Words about ethnic rights, equality and federalism that come from the mouth of the Myanmar military regime are hollow and will fool no one, critics say.

Rice merchants and businesspeople have said the prices of rice in Arakan State may continue to rise.

The Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) has detained a Sittwe resident on suspicion of having been involved in the detention of Lieutenant Colonel Khaing Paw Lin, an ALP executive committee member, and is planning to arrest other related people, said Lt-Col Khaing Kyaw Soe, the ALP information officer.

Without a set schedule for the cuts, power outages are causing significant hardship for the people of Arakan State.

• Local residents and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Arakan State have reported a rise in crimes, saying the worrying trend is the result of weak rule of law.

A wild elephant destroyed some houses in Zedi Pyin village, part of Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township, on Friday morning, according to local residents.

Myanmar’s military regime has changed the reference exchange rate from 1,850 kyats to 2,100 kyats per dollar, which will lead to a further increase in the prices of imported goods and further appreciation of the US dollar on the open market, say business owners.

Ko Tin Myo Tun, a 24-year-old man from Sabeichaung village near Sanae town in Arakan State, who was detained by the Myanmar military, has been charged with incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, according to family members.

Two residents from the Arakan State capital Sittwe who were detained by Myanmar’s military regime for “being unable to give a satisfactory explanation about why they were loitering at night” were sentenced to one month in prison on August 5, according to family members.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, in a televised speech on Monday to mark 18 months since the military takeover, described the proportional representation (PR) electoral system as a solution to end ethnic armed conflicts in Myanmar.

The renovation of columns at the Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Kyauktaw Township has been delayed by rising military tensions between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA), according to the religious site’s board of trustees.

Residents in the Arakan State capital Sittwe say they are living on edge as the Myanmar military often checks for overnight guests.

Myanmar’s military regime has forced residents of Muslim villages in Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, to keep alternating overnight watches in their villages, a mandate that is particularly affecting casual workers.

An elderly man from Ngasinyaine Chaung village in Arakan State’s Minbya Township was severely injured in a landmine explosion on Friday morning.

The Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 289 has blockaded both land and water routes in Chin State’s Paletwa Township, where clashes are ongoing between regime forces and the Arakan Army, according to locals.

Amid renewed tensions between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, the junta has been handing down prison terms to those facing charges of terrorism related to the Arakanese ethnic armed group. 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Myanmar has warned of limitations in providing assistance to those who have fled their homes due to fighting between the military and anti-regime armed groups in the country. 

The second court hearing of an Arakanese man who is the primary suspect in the murder of a Thai citizen on the Thailand-Malaysia border will be held on August 9, according to migrant rights activist helping the defendant.

Myanmar’s military regime has denied Arakan Army (AA) accusations that it fired upon a school ferryboat this week, killing two students.