Arakan News Editor participating at the ASEAN EDITOR Conference in Kuala Lumpur in 2016

Introduction 
It is our pleasure to inform you Arakan News is launching by Arakan Information Center (AiC). 

Arakan Information Center (AiC) office is operating in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia since April 2019. We are keen to working with you in Asia regions for exchange of idea and sharing information, and working together for awareness of human rights abuses, war crimes, IDPs, refugees, and wars in Rakhine State, Myanmar. 

We are coordinated with offices of Arakanese civil society organizations, political parties, and academia in Rakhine State, Asian, Australia, Canada, Korea, Japan, Europe, and United States of America.  


Vision
Let the world know factual news and concrete information of dramatic situations in Rakhine State on human rights abuses, war crimes, IDPs, refugees, and wars.  

Mission 
It is a volunteer and non-profit organization of gathering and sharing news and data. AiC team is comprised with IT experts, on-ground volunteer reporters, and legal advocates from Arakan State, Australia, Canada, Korean, Japan, Europe, and The United States of America.  

This organization has been established since 2005 under the blogger: Arakan-Ynnan Gas Pipeline Campaign. It extends to Arakan Information Center ( AIC) and Arakan News.  

Target
Our news and information is targeted to local people, media, international organizations, United Nations, academic, researchers, students, and the world leaders. 

Current Works
To write news, interviews, and document and to share news and data communities on war crimes, human rights violations, civil wars, Tamadaw military operations, Arakan Army activities, forced portering, Internally Displaces Persons, food security, social and livelihood difficulty in Rakhine State as well as political conditions. 

Three hundred ground reporters and news collectors gather hourly and daily news and data and report to command-and-control center in USA and Malaysia. The command-and-control center release immediate news by tweeting, posting, and sharing on Arakan News blog, Facebook, Twitter, Signal, WhatsApp, and email. 

Some essential news and information of war crimes, human rights violations, massacre, civilian killed, raped, targeting civilians, arrested, disappeared, porters, forced labors, forced relocations, looting private properties, arson, and IDPs are properly documented and reporting to UN Human Rights Council, International Criminal Court, UN Fact Finding Mission, UN Independent Investigation Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), human rights organizations, legal organizations, and  governmental organizations. 

Future Work-Plan
Our team is approaching to coordinate with other ethnic news and information organizations, media, and international news, and information agencies. 

AIC is also constructing a Face-Com where everyone can read, share news, and post. It is more likely to be Facebook style where subscribers can create their own Face-Com page.   

Remarks
President Office Spokesperson U Zaw Hay admitted during his previous press conference that Tatamadaw could not affectively carry out its counter insurgent operations in Rakhine State as it wishes to because of internet and cyber networks mechanism and news sharing among the people and international organizations. Our AIC is key leading online media to encourage Rakhine people to share news and information among the people and to the world.

International media, UN organizations, academics, students, and some governmental organizations have been contacting us regularly and sharing information and providing advices. 

Affectively using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Blog, and Webpage can turn our situations for better and worldwide information.

Nyi Nyi Lwin
(Executive Director)
Arakan Information Center (AIC)

HP: +601151171291
Office: +603 7931 3988
Fax: +603 7804 1316 
Office Email: [email protected]
Personal Email: [email protected]
Photo: Chat Pyin Muslim village in Rathedaung township, location of Rohingya mass grave i in 2017

Sittway 

Government policy is always matter for the Myanmar nation how it will be shaping and moving forward or backward. Policymaker is warp and woof of the foundation and outcome. 

When the policy maker is naïve and tyrant, national gravitas is sinking down: no arts; no harmony; continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man solitary, nasty, brutish, unjust, and short.

That is exactly what happening for the Rakhine State.

Myanmar government reinstates internet ban in five more townships on February 3, effected in Buthedaung, Maungdaw, Minbya, Rathedaung and Paletwa, total of nine townships and covering one million peoples. 

The reinforcement of the internet blackout has hidden agendas of the government. Local people suspect Myanmar army and the government will destroy evidences of crime scenes in 2017 clearance operation against Muslim community in order to disprove ICJ genocide trial' increase military operations against Arakan Army; forcefully drive out more villagers to make the ordinary people weak, poor, and hunger in order of deterring moral and physical supports to AA; and to create confusions and divisions between the Rakhine and Rohingya communities, an attempt of inciting violent communal conflicts. 

All these premeditated actions are definitely leading to more human rights violations, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. 

The very first day of internet ban, Myanmar army attacks at least 10 locations in Bathedaung and Buthedaung townships with helicopter gunships and artilleries. Thousands of villagers have to run out of the villages and become IDPs and terrified. 

The local people are aware of that the internet shutdown comes after several clips of videos appeared on social media and the statement of Arakan Army. 

One of the videos showed two Muslim women were killed in Kin Daung village in Buthedaung township and wounded seven other men by Myanmar army when its shell landed in the village on January 25. 

Rakhine lawmakers and villagers confirmed the deaths by Myanmar army shells, but the army denied it. 

Another video clip appeared on Facebook AA members were rapping two Muslim women in Theindan village in Buthedaung township on January 31. 

Military spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told the media during his press briefing on Feb 2 AA members were rapping the Muslim women. 

Arakan News had already had the fake drama and the fact of rapped accusation on the ground, prior to the f Myanmar army press briefing. 

The fact is two AA members planted the landmines on the road and near the village. The Muslim villagers did not like it and forced AA to take the landmines out. 

While quarrelling, the Muslim villagers beat the AA members and injured. Then the villagers were afraid more AA members would come to the village and revenged them. Then they created the phony story of rape video and posted it on the social media. 

Aftermath of the video posted, the villagers ran away from Theindan village in order to avoid AA members were coming in.

Then the villagers reported it to Myanmar army, the soldiers arrived to the villages and investigated the incident. 

After Myanmar spokesperson accused the rape case on AA, Aarakan Army released a statement on Feb 3 and said it would provide the location and GPS coordination of the mass graves of Rohingya during the army’s clearance operations in 2017.

Suddenly, Myanmar government instructed international and national telecoms to shut the internet down in five townships. 

In addition to the blackout enforcement, several videos clips of Rakhine civilian causalities by landmines and Myanmar artillery shells were appeared on social media simultaneously.  

On Feb 2, U Thein Soe Aung, 58, went to his farm to feed the cattle in Ngasan Pho village in Rathedaung township at 2 PM. The landmine exploded on the road and destroyed all his legs and killed him on the spot. Local people told the media the mine was planted by Myanmar army in previous days. 

On the same day at 2 PM, Myanmar army fired the artillery into the noodle shop in Pindaw village in Rathedaung township and wounded a teenage boy,  Zaw Naing, 13,  his mother Daw Mae Khine, 47, and brother Zaw Than Win, 17. 

On Feb 2 at 12 noon, the leftover shell exploded and killed Kyaw Kyaw Than, 15, and wounded May Gree , 41 years old woman, in Kyaung Thike village in Mrauk U township.

On Feb 3 at 3 PM, Myanmar navy fired artillery into the resident and wounded a female school teacher Khin Htay Win, 28, in Rack Khundin-Kundan village in Rathedaung township. Her house was also blazed in some parts. 

Three Myanmar artilleries landed in the resident and killed a woman on the spot and wounded three other men in Kyauktaw town at 8 AM on Feb 3. 

The death toll is pretty high in the first week of February, 3 killed and 8 injured including a teenage  boy and a young mother. 

Combined in January and February first week, 19 people killed, 32 injured, and 10 arrested by Myanmar army in Rakhine State, and it is totally shocking civilian causalities in the beginning of 2020.

Arakan Army Spokesperson Khine Thukha said the current internet shutdown by Myanmar government is to cover up more human rights violations. 

The internet blackout clearly violates ICJ decision of protection of Rohingya community and preservation of crime evidences by Myanmar government that harms and incommunicado of information sharing among the people and timely monitoring the developments by international human rights organizations and individuals. 

In the middle of the blackout, Rakhine people are left behind and in the darkness under the heinous war crimes and extermination committed by Myanmar government and army.  

It is hard to believe the elected civilian government under the administration of National League for Democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi as portrayed the icon of human right and democracy agrees such harsh and cruel oppression over the Rakhine people, own citizens,  and the action is unorthodox of democracy norm and principle. 

Everyday, Rakhine people are in condition of continuance of fear of violent deaths and force of evictions under the current tyrant government. 

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