Statement on the 226th Anniversary of the Loss of Arakan Sovereignty Day

Date:  December 31, 2010
Ref:  AASYC/ GHQ/ Release/ 07/ 10

Today, December 31, 2010, marks the 226th anniversary of the loss of the sovereign kingdom of Arakan which had flourished for around 6,000 years. In 1784, Arakan was invaded and colonized by the Burmese king, Maung Wai, with no previous declaration of war against our sovereign kingdom, and since then Arakanese have lost their three sovereign powers of executive, legislature and judiciary, and have suffered under the extinction of the rule of law.

Arakan and Arakanese people have been oppressed by the Burmese imperialists, British colonists, Japanese fascists and successive Burmese military regimes, intent on not only exploiting Arakan's natural resources but also destroying Arakan's cultural heritage. Over the past 226 years, Arakan's status as a "hidden colony," has escaped world attention and is leading towards a situation where Arakanese people are being erased from the world map by the current chauvinist military dictatorship.

These are some current examples of violations in Arakan:

• Destruction of Arakan's cultural sites in the ancient cities of Dhanyawaddy, Vesali and Mrauk-U under the so-called development project of the Site-tway (Sittwe)-Ann-Minbu Railroad;
• Forced confiscation of hundreds of thousands of acres of land, including ancestral and inherited farmland and plantation gardens;
• The brutal killing of a youth from Kyaukphru Township on December 14 by the army, following which the family were forced to accept "compensation" of (100,000) Kyat (equivalent to around US$100) to his family;
• The sale of Arakan's natural gas and oil from both offshore and onshore to foreign countries without any consensus from the Arakanese people;
• Increased oppression of Arakanese people by deploying a growing number of troops in Arakan under so-called development projects;
• Neglect of state-wide commercial sale and use of drugs and marijuana in Arakan and to the youth destroying their character, in cooperation with local authorities;
• Legal tolerance of the sex industry with no respect to the feelings of the local population;
• Continuing arrest and detention of youth activists and politicians in their political activities and work for democracy.

Following the recent one-sided and unfair elections, the SPDC is attempting to form a military- led civilian government to legalise the 2008 constitution, without any regard for international standards for justice and political freedom. AASYC urges all Arakanese people to follow these principles:

1. Be oriented towards national solidarity.
2. Preserve and protect Arakan's national identity, its natural resources, its cultural heritage and its national interests by all means.
3. Fight against colonialism, chauvinism and dictatorship by whatever means available.

Central Executive Committee
All Arakan Students' and Youths' Congress (AASYC)
General Headquarters (GHQ)
Thai- Burma Border
Media Contact: Comrade Aung Marm Oo (General Secretary) - + 66 (0) 81-6736326

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