The Global Khumi Organization (GKO) and the Global Khumi Youth Association (GKYA) issued a joint statement on August 12, 2025, strongly opposing the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army’s (ULA/AA) official announcement that Paletwa Township in Chin State has been incorporated as a district of Rakhine State.
At the 10th ULA/AA press conference on August 11, ULA/AA spokesperson U Khine Thukha reaffirmed that “Paletwa Township is officially a district of Rakhine State.” In response, GKO and GKYA stated that this was an illegal incorporation carried out without the consent of the local Chin ethnic population of Paletwa.
The statement stressed that “Paletwa residents do not accept the Arakan Army’s administrative system” and described the move as a breach of the Panglong Agreement and legitimate administrative boundaries, amounting to a coercive act of colonialism.
It also cited human rights records showing that since January 14, 2024, when AA forces began controlling Paletwa Township, there have been six incidents of killings and five incidents of rape. The statement noted that the ULA/AA has neither taken responsibility for these violations nor addressed them, and that U Khine Thukha’s claim that “the law rules under AA” was an insult to the people of the Spring Revolution.
GKO and GKYA strongly condemned both the ULA/AA’s unlawful district designation and its denial of human rights abuses. They firmly called for an end to political arrangements and administrative practices in Paletwa that are carried out without the consent of local residents.
