Arakan youth group calls for boycotting military-linked products in wake of renewed hostilities

By DMG 31 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
31 August 2022, Sittwe

The All Arakan Youth Organisations Network (AAYON) on Tuesday called on residents of Arakan State to boycott military-linked products and services.

“The money that people spend on military-linked products reaches the generals. We therefore call on local people to boycott their products,” said a member of the network.

People continue to consume military-produced liquor and beer brands including Myanmar Beer, Andaman Gold, Black Shield as well as Ruby and Premier cigarettes, and use military-owned Mytel SIM cards in Arakan State, he said.

The call for the boycott of military-linked products and services reflects a rise of nationalism among young Arakanese people, said a former lawmaker.

“The military regime and the Arakan Army are fighting now. Residents were struck by junta artillery shells. Innocent civilians were killed and injured. The nationalism of young people grows as they see those incidents,” he said.

It has been, however, difficult for the boycott campaign to succeed as the majority of companies that produce and supply foodstuffs, including fuel and other goods, are in one way or another linked with the Myanmar military, he said.

The AAYON, in its statement, said the Myanmar military has committed more violence against people in Arakan State as the state has returned to armed conflict. Many civilians have died or been injured by the junta’s reckless shelling and mines that it planted near villages. People are suffering greater hardships, added the statement.

The network also urged United Nations agencies and other international organisations promoting human rights to put greater pressures on the Myanmar military, which it said is committing grave human rights violations against innocent civilians in Arakan State, and beyond, with impunity.