Arakan Army invites foreign investors to discuss projects in Rakhine State

The Arakan Army (AA) has issued a warning directed at those implementing foreign investment projects in Rakhine State, urging them to cooperate with the ethnic armed organisation to ensure the continuation of ongoing projects and to discuss new ones. The statement, published on Monday in three languages—Burmese, Chinese, and English—claimed that the AA would safeguard current projects and protect the lives of those involved. Eight of Rakhine State’s 17 townships are under the control of the AA—Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, Myebon, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung in northern Rakhine State and Ramree in southern Rakhine—as well as Paletwa in neighbouring Chin State. Myanmar Now contacted AA spokesperson Khaing Thukha for comment on the investment policy, but had not received a response at the time of reporting. Veteran Rakhine politician and former parliamentarian Pe Than said that if the AA manages to capture Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and the state capital of Sittwe, the armed group will control all of northern Rakhine, putting it in a stronger negotiating position. The AA and its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), he pointed out, “are not yet internationally recognised as a government.” “However, businessmen can now start assessing the situation,” he added, noting that stability is crucial for economic development and the junta’s artillery fire and airstrikes on AA-controlled areas could deter investment. Kyaukphyu, in southern Rakhine State, is the starting point of Chinese-operated pipelines that carry offshore oil and gas from the Bay of Bengal inland to China. South Korean firm POSCO International owns a 51 percent stake in the corresponding Shwe gas project; 15 percent is held by the military-controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise and the remainder by other Indian and South Korean firms. The Shwe gas project also operates in the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which is majority-held by a Chinese state-owned entity, and the rest by the regime. The SEZ is set to include deep sea ports on Maday Island, southeast of Kyaukphyu, and on Ramree Island, in the same district. Ramree Township is held by the AA, and there has been intense fighting in the area in recent months. “It's a situation where investors must hold discussions with ULA/AA,” Pe Than said, referencing the pipeline project. “It will be best for investors to promptly act on their offer to avoid potential losses of profits and investments.” Another major international initiative in the region is India’s US$484 Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project, which seeks to link the country’s landlocked northeast to a seaport in the Bay of Bengal in Sittwe. In addition to the Sittwe port, the project also includes an inland Kaladan River port in Paletwa, Chin State, a road from the township to Mizoram, India, and a bridge over the waterway. The Kaladan River flows through Paletwa to Kyauktaw and Ponnagyun—all of which are under AA control. The AA met with an Indian delegation in late February to discuss road construction from Paletwa to Mizoram, but locals have also suggested that India must also meet with ethnic Chin communities and resistance groups before moving ahead with the project. An economic expert who spoke to Myanmar Now on the condition of anonymity said that the AA’s guarantee to countries like India and China is more of a promise intended to attract the confidence of investors “when the revolution is successful.” “It may be difficult to invest immediately or deeply now. It is a situation where investors can [commit] in advance,” he said.

Arakan Army invites foreign investors to discuss projects in Rakhine State

The ethnic armed organisation urges investors to cooperate with them in order to continue existing initiatives or discuss future projects

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