Khine Thukha, the secretary of the ALP, told Narinjara that the government suspended plans to open the office due to the instability in Arakan State.

“Section 144 is still in force and because of the instabilities and strife between Arakanese and Bengali Muslims in our region, the government has requested that the ALP temporarily suspend opening our liaison office in Kyauktaw. So, we have to delay”, said Khine Thukha.

However he expects that the opening will be allowed soon as the suspension is only temporary and depends on how the situation in the region progresses.

“Everything is ready from our side to open the office and we have already sent the staff for the office as well. We will open our office after getting information from the government that the situation in Arakan State is stable”, he said.

Khine Thukha said it is the first liaison office his party has prepared to open in Kyauktaw and there are agreements with the government to allow ALP offices in Sittwe, Maungdaw, Palatwa, Rangoon and Myawady as well.

ALP signed a five-point peace deal with the government in their peace negotiation on the 5th of April 2012. Their agreements are: to cease fighting between the forces of the party and government, to allow ALP liaison offices for mutual communication, not to cross each others’ areas holding weapons without prior information or negotiation, to allow members of the ALP free travel across the nation, and to continue negotiations to build peace and development inside Arakan State.

It is learnt that U Aung Min of the Burmese regime’s peacemaking group has recently told the ALP to transform its armed-wing the Arakan Liberation Army into border-guard force, but the party has rejected the proposal saying that it has no policy for transforming itself into border-guard.