Rakhine State is my first destination in Myanmar. I am there to visit the spectacular ruins of Mrauk U, capital of the ancient kingdom of Arakan. Rakhine State, however, in recent decades, have attracted more attention for its many insurgencies and supposed Myanmar government campaign against the Muslim Rohingya people, whom the Myanmar government and the majority Buddhist Rakhine people of the state see as Bangladeshi migrants to the region. The Straits Times have in the past few months published a few articles about this longstanding conflict. The politics of Myanmar has long been complicated and there are a multitude of rebel groups operating across the country. The list of insurgents in Rakhine State alone is long: Muslim Rohingya Groups: Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF) Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) Buddhist Rakhine Groups Arakan National Organization National United Front of Arakan (NUFA) Communists Burma Communist Party (Rakhine State) Burma Communist Party (Red Flag)
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