Military Junta Removes Rebel Group From Terrorist Group List

Myanmar military regime leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during a meeting with military generals. (Source: seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com.mm)

JAKARTA - Myanmar's military junta has removed the Rebel Group or Arakan Army (AA) from the list of terrorist groups because the faction has stopped the attack. This elimination is also an effort to build peace throughout the country.

The news was announced by state media on Thursday, March 11. The move comes as soldiers struggle to contain daily demonstrations against the February 1 coup in which elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted.

The AA is fighting for greater autonomy in western Rakhine state and over the past two years has become one of the most formidable forces challenging an army that has fought multiple ethnic wars for about seven decades.

The AA was placed on the list of terrorist groups last year under Suu Kyi's rule. "Designation of this group as a terrorist group will end from March 11, 2021", said the state-run Mirror Daily, citing the junta's vision of building "national lasting peace".

The AA, which agreed to an interim ceasefire in November, did not respond to a request for comment. Some of Myanmar's two dozen armed ethnic groups have criticized the coup and even shown support for anti-coup protesters, but have not significantly increased military action or abandoned the ceasefire agreement.

The AA has voiced no support for the protesters and there have been few protests in Rakhine state, which caught the world's attention in 2017 when some 700.000 people from the Rohingya Muslim minority fled an army crackdown.

The AA ranks were largely drawn from the ethnic Rakhine and Buddhist majority in the kingdom that was independent until the 18th century.