Communist Party of Arakan


The Communist Party of Arakan, also known as the Arakanese Communist Party, was a far-left political party and armed insurgent group in Arakan, Burma. It was founded in 1962 after a faction under the leadership of Arakanese political leaders Kyaw Zan Rhee and Bo Maung Han broke away from the Red Flag Communist Party.

History

In 1962, regional leaders of the RFCP in Arakan, discontent with the leadership of the central committee, decided to split from the party. A faction under the leadership of Kyaw Zan Rhee and Bo Maung Han broke away and established the Communist Party of Arakan, calling for an independent Marxist–Leninist Arakan.
After General Ne Win seized power in a 1962 military coup, the CPA was invited to peace talks in Rangoon along with other communist groups, most notably the Communist Party of Burma and the RFCP. The negotiations ultimately failed due to the reluctance of the new socialist government to give concessions, and in November 1963 the CPA resumed its insurgent activities against the military.
In 1986, the CPA was involved in heavy clashes with local police in the town of Minbya, briefly occupying the town centre and seizing weapons and two million kyats in cash. Many of the CPA's fighters were killed or captured after the Tatmadaw launched a military offensive against them in response to the fighting in Minbya. Relatives of CPA members and suspected communist sympathisers in the area were arrested; some of the women amongst those arrested were allegedly raped by authorities.
A faction of the CPA splintered off in 1994 and merged with three other revolutionary groups to form the National United Party of Arakan. In 2004, the remnants of the CPA dissolved themselves and merged with the NUPA.