The Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) held its 4th Congress with party leaders, community representatives, academicians and religious leaders from among Rohingya people yesterday in the border area of Arakan State, Union of Burma, said Salim Ullah, ARNO spokesperson.

The Congress declared its new Central Committee, formed with Nurul Islam, AFK Jilani and Habibur Rahman respectively as President, Vice-President I and Vice-President II. The Congress also released its new declaration, Salim added.

ARNO is the representative organization of the Rohingya people formed in November 1998, following the merger of the then existing all Rohingya political organizations, to achieve the Rohingya people's 'right to self-determination', the ARNO statement said.

ARNO condemned the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for its violation of human rights and perpetration of crimes against humanity, particularly in the ethnic areas, which are systematic, flagrant and widespread in Arakan against the Rohingya people, the statement said.

According to the declaration of ARNO Congress, "the Rohingya and Rakhine are indigenous to Arakan and therefore to present day Burma. Before 1785 AD, Arakan existed as an independent nation for many centuries where Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya coexisted peacefully. We will work to re-establish the traditional relationship of peaceful-coexistence that existed in the past between the Rohingya Arakanese and the Rakhine Arakanese peoples, and to promote a shared sense of being Arakanese among all peoples of Arakan."

"The unity of the Rohingya people worldwide is indispensable, and the unity between Rohingya and Rakhine is vital to shape our own destiny in the Union of Burma to ensure our future and that of our children," statement said.

ARNO expressed grave concern over the current 'policies of exclusion' of the Burmese opposition groups or democracy movements and Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC) towards Rohingya and the political process in Burma shall be genuinely inclusive on democratic principle, where ARNO is committed to pursuing a peaceful political settlement of our problem, the statement said.

"We are not part of any struggle outside Burma and are committed as a community within Arakan to rebuild the State. The ARNO vision for the future is a diverse, tolerant, multi-ethnic, multi-religious Arakan society," said the ARNO Congress statement.