Dear Rohingya brothers and sisters,

Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barkhatuh.

We, Rohingya, are peace-loving people of Arakan in Myanmar and have long been subjected to institutionalized and systematic persecution, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in the most inhuman manner by the successive Myanmar Military regimes and elected governments to expel forcefully the entire Rohingya population from the Arakan. Having been denationalized and striping all accompanying rights, we have been not only rendered ‘stateless’ within our homeland but also ‘refugees’ beyond our border. Rohingya, who remain in the homeland, have to live in apartheid-like condition in towns, villages and displacement camps or ghettos without basic freedoms, food, shelter, access to healthcare and education.

Many of our innocent Rohingya have been killed in series of state-sponsored deadly violence and genocidal onslaughts since June 2012. Due to atrocity crimes committed against them, more than half of our Rohingya population is scattered in many countries of the world and they still hope to return to their ancestral homeland of Arakan. In the face of rapidly deteriorating situation of the Rohingyas, we strongly felt that the total unity of the Rohingya people is indispensable.

In view of above, we, some like-minded Rohingya elders, former members of Myanmar Parliament, intellectuals, businessmen, political and social activists, and religious leaders including Rohingya women from home and abroad, reached a consensus after series of discussions and communications, to create a common broad-based political platform with the support of entire Rohingya people to translate their aspirations, to shape and charter their own destiny.

In this regard, we formed a convening committee, comprising from both home and abroad, to establish a broad-based organization namely “Arakan Rohingya National Congress (ARNC)” to serve the cause of our people. The ARNC will be an umbrella-organization of our Rohingya people comprising of global political and civil society and human rights organizations, including women, refugees, students, and youths. It will represent the Rohingya people of Arakan for rights, freedom, justice, peace, prosperity, equality, integrity, tranquillity, and dignity. It will also carry on necessary socio-cultural and humanitarian activities.

The Convening Committee will convene a National Conference of ARNC by the last week of April 2021. The Conference is the highest organ of the ARNC that may lay down policy guidelines, political strategies and enact necessary laws including its constitution.

We, therefore, would like to invite all of the Rohingya political organizations, civil society organizations, students’ organizations, women organizations, refugees’ organizations, intellectuals, and individuals to join the ARNC and participate in its conference.

Dated: April 7, 2021

With best of regards,
U Shwe Maung, Former MP, Convener
U Aman Ullah, Freelance Writer and Researcher, Joint-Convener
On Behalf of Convening Committee, Arakan Rohingya National Congress (ARNC)