These traditions demonstrate how celebrations associated with the Festival of Lights can carry different historical and spiritual meanings while reflecting shared aspirations for freedom, righteousness, and enlightenment.

The Arakan National Education Department has introduced a significant change for the 2026–2027 academic year by replacing the Grade 12 Burmese-language subject with an Arakanese (Rakhine)-language and literature curriculum.

On 24 October 2026, the world marks United Nations Day at a time when international cooperation faces a profound test.

If we are to think systematically about Arakan’s future, therefore, we need an “Arakan Social Resilience System”, a framework for strengthening social resilience and rebuilding society.

It is an act of quiet resistance, a way of telling those responsible for the attacks: “No matter how many bombs you drop, you will not break our spirit. We will not surrender.”

Yet a critical question remains: How quickly and effectively can our institutions respond when a child disappears? And who is responsible for protecting children from abuse, trafficking and exploitation?

Kyauktaw may be a small town, but its history and stature are immense. Among the towns situated along the banks of the Kissapanadi, or Kaladan River, two stand out: Sittwe at the river’s mouth and Kyauktaw upstream. Bordering Chin State, Kyauktaw is also a bustling centre of trade.

For decades after Myanmar gained independence, the country was unable to free itself from the military’s domination of political power. The people of Myanmar, too, repeatedly suffered the consequences of successive military dictatorships.

Capturing a town is a military outcome. But establishing credible security, rule of law, administration, taxation and public services in that town is a political outcome.

The session opened on September 8 under the theme, “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation: A United Nations That Delivers for All.” Rahman’s presidency also marks Bangladesh’s return to the leadership of the General Assembly after nearly four decades.

If the AA wins these battles, another question attracting considerable public interest is how its relations with major powers such as China and India might change.

The questions that deserve greater attention are: Why did we reach this point? How can we find a way out of this crisis? And, ultimately, what kind of country do we want to build when the crisis is over?

Trees do all of this without electricity, fuel or a maintenance contract, and they never send us a bill. Perhaps that is part of the problem: because many of these services come free, we have become accustomed to treating them as if they have little value.

If we count the years on our fingers, 59 years have already passed. It was August 13, 1967. Yet whenever I try to picture that day, the pain only deepens.

“The Myanmar military created the system that drove the Rohingya from their homeland. The Arakan Army must not be allowed to continue such persecution under a different flag.”

The day also recognizes the invaluable contributions of Indigenous Peoples in preserving cultural diversity, traditional knowledge, biodiversity, and environmental sustainability.

The recent joint military exercises between Myanmar's military junta and Russia have once again underscored the deepening military relationship between the two countries. Conducted in Naypyidaw over nearly two weeks, the exercises reportedly included counterterrorism operations, counter-drone warfare, tropical assault tactics and demonstrations of Russian military hardware.

A few days ago, I met a high school Burmese language teacher. At his home, I noticed a thick photocopied manuscript. Curious, I asked about it and learned that it contained draft texts selected by the Curriculum Development Committee of the Arakan National Education Department for use in the Grade 12 curriculum.

The people of Arakan must continue to hold on to Arakan rather than abandon it. We must endure hardships together and remain witnesses to the building of a new nation.