Arakan Liberation Party/Arakan Liberation Army (ALP/ALA) chief of staff and two commanders, who were assassinated in Sittwe recently, were cremated in the capital city of Rakhine State on Sunday under tight security.

All roads leading to the cemetery were under strict vigil of military council troops, police and traffic personnel, said an eyewitness.

"There were soldiers and police personnel in cars in various locations near the cemetery. Many soldiers were even hiding near the cemetery entrance” he added.

Mentionable is that ALP/ALA chief of staff  general Khaing Soe Mya (53), battalion commander lieutenant colonel Khaing Kyaw Soe (34) and captain Kyaw Min Soe (alias Khaing Thu Rinda, 31) were assassinated on 4 January in the morning hours.

According to the ALP source, their leaders were killed while they were returning to the office by a car after attending the diamond jubilee celebration of independence, organised by the military council in Sittwe.

The ALP in a statement accused the United League of Arakan /Arakan Army (ULA/AA) of murdering their leaders.

However, the ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha, while talking to Narinjara News, strongly denied the allegation.

ALP vice-president Daw Saw Mya Raza Lin  attended the funeral ceremony wearing the army uniform and laid down flowers to the victim commanders.

A ceasefire ethnic armed organisation of Rakhine State, ALP maintains comfortable relationships with the military council authorities. Particularly, soon after it signed an accord on nationwide ceasefire agreement with the Union government in Paypietaw the relationship improved significantly.