

5400-464: Was changing its name from Rakhain Tatdaw ( Rakhine : ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော် ) to Arakha Tatdaw ( Rakhine : အရက္ခတပ်တော် ). Spokesperson U Khaing Thu Kha, claimed "Arakha" represents everyone living in Rakhine State, regardless of background. Even though they claim to be diverse, activists have brought forth evidence of war crimes against Rohingyas following this announcement. However, AA continues to use

5475-475: Was completely seized on 6 November. It became the first district-level town to be taken by the rebels. On the morning of 13 November 2023, as part of Operation 1027, the Arakan Army attacked two Border Guard Police stations in Rathedaung Township, breaking the Rakhine state ceasefire agreement between the junta and AA. The following night, the Arakan Army launched an attack on Pauktaw , seizing

5550-644: Was notably excluded from the unilateral ceasefire announcement and an increase in clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army was reported. On 4 January 2019, around 300 members of the Arakan Army launched pre-dawn attacks on four border police outposts—Kyaung Taung, Nga Myin Taw, Ka Htee La and Kone Myint—in northern Buthidaung Township . Thirteen members of the Border Guard Police (BGP) were killed and nine others were injured, whilst 40 firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition were taken by

5625-467: Was popular support for the Arakan Army in Mrauk U and a number of men from the town recently joined the group. On 21 December 2018, the Myanmar Army declared a four-month unilateral ceasefire in five conflict areas, saying it would hold talks with non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) during the ceasefire period. However, the Western Command (stationed in Chin State and Rakhine State)

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