Arakan National Party

The Arakan National Party (Burmese: ရခိုင်အမျိုးသားပါတီ; abbreviated ANP), is a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party was founded on 13 January 2014 and registered with the Union Election Commission on 6 March 2014.[8][9][10] The chairman of the ANP is Thar Htun Hla.[11] The party is known for its hardline ethnic nationalist stance, as well as its Islamophobic and anti-Rohingya positions.[3][12] Some members of the party were involved in instigating violence against Rohingya people during the communal riots in 2012, which left dozens dead and thousands homeless.[3]

Arakan National Party
ရခိုင်အမျိုးသားပါတီ
AbbreviationANP
PresidentThar Tun Hla
SecretaryKhaing Pray Soe
Policy Leadership Committee MemberOo Hla Saw, Aye Nu Sein
Founded6 March 2014 (2014-03-06)
Merger ofRakhine Nationalities Development Party
Arakan League for Democracy (until 2017)
HeadquartersSittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar
IdeologyRakhine nationalism[1][2]
Buddhist nationalism
religious nationalism[3][4]
Anti-Islam[3][5]
Anti-Rohingya[3][6]
Political positionRight-wing[2] to far-right[7]
ReligionTheravada Buddhism
ColoursWhite and red
Seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw
10 / 224
Seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw
12 / 440
Seats in the Rakhine State Hluttaw
18 / 47
Ethnic Affairs Ministers
1 / 29
Election symbol

History

The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), led by Dr. Aye Maung, and the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), led by Aye Thar Aung, signed an agreement on 17 June 2013 to merge into a single party under the name "Arakan National Party" after more than eight months of negotiations.[13]

In the 2015 general election, the party contested 63 seats in Rakhine State, Chin State, Ayeyarwady Region, and Yangon Region. The party won 10 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw, 12 in the Pyithu Hluttaw, 22 in the Rakhine State Hluttaw, and one party member became an Ethnic Affairs Minister.[10][14][15][16][17]

Former leaders of the ALD announced on 8 January 2017 that they were splitting from the ANP and were re-registering with the Union Election Commission for the 2020 elections, citing internal issues and RNDP dominance in the ANP as the reasons for the split.[18][19]

On 27 November 2017, Dr. Aye Maung tendered his resignation from the party as chairman and member, citing persistent conflicts within the top ranks of the party.[20]

References
  1. "U Shwe Maung, former USDP MP: 'This is illogical and ridiculous'". Frontier Myanmar. 31 August 2015.
  2. "Myanmar - A Democracy Under Construction". Radio New Zealand. 13 March 2016.
  3. Kyaw Ye, Lynn (6 March 2021). "Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state in post-election dilemma". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  4. Myint, Moe (4 April 2018). "ANP Repeats Call to Keep Rohingya Out of Southern Maungdaw". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  5. Myint, Moe (4 April 2018). "ANP Repeats Call to Keep Rohingya Out of Southern Maungdaw". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  6. Myint, Moe (4 April 2018). "ANP Repeats Call to Keep Rohingya Out of Southern Maungdaw". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  7. "Rohingya left behind in Myanmar's power transition". Deutsche Welle. 31 March 2016.
  8. "Rakhine National Party allowed as political party | Ministry Of Information". Moi.gov.mm. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  9. "Formation of Rakhine National Party approved | Ministry Of Information". Moi.gov.mm. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  10. "Arakanese Political Parties Merge to Form ANP". Irrawaddy.org. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. "Arakan National Party (ANP) presents its policy, stance and work programmes". Myanmar News Agency. 25 September 2020. Retrieved 13 November 2020 – via GNLM.
  12. Myint, Moe (4 April 2018). "ANP Repeats Call to Keep Rohingya Out of Southern Maungdaw". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  13. Naw Say Phaw Waa (21 June 2013). "Rakhine parties formalise merger". The Myanmar Times. Retrieved 22 June 2013.
  14. "Arakan National Party receives official recognition". Bnionline.net. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. Mya, Nang (8 October 2013). "Newly formed Rakhine National Party appoints leadership | DVB Multimedia Group". Dvb.no. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  16. "Arakan alliance | DVB Multimedia Group". Dvb.no. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  17. "Sittwe to host Arakan National Party's important meeting". Bnionline.net. 24 March 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  18. Mon, Ye (10 January 2017). "Eyeing 2020 comeback, Rakhine's ALD party regroups". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  19. Myint, Moe (9 January 2017). "ALD Members Re-Establish Party Under Same Name". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  20. Thu, Mratt Kyaw. "Dr Aye Maung shakes up Rakhine politics, again". Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
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