Who are the ARSA?

The Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA), formerly known as Harakatul Yakeen, first
emerged in October 2016 when it attacked three police outposts in the Maungdaw and Rathedaung
townships, killing nine police officers.

A December 2016 report by the International Crisis Group said the group is led by a "committee
of Rohingya émigrés in Saudi Arabia and is commanded on the ground by Rohingya with
international training and experience in modern guerrilla war tactics.

Who is their leader?

The frontperson for the militant group is a man called Ata Ullah. The International Crisis Group
report claims he was born in Karachi and moved to Saudi Arabia, details of his personal life that
Ullah denies. In comments to CNN, he says not only is the group independent of influence from
supporters in Saudi Arabia it also has no connection to groups in Pakistan, Bangladesh, or
Afghanistan. He insists they are not terrorists and would never attack civilians. Their only targets,
he says, are the repressive government forces.

What do they want?

ARSA says it is fighting on behalf of the million Rohingya living in virtual detention in the western
coastal state of Rakhine, who have few if any rights according to Myanmar's government. They
are fighting for freedom of movement, a right to basic education and healthcare, and citizenship,
Ullah told CNN in an interview in February. In 1982 a citizenship law allowed Rohingya to apply
for citizenship if they could speak an officially recognized language and had proof their family
had lived in the country before independence. But most have never received the correct paperwork
and are effectively stateless.

Where does their support come from?

Ata Ullah rejects claims that ARSA receives outside support or funding. One indication of whether
they may have recently received assistance comes from the fighters themselves. When the group
carried out last year's October attack, Ullah said his fighters didn't have "any sophisticated
weapons." "We attacked them using our machetes, swords, and knives, and we seized their
weapons to use against them," he said. In videos posted on social media recently, however, the
knives are gone. Masked men tote assault rifles and address the camera, calling on supporters to
join them in their fight.

What kind of weapons do they have?

The government says the 25 August attack was done with knives and home-made bombs

When did Arsa start?

The spokesman who talked to the Asia Times said Arsa had been training people since 2013. But
their first attack was in October 2016, when they killed nine police officers.

What are its aims?

Arsa says its aims are to "defend, salvage and protect" the Rohingya against state repression "in
line with the principle of self-defense".

Arsa also rejects the terrorist label, saying it does not attack civilians. However, there are reports
of it killing informers while training members.

But

Government spokesperson Zaw Htay previously stated: “We have no policy to negotiate with
terrorists” while defense minister Lt-Gen Sein Win said, “No government negotiates with terrorist
groups. We dismiss them [ARSA].”

What may happen next?

The military views Arsa as an Islamic terrorist movement, justifying its exceptionally harsh
response to the August attacks.

Arsa announced a ceasefire right after those attacks, and was assumed to have been seriously
weakened by the exodus of most of the Rohingya population to Bangladesh. However, the
bombing on Friday shows that some Rohingya militants have remained behind.

The subsequent statement by Arsa, promising to continue what it calls its legitimate struggle
against the Burmese state, suggests more attacks may follow.
This is likely to harden the military's determination to keep international aid agencies and the
media out of Rakhine state, making the already distant prospect of repatriating the refugees even
more remote.

Why Myanmar attack ARSA?

U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy on Monday that the government has found out that the attack was
aimed to jeopardize the repatriation process, and terrorists will be responded to as they are.

“We have ordered that they be responded to in line with the law. If they launch further attacks,
they will face what they deserve,” he said.

He also urged the international community to see ARSA as a terrorist organization and to neither
support it politically nor financially.

“The government is trying to solve the problem out there. If you support ARSA, our effort there
will be hindered,” he said.

These show that the terrorism matter is serious and need attention from neighboring
countries.

So our government suggest for ASEAN countries to cooperate in order to counter terrorism