In a series of statements released this week, the Twitter account that claims to represent the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) called on the ethnic Rakhine community to resist the Myanmar government’s efforts to divide and rule the inhabitants of Rakhine State, also known as Arakan.
First, in a statement released on August 13, ARSA referred to Rohingyas and Rakhines as “twin-sister communities” caught in the jaws of the “Bamar colonizing forces.”
Then, in a video published on YouTube yesterday, ARSA commander-in-chief Attaullah Abu Ammar Jununi tells viewers: “Because we share a long history together, the Burmese government is again trying to play the old game of divide and rule. But Rakhine leaders possess the wisdom to evade the enemy’s trap.”
“The Rakhine community and its leaders still have time to realize the political and military strategies of the Burmese, who always try to divide and rule,” Jununi adds.
ARSA Commander demands #Myanmar Gov’t to demilitarize #Arakan state & warns of retalitions if they fail to fulfillhttps://t.co/xH0n8iLK96
— ARSA_The Army (@ARSA_Official) August 16, 2017
The ARSA commander, flanked by four rifle-wielding men wearing masks and longyis, employs several approaches in petitioning the Rakhine community to end its participation in the “ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas.”
First, he stresses that in the three years of ARSA’s existence, it has never harmed the lives or property of Rakhines.
Next, he advises members of the Rakhine community to look critically at the perceived benefits of supporting the Myanmar government’s operations in Arakan.
“Rakhines must realize that the Burmese finally only rewarded each Rakhine with a solar charger and a battery for dancing to the tunes of the racist Burmese political game,” he says.
In another effort to highlight the Myanmar government’s duplicity, Jununi says: “Burma is very elusive and will also continue to try to fool regional governments and international bodies to win on every stage. Extreme care in dealing with Burma in every affair with regard to Rohingya is highly recommended.”
STATEMENT: Current Situation in #Arakan & denouncing UNILATERAL Violence being Plotted against #Rohingya by the #Burmese Regime (13/8/2017) pic.twitter.com/FwtX4eDdTk
— ARSA_The Army (@ARSA_Official) August 13, 2017
Toward the end of the video message, the commander calls on the Myanmar government to demilitarize Arakan, to replace army barracks with schools, universities, and hospitals, and to “cease ongoing violence and lawlessness.” The video’s description on YouTube says the government will “face the retaliations from ARSA in defense of the downtrodden Rohingyas” if it fails to comply with the demands.
Despite his threat of violence, Jununi takes pains to distance his group from any perceived links to other militant groups. He invites the UN and NATO to investigate whether ARSA “affiliate[s] with elements of terror” or receives funds from other organizations.
(A story published by Asia Times on Tuesday claims ARSA receives funds and guidance from members of the Rohingya diaspora in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Malaysia.)
Offering some fatherly advice to young people in the Rohingya diaspora, Jununi tells them to pursue “educational excellence,” to avoid drug use, to obey local laws, and to “never fall into the trap of any terrorist organization.”
Such an irreversible mistake, he says, “will tarnish the good image of our peace-loving and predominantly decent people.”
“Our primary objective is to liberate our people from the dehumanizing oppression perpetrated by all successive Burmese regimes,” he says.
“It is time for Rohingyas and Rakhines to display genuine goodwill based on the principle of universal brotherhood.”
