Today’s Rebels Are Tomorrow’s Government: Arakan Army Chief

In part 3 of this exclusive interview with The Irrawaddy, Arakan Army Commander-in-Chief Tun Myat Naing makes an impassioned case for pragmatic thinking among ethnic and other resistance forces in Myanmar. Neighboring countries, particularly China, must be expected to put their own self-interest first, he argues, so rebel forces in Myanmar should think like future governments and conduct their own diplomacy accordingly. They should present themselves as a stabilizing force that the country’s neighbors can trust, and not get bogged down in apportioning blame. 

The AA, he reports, refuses to be intimidated by the junta’s ostensible recent gains on the battlefield in recent months but keeps its eye on the end goal—a united federal Myanmar under civilized leadership.

Aung Zaw: I want to discuss the current state of the revolution, the junta, and China. From 2023 to 2024, the revolutionary forces improved and gained strength. We saw them seize many towns in the first and second phase of Operation 1027. But then China stepped in last year. Then China invited the junta boss to Beijing, where he was welcomed by President Xi.