As Myanmar's military regime presses ahead with its so-called election, Arakan's political experience offers a sobering lesson, one written in betrayal, miscalculation, and the widening gap between electoral politics under dictatorship and the will of the people.

December 10 should have been a day to reaffirm the universality of human rights — the right to life, health, safety, and education. Instead, as Myanmar marked International Human Rights Day, the military junta launched a devastating airstrike on Mrauk-U Public Hospital in Arakan State, killing more than 30 people and injuring over 70 — patients, caregivers, and ordinary civilians seeking medical care.

Bangladesh's "Arakan Corridor" proposal may have been shelved, but the underlying approach has not changed: arm, train, and instrumentalize Muslim armed groups while pushing for rapid repatriation that ignores political and security realities on the ground in Arakan. 

Arakan's future now hinges on which path prevails. If the AA continues to expand inclusive governance and nurture coexistence, there is hope for building a political model that overcomes decades of division.

It is not enough to issue statements of "concern." It is not enough to merely condemn. The world must act - through sanctions that target the junta's war machinery, through international legal mechanisms to prosecute its generals, and through urgent humanitarian interventions to protect those who remain trapped in this escalating conflict.

Myanmar's revolution stands at a crossroads. After suffering historic defeats, the junta is clawing back ground-not through its own strength, but through the shadow cast by Beijing. China's hand is pressing down on the revolutionary movement, protecting its own pipelines and ports while betraying the aspirations of the people.

If the AA captures Kyaukphyu, that hollow claim of authority will collapse even further. China, which prioritizes the security of its pipelines and port, may no longer rely on the junta as its sole partner.

The recent arrival at Teknaf port of rice exported from the AA-controlled port in Maungdaw is a likely sign of things to come.

The junta's trade blockades, which aim to cripple the AA, have had little success militarily but have inflicted severe hardship on millions of civilians in Arakan State who are now struggling to access food.

Foreign nations' continued sale of aviation fuel and weapons to the Myanmar regime are tantamount to complicity in the war crimes being perpetrated by the junta on a near-daily basis.

The repatriation of Myanmar Muslims from overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh is a stated aim that both the ousted civilian government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the current military regime have failed to achieve.

China has a veritable treasure trove in Myanmar. It is not a treasure trove of gold and silver typical of an adventure story. Located in Arakan State in western Myanmar, the treasure trove provides Beijing with direct access to the Indian Ocean and potential economic prosperity.

In Arakan State, which has been hit hardest by the regime’s war crimes in recent months, the junta is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Myanmar’s military regime is determined to leave a legacy of racial and religious conflicts in Arakan State even if it is forced to leave the state.

Many Arakanese people perceive the latest hostilities between the military and AA in terms of a “last battle,” which will determine whether they escape out from under the boot of oppression or remain there for the foreseeable future.

A country’s news media are the eyes and ears of the public. In its efforts to suppress the press, this junta betrays its intent to forcibly close the eyes and ears of the public.

Cases of rape of minors have been on the rise around the world, including in developed countries. While the death penalty is imposed for sexual assaults of minors in some countries, the maximum sentence in Myanmar is life imprisonment. 

The organised guns have largely fallen silent in Arakan State since the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) observed a humanitarian ceasefire in late November of last year, but civilians’ fears for their own safety have arguably only grown in Arakan State.

Migrants leave the country either legally or illegally, and those who hope to leave are easy targets for human traffickers.