Former target of prosecutors, Rakhita calendar in Arakan State likely to suspend publication as costs rise

By DMG 04 Oct 2021

DMG Newsroom
4 October 2021, Sittwe 

The rapidly rising US dollar has made it difficult in Arakan State to publish and sell the Rakhita calendar, which has faced high-profile legal action in recent years. 

Previously, the Rakhita calendar was sold for K2,000, but now soaring commodity prices are making it difficult to sustain that, requiring the publication to reconsider the price of their product, said one local publisher, Ko Thein Aung Mrat. 

“Now that fuel prices are so high, we have to pay a lot of rent and labour costs to sell the calendars. Like the other commodities, raising the price of the Rakhita calendar at a higher price than other commodities is not a good idea. That’s why the Rakhita calendar is being sold at only K2,000,” he said. 

The latest Rakhita calendar has been in print since July 2021, initially aiming for a total of 60,000 copies, but only 15,000 copies have been issued to date for a variety of reasons. 

Ko Thein Aung Mrat said the Rakhita calendar focuses on the traditional dress and culture of the Arakanese people, and aims to boost cultural awareness among the Arakanese people. 

“If you watch some Indian movies, they always show the world the culture and dress of their people. We want to show the traditions of our people in the same way,” he said.  

“But if the dollar continues to rise, we will have to stop publishing the Rakhita calendars,” Ko Thein Aung Mrat added. 

The recent financial squeeze comes against the backdrop of an enterprise that is no stranger to adversity in publishing: Four people including Ko Thein Aung Mrat were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by an Ayeyarwady Region court on November 18, 2019, under Section 17(1) of Unlawful Association Act, several months after they were arrested for selling copies of the controversial Rakhita calendar. 

Multiple dates that were noted on the calendar, including “Arakan Army Day,” were considered to have been sufficiently controversial to drive a particularly litigious plaintiff to pursue court action. 

Ko Thein Aung Mrat was released on November 23, 2020, after fulfilling his remitted sentence.