Major General Twan Mrat Naing ( Burmese: ထွန်းမြတ်နိုင်; also spelled Tun Myat Naing) is an Arakanese revolutionary and commander in chief of the

Arakan Army The Arakan Army (; Abbreviation, abbreviated AA), sometimes referred to as the Arakha Army is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnic-List of insurgent groups in Myanmar, armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded in April 2009, the Ara ...

, an ethnic armed organization. Twan Mrat Naing has led the

since its founding in 2009, and maintains the rank of Major General. Twan Mrat Naing is of Rakhine descent and resides in Laiza,

Kachin State Kachin State (; Jingpho language, Kachin: ) is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet and Yunnan, respectively), Shan State to the sou ...

, where the Arakan Army's "temporary headquarters" are.

Early life

Naing was born in Akyab (now

Sittwe Sittwe (, ), formerly Akyab (), is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. As of 2019 the cit ...

), the state capital of Rakhine State, on 7 November 1978.

Career

He previously worked as a tour guide in Yangon. In 1998, he planned to join the National United Party of Arakan but their general was killed in action. After returning to Rakhine where he studied at Technological University, Sittwe. In 2004, he collaborated with Nyo Twan Awng (also known as Zaw Myo Thet), a surgeon doctor who is currently a Vice Commander in-Chief of Arakha Army. In 2009, they founded the Arakan Army. While mining for jade in

, he recruited disaffected Arakanese Buddhists to his insurgent group. He was one of twenty-six men to form the Arakan Army with support from the

Kachin Independence Army The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: ''Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Hpyen Dap''; ) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins in Northern Myanmar ...

In June 2022, military spokespeople from the

State Administration Council The State Administration Council (; abbreviated SAC or နစက) is the military junta currently governing Myanmar, established by Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services Min Aung Hlaing following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, February 2021 c ...

said that provocative rhetoric from Twan Mrat Naing as the leader of the Arakan Army was inviting conflict. The informal ceasefire between AA and the junta would breakdown after an junta airstike on an AA base in

Kayin State Kayin State (, ; ; , ), formerly known as Karen State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. The capital city is Hpa-An, also spelled Pa-An. The terrain of the state is mountainous; with the Dawna Range running along the ...

. In September 2024, he has declared that Rakhine State will be governed under a

unitary state A unitary state is a (Sovereign state, sovereign) State (polity), state governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority. The central government may create or abolish administrative divisions (sub-national or ...

system.

Arrests family members

On 10 July 2019, Aung Mrat Kyaw, Twan Mrat Naing's younger brother, along with five Arakanese were detained by the Singaporean government and deported to Myanmar, where they were arrested shortly after arriving. Singapore's home ministry said they had organized and mobilized some members of the Myanmar community in Singapore to support the

, and its political wing, the United League of Arakan. On 18 October 2019, the younger sister of Twan Mrat Naing, Moe Hnin Phyu and her husband, Kyaw Naing, were arrested at the Yangon International Airport after they returned from Chiang Mai, Thailand and are currently being questioned. They are accused of having the connection with the seizure of explosive devices in Mandalay according to Zaw Htay, the spokesperson of the State Counsellor's Office. On 6 December 2019, Twan Mrat Naing's wife Hnin Zar Phyu and her two children were detained by Thai immigration officials in Chiang Mai, when she went there to extend her visa. The Chiang Mai office of the Thailand Immigration Bureau arrested her due to the presence of her name on the list of people affiliated with the

, which was provided by the

Myanmar government Myanmar ( formerly Burma) () operates ''de jure'' as a unitary assembly-independent republic under its 2008 constitution. On 1 February 2021, Myanmar's military took over the government in a coup, causing ongoing anti-coup protests. Po ...

. On 25 February 2020, the detained family left for

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

under the political asylum initiated by the

UNHCR The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and Humanitarian protection, protect refugees, Internally displaced person, forcibly displaced communities, and Statelessness, s ...

. On 9 June 2021, Aung Myat Kyaw, Moe Hnin Phyu and her husband were released from prison after all charges against them were dropped. The release happened after the Tatmadaw took power in a coup d'état earlier that year.

Personal life

Twan Mrat Naing is married to Hnun Zar Phru (Hnin Zar Phyu in Burmese). The couple have two children, a daughter, Saw Prae Shun, and a son, Mrat Lurn Zan. Twan Mrat Naing's father-in-law is San Kyaw Hla, the speaker of the Rakhine State Hluttaw and an

Arakan National Party The Arakan National Party (; abbreviated ANP), is a political party in Myanmar (Burma), representing the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine State and Yangon Region. The party was founded on 13 January 2014 and registered with the Unio ...

(ANP) politician.

War Crimes and Hate Speech Allegations

Twan Mrat Naing has been accused of spreading hate speech on X (formerly

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

) by mocking the

Rohingya people The Rohingya people (; ; ) are a stateless nation, stateless Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who predominantly follow Islam from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Ban ...

and alleging their cooperation with the

Tatmadaw The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...

, Myanmar's military. In his posts, he stated that he would refer to the Rohingya as "

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

Urdus," simultaneously expressing disdain for the Rohingya community. Additionally, Twan Mrat Naing has been alleged to hold responsibility for the events leading to the Rohingya massacre in

Maungdaw Maungdaw (, ) is a town in Rakhine State, in the western part of Myanmar (Burma). It is the administrative seat of Maungdaw Township and Maungdaw District. Bordering Bangladesh, Maungdaw is home to one of 2 official border trade posts with Bang ...

on August 5–6, where up to 150 civilians tragically lost their lives.

References

External links

* {{Twitter, TwanMrat Rakhine people Burmese military personnel Living people Burmese rebels 1978 births Burmese warlords People from Rakhine State Arakanese politicians