The Chief of the Arakan Army (AA) has said that the armed resistance group plans to establish temporary headquarters in Rakhine State “very soon”, according to a report in The Irrawaddy. The article cited a video message headed by Major-General Tun Myat Naing, issued on February 10, calling on Rakhine people who live abroad to return to the state, and join the AA. “I absolutely believe that the Arakanese public and the AA stand side by side,” he was quoted as saying, using an alternative name for Rakhine. “We have also frequently said that the government military is fighting against the whole Arakanese public.” The AA was established in 2009 in Kachin State, with assistance from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). Its early troops were largely made up of ethnic Rakhine migrants who were working at the jade mines in Hpakant, Kachin State. However, in recent years the group has established a stronger presence in Rakhine, and has been heavily involved in fighting the Myanmar Army in recent months.