Arakan Ar My is on Facebook. In 2014, the AA started a settlement in Rakhine State near the border with Bangladesh and another near the border of Thai-Myanmar with which it has become much stronger and its combat abilities have been positively impacted.[20]. 5. [46], On 22 September 2019, fighting broke out near Taunggyi Village in Myebon Township, as the ceasefire expired. Conectează-te It’s a question with some legitimacy because the AA’s existence has been closely linked to groups with strong ties to China. [24], On 20 August 2015, the Arakan Army clashed with a Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), after ten of their horses had been confiscated by the BGB earlier that day. In September, his younger sister and brother-in-law were also detained by Myanmar Police when they returned to Myanmar from Thailand. Myanmar: Displacement due to Myanmar Armed Forces & Arakan Army conflict in Rakhine and Chin States (As of 16 January 2021) Format Map Source. Share on twitter ... Myanmar’s army said the mass expulsion was justified in a campaign to stamp out Rohingya militants known as the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). [26] Several Tatmadaw personnel, including one commanding officer, were killed in sniper attacks. (Much of the content is in English, which is likely intended to catch the attention of the international community.) A spokesman for Myanmar's military placed the blame of the attack on the Arakan Army , an ethnic armed group seeking greater autonomy of the restive Rakhine state. But the company has faced significant international criticism for failing to police hate speech against the Rohingya Muslim minority being spread on its platform. “We are fighting for self-determination of our state and our people, to protect our freedom and for the future of our Rakhine people,” said Tun Myat Naing, the group’s commander. These are the two biggest and strongest ethnic armed organisations based along Myanmar’s bor… While international attention has often focused on the Tatmadaw’s abuses against the Rohingya in Rakhine, Myanmar’s army has also committed violence against ethnic Rakhine communities as it seeks to solidify its control over the region. Arakan Army rebel soldiers at an undisclosed location. A video has been viewed tens of thousands times in multiple Facebook posts which claim it shows an attack on Myanmar's military vehicles by the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group in Rakhine State, western Myanmar. “We have repeatedly taken action against violent actors and bad content on Facebook in Myanmar,” a Facebook spokesperson wrote in an email. By Moe Myint 28 August 2019 . [45], In July 2019, the Myanmar Police, in cooperation with the government of Singapore, arrested AA leader Twan Mrat Naing's younger brother, Aung Mrat Kyaw, along with others who were accused of financially supporting the AA. Yangon — The Arakan Army (AA) released an ethnic Chin man on Monday after detaining him for more than four months in Paletwa in southern Chin State. There is genuine support for the Arakan Army among some parts of the ethnic Rakhine community, and the ban could violate the right to freedom of political expression. Established on April 10, 2009 Arakan Army led by Arakan’s younger generations, has become one of the most credibility army forces in Burma fighting for self-determination, national equality, justice and freedom. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Combating hate speech and violence on its platforms is a contest that Facebook can win—but it needs new strategies. 3.2k; By Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint 16 December 2020 . A man uses Facebook on a mobile phone in Yangon on June 7, 2018. “[T]he military is becoming increasingly intolerant of reporting on violations in Rakhine.”. This is the same Arakan [Rakhine] state flag which is recognized by the government. [19], Following training, the group had planned to return to Arakan State and fight for self-determination; however, with the outbreak of fighting in Kachin State in June 2011, they were unable to return. There are a number of straightforward steps Facebook could take to prevent the spread of propaganda by the banned armed groups in Myanmar. The ULA/AA wish this Christmas time brings fulfilment and peace to all Christians around the world and all Christians in Arakan and terri... ULA / AA Dec 13, 2020 [8][9] According to Amnesty International, AA has perpetrated violence and abuse against civilians, including abductions and forced labour. Arakan Army Denies Drug Charge, Silent On Arms Import, Arakan Army Separatists Sound Bugle For Final Charge, Myanmar In Rare Attack Against China For 'Support To Terror', Campaign at the China–Burma border (1960–1961), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arakan_Army&oldid=1010319437, Paramilitary organisations based in Myanmar, Organizations designated as terrorist by Myanmar, Articles containing Burmese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 March 2021, at 22:05. According to a leaked combat report, nine policemen were killed, two were injured, and a dozen weapons, including 10 BA-63 assault rifles, were stolen by the attackers. In exile, the Arakan Army built up its forces, which now number around 7,000. [42], On 9 March 2019, around 60 AA insurgents launched an evening attack on Yoe-ta-yoke Police Station. Photo: YouTube. View the profiles of people named Arakan Army S. Join Facebook to connect with Arakan Army S and others you may know. When it comes to moderating propaganda, however, it’s not clear that Facebook’s size as a company is the problem. That brought the slaughter (6,700 dead in 2017 alone, 730 of them under five years old) down upon them. The proliferation of Arakan Army propaganda on Facebook’s platform demonstrates a deeper issue: a failure to identify and remove pages explicitly banned by Facebook. Biden was expected to revive the nuclear deal quickly—but as pro-Iran militias attack U.S. forces in Iraq and Washington strikes back in Syria, direct talks aren’t on the horizon. The Arakan Army’s ultimate goal has always been to return to Rakhine, and it began an aggressive push back into the state in January. “Civilians are bearing the brunt of the latest violence in Rakhine,” said Laura Haigh, a Myanmar researcher for Amnesty. [29], On 21 December 2018, the Myanmar Army declared a four-month unilateral ceasefire in five conflict areas, saying it would hold talks with non-signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) during the ceasefire period. The Arakan Army formed a decade ago, demanding self-governance, equality, and economic development in Rakhine State, which is one of Myanmar’s poorest. Join Facebook to connect with Arakan Hla Thain and others you may know. Influence campaigns are not a black-and-white issue but a gray zone. It should likewise be able to pick out when Twan Mrat Naing appears in a profile picture or cover image and flag it for review. The resources at the disposal of Facebook, which posted a revenue of $55.8 billion in 2018, dwarf those of the armed groups and even some governments. “The Arakan Army is committing a violent war crime by attacking a police outpost that provides security for local ethnic villages.” A U.N. report from its fact-finding mission last August called for Tatmadaw leaders to be investigated for crimes against humanity, including serious human rights violations and sexual violence perpetrated against ethnic Rakhine communities. So people are just still there [flying the flag.] The groups responsible for creating and promoting online hate speech are highly adept with digital technology and use the platforms to exploit preexisting divisions. [15] In January 2019, the AA's numbers increased to an estimated 7,000–8,000 troops.[16][4]. Facebook shuts down Myanmar army 'True News' page Security forces in the country have steadily increased violence against a massive and largely peaceful civil disobedience campaign demanding the return of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. On 30 May 2020 the Arakan Army released a statement demanding the immediate withdrawal of Burmese Government administration and Burmese armed forces from Arakan. The AA was created by the Kachin Independence Army at its headquarters at Laiza, on the Myanmar-China border, and its development has been fostered by the KIA and more recently the United Wa State Army. [32] Thirteen members of the Border Guard Police (BGP) were killed and nine others were injured,[33][34][35] whilst 40 firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition were looted. Facebook has grown tremendously in Myanmar, with an estimated 20 million users out of 53 million citizens. The Arakan Army (AA) militant group and its political arm, the United League of Arakan (ULA), in Rakhine state has been officially designated as … The groups banned by Facebook—the Arakan Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Kachin Independence Army, and the Taang National Liberation Army—are united in a coalition, the Northern Alliance. Human review is crucial to prevent censorship, and the boundaries of what is considered legitimate content remain contested. Its Silicon Valley leadership isn’t prepared to play peacekeeper in the fight for narrative control in the far reaches of Myanmar or beyond. It may be that a better combination of human and automated moderation is needed. [39] Civilian casualties,[40] arbitrary detention of ethnic Rakhine villagers,[41] and military blockage of food aid and medical relief were also reported. 563 Light Infantry Battalion under the supervision of Light Infantry Division No. Join Facebook to connect with Arakan Ar My and others you may know. In May, accounts linked to the Arakan Army shared unfolding developments in Kyauktan village, where the Tatmadaw held dozens of men and boys in a school for days on suspicion of being insurgents. [43] On the same day, AA insurgents managed to conquer the front line commanding post of Rakhine State's Gwa Township-based No. The Arakan Army later stated that it had captured nine BGP personnel and five civilians, and that three of its fighters were also killed in the attacks. / Salai Ai Lin / Facebook . However, Facebook has banned the Arakan Army and its allies, believing the groups pose an unacceptable risk of violence. In February, Facebook banned accounts connected to four armed groups that had allegedly committed violence against civilians in Myanmar. Every house has the Arakanese flag. In an interview with The Irrawaddy, Arakan Army commander-in-chief Twan Mrat Naing replied to an interviewer's question by saying, "Whether the objective is to obtain a federal union of democracy or the more autonomous confederate status like that of Wa State, the political objective of the group is to obtain confederate status for Rakhine State, and we prefer confederate status like that of Wa State, which has a larger share of power in line with the constitution. None are physically based in Myanmar, with Facebook citing safety concerns. Moderation by Facebook that implicitly supports governments over marginalized civilian groups is not unique to Myanmar. [49] On 19 March 2020, the Tatmadaw made a statement claiming that its forces could break the Arakan Army's siege of the outpost. Ãrãkãñ ÂrMý Ââ is on Facebook. The Rakhine State government issued a notice blocking non-governmental organisations and UN agencies, except for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the World Food Programme, from travelling to rural areas in these townships affected by the conflict. Internal conflicts have simmered for decades in Myanmar. If they say that they can’t do this it is against the law. David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression, has highlighted Facebook’s inconsistent enforcement of its own rules as one reason why greater regulation of the social media giant is needed, and why using antitrust law to break them up should be an option on the table. One thing is very clear: Despite some improvements, Facebook is still not taking this problem seriously enough. Thanchi Market Fire 'Arakan Army Sabotage'! The Tatmadaw retaliated with fighter jets, bombing AA positions until 6 am the next day. If it is not doing enough to respond to the narrative battle being fought across its platform in Myanmar, where the company has faced sustained criticism, it raises serious questions about what may be happening in other, less high-profile cases—and what kind of crisis it will take to force Facebook to reckon with the power it wields. [36][37] Following the attacks, the Office of the President of Myanmar held a high-level meeting on national security in the capital Naypyidaw on 7 January 2019, and instructed the Defense Ministry to increase troop deployments in the areas that were attacked and to use aircraft if necessary. [27], Following clashes between Rohingya insurgents and Burmese security forces in northern Rakhine State in October 2016, the Arakan Army released a press statement, calling the perpetrators (the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) "savage Bengali Muslim terrorists" and the violence a "rampage of the Bengali Islamic fundamentalist militants in northern Arakan. The prevailing question about the AA is this: when will China intervene to stop the AA? Dozens of Facebook accounts promote blatant Arakan Army propaganda. Arakan Army fighters are as no nonsense as the Myanmar military commanders; they are in advance and have been informed by the villagers via Facebook, Twitter, Signal, and Proton Mail accounts where the soldiers are heading to which locations and being on what times. [28], In November 2017, the group was involved in heavy clashes with the Tatmadaw in Chin State, in which 11 Tatmadaw soldiers were killed. The tech company sought to prevent the groups from using its platform “to further inflame tensions on the ground.” Within days, it was clear that Facebook had failed. Individual profiles may represent real individuals or trolls, but in either case they are defying Facebook’s ban on “all related praise, support and representation” of the groups. Start a Conversation. Facebook has previously banned some individual Myanmar government figures, including high-ranking leaders of the Tatmadaw. As the world’s predominant social network, it is at the center of conflicts around the globe. A rescue attempt by the Tatmadaw using a helicopter resulted in exchange of gunfire, killing several of the hostages. Fighting continued for weeks and peaked in the second week of March when the Arakan Army claimed it had captured 36 soldiers, including a battalion commander. Salai Aung Soe. Security analyst David Scott Mathieson observes, "the Arakan Army has expanded to a force of [several thousand] soldiers" and "the scale and geographic reach of their activities have steadily grown." The changes are an improvement. Most AA soldiers were originally trained at the KIA Military Academy; however, the AA has additional training camps in Rakhine State. The Arakan Army (Burmese: ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော်; abbreviated AA) is a Rakhine armed group in Myanmar (Burma) based on Kachin State, founded on 10 April 2009. An unknown number of military personnel were killed in the fighting. In an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in 2018, Myanmar civil society groups highlighted the social media company’s initial lack of Burmese-language speakers as a key factor in its ineffective response to hate speech. “It is essential that they do so—in particular ahead of the [country’s] 2020 general elections.”. The Arakan Army (Burmese: ရက္ခိုင့်တပ်တော်; abbreviated AA) is a Rakhine armed group in Myanmar (Burma) based on Kachin State, founded on 10 April 2009. Many others were injured. Digital literacy programs are unlikely to prevent the spread of hate speech in Myanmar. Liity Facebookiin ja pidä yhteyttä käyttäjän Âřãkâñ Ãřmý ja muiden tuttujesi kanssa. The military crackdown against the Arakan Army is one of the newest battlegrounds in a country that has multiple ongoing conflicts dating back decades. To secure Beijing’s economic and regional interests, a reliable democratic government is better than an unpredictable and expansionist military junta. The Arakan Army (AA), which is battling government troops in the region, said in a statement posted online on Monday the three candidates would be … Arakan Army Deputy Commander Nyo Tun Aung instructs a class of recruits in emergency medical treatment. From Afghanistan to China, the new administration seems likely to hold on to some ideas from the previous one. Âřãkâñ Ãřmý on Facebookissa. As deaths shoot up, the country’s data blackout and new variant put the whole world at risk. These phrases would need to be frequently checked and, if necessary, revised by a human moderator, as groups attempting to avoid automated moderation often switch to code words and phrases, something that may be readily apparent to a human but missed by an algorithm. “Facebook has so far failed to take effective action to counter the spread of hate speech and misinformation on its platform,” said Amnesty International’s Haigh. [10], The AA is a participant in the Kachin conflict, fighting alongside the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) against the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces). In the months since the ban, dozens of newly created pages that appear to support the insurgents, and the Arakan Army in particular, continue to share unambiguous propaganda. Facebook has banned four ethnic rebel armies in Myanmar and “all related praise, support and representation will be removed as soon as we become aware of it”, according to a statement issued by Facebook on February 5. Arakan Army Free Myanmar Civilian After Four Months in Captivity. The four are the Arakan Army, the Kachin Independence Army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in Kokang, […] The immensity of the task is no excuse for the depth of Facebook’s failure. "[18], The Arakan Army (AA) was founded on 10 April 2009 along with its political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), in what it describes as its "temporary headquarters" in Laiza, Kachin State. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Those behind the pages use Facebook-specific features to extend their reach: People can add an Arakan Army frame to their profile pictures, for example. The Arakan Army—not to be confused with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, another insurgent group—identifies itself as the legitimate representative of the Buddhist Rakhine people, the largest ethnic group in Rakhine state. [12][13][14] The Irrawaddy stated in September 2015 that the AA had 2,500 troops and 10,000 supporters. Finding many of the pages linked to the armed groups is as simple as searching for their names or related phrases in English. Boris Johnson is looking to old U.K. colonies for trade deals, but his government can’t compete with China and won’t get far until it abandons its neocolonial attitudes. "[6], According to the BBC, there is popular support for the Arakan Army in Mrauk U and a number of men from the town have recently joined the group. Myanmar's Anti-Terrorism Central Committee designates Arakan Army as a terrorist group under the country's counter-terrorism law. But most of its propaganda campaign runs across social media platforms. [48], On 6 February 2020, the Arakan Army attacked an outpost of the Tatmadaw on a bank of Kaladan River in Chin State. The fighting prompted 5,000 civilians to flee from their homes and to take shelter in monasteries and communal areas across the region, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.