AA vows to hit back at junta for attacks on Arakanese heritage

By Admin 26 Dec 2023

DMG Newsroom
26 December 2023, Sittwe

The Arakan Army (AA) has vowed to retaliate against Myanmar’s military regime for air and artillery strikes that have damaged the invaluable cultural and historical heritage of the Arakanese people.

The junta’s Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 540 and 378, overseen by the 9th Military Operations Command, and Police Battalion No. 31 based in Mrauk-U, deliberately attacked the archaeological museum, monasteries and religious buildings in Mrauk-U on Monday, the AA alleged.

Artefacts kept at the archaeological museum, and other aspects of the town’s ancient and historical heritage — crucial for Mrauk-U’s bid for UNESCO recognition as a World Heritage site — were destroyed by junta strikes, said the AA.

“The attack was evil and dirty as it was carried out despite the knowledge that efforts are being made to get the Mrauk-U cultural heritage zone inscribed on the World Heritage list,” the AA said in a statement.

Locals said junta troops fired shells at random across Mrauk-U town on Monday and some shells hit the archaeological museum on the palace mound.

“Stone inscriptions at the museum were damaged. The extent of the damage is still unknown,” said a Mrauk-U resident.

The museum showcases artefacts, stone inscriptions and stone carvings from the Danyawaddy, Waithali, Lemyo and Mrauk-U dynasties.

A draft proposal intended to put Mrauk-U on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites was submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Center in September 2019. The final proposal was submitted on December 30, 2021. 

The fate of the Mrauk-U bid is yet to be determined by UNESCO.

“The military council is deliberately attacking non-military targets. It is destroying the ancient cultural heritage of the Arakanese people,” said a Mrauk-U resident.

Some pagodas and stupas in the Mrauk-U archaeological zone were damaged by junta air and artillery strikes on December 13.

“The military council targets civilians, and they have no consideration for ancient cultural heritage. It seems they will do anything not to lose,” said Arakanese politician U Aung Thaung Shwe.

Three civilians were killed and six others were injured in Mrauk-U on Sunday when the regime carried out artillery and drone attacks across the town following fighting with the AA. Many Mrauk-U residents have since fled the town.