04/01/2026
🇲🇲 78th Anniversary of Myanmar Independence Day – 4 January 2026
On behalf of the Arkan Rohingya National Union (ARNU) and the Rohingya community, we solemnly acknowledge Myanmar’s Independence Day, observed annually on 4 January, marking the country’s independence from British colonial rule in 1948.
While this day is celebrated nationwide with joy and pride, for the Rohingya people, it remains a day of reflection and sorrow, a reminder of promises unfulfilled and rights long denied.
On 4 January 1948, Burma (now the Republic of the Union of Myanmar) emerged as a sovereign nation. Across the country, the day is marked by parades, official ceremonies, and cultural events symbolizing freedom and national identity. The Rohingya have contributed generations of heritage, knowledge, and labor, yet their rightful place in the nation has repeatedly been denied.
For the Rohingya, independence is overshadowed by decades of systemic oppression, denied citizenship, excluded from political life, and subjected to relentless persecution. Ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and genocide forced over 1.2 million Rohingya to flee their ancestral homeland, while those remaining face ongoing humanitarian crises.
Nearly nine years after the largest forced displacement in modern history, survivors continue to live in the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, in conditions that are harsh and uncertain. True independence for Myanmar cannot exist while the Rohingya remain stateless, persecuted, and denied dignity.
On this solemn day, ARNU reaffirms its unwavering call to the international community:
• Ensure accountability for perpetrators of atrocities.
• Uphold justice for victims.
• Implement a sustainable solution for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of the Rohingya to their ancestral homes in Arakan State, Myanmar.
We honor the resilience and courage of our people and reaffirm our commitment to justice, freedom, and dignity. The Rohingya will never cease their pursuit of rightful recognition and equality, because true independence for Myanmar can only exist when it embraces all its peoples, including the Rohingya.
