ALP vows to punish members responsible for wounding Sittwe civilians

The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) will take punitive action against members of the Arakan Liberation Army (ALA), the armed wing of the ALP, who shot and beat two residents in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Sunday, said a party official.

By DMG 10 Oct 2022

A civilian injured by ALP members. (Photo: Aung Than Wai)

DMG Newsroom
10 October 2022, Sittwe

The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) will take punitive action against members of the Arakan Liberation Army (ALA), the armed wing of the ALP, who shot and beat two residents in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Sunday, said a party official.

Three ALP members reportedly came to buy liquor at a shop owned by Ko Khin Maung Win in Sittwe’s Set Yone Su Ward at about 10 p.m. on Sunday, when they had an altercation with the shop owner over unpaid liquor debts. Eight ALA members subsequently arrived in a vehicle and fired shots, wounding the shop owner and his brother-in-law, a resident told DMG.

“They had an argument with the shop owner. Then, eight members came in a vehicle, and fired shots. They took the shop owner and his brother-in-law in their vehicle. The two were released only after family members went to [the ALA office] and apologised,” he said.

The two detained civilians were also reportedly beaten during detention. Ko Khin Maung Win, 37, suffered injuries including gunshot wounds to his abdomen and both thighs, and is still receiving treatment at Sittwe Hospital. His brother-in-law Ko Yan Naung Soe, 39, suffered a head wound, according to the resident.

Colonel Khaing Kyaw Soe, the central military region commander of the ALA, claimed two ALA members paid the owner for their liquor before they had an argument with a LGBT person at the shop. The shop owner then beat one ALA member, and when the LGBT person shouted that the two belonged to the ALP, relatives of the shop owner as well as auto rickshaw drivers near the shop beat the two ALA members, he added.

In Col. Khaing Kyaw Soe’s account, one member managed to escape, and went to the ALP office to call for help. When ALP officials arrived at the shop, they had to fire a shot because people from the shop attacked with sticks and swords, he said.

“Our members have since fled. And we are looking for them. They fled because they knew that they would be punished under the rules and regulations of the ALP/ALA,” said Col. Khaing Kyaw Soe.

“According to the party regulations regarding the relationship between civilians and the armed wing, they would be detained for at least six months,” he added.

The colonel said he was sorry for what happened because the party has stood by the people for more than five decades.

The ALP was formed on April 9, 1967, at a Buddhist monastery in Yangon’s Kamayut Township with the aim of liberating the Arakanese people, ensuring equal rights and self-determination.

The party has engaged in peace talks with the government since 2012, and signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) with the then U Thein Sein government in 2015. It is currently engaged in peace talks with the military regime.

The ALP has presences on both the Bangladeshi and Thai borders, and has recently conducted military training in Sittwe.