Some Indian news outlets must stop the spread of misinformation and unjustifiable campaign against the Arakanese People’s struggle for political freedom

Date - 22 , July , 2020

The government of Myanmar and its military have been waging their coordinated race and information war against civilians of Arakan in order to maintain the Burmese colonial rule, oppression and exploitation in Arakan. In fact, the world’s longest internet shutdown in Arakan and Chin states has been used as a tool to conceal war crimes committed by Myanmar armed forces against all the Arakan’s inhabitants, which blatantly violates its obligation to comply with the provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Furthermore, the Burmese authorities have also been conducting a propaganda campaign with continued rally of fabricated information, misrepresentation of facts, unsubstantiated claims, and unwarranted accusations to unjustifiably shift the blame on our organization while covering up their flagrant war crimes.

The UN security council has recently adopted a resolution with respect to the appealing of 170 UN member states without Myanmar for “a global ceasefire" on 1 July 2020 in order to facilitate effective measures against the global threat of COVID-19 pandemic. Myanmar, which opposes the appealing of 170 countries for a global ceasefire, not only threatens world peace and regional stability but also negates international humanitarian laws and universal values.

In the meantime, we have come to notice the spread of misinformation by some Indian news outlets about our people’s struggle for political freedom against the Burmese invasion of Arakan. These Indian news outlets have accused our organization as having links with ARSA and receiving supports from China and insulted us on the pretext for the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project. Their heinous acts have not only tarnished the reputation of India as the world’s largest democratic country but also committed serious violations of international humanitarian laws and journalistic ethics. 

Allegations surfacing in the Indian media claiming that the ULA/AA has ties to the ARSA are damaging, defamatory and false. The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) was formed as a revolutionary organization comprising all inhabitants in Arakan irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, minority or majority, with political objectives striving for the liberation of the entire oppressed population of Arakan from  the yoke of Burmese fascism and imperialism, equal rights, self-determination and freedom for the multi-ethnic Arakanese population, the restoration of the loss of national sovereignty and political freedom in Arakan, and the emergence of a dignified, new Arakanese society. Therefore, we categorically denied what was an unfounded and hugely damaging allegation linking the ULA/AA to the ARSA.

Our humble suggestion is that taking into account the mutual interest and cooperation in the future some Indian news outlets must stop the spread of misinformation and unjustifiable campaign against  the Arakanese People’s struggle for political freedom.

Info-Desk
Arakan Army