Cyclone Giri - Two Years On - Burma Action Ireland

Cyclone Giri: Two Years On
SECTION 2: ARAKAN BEFORE CYCLONE GIRI
2.1 Pre-Independence Arakan
Arakan State has been a sovereign state for more than thousand years with four dynastic eras: the third
Dhanyawaddy (CE 370/425 – 6 th century, and the original home of the Mahamuni shrine), xxvi Vesali (CE
6 th – 10 th century), 27 Laymro (11 th – 15 th century) 28 and Mrauk-U (CE 1430 – 1784). 29 It lost its sovereignty
with the 1784 Burman invasion 30 and since then, Arakan has been one of Burma’s many states. 31 Separated
from Burma’s other ethnic nationalities by the Arakan Roma mountain ranges, the Arakanese people
have customs and a language of their own.
Arakan’s rich traditional culture is characterised by its literature, music, dance and religious buildings.
Evidence of early scriptures can be found dating back to around the first century CE. 32 It is believed that
Rakkhawanna Akkhara (Arakanese alphabet) evolved from the Brahmi language of Northern India. 33
Those of Rakhine ethnic origin (under 70% of the state population) are nearly all Theravada Buddhists 34 .
Buddhism has been an important element of Arakanese nationality throughout much of its history and
some Buddhist scholars believe that the Arakanese have been learning the Dhamma since the 6 th century
BCE, while the Buddha was still alive. 35 There are hundreds of ancient pagodas, temples and shrines in
Arakan to this day, especially in the old capital Mrauk-U. 36
At its peak the Arakan kingdom took tributes from as far away as Murshidabad, India, in the west, and
the Mon capital of Pegu, in the east as well as much of southern Burma. 37 Archaeological evidence
suggests that it was also among the first kingdoms in the region to use currency 38 and that it boasted a
flourishing trade relationship with Portuguese, Dutch, Persian and other trading nations. 39
In 1824, Arakan was again conquered and annexed to the British of India for the East India Company. 40
In 1826, the first official borders between central Burma and Arakan were demarcated and stretched
from the mountainous region of Paletwa down to Cape Negrais in the Irrawaddy Delta, which allotted
Arakan a total area of over 20,000 sq. ml. (51,800 km²). 41 This was later reduced when the British
separated the southern Bessein region during the second Anglo-Burman War. 42
Following World War Two, Arakan was included in the Union of Burma and, as with Burma’s other
ethnic minority states, has since been under the rule of successive Burman regimes, which have never
granted the Arakanese the slightest autonomy. After independence and in accordance with the
Constitution, 43 Paletwa Township (formerly called “Arakan Hill Tracts” or “Northern Arakan”) became
part of Chin Division, decreasing Arakan to its current size of 14,200 sq. ml. (36,777 km²). 44
2.2 Post-Independence Arakan
Modern Arakan State is located on Burma’s western coast, along the Bay of Bengal, and borders Chin
State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Irrawaddy Region in the east, and the Chittagong
Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. The Arakan Roma Mountains (10,049 ft/3,063 m) form the
natural border between Rakhine State and central Burma. 45
Arakan state has more than 3 million inhabitants, primarily of Rakhaing ethnic origin. 46 The region
benefits from a wealth of natural resources from its ancient forests, highly productive ocean, coal, oil and
gas, and fertile plains. The state is divided into five districts: Sitetway, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Kyaukphru
and Thandway and these districts are further divided into 17 townships. There are a total of 1,164
village tracts within the townships. 47
The state capital is Sitetway, known as “Akyab” in Rakhaing (Arakanese), with an estimated population
of 153,341. 48 It is situated in the Bay of Bengal on an estuarial island at the confluence of the Kaladan,
Laymro and Mayu rivers, which makes it surrounded by fertile land. The city grew significantly during
the British colonial era when it was a very important commercial town, a centre for imports and exports,
especially rice.
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