Fully Participating in the Arakan Revolution Is the Best Response to the Kyauktaw Mass Killing

Opinion, September 29, 2026

Kyauktaw massacre site seen from a bird’s-eye view (photocrd)

In our Arakan land, thousands of our Arakan brothers and sisters, grandparents, parents, uncles, aunts, nephews, and nieces have already been killed by the ground, naval, and air forces of the invading Bamar fascist military council. Because they invaded Arakan with overwhelming force, people encountered along their military columns, whether women, men, or children, were killed like chickens in a yard.

On March 21, 2019, for example, four members of a family who were hiding in a bomb shelter in a village in Rathedaung Township were reportedly killed inside their home for no apparent reason. What is even worse is what happened yesterday—the Kyauktaw mass killing was not a case of mistakenly firing at civilians amid fighting. Rather, it was a deliberate and systematic attack targeting ordinary civilians who were simply going about their daily lives and conducting business at a market.

This is one of the many examples of such brutal acts. If we ask why people are killed in this way, there is no need to look for any particular reason. For those who want to invade and rule Arakan based on fear and ethnic hatred, as was the case in 1784, the types of weapons and technology may have changed, but their underlying psychological motivation has not changed significantly.

The relationship between causes and consequences is a question for people who possess a high degree of rationality and humanity. For those who behave with an animalistic mindset, however, it is apparently not considered necessary.

As opportunities for the fascist forces to enter villages and kill people at will have decreased following the Arakan Army's strengthening of territorial control, they have increasingly turned to one of the last weapons available to them—the use of airstrikes. In particular, since around December 2024, air attacks have become one of the major causes of civilian deaths in Arakan. The question is: how should we prevent and respond to this?

The Best Way to Respond

Following the mass killing of civilians in Kyauktaw yesterday, we have seen Arakanese people living in different parts of the world expressing their grief, anger, and frustration through social media. A similar wave of public reaction was also seen among many Arakanese people after the bombing of Mrauk-U General Hospital in December 2025.

However, we have also seen that after a few days, such incidents become mixed with other issues on social media and gradually disappear from public attention. This raises an important question: to what extent have such brutal acts awakened the revolutionary awareness and vigilance of the Arakanese people, and to what extent have they contributed to the national revolution?

In considering these questions, every Arakanese person should recognize that each of us has both a responsibility and the capacity to contribute. The Arakan Army, which began in 2009 with only 26 people, has grown into the powerful force it is today by systematically bringing together individual Arakanese men and women. Through this collective effort, it has been able to drive the invading fascist forces out of most of the territory.

Therefore, the enemy's air superiority and brutality that we are facing today should not be regarded as insurmountable obstacles. There are two main aspects to consider.

First, regarding military and technological matters, even sovereign states such as Iran and Ukraine—not merely a revolutionary force such as ours controlling territory in Arakan—have struggled to effectively prevent air attacks and overcome the airpower and technological advantages of their adversaries. In this regard, our Arakanese leaders are making their best efforts.

The second aspect is where every Arakanese person can participate. This war is not merely a war concerning airstrikes or a particular military operation; it is a major national revolution in which the present and future of an entire nation are at stake. Although this revolution has already achieved a certain degree of success, it still needs to be brought to a complete conclusion.

On the other hand, even if the enemy's fascist government cannot regain Arakan, it is attempting to completely destroy the region, like someone destroying a crab's burrow even after failing to catch the crab. There is only one way to prevent and defend against the various forms of destruction and brutality carried out by the enemy: if they destroy our nest, we must also be able to destroy their nest. (This does not mean that because they commit atrocities, we should go after and ethnically target and kill their civilians or ordinary people.)

People who possess human bodies but behave with an animalistic mindset cannot necessarily be persuaded through principles, law, ethics, or compassion. Instead, they must be confronted in a language they understand. We must possess a destructive force greater than theirs. We should strongly support and participate in national defense military service such as NDEP.

Therefore, we need to become more united, more organized, and stronger than we are now. We must transform our grief and unwillingness to accept what is happening into effective strength and concrete action. Every Arakanese person, wherever they may be, should contribute their labor, financial resources, knowledge, technology, and whatever else they can offer, while bringing more good friends and people who stand with us into this collective effort.

The inherent sense of nationalism, desire for freedom, and determination within each Arakanese person must move from words and intentions to concrete action. We should come forward and participate in the national revolution. This path, we would like to urge and recommend, is the best response to the mass killing of civilians in Kyauktaw that occurred yesterday.