Junta plans limited Thingyan festivities in Arakan State

By Admin 27 Mar 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 March 2024, Sittwe

This year’s Thingyan festival will only be celebrated modestly in Arakan State, according to junta-appointed Arakan State Chief Minister U Htein Lin, putting a damper on one of the most important holidays for Arakanese people and Buddhists across Myanmar.

U Htein Lin was addressing a meeting on Tuesday in Sittwe of the working committee to organise Thingyan festivities.

The curtailed celebrations will, however, include events typical of the traditional Arakanese Thingyan holiday, such as grinding of incense, offering of water to Buddha statues, paying respect to elders, Buddhist rites and water-throwing at the Thingyan stages known as pandals, said U Htein Lin.

The regime will be only able to organise Thingyan celebrations in towns that it still has control of, noted residents.

“As the Arakan Army (AA) has seized control of eight townships, the regime would be only able to hold Thingyan celebrations in towns it still has control,” said one social activist in Arakan State. “Arakanese people there, however, will not participate in junta-organised Thingyan festivities.”

Fighting has been raging for months between the regime and the AA in Arakan State. The AA has seized control of Rathedaung, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya, Myebon and Ramree townships in Arakan State, and Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State.

The AA has said it is fighting to seize more towns in Arakan State.

A woman from Sittwe predicted: “The Thingyan festival will be organised by the regime, and will only be joined by personnel of the regime. Many residents have already left Sittwe to flee the pending fighting.”

The AA has seized hundreds of junta positions since launching an offensive in November of last year.