Facing widespread scepticism, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has promised an election this year in which all citizens can cast votes freely, without threats or coercion.

Coconuts grown in the Arakan State townships of Manaung, Thandwe and Gwa are fetching good prices due to high demand from Bangladesh, according to coconut dealers.

Betel nut growers from the Ashaetaw area in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei Township are facing travel barriers due to fighting in the region, which is also contributing to volatility in the local betel nut market.

Two residents of Ai Tin Village in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, who were given three years in prison under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly having ties to the Arakan Army (AA), have been released after serving their time, according to family members.

Muslims who have been living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, for a decade are reportedly facing accommodation difficulties as the populations in the camps rise.

There are political parties in Arakan State that have decided not to contest the junta’s election, and there are parties that have declared that they will contest.

The labour affairs support centre in Arakan State says it only received 43 complaints last year about violations of labour rights in the state.

The parents of a baby born with a rare medical condition in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township are in need of financial assistance to cover the costs of his surgery.

Myanmar’s military regime launched an airstrike on a military encampment belonging to the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) in Kyeinchaung Village, part of Kayin State’s Kyainnseikgyi Township, in the early hours of January 21.

Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing’s meeting with Thailand’s Chief of Defence Forces reflects an effort by the Myanmar military regime to strengthen bilateral relations, Myanmar political analysts say.

More than 200 displaced children from Myeikwa village in Paletwa Township, Chin State, who are taking refuge in Mizoram state, India, are being deprived of their right to education, according to aid workers.

Health workers involved in Myanmar’s Spring Revolution against the military dictatorship have provided medical treatment for members of the Arakan Army (AA) injured in fighting with the Myanmar military in Arakan State, AA deputy chief Dr. Nyo Twan Awng said on Friday.

There are 17.6 million people in Myanmar who need humanitarian assistance, of which some 1.7 million people are from Arakan State, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Myanmar said in a statement this week.

The eighth court hearing was held on Thursday, but the Maungdaw Township Court still could not start the trial as the complainant again failed to appear.

Several political parties, including the military’s proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), have begun campaigning in Mon State for an election that Myanmar’s military regime intends to hold later this year.

A Muslim refugee camp on the Bangladesh side of the border near Taungpyo Letyar in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, was torched Wednesday evening following fighting between two Rohingya armed groups.

Growers in Arakan State say they need technology and support from business owners for the agricultural industry to develop.

The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) has surpassed 16,000 due to renewed fighting in Kyainnseikgyi Township, Kayin (Karen) State, since January 17, and the IDPs are in urgent need of food, medicine and shelter, according to aid workers.

The deputy military chief of the Arakan Army (AA), Dr. Nyo Twan Awng, will give a talk on January 20 addressing the important role played by healthcare workers in Myanmar’s revolution against the military dictatorship.