AA ups law and order efforts in Arakan territory under its control

By Admin 04 Oct 2024

DMG Newsroom
4 October 2024, Sittwe

The Arakkha Army (AA) is said to have stepped up law enforcement and public services delivery in parts of Arakan State that it has seized control of from Myanmar’s military regime.

The ethnic armed group began patrolling in the towns under its dominion in late September.

“The AA troops keep guard on the streets at night. They detain people who are drunk and disorderly late at night. We feel safer,” one woman in Kyauktaw told DMG.

Arakan State residents have been suffering from livelihood hardships due to high unemployment and soaring food prices as the regime has essentially cut off the state from the rest of the country since renewed fighting between the military and AA broke out in November of last year.

Criminal activity including muggings, theft and robbery have reportedly increased as everyday life has become more difficult for the people of Arakan State, prompting the AA to take measures to address growing perceptions of a crime wave.

“What the AA is doing is good for civilians. This might improve law and order in the future,” said a Mrauk-U man. 

While many residents have welcomed the AA’s efforts to restore law and order, there are also calls for the ethnic armed group and its still-nascent governing apparatus to do more.

Meanwhile, drug abuse is widely described as on the rise, especially among young people who have been robbed of employment and learning opportunities in war-ravaged Arakan State.

A member of a social organisation in Arakan State said: “Stimulant tablets are cheap and easy to buy. So, young people are increasingly using it. The AA is handling the issue, but it needs to do more. The drug problem is a cause for concern for the younger generations in Arakan State, and can also increase crime rates.”

The revolutionary and nascent Arakkha People’s Government, led by the AA and its political wing the United League of Arakan (ULA), has formed a Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security and is recruiting new members to expand its functions, according to the AA.