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Myanmar parliament calls for end to fighting in Rakhine

More than 1,000 people have been displaced since April from sporadic fighting
Myanmar parliament calls for end to fighting in Rakhine

Rohingya man, woman and children gather in a shop at the Thel-Chaung displacement camp in Sittwe located in Rakhine State last November. (Photo by AFP)

Published: May 03, 2016 10:12 AM GMT
Updated: May 03, 2016 10:44 AM GMT

The uneasy alliance between Myanmar's democratically elected government and its powerful military is facing an early test in the religiously divided province of Rakhine.

The military retains 25 percent of all parliamentary seats as well as the key defense, home affairs and border ministries.

Myanmar's parliament has called for a stop to renewed fighting in the state, where as many as 1 million ethnic Muslim Rohingya remain stateless, many in internal refugee camps.

Since fighting broke out in April, more than 1,000 people have been displaced, taking refuge at schools and relatives homes.

U Wai Sein Aung, upper house lawmaker from the Arakan National Party (ANP) in Rakhine, proposed an urgent motion on May 2 to end fighting between the military and the Arakan Army, and bring the Arakan Army into the political dialogue, according to state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

The proposal was approved despite objection from military lawmakers.

There has been sporadic fighting since last December and the Arakan Army has not signed a nationwide cease-fire agreement initiated last October by former president Thein Sein.

Yan Myo Thein, a Yangon-based political analyst, said that ongoing fighting in ethnic areas is not a good sign for the peace process and national reconciliation.

"An all inclusive nationwide cease-fire must be done first so that a genuine second Panglong conference may prevail. Peace is very, very important for our country as we are moving toward democracy," Yan Myo Thein told ucanews.com.

Khine Pyi Soe, ANP vice president in Rakhine, said they visited temporary camps last week and provided food to the people.

He said people can’t go back to their respective homes amid ongoing skirmishes in the region.

"All ethnic armed groups must be involved in the peace process and it needs to be all inclusive otherwise fighting may not end in ethnic areas," Khine Pyi Soe told ucanews.com.

He said he sees the Arakan Army fight for equality and self-determination as representative of ethnic Rakhine people, like other armed groups in ethnic areas.

Tun Tun Hein, a central executive committee from the National League for Democracy, sees a hard process for the nationwide cease-fire as there is no boundary measure among armed groups and the military, so fighting sporadically erupts.

"Despite skirmishes erupting in the grounds, we need to continue with the negotiation process. And the public also needs to push for the peace process so that an all inclusive cease-fire pact may be implemented," Tun Tun Hein who is also a Lower House lawmaker told ucanews.com.

He said both sides of ethnic armed groups and the military need to have a genuine willingness for peace in order for negotiations to proceed successfully.

Tun Tun Hein quoted Aung San Suu Kyi as saying that, "in the peace process, we need to consider how we can give instead of what we can get from it."

Suu Kyi, state counselor, said recently that the government will try to hold a second Panglong conference within two months.

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