RAKHINE STATE – The Arakan Army (AA) issued an official statement, announcing that 23 members of the junta police force from Ponnagyun Police Station surrendered to AA on February 22.
Twenty policemen led by Police Lieutenant Kyaw Soe Aung entered the legal fold under AA on February 22 due to the junta council failing to send them reinforcement and rations despite their requests and because they have been deployed to Ponnagyun even after being stationed there for three years when they were originally told that they will only be deployed there for two years, as explained by the police lieutenant.
“We entered the legal fold because we don’t have enough strength compared to the strength a central police station should have. We submitted this to the higher ups, requesting to send us reinforcement but they didn’t. Another thing is we don’t have sufficient food rations. As we cannot survive for long on our rations, we had to join AA. We had to enter the legal fold. Another thing is we were transferred from the mainland to Rakhine State for two years. When we submitted transfer requests after two years, it was changed to three years. When we submitted the requests again after three years, we were not allowed to transfer. In addition, we are also limited when it comes to taking leaves. As we can no longer tolerate these, we entered the legal fold to ULA/AA,” explained Police Lieutenant Kyaw Soe Aung.
He continued that they were given health care and provided with meals after surrendering to AA and that AA is an armed force that provides humanitarian assistance, refuting the malicious rumours that AA would beat up and kill those who surrendered to them and inviting remaining junta forces to surrender to AA as well.
“When entering the legal fold, there were some of us with health issues. AA provided us medical treatments and warmly welcomed us. ULA/AA provided us with meals and everything even blankets. I would like to tell the family members of our troops (junta forces) all over Myanmar that we are in good condition and alive under ULA/AA and that there is no need to worry for us. And that ULA/AA cares about humanitarian care and treated us as if we were their own brothers and sisters. I would like to tell them to not believe the rumours spreading online that we will be beat up and killed if we surrendered to AA and would like to invite them to enter the legal fold under AA,” said Police Lieutenant Kyaw Soe Aung.