Kaladan News

Arakan Alliance Signed Deed of Commitment Under Geneva Call

Chittagong, December 07: Recently the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) and the National United Party of Arakan (NUPA), the two component organizations of the Arakan Independence Alliance (AIA), had separately signed the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment for Adherence to a Total Ban on Anti-personnel Mines and for Cooperation in Mine Action (DoC), according to our source.

 Talking to Kaladan Press, Khin Maung, President of the NUPA said, “Many innocent people have been killed and suffered in Burma. Even AP mines caused untold sufferings to the innocent people and wild animals on both sides of the Burma-Bangladesh border areas. So, it is important to end all use of AP mines”.

“Burmese military uses AP mines killing many civilians or non-combatants, most of whom are poor people like woodcutters, porters used by military, internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees fleeing persecution of the Burmese military. The mined areas are not marked and most victims have no access to treatment or assistance. There are many victims in the border areas of Burma-Bangladesh who need immediate assistance,” Nurul Islam, President of ARNO said.

The ARNO and NUPA with their Armies respectively of Rohingya National Army (RNA) and Arakan Army (AA) are the first rebel groups in Burma to sign the Geneva Call DoC, he further added.

Both government forces and ethnic armed groups had planted mines that have injured and killed not only enemy combatants, but also their own troops, civilians and animals. Nine( 7 States and 2 Divisions) out  of 14 states and   Divisions in Burma are mine-affected with many concentrations in Eastern Burma. Burma army also lays mines close to areas of civilian activity allegedly to prevent people from returning to their native villages after forced eviction during counter insurgency campaigns.

Burma’s military forces have used landmines extensively throughout the long running civil war. It has been producing at least three types of anti-personnel mines: MM1, MM2, and Claymore-type mines. It has obtained and used anti-personnel mines of Chinese, Israeli, Italian, Russian, US, and unidentified manufacture.

There are many mines that were planted by the Nasaka forces along Burma-Bangladesh border still posing danger for the passersby. Some of them were swept by the RNA. ##

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