The bamboo handicrafts industry is fading and may one day be non-existent in many Arakan State townships, locals have warned.

Local residents in the Arakan State capital Sittwe have complained about authorities’ lack of action to keep clean a major lake that supplies water to around 10 wards.

Complaints to the relevant anti-trafficking units about human trafficking among local people in Arakan State remain unreflective of the extent of the problem, according to the No. 5 Anti-Trafficking Task Force (Sittwe).

Myanmar’s military regime has begun conducting a population census in townships across Arakan State in order to facilitate the compiling of voter lists, according to village administrators and local residents.

Numerous school-aged children are among those who fled their homes due to renewed fighting between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State over recent months, with many of  those children still deprived of their right to education.

Health officials are warning that special attention should be paid to strokes, which are more common during cold weather due to constricted blood vessels.

Junta travel restrictions on local and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) have effectively cut off food supplies to more than 28,000 displaced Muslims in Arakan State’s Myebon and Pauktaw townships.

Celebrations commemorating the 12th Daingnet or Thetkama National Day was held in Letpankon Village, part of Arakan State’s Minbya Township, on Saturday.

Prison guards and inmates came to blows as some political prisoners attempted to stage a protest over persecution in the penitentiary, a prison source confirmed.

Arakan State saw 73 fire outbreaks in 2022, with financial losses totalling nearly K137 million, according to data from the Arakan State Fire Service Department.

Agriculturalists are saying there is a need to grow more oil crops as Arakan State relies on mainland Myanmar for self-sufficiency in edible oil due to the weak agricultural legacy of recent decades.

Not only men but also women are leaving Arakan State for foreign countries in search of better economic prospects, according to women’s rights organisations.

The No. 1 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge over the Moei River in Myawaddy, Kayin (Karen) State, which had been closed for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political instability, has reportedly reopened to traffic as of January 5.

Humanitarian operations in Arakan State have been largely shackled by the Myanmar military regime, which has targeted charities and social activists helping local communities and internally displaced people (IDPs).

An argument broke out when police stopped a vehicle belonging to the Arakan Army (AA) and carrying AA members on the road in front of the Lucky Guesthouse in Maungdaw, Arakan State, at around 8 a.m. on January 6.

Rubber plantation workers in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei District have complained about a regime requirement that they must have proof of residency issued by their ward and village administrators or be sacked. 

About 90 village administrators from Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships in Arakan State, who have submitted their resignation letters, were summoned for a meeting at the township administrator’s office on January 5.

The Sittwe branch passport office in Arakan State has suspended operations for two weeks for a system upgrade, a passport office source told DMG.

The exchange took place at a location between Padetha and Kuntaung villages in Ponnagyun Township, Arakan State, a reliable source said.