Junta-appointed ward and village administrators in Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township, where junta troops and the Arakan Army (AA) have exchanged fire in recent weeks, say they are prepared to resign amid rising military-AA tensions.
U Kyaw Nyunt, the administrator of Minkhamoung village, and U Maung Thein Nyunt, the administrator of Tamanthar village, reportedly already tendered resignation letters to the township administrator for safety reasons on August 2 and 5 respectively.
“They [the two village administrators] told me by phone that they had submitted their resignation letters due to political instability in Maungdaw Township. If something happens, no one will take responsibility for them, they said. We are also prepared to submit our resignation letters,” said a village administrator who declined to be named.
Local administrators in Maungdaw Township are worried about their safety after the Myanmar military and Border Guard Force (BGF) detained the administrator of Kyeinchaung village and an in-charge of Thayargon village on July 20. The pair haven’t been seen or heard from since their arrest.
“We have prepared to tender resignation letters. As for me, I will resign due to old age and poor health,” another village administrator said. “Two village administrators have officially submitted their resignation letters and we are waiting to see whether they will be allowed to resign or not.”
Another village administrator from northern Maungdaw Township said local administrators would be among the first to come under scrutiny “if something happens” in Arakan State.
“If something happens, the village administrators will be targeted and there will be doubts about their innocence. So ward and village administrators are willing to resign their posts,” he added.
When DMG contacted the Maungdaw District deputy commissioner regarding the resignation of the two village administrators, he responded that he was not yet aware of the situation.
DMG was unable to obtain comment from Arakan State Minister for Security and Border Affairs Colonel Kyaw Thura regarding the matter.
Dozens of ward and village administrators from Arakan State have resigned abruptly in recent years, with fear of arrest making up a significant proportion of the reasons cited.
Military tensions have been running high between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army for months, with intermittent clashes in recent weeks threatening a precarious informal ceasefire between the two sides that has been in place since November 2020.
