Arakan Rohingya National Organization

The Background

The international community is well aware that we, the 3.5 million peace-loving Muslims of
Arakan known as "Rohingya" have long been subjected to large-scale persecution, genocide,
ethnic-cleansing, diabolical tyranny and extermination particularly by the successive
Burmese autocratic regimes, the worst being the present State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) military regime. They are also made largest target of other widespread
human rights violations, including rape, summary execution, torture, slave labour, restriction
on movement, forcible dispossession and seizure of their citizenship, compelling them to
become stateless or refugees. as a result about 1.5 million of Rohingyas have been expelled
or have to leave their ancestral homeland for their lives.

In the face of the rapidly deteriorating situation of the Rohingyas threatening their very
existence and daunting challenges thrown upon them by the military junta, all rohingya
organisations have strongly felt that the total unity of the Rohingya people is indispensable.
Thus the three Rohingya Organisations--Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF) led by Nurul
Islam, Rohingya Solidarity Organisaton (RSO) led by Dr. Yunus and Rohingya Solidarity
ORGANISATION RSO) led by Professor Mohammad Zakaria--- having common outlook
toward all national, political and ideological matters, have united together and merged into a
single organisation namely ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION (ARNO)
to serve the cause of their people.

Having established this broad-based organization with the unanimous and unflinching
support of the entire Rohingya people to translate their hopes and aspirations so as to shape
and charter their own destiny in accordance with their free will. 1

ARNO- The Objectives

The 2nd Rohingya National Council (RNC), the congress of the Arakan Rohingya National
Organisation (ARNO), was held between 5-7 October 2000. It was attended by party
delegates and representatives from home and abroad, including Ulema, elite and commanders
of the Rohingya National Army (RNA).

The participants deliberated and discussed about the Rohingya freedom struggle covering all
issues-- political, military, economic, socio-cultural, education and other matters of national
importance. The issue of Rohingyas, who have been living in alien lands and in refugee
camps in Bangladesh, was one of the important agenda items dominated in the discussions of
RNC. The Rohingya National Council (RNC) formed a Central Executive Committee (CEC)
with Mr. Nurul Islam as its President.

The RNC had welcomed the agreement of political alliance signed between Arakan Rohingya
National Organisation (ARNO) and National United Party of Arakan (NUPA). The RNC had
noted with appreciation that the agreement of alliance is the reflection for the Muslim-
Buddhist unity, based on the reality of Arakan, to launch a joint national liberation struggle
for self-determination and independence and thus translating the hopes and aspiration of the
whole people of Arakan.
All the participants expressed that their future looks bleak and the problem of the people of
Arakan, particularly that of Rohingya, can not be solved under colonial rule of the Burman
imperialist. And they were unanimous to opt for the independence of Arakan.

The RNC hereby declares the policies and programme of the ARNO:-

1. That the national liberation struggle of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
(ARNO) is but a continuation of the Rohingya people's long and heroic resistance
movement and is to be continued till the inalienable right if the people of Arakan to
'self-determination and independence" is achieved.
2. That we are committed to the preservation and growth of Islamic culture among the
Muslim community in Arakan without prejudice to the preservation and growth of
other religious and indigenous culture in Arakan
3. That about 1.5 million rohingya, who have been expelled from the country, are taking
shelter in many countries of the world while hoping to return to their ancestral
homeland of Arakan. The Rohingya masses, whether in the homeland or in the place
of Refuge, comprise one national front. They are an internal part of Ummah as well as
part the third world and of the oppressed colonised humanity everywhere in the world.
4. That we will organize, inspire and activate the entire people of Arakan and undertake
necessary programmes to train and motivate them for improving their basic human
qualities and consciousness. In this connection, we urge upon all the strengthen
national unity for the steady victory of our national liberation struggle for self-
determination and independence.
5. That we will undertake all programmes that may be needed from time to time fro the
uplift of the people of Arakan in socio-cultural, economic, educational and technical
fields.
6. That the military regime is trying to obliterate and erase Muslim entity in Arakan by
distorting historical facts, destroying archeological remains, mosques, madreasssah,
shrines and graveyards in order to wipe out the Islamic cultural heritage. The regime
is engaged in statistical genocide in an effort to make our people look insignificant as
part of an evil design to deny us of our rights and prepare the minds of the peoples of
the world for the appalling consequences of genocide. We shall leave no stone
unturned to preserve the true history of Arakan and cultural heritage and their actual
statistical figures.
7. That we will establish a welfare society based on equality, liberty, democracy, human
rights and freedom for all people without distinction as to race, color and religion.
Economic deprivation, exploitation, injustice and discrimination of any kind will be
eradicated.
8. That we will revive and strengthen our traditional friendship and work hand in glove
in full cooperation and understanding in the interest of all people of Arakan, including
that of the highlanders distributed among different trines or indigenous people -- such
as Chin, Mro, Hami, Dainnet, Thet, etc. --so as to charter the future of the all people
of Arakan and that of their generation to come. Meanwhile, we urge upon all to be
vigilant against the machination of the enemies.
9. That we support all the national liberation movements and democratic forces in
Burma and aspire to co-operate and fight together against the common enemy and to
put the dastardly military autocratic rule to an end.
10. That Bangladesh is our neighborly country which practically shares the experience of
tragedy besetting the people of Arakan. Having deep traditional and historical
relationship in the bonds of Islamic fraternity and contiguity in geographical position,
 the people of Bangladesh have had the opportunity to closely view the historical
process that led to the present position of our people. Besides, the atrocities upon our
people have direct affect on her; particularly a huge number of Rohingyas have been
taking refuge in Bangladesh over the decades to escape persecution at home. We,
however, believe that Bangladesh being a neighborly country has historical and moral
obligation to endeavor for a permanent and viable solution of the problem in the
interest of peace and regional stability.
11. That it is well known that our women and girls have borne that brunt of oppression by
Burma's military regime. The soldiers and officers of the regime in systematic
campaigns have most horrendously abused them. We salute the female Rohingyas'
courageous efforts to survive, even as refugee, widows and orphans. For the future,
we support the rights of our women and girls to education, health and economic
empowerment, in a new atmosphere of utmost respect and absolute safety and
security.
12. That as the dangerous narcotics flowing out of Burma with its military regime's full
involvement poses a terrible hardship to all peoples of Asia and the world. We oppose
this deadly trade. We will educate our youths of the dangers of drugs (including AIDS
infection) and firmly obstruct any such narcotics trafficking through our land.
13. That we call for a halt to the present grievous ravaging of the forests of our homeland
by greedy Burmese military regime. For our future generations' heritage we pledge to
protect our environment, including forests, rivers, wetland, coastline ocean. We shall
save our land from unsustainable logging, killing of endangered species, all forms of
pollution, and over fishing, to preserve a green haven fro our children and the world.
14. That we reject and boycott against all multinational corporate investment with the
Burmese military regime. In the future, any investment and development must only be
done with the wishes and welfare of our people in mind and with their full informed
consent and oversight. Future development must be sustainable, appropriate, clean
and beneficial to t eh common people.
15. That we appeal for all out support of the international community, the Governments of
the world and World Bodies, including United Nations Organisations (UND)),
Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South
Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), ASEAN, Non-governmental
Organisations (NGOs), other humanitarian and human rights Organisations.

Dated: 25th October 2000

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