Khaing Thu Kha
{{Short description|Arakan Army spokesperson and information minister}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Family name hatnote|Khaing Thu Kha|lang=Burmese}}
{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Khaing Thu Kha
| native_name = {{nobold|ခိုင်သုခ}}
| native_name_lang = my
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|5|13}}
| website =
| birth_place = Ann District, Rakhine State, Myanmar
| commands = In charge of Arakan Army News Information
| battles = {{Tree list}}
{{Tree list/end}}
| allegiance = Arakan Army
| branch = Arakan Army
| serviceyears = 2014–present
| rank = Public Relations Officer
}}
Khaing Thu Kha ({{Langx|my|ခိုင်သုခ}}; {{IPA|my|kʰaɪŋ θu kʰa|pron}}, also spelled as Khine Thu Kha; born 1970) is an Arakanese politician who is the spokesperson and the news and information officer of the Arakan Army (AA), an armed group advocating for the autonomy and self-determination of the Rakhine people in Myanmar.[http://www.mizzimaburmese.com/tags/pnkaarettaawnkhn-uukhiungsukh ပြန်ကြားရေးတာဝန်ခံ ဦးခိုင်သုခ (U Khaing Thukha, in charge of information)]{{Cite news |date=9 December 2024 |title=Ethnic armed group claims capture of key western Myanmar town near border with Bangladesh |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/myanmar-ap-bangladesh-rakhine-bay-of-bengal-b2661448.html |work=The Independent}}{{Cite news |last=Khaing Lu Hla (Roma Mray) |title=AA Spokesman U Khaing Thukha Confirms Takeover of All Military Camps in Gwa Town |url=https://www.narinjara.com/news/detail/6771766a7732643041a96b9a |work=Narinjara News}}{{Cite news |date=12 June 2024 |title=AA held discussions with China about Chinese investments in Rakhine State |url=https://eng.mizzima.com/2024/06/12/10769 |work=Mizzima News}}
Early life and background
Khaing Thu Kha was born on 13 May 1970 in Rakhine State, Myanmar.{{Cite news |date=10 June 2024 |title=ULA/AA: Our Policy is Self-Determination and Confederation |url=https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/ulaaa-our-policy-self-determination-and-confederation |work=Burma News International}} Little is publicly known about his early life before joining the armed resistance, but he became involved in political and military activities in his early 20s.{{Cite news |last=Khaing Lu Hla (Roma Mray) |date=9 January 2025 |title=AA Spokesperson U Khaing Thukha States Cessation of Attack Depends on Junta's Reaction |url=https://www.narinjara.com/news/detail/678000d0d2ce1360cb0a37f7 |work=Narinjara News}} His commitment to the Rakhine Nationalist Party cause led him to join the Arakan Army (Provisional), a precursor to the current Arakan Army, on January 8, 1991. This formation was initially headquartered in the territories controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU) in Karen State.{{Cite web |last=Kyaw Hsan Hlaing |date=21 April 2023 |title=Understanding the Arakan Army |url=https://www.stimson.org/2023/understanding-the-arakan-army/ |website=Stimson Center}} During this period, Khaing Thu Kha, along with other recruits, sought to establish a foothold in Rakhine State.{{Cite news |date=14 November 2023 |title=Myanmar Armed Group Presses Offensive in Rakhine State |url=https://thedefensepost.com/2023/11/14/myanmar-armed-group-offensive-rakhine/amp/ |work=The Defence Post}} However, his efforts faced numerous challenges. In 1991 and 1992, he attempted to cross into Rakhine State via Bangladesh but was arrested by Bangladeshi authorities. In his first arrest, he was detained for two months and ten days. Following his second arrest, he was convicted on weapons charges and sentenced to five years in prison.[https://burma.irrawaddy.com/article/2019/12/27/211633.html ၂၀၁၉ ခုနှစ်နှင့် သူ၏ ဇာတ်လိုက်များ (2019 and his protagonists)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240108033237/https://burma.irrawaddy.com/article/2019/12/27/211633.html|date=January 8, 2024}}
Involvement with the Arakan Liberation Army
After his release from prison, Khaing Thu Kha joined the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and its military wing, the Arakan Liberation Army (ALA).{{Cite news |date=18 April 2024 |title=AA Accuses Junta of Inciting Ethnic Conflict in Buthidaung |url=https://www.bnionline.net/en/news/aa-accuses-junta-inciting-ethnic-conflict-buthidaung |work=Burma News International}} The ALP, which had been advocating for the rights of the Rakhine people, engaged in peace negotiations with the Myanmar government in April 2012. Khaing Thu Kha played a supporting role in these efforts, although the peace process yielded limited progress.{{cite web |title=ရခိုင်ပြည် လွတ်မြောက်ရေးပါတီနဲ့ အစိုးရ ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး သဘောတူ (Rakhine State Liberation Party and government agree on peace) |url=https://www.bbc.com/burmese/burma/2012/04/120405_alp_peace_talk|accessdate=5 April 2012 |work=BBC News |date=5 April 2012 |language=my}} {{Webarchive|url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/v18fe|date=February 8, 2025}}
Disagreements within the ALP leadership ultimately led Khaing Thu Kha to distance himself from the group. These internal conflicts, coupled with dissatisfaction over the organization's approach, prompted him to align with other Rakhine nationalists.{{Cite news |last=Ta-Wei Chu, Saw Jonathan |first=Kyaw Lynn |date=20 May 2024 |title=Biopolitics in Rebel-Controlled Myanmar: Exploring Why the United League of Arakan Supports the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/18681034241256369?icid=int.sj-full-text.citing-articles.1 |work=Sage Journals|volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=472–499 |doi=10.1177/18681034241256369 }}
Role in the Arakan Army
In 2014, Khaing Thu Kha became a founding member of the modern Arakan Army, which emerged as a dominant force advocating for Rakhine autonomy.{{Cite news |date=4 March 2024 |title=Arakan Army vows to fight for total control of Myanmar's Rakhine state |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/aa-03042024163837.html |work=Radio Free Asia}} Alongside General Tun Myat Naing, the Arakan Army established a political wing known as the United League of Arakan (ULA). Khaing Thu Kha took on the role of the organization's chief spokesperson, responsible for communicating the group's goals, activities, and perspectives to the media and the public.{{Cite news |last=RFA Burmese |title=Arakan Army says it will investigate and try captured junta soldiers |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/arakan-army-tribunals-02292024153731.html |work=Radio Free Asia}}
The Arakan Army has grown significantly in influence since its formation and has been involved in active conflicts with the Myanmar military.{{Cite news |date=15 January 2024 |title=Arakan Army Resistance Force Claims Control of Strategic Township in Myanmar |url=https://www.voanews.com/amp/arakan-army-resistance-force-claims-control-of-strategic-township-in-myanmar/7440866.html |work=Voice of America}} Khaing Thu Kha's role as a spokesperson has been critical in shaping the public narrative surrounding the group's activities and the broader Rakhine struggle for self-determination.{{Cite news |last=Aye Myat Khaing |date=16 November 2024 |title=Over 90% of land in four townships with ongoing conflicts under AA control: Spokesperson |url=https://www.narinjara.com/news/detail/6738dc2a8ba19a5164efcf0f |work=Narinjara News}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{catimprove|date=February 2025}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kha, Khaing Thu}}