1967–1969 The Arakan Liberation Party was founded on 9 April 1967, along with its armed wing, the Arakan Liberation Army, with the help of the
Karen National Union (KNU). On 26 November 1968, Khai Ray Khai, a member of the party's central committee, along with nine other associates, were arrested at
Sittwe, the capital of
Rakhine State, by Burmese authorities. On 20 December 1968 Khaing Soe Naing, the party's General Secretary, was arrested by Burmese authorities at Rathedaung Township, in Rakhine State. Following those arrests, several more ALP members were also arrested on different charges, and the party dissolved. The party has accused the government of torturing its imprisoned members. The division gave rise to two competing factions: one that rejected engagement with the junta and aligned itself with the broader anti-coup resistance, and another, led by Saw Mya Yarzar Lin, that maintained a policy of negotiation with the military government under the terms of the existing NCA framework. In January 2022, a faction within the ALP, including chairman Khaing Ye Khaing and then–vice chair
Saw Mya Yarzar Lin, expelled vice chair Khaing Soe Naing Aung, accusing him of attempting to form a new political party. Following this reorganization, Khaing Ye Khaing was no longer listed among the party’s leadership. On 5 March 2023, Saw Mya Yarzar Lin issued a statement announcing the formation of a new leadership structure within the ALP and declared herself as chair, appointing Khaing Ni Aung as vice chair. This move was immediately challenged by the rival faction led by Khaing Ye Khaing and general secretary Khaing Kyaw Khaing, who released a counter-statement on 20 March 2023, rejecting the leadership change as illegitimate and announcing Saw Mya Yarzar Lin's expulsion from the party for violating internal regulations. The political alignment of Saw Mya Yarzar Lin's faction placed it in direct opposition to the
Arakan Army (AA), which has become the dominant force in Arakanese nationalism. Tensions escalated in mid-2024 when the AA accused the
Arakan Liberation Army (ALA), the armed wing of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), of collaborating with the Tatmadaw in committing war crimes during a village massacre in Sittwe Township. == See also ==