Dr. Tin Mar Aung raised eyebrows last month when it was revealed that she would contest the 2020 general election as a member of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD). The former personal assistant to State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be contesting an Arakan State Hluttaw constituency in Taungup Township, considered a stronghold of the ruling National League for Democracy — the party of her old boss.

Sitting Arakan State lawmaker U Poe San from Kyaukphyu Township is not likely to defend his seat in this year’s general election, after election officials rejected his candidacy on the basis of his son’s alleged links to the Arakan Army. 

DMG reporter Khin Tharaphy Oo recently interviewed Dr. Aung Naing Lin, who travelled from Yangon to work temporarily at Sittwe General Hospital, about the health conditions of COVID-19 patients, infections among medical staff, and prevention and treatment measures.

On August 24, the Tatmadaw announced that it was extending a unilateral ceasefire until the end of September in order to facilitate efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic and honour its obligations under recent peace agreements. But like its original declaration made in May, the renewal does not include “areas where terrorist groups declared by the government take positions.”

As conflict continues to plague Arakan State, military inspections of camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) have reportedly increased in recent months, raising anxieties in the camps. DMG interviewed U Wai Hla Aung, manager of Tin Nyo IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township, where more than 3,000 people are sheltering.

DMG reporter Khin Tharaphy Oo interviewed U Tin Hlaing Win, general secretary of the Kaman National Development Party (KNDP), a minority ethnic political party contesting the 2020 general election.

The Arakanese lawmaker Daw Htoot May is preparing to contest the 2020 general election, but her situation is an unusual one: The Arakan National Party to which she previously pledged allegiance is not allowing her to resign from its ranks to contest with her preferred (and rival) political party, the Arakan League for Democracy. So she’s switching things up this year, opting not to contest the seat she currently holds in the Amyotha Hluttaw and instead running for the Yangon Region Arakanese Ethnic Affairs Minister post as an independent candidate. 

As Myanmar looks ahead to a general election slated for November 8, 2020, the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) will look to tout its record in power ahead of the vote. With campaigning activities not far off, DMG solicited the opinions of individuals from various societal spheres by posing this question: What has changed in Arakan State in the four-plus years that the NLD has held office following its landslide election victory in 2015?

The Union Election Commission on May 18 announced the termination of Dr. Aye Maung’s status as a Pyithu Hluttaw lawmaker for Arakan State’s Ann Township, and declared him ineligible to contest future elections. DMG reporter Win Nyunt compiled the opinions of political analysts and MPs on the latest blow to Dr. Aye Maung’s political fortunes.

The Tatmadaw on May 9 declared a unilateral ceasefire in force until August 31, but with the notable exception of “areas where terrorist groups declared by the government take positions.” The Arakan Army (AA) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) both fall under that designation, apparently excluding a large swath of western Myanmar...

On April 21, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi issued a statement offering praise to the Tatmadaw soldiers fighting against the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan and Chin states.

“Some IDPs have returned to their homes. They are afraid to be infected as they know that mass gatherings can amplify the spread of disease”

On March 23, the Myanmar government designated the Arakan Army as a terrorist group and unlawful association. DMG sought the opinions of politicians, political analysts and legal experts about what could prove to be a major development in Myanmar’s peace process, and its potential implications for the conflict dynamics at play in Arakan State.

On June 21 last year, the Myanmar government cut off mobile internet access in eight Arakan State townships and Chin State’s Paletwa Township. With the internet blackout now in its ninth month, DMG interviewed human rights campaigners, civil society activists and a member of Parliament about how the shutdown has impacted the daily lives of people in the affected townships. Because many of those townships are also considered conflict zones, the human rights implications of the internet blackout was top of mind for several of the interviewees.

Daw Khin Htay Win, a 28-year-old primary school teacher from Pyein Daw Kone Dan village in Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township, suffered a shrapnel wound at about 3 p.m. on the afternoon of February 3. An artillery shell allegedly launched from a Tatmadaw watercraft near the village hit her, family members said.DMG interviewed the teacher about the incident, as well as asking for her opinion on education and peace.

“Donors need to apply for permission from the state government to provide a donation. As the government did not allow them to go to the camps for security reasons, the number of donors is decreasing.”

Fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army has plagued Arakan State for more than a year, raising questions as to whether the 2020 general election will be held throughout the region. DMG asked members of political parties, lawmakers and civil society organizations for their thoughts on what might happen if some parts of the state are not able to vote in the polls slated for November.

The Arakan Army (AA) is ready to cooperate with the government if Myanmar’s 2020 general election will be held in Arakan State, the ethnic armed group’s leader, Maj-Gen Twan Mrat Naing, told The Irrawaddy recently. DMG’s Kyaw Thu Htay contacted some lawmakers, representatives of political parties and election observers to elicit their views on the comments made by the AA chief.

Early December 2019, the wife and children of Arakan Army (AA) leader Major-General Twan Mrat Naing were arrested by Thai authorities in the northern city of Chiang Mai, Thailand. The wife, Daw Hnin Zar Phyu, and her 11-year-old daughter Ma Saw Pyae Shin and toddler son Myat Linn Zan, were detained by immigration authorities on December 4, and are currently being held in the Thai capital Bangkok.