ARAKAN NATIONAL COUNCIL

Bangladesh Branch

THE STATEMENT ON 220TH ANNIVERSARY OF

THE FALL OF ARAKAN KINGDOM

Date: 31st December 2004

Today, 31st December 2004, is one of the unforgettable historic days in Arakan History. On that day we, Rakhaing Nation lost our national sovereignty and independence. Ancient Rakhaing Kingdom, internationally called Arakan, was founded by King Marayu of First Dinyawadi in 3325 BC. Thereafter Rakhaing Kingdom had firmly existed as an Independent

Nation. Throughout its existence over 5000 years Arakan was a prosperous nation in South and Southeast Asia. This highly civilized rich nation in the Bay of Bengal was annexed by the Burmese invaders on 31 December 1784 AD.

From that day on the entire people of Arakan had bowlessly waged a national war against the Burmese invaders till 1824. Then the British invaded Arakan. After the Anglo-Burmese War ended with the Treaty of Yandabo signed on 26th February 1826 Arakan as a colony of British Empire was pacified into British-Burma without the Arakanese people's consent.

On January 4, 1948, the British-Burma gained independence and a new nation as the Union of Burma comprising Shan, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Rakhaing (Arakan) and Burma emerged, in which Arakan has been included as a colony of Burmese. However, the people of Arakan have been strictly struggling to regain their right of self-determination till today.

Since the coup of March 2, 1962, the successive Burmese Military regimes have brutally suppressed the people of Arakan and other non-Burman nationalities in Burma by means of human rights abuses, implementation of barbarous Burmanization process and ethnic

cleansing policy (ethnocide). 

Under these circumstances, the people of Arakan are still suffering from inferno-like woe including the reign of terror of SPDC, natural devastating disasters, poverty, famine, etc. Enduring against that satanic oppression, we cooperating along with the oppressed people of Burma and other non-Burman oppressed peoples are still dauntlessly going on our

struggle for liberty, equality, democracy and peace against the Burmese military regime.

We, ANC, shall sincerely operate our effort to gain international sympathy and support from every possible governmental and non-governmental human right organization. 

So, by representing the people of Arakan, we, ANC, shall enthusiastically carry out:

1.To unite the entire people of Arakan irrespective

of race and religion;

2.To eliminate the Burmese military dictatorship;

3.To restore liberty and democracy of the oppressed;

and,

4.To attain the national equality and the right to self-determination of the people of Arakan.

Onto victory through Unity!

Arakan National Council (ANC)

Bangladesh Branch

Full Narinjara archive in the Online Burma/Myanmar Library at

http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1250&lo=d&sl=0