168-D. DG-II Vikas Puri New Delhi-110018, India. Ph:091-11-45532070 E-mail <anc.hqindia@gmail.com> <anc_hq@rediffmail.

com>

ANC Statement on 41st Anniversary Day of 13th August

Arakan Rice Crisis
Date: August 13, 2008

Through out its independent history, Arakan was traditionally called by its people
and neighboring countries as Dynyawady, the land of paddy, the great name which was
said to be given by the Lord Buddha during his visit to Arakan. Again during the British
period Akyab, the sea-port city of Arakan was famous for its biggest rice export sent to
abroad. Nowadays because of it’s richness in natural resources, the country in being
attracted to neighboring and regional big powers in their competition for energy to snatch
the golden opportunity in the Arakan Oil and Gas field, which become main income
source of with billions of dollars of present military junta for lengthening their survival
and rule as well as for its military build up. But, very contrarily the Arakanse people,
the real owner of Dynyawady and various natural resources including rich Arakan Oil
and Gas field become so extremely poor that they can not even have their daily two meals
properly to survive their lives. Beside there are many current reports about the miserable
deaths of hunger and suicide cases inside Arakan under the current situation of extreme
poverty of Arakanese people.

Among the even increasing prices and living cost, in order to meet their two
meals, today all members of each and every family, both the old and the young have to
go to the work field for their family survival, It is totally against the tradition of the past
Rich-Arakan, where Arakanese are hospitable enough to welcome and host many guests
and strangers visiting at their home. Yet due to totally lack of electricity, factories and
industries as well as proper business inside Arakan, most of the young generation both
males and females from Arakan have to leave their beloved fatherland for various foreign
countries of far and near to find out a job not only for his or her survival but also to
support their helpless families inside. It should be noted that the current prevailing
situation in Arakan is many times worse than the situation around “Arakan Rice Crisis of
13 August 1967” during which hundreds of Arakanese were killed by the army of present
ruling Burmese military junta when many thousands of Arakanese people made a
procession on the road of Arakan capital city Akyab on demand for rice for their survival
at that time.
On the other hand, now all of the land and forest products, river and sea products
and all of the important business sources in Arakan are totally being controlled and
exploited by provincial military commander and army personals of Burmese Army
posted through out Arakan, and during their stay in Arakan all of the commanders
extremely become rich.
 That means the owner, the people of Arakan become very poor slave in their own
land, whereas the outsiders, the ruling Burmese army commanders and their associates in
Arakan become the luxurious and the most powerful ruling kings of present Arakan.
Thus, this is the right time for and inevitable duty of entire people of Arakan to
wage a full-fledged national and democratic struggle to recapture and regain their
legitimate national and owner rights of their beloved fatherland Arakan in every possible
capacity. Simultaneously, the same nation-wide democratic movement should be made
thorough out Burma to achieve their legitimate rights of elected parliament and
democratic government coming out from 1990 general election, which is always
abandoned by the ruling military junta.
Moreover, it is also important time for the entire peoples of Burma, especially for
the leading elected democratic groups to lodge a strongest criminal case against the Head
of notorious present ruling military junta of Burma, Senior General Than Shwe before
the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) for all of their series of massive killings,
genocide and acute human rights abuses committed against the entire peoples of Burma
during their 46 years of rules, along with their recent shameful killings of Buddhist
Monks during 2007- September nation-wide Monks peaceful protest inside Burma.
Let the entire peoples and nations, including farmers, workers, students, monks,
civil servants, doctors, teachers and soldiers unite and rise up again for its final victory
over its 46 years rule of military dictatorship in Burma!

Central Executive Committee

Arakan National Council (ANC)
Dated 13th August 2008