The Arakan Army wants greater autonomy for Rakhine, where the mainly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group makes up the majority of the population. Rakhine State saw a military-led crackdown in 2017, following attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents that prompted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee westwards into neighbouring Bangladesh. "The president's office has instructed the military to launch an operation to crush the terrorists," Zaw Htay told a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw. He said the Arakan Army could destabilise Rakhine State for years to come and warned people not to give it support. "I want to tell Rakhine people who are supporting (the Arakan Army): Don't think about yourself, but think about your next generation."

Source: bd News24 January 07, 2019 13:30 UTC