New curfew imposed in Rakhine State.

MYANMAR TIMES 
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 03, 2019

NYAN LYNN AUNG

Rakhine ethnic people travel by motorbike in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar. Photo - EPA

A curfew was imposed from 9pm to 5am in five townships in northern Rakhine State on Tuesday following clashes between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army (AA), according to the state government.

The state issued a statement signed by Security and Border Affairs Minister Colonel Phone Tint on Monday that said the curfew had been ordered to enforce the administration, rules and regulations of the government as well as to protect the state’s businesses and economy.

“There is a public curfew in the late evening,” said a state official who asked not to be named.

The Arakan Army and the ‘storm of the revolution’.

Frontier
MYANMAR

Friday, March 29, 2019

Arakan Army deputy chief Brigadier-General Nyo Tun Aung during an interview at the group's base near Laiza. (Hkun Lat)

The deputy leader of the Arakan Army tells Frontier in the border town of Laiza in Kachin State about the group’s shift in focus to Rakhine State and why the Rakhine people may have to endure more suffering in the years ahead.

By YE MON | FRONTIER

Photos HKUN LAT

THE SECURITY situation in Rakhine State continues to worsen as fighting between a defiant Arakan Army and the Tatmadaw spreads to more townships, claiming more lives on both sides and displacing thousands of frightened and anxious villagers.

Shortly before the latest flare-up in fighting, Frontier interviewed the Arakan Army’s deputy chief, Brigadier-General Nyo Tun Aung, near Laiza, the town on the Chinese border where the Kachin Independence Organisation has its headquarters.

Tatmadaw likens Arakan Army demands to ‘a child daydreaming’

Frontier 
MYANMAR
Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Major-General Tun Tun Nyi attends an earlier press conference in Yangon on February 23. (Thuya Zaw | Frontier)

By SU MYAT MON | FRONTIER

YANGON — The Tatmadaw has blamed the Arakan Army for an escalation in fighting in Rakhine State, with military spokespeople accusing the armed group of harming civilians and labelling its demands “impossible”.

“With the thoughts of a child daydreaming, some of the armed groups are asking for what is impossible,” Major-General Soe Naing Oo, chair of the Tatmadaw’s True News Information Team, said at a press briefing in Nay Pyi Taw on Monday to discuss recent fighting with the AA. “Don’t ask for impossible things,” he said.

Myanmar army urges civilian tip-offs on Arakan Army in Rakhine.

The Daily Star
11:05 AM, March 26, 2019

FILE PHOTO: A Myanmar soldier patrols in a boat at the Mayu river near Buthidaung in the north of Rakhine state, Myanmar September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer

Eleven Media Group, Myanmar

The Tatmadaw requested people to give tip-offs about Arakan Army (AA) to respective administrative organizations and security organizations if the AA entered their towns, wards and villages to avoid further bloodshed in Rakhine State, it announced on March 23.

Tatmadaw warns public not to believe Arakan Army.

MYANMAR TIMES
CHAN THAR | TUESDAY, 26 MAR 2019

The Tatmadaw (military) has not killed any civilians or damaged any of their property during its clashes with the Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, Major General Tun Tun Nyi of the True News agency said.

“Everyone can see that the AA is trying to create racial conflict between the Rakhine and Bamar races. (Government spokesperson) U Zaw Htay has said that the situation in Rakhine has become a threat to the Union. The Tatmadaw has taken measures against the insurgents, but we are not always in a position protect the lives and property of people. We urge people to be cautious and not be exploited by the insurgents,” he said.

Eight injured in Mrauk U violence.

Frontier 
MYANMAR
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
By AFP

People look at an unexploded rocket in Mrauk U township in Rakhine State on March 16. (AFP)

YANGON — Fighting between Myanmar's military and the Arakan Army in Mrauk U, the ancient capital of the Rakhine kingdom, has left at least eight injured, scaring tourists and sparking fears that the historical monuments are under threat.

Week in Review: US firms look for investment opportunities in Myanmar.

MYANMAR TIMES

THE MYANMAR TIMES | 22 FEB 2019

As the country continues to get pilloried in the international community because of the still unresolved humanitarian crisis in northern Rakhine State, US companies are exploring opportunities in the country amid efforts to open up some sectors such as banking, finance and education.

US Ambassador to Myanmar Scot Marciel met recently with representatives of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers Commerce and Industry to discuss and explore opportunities available for US businesses.

Rakhine parliament turns down Tatmadaw

Myanmar Times
Chan Thar 21 Feb 2019

A police officer visits a policeman injured in an attack by the Arakan Army in Buthidaung on January 4. Nyan Lynn Aung/The Myanmar Times

The Rakhine State parliament on Wednesday turned down a motion submitted by Tatmadaw (military) MP Major Thet Oo Maung urging the state government to win public support for the military.

Rakhine parliament turns down Tatmadaw.

MYANMAR TIMES
CHAN THAR | 21 FEB 2019

A police officer visits a policeman injured in an attack by the Arakan Army in Buthidaung on January 4. Nyan Lynn Aung/The Myanmar Times

The Rakhine State parliament on Wednesday turned down a motion submitted by Tatmadaw (military) MP Major Thet Oo Maung urging the state government to win public support for the military.

Twenty-two Rakhine lawmakers rejected the motion, while 11 supported it, according to MP U Kyaw Lwin.

Are Indian Separatist Rebels in the Myanmar Army’s Crosshairs?

Is the Myanmar military taking greater interest in Indian separatist groups on its territory?

THE | DIPLOMATE

By Rajeev Bhattacharyya
February 20, 2019

A few camps and training facilities belonging to separatist groups from India’s northeast have been evacuated in Myanmar’s Taga region following the deployment of army columns late last month in a development that has taken the rebel groups by surprise.

What's Behind the New Constitution Change Push in Myanmar?

A closer look at the move and what it may mean for the country’s politics.

THE DIPLOMAT

By Prashanth Parameswaran
January 30, 2019

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

On Tuesday, Myanmar’s parliament voted to create a new committee to propose amendments to the country’s military-enacted constitution, formally putting the contentious issue of constitutional change on the agenda for the first time since historic elections brought to power the country’s opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi three years ago.

The idea of constitutional change in Myanmar itself is far from new. But understanding the context for its reemergence as well as its potential impact is nonetheless important within the context of the National League for Democracy (NLD’s) position within the country’s broader politics heading into elections expected in 2020.

Govt orders crackdown on Arakan Army.

The Myanmar Times.
HTOO THANT, NYAN LYNN AUNG 

21st JAN 2019

State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has ordered a crackdown on the Arakan Army (AA), said U Zaw Htay, director general and spokesperson of the President’s Office.

“Acts that affect peace and public security go against the rule of law. The government will take counter-insurgency actions in such incidents,” U Zaw Htay told the media at the Presidential Palace on Saturday.

Myanmar / Why Tatmadaw attempts to ‘crush’ the Arakan Army will ‘backfire’

By: Thomas Brent - Posted on: January 15, 2019 | Current Affairs 

The Arakan Army was formed just under ten years ago but has quickly grown into a fierce military force in Myanmar. Its latest attacks, which fell on the country’s Independence Day, prompted an unprecedented response from Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, whose office ordered the state army to “crush” the insurgency group. But what will a crackdown achieve and why has the government called for it?

As 2019 took its first tentative steps, Myanmar set about celebrating its 71st anniversary of its independence from British rule. On 4 January, in Maha Bandula Park in Yangon, the sound of sporting events and fun fairs filled the air. In the Buthidaung township in northern Rakhine state, it was the sound of bullets that stamped a bloody mark on the calendar.