Locals in Loikaw are facing difficulties as the junta has imposed bans on deliveries of basic foodstuffs and medicines to the Kayah (Karenni) State capital.

The average price has increased from 4,000 kyats per kilo last year to over 7,000 kyats now, blood clam dealers told DMG.

A depression in the Bay of Bengal will turn into a cyclonic storm on May 10, and move off the Arakan coast, reported the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology.

“We were released after serving our time. We want for those who remain behind bars for having alleged ties to the AA to also be released.”

The old school, which is located near the Mayu Road in Ballon Kwin Ward in Sittwe, will be moved to a new location because the school grounds are narrow and close to the main road.

The military junta has barred construction of an Islamic religious building in Mee Kyaung Zay Village, part of Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township, the villagers said.

The ICJ earlier rejected junta requests to submit a counter-memorial in February 2024, and the regime is set to submit it on May 24.

The junta-controlled Ministry of Planning and Finance said that it has extended the tax exemption for electric vehicles (EV) and accessories imported from foreign countries for one more year.

Eleven athletes from Arakan State are contesting in the ongoing 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia, representing Myanmar, according to the Arakan State Sports and Physical Education Department.

A 20-member delegation consisting of Bangladeshi officials and Muslim refugees is scheduled to visit Myanmar on May 5 to check the conditions in Arakan State’s Maungdaw region ahead of a supposed start of repatriation to Myanmar.

The Chiang Rai Police announced on May 4 that 30 Myanmar nationals holding temporary border pass (TBP) were arrested for crossing the designated area in Thailand’s Chiang Rai Province.

The Arakan Students’ Union released a statement on Friday strongly condemning the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) led by Saw Mra Razar Lin for detaining a student and forcing him to do forced labour.

A 4-year-old boy died in an explosion of an unexploded grenade on Wednesday in the village of Wetkyein, part of Arakan State’s Maungdaw Township.

With floods occurring every year in Arakan State’s Sittwe due to blockages of drains during the rainy season, residents are demanding that the drains be properly excavated to improve the flow of water.

Eight cases of the Covid-19 Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant have been recorded in Myanmar, according to a May 3 announcement from the junta-controlled Health Ministry.

The Myanmar military has recently forced residents of Phayonechaung and Ngatpyawchaung villages in Arakan State to leave their homes.

Myanmar’s military regime on Wednesday pardoned 2,153 prisoners serving sentences under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, but reportedly no prisoners behind bars in Arakan State were released in the mass amnesty.

Press freedom has steadily waned in Myanmar in the two-plus years since the military takeover, journalists said on Wednesday as the country marked its third World Press Freedom Day under military rule.

Five civilians were bitten by vipers while fleeing junta raids in Sagaing Region’s Kanbalu Township last month, with three of them, including two children, dying of the snake bites.