Rohingya Voices Reject AAC Statement on 1942 Arakan Violence

by Hafizur Rahman

May 18, 2026

Several Rohingya community members have rejected a recent statement issued by the Arakan American Community regarding the 1942 violence in Arakan State, accusing the group of presenting what they described as “fabricated information” and ignoring the suffering of Rohingya civilians during that period.

According to Rohingya community voices, the violence in 1942 began after attacks against Rohingya civilians allegedly carried out by extremist elements within the Rakhine community with support from the Burma Independence Army.

One Rohingya activist, Khing Maung, strongly criticized the AAC statement and said it reflected only one side of history.

“The statement of the Arakan American Community is fabricated and contains no historical facts or evidence,” Khing Maung said.

He claimed that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people were killed or displaced during the 1942 violence and that many Rohingya villages were destroyed.

“The massacre of 1942 was first initiated by some extremist Rakhine groups in March. Innocent Rohingya people were killed with the help of the Burma Independence Army,” he said.

Khing Maung also alleged that the violence was part of a broader effort to remove Rohingya communities from different parts of Arakan.

“Before 1942, many Rohingya families lived in the southern part of Arakan State. After the massacre, most survivors fled, and the Rohingya population became concentrated in the northern part of Arakan,” he added.

He further said that Rohingya communities possess historical documents and evidence supporting their account of the events.

Community members also expressed concern that competing narratives surrounding the 1942 violence could damage relations between Rohingya and Rakhine communities.

“This kind of fabricated statement harms social cohesion and peace between the two communities,” Khing Maung said. “We strongly reject it.”

The 1942 violence in Arakan remains a highly sensitive and disputed historical issue, with different communities holding conflicting accounts of the events.