Myanmar’s junta forces Rohingyas to take part in anti-AA protests

Rohingyas living in northern Rakhine State’s Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships are being coerced into taking part in protests against the Arakan Army (AA), according to locals. Videos of an anti-AA protest in Buthidaung began appearing on pro-regime social media channels on Tuesday. They show people holding signs with slogans such as “No Need for AA,” “Protect Buthidaung,” and “No need for armed clashes”. In a post about the protest, junta supporters wrote that while the AA previously had amicable relations with the Rohingya, they have since begun to oppress the Muslim minority group. Around 100 people can be seen taking part in the event, with the majority of the sign holders being young people. A resident of Maungdaw who witnessed the demonstration said that a civilian vehicle full of junta personnel could be seen trailing the protesters. “There was no security provided by the regime, but there were a lot of troops inside a car that stayed close to the crowd the whole time,” said the local, who did not want to be identified. “I believe they were there to pressure the protesters. People are saying that the regime is just trying to stir up ethnic tensions,” he added. He also expressed concern that the regime may be planning to stage similar protests in Maungdaw. “There has been racial conflict in Maungdaw and Buthidaung in the past, so I think similar demonstrations could happen in Maungdaw next,” he said. A photo that began circulating on pro-regime social media accounts on March 19 shows Rohingya protesters in Buthidaung Township holding signs denouncing the AA A middle-aged Muslim man who lives in Buthidaung said the protesters were not residents of the town, but had been brought in from nearby villages. “The army organised and paid Muslims from rural areas to protest. They did so because they were afraid of the army. We Muslims are in great danger, especially since the army imposed conscription, because we are living between two armed groups,” he said. One Rohingya man who took part in the protest in Maungdaw said that junta authorities had rounded up around 100 young people and gave them 20,000 kyat and a blanket each to take part. “We had to sign a pledge to attend [the protest] when called upon. Then they instructed us to express opposition to the AA,” he said. While the authorities managed to coerce many young people into demonstrating against the AA, many others have since fled to avoid being forced to take part, said one villager. “Parents won’t let their children sleep at home now out of fear that they will be arrested,” the villager said. “They’re sending them away at night with prepared food so they won’t be caught.” Late last month, it was learned that the regime had been forcing young Rohingya men from a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kyaukphyu Township to join the military as conscripts. Last week, five Rohingya IDPs taken from camps near the state capital Sittwe were confirmed killed in battle after being forced to fight against the AA. The entrance to Maungdaw Township, seen in 2021 (Myanmar Now) On Monday, a junta airstrike on the Rohingya village of Thar Dar in Minbya Township killed at least 22 people, including children, and injured 29 others. The victims were all sleeping at the time of the attack, which took place at around 1:30am. The AA, which controls and occupies Minbya, later said in a statement that it was providing medical treatment to the wounded from Thar Dar. The AA currently controls nine townships in western Myanmar—Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Pauktaw, Myebon, Ponnagyun, and Rathedaung in northern Rakhine State, Ramree in the southern part of the state, and Paletwa in southern Chin State. The group is currently continuing its offensives on junta army camps in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, which both have a large number of Rohingya villages. Between 2012 and 2017, successive waves of anti-Rohingya violence swept through the two townships and other parts of northern Rakhine State, forcing hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee across the border into neighbouring Bangladesh. The latest targeting of the Rohingya is a reflection of the junta’s growing desperation in the face of serious military defeats in Rakhine State and elsewhere, according to Rakhine veteran politician Pe Than. “The military council is failing on all fronts across the country. They seem to want to instigate a racial conflict to find a way out of their failures internationally and domestically,” he said. “If there is tension between Muslims and Rakhine people in Rakhine State, it will attract international attention and lead to conflict between the two racial groups. The army will try to gain political benefit and military advantage from such conflict,” he said.

Myanmar’s junta forces Rohingyas to take part in anti-AA protests

The protests appear to be part of an effort by the regime to sow division amid mounting military losses against the AA in Rakhine State

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