ULA/AA to Rename Minbya and Pauktaw Townships with Historical Pali Names

Burma News International (BNI) is a network of 15 independent media and news organizations based in and around Burma The United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), is preparing to officially rename the AA-controlled towns of Minbya and Pauktaw in Arakan (Rakhine) State, drawing from classical Arakanese history, according to sources close to the leadership. Under the transformation plan, Minbya will be renamed Anjanapura — a Pali-derived name meaning "the city of dark-colored, crystal-clear gems." Meanwhile, Pauktaw will become Virathani, meaning "the city of the braves." To commemorate the upcoming transition and as part of its broader regional greening initiative, the ULA/AA administration organized synchronized tree-planting events on July 1. The activities mobilized local administrative officials, personnel from the newly formed forestry and fire departments, alongside youth and women's civil society groups. "Officials briefed us that the tree-planting was held to mark the designation of Pauktaw as Virathani and Minbya as Anjanapura. The AA leadership has already approved the nomenclature change," a Pauktaw resident said. She noted that the renaming appears designed to align the territories with the ULA/AA's evolving administrative identity. Senior ULA/AA executives have reportedly finalized the decree for both townships, with an official proclamation expected imminently. To mark Anjanapura's (Minbya) upcoming designation, ear-pod wattle and royal poinciana trees were planted along the strategic Minbya-Mrauk-U and Minbya-Myebon highways. In Virathani (Pauktaw), local communities collaborated to plant long-lived teak trees. Parallel with the geographic renaming, the AA is finalizing a major educational overhaul. Beginning in the 2026-27 academic year, the group plans to replace the central Myanmar-language curriculum with an indigenous Arakan-language curriculum across all liberated areas, including Paletwa Township in neighboring Chin State. The revamped curriculum will feature poetry, literary essays, and historical prose by classical Arakanese writers. Educational coordinators stated the initiative aims to revive Arakanese literature and historical records, which they argue were systematically marginalized under decades of centralized military rule. The AA consolidated control over Pauktaw on January 24, 2024, and liberated Minbya shortly after on February 6 of the same year.