Myanmar regime security forces have been combing certain wards in Sittwe after the Arakan Army (AA) seized two junta soldiers, a captain and a private, on Thursday afternoon in the Arakan State capital.

The Arakan Army (AA) said the Myanmar military’s arrest of civilians in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U townships undermines trust between the two organisations.

The civilian death toll attributed to Myanmar’s military coup on February 1, 2021, has hit 2,000, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said in a statement on June 21.

A coalition of troops led by Brigade 1 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), attacked a military convoy in Bilin Township, Mon State, with landmines on the morning of June 22, according to a ground source.

A bridge over the Tanhlwe Creek is being constructed in Myotaung village-tract, part of Arakan State’s Taungup Township, on a self-reliant basis, and donors are still needed to complete the K300 million project.

 The Arakan Army (AA) detained a junta soldier near the Sanpya ward administration office in Ponnagyun Township, with the regime subsequently arresting multiple local residents.

The Myanmar military has detained more than 20 residents including students in Mrauk-U since Monday night, after the Arakan Army (AA) detained three military intelligence officers in the town earlier Monday.

The Arakan Army (AA) has called on the people of Arakan State to be wary of the military junta, which it accused of stoking racial and religious tensions in the region following the disappearance and apparent kidnapping of two educators in Maungdaw Township. 

Family members are worried about the health of a man and woman in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu who were charged with incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code for allegedly raising funds for the Arakan Army (AA).

The Myanmar military on Tuesday night released four women of more than 20 residents it detained in Kyauktaw Township earlier that day in response to the Arakan Army’s detention of junta soldiers, said residents.

One of two women from a camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Paletwa Township, Chin State, who were injured in a landmine blast, has been admitted to Sittwe General Hospital and her condition is considered life-threatening, according to family members.

Eight basic education schools in Rathedaung Township have closed down as staff there showed their dissatisfaction with the regime’s handling of the kidnapping of two teachers in Maungdaw Township last week. 

The relatives of seven detained residents in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township are concerned about their safety as their whereabouts are still unknown five days after the arrests.

Two policemen from Kyauknimaw police outpost in Arakan State’s Ramree Township were arrested by a group of seven people at around 12 noon on June 22, according to local police.

More than 71 percent of basic education students had received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination as of June 19, according to the Arakan State Education Office.

Schools in urban areas of Kyauktaw were closed on Tuesday after junta soldiers questioned and detained residents across the town. The Arakan Army (AA) detained three policemen in Kyauktaw on Monday. 

Arakanese politicians and teachers have criticised the way the Arakan State Administration Council is handling the kidnapping of a school principal and female teacher last week.

The Myanmar military reportedly blocked the Ponnagyun-Rathedaung road after the Arakan Army detained a junta soldier on June 16, causing difficulties for travellers, transporters and locals.

The Myanmar military detained Ko Zaw Win aka Ludu Zaw Win, a political and social activist in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, on Tuesday morning.