Tributes to martyrdom for former ALP leader Khaing Moe Lun on 45th anniversary of death

By DMG 04 Jun 2022

DMG Newsroom
4 June 2022, Sittwe 

Memorial services to commemorate the 1977 death of former Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) Chairman Khaing Moe Lun were held in the Arakan State’s capital Sittwe, on the Myanmar-India border and the Arakan State-Bangladesh border on Saturday morning. 

This year marks the 45^th anniversary of the demise of Khaing Moe Lun, who died on June 4, 1977. ALP Joint Secretary Khaing Aung Soe Than said the memorial events were held to honour the ALP’s founding chairman, who refused to surrender to the military. 

Khaing Moe Linn and his troops were cornered by the military in Chin State’s Tongzan as they attempted to return to Arakan State from Kayin (Karen) State in what was then eastern Burma. He refused to surrender, taking his own life rather than be taken captive. 

“He sacrificed himself for the [Arakan] nation and the people,” said ALP vice chair Daw Saw Mra Razar Lin. “I want the entire Arakanese people to recognise that martyr spirit. We have organised this event to remind the Arakanese people of his policies and to continue fighting for the goal of the entire Arakanese people.” 

U Myat Tun, director of the Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Association, who attended the memorial service in Sittwe, called on the ALP to focus its efforts on the liberation of Arakan State, as its name suggests is the group’s purpose. 

“The memorial service should be held. There are not many people like him in Arakan State. He will be remembered as a martyr who refused to surrender to the enemy. I want the ALP members to stick to his principles,” he said. 

The ALP is a signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement and has attended talks with the junta regime since the military seized power in February 2021.