A 74-year-old man with an underlying disease tested positive for Covid-19 on December 9 in the Arakan State capital Sittwe and died the same day, according to aid workers. 

The National Alliance for Human Rights and Social Justice (HRSJA) has called on domestic and international rights groups, as well as the international community, to act to address human rights abuses by the military junta in Myanmar. 

Free healthcare services were provided to the poor in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on December 11. 

Junta forces on Saturday morning reportedly tightened security checks on buses and other vehicles outside the Waw Township police station in Bago Region, which is located along the Yangon-Mawlamyine road. 

A sizable military contingent put a stop to plans for a charity concert organised by the Kyauktaw Youth Association in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, on Saturday, with authorities citing pandemic rules.

An inessential piece of a Chinese spacecraft crashed into the sea off the coast of Arakan State’s Thandwe and Manaung townships at around 6 a.m. on December 10, according to locals. 

Min Di Par, the young author from Pan Maw village in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township, was officially charged under Section 50(j) of the Counter-Terrorism Law on December 10, according to a lawyer. 

A female student of electrical engineering at Dawei Technological University in Tanintharyi Region was arrested by junta forces on December 10, according to the Dawei Technological University Students’ Union. 

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) is keeping a watchful eye on Myanmar military (Tatmadaw) affairs in the region amid growing concern that the situation on the ground could lead to a resumption of hostilities between the two sides, the AA said on December 10. 

Tolls on roads and bridges, which were abolished in 2016 under the National League for Democracy (NLD) government, have been resumed at some points along the country’s roadways since the military coup on February 1. That includes toll-taking on roads and bridges in some Arakan State townships, locals said. 

People across Myanmar staged a Silent Strike against the military regime on Friday, also marking Human Rights Day, which is celebrated internationally on December 10.

Civil society organisations in Arakan State called for an end to human rights abuses in Myanmar on December 10, celebrated internationally as Human Rights Day.

Tourism sector workers, including employees of hotels and guesthouses in the Arakan State capital Sittwe, have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and are being issued a document indicating that they are “safe for guests,” said the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism (DHT). 

Houses at some camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, are in need of repair as they are deteriorating, said managers of the IDP camps. 

Facebook’s parent company Meta this week said it would remove any and all pages, groups and accounts on the social media platform that represent businesses controlled by Myanmar’s military, aka Tatmadaw, which seized power in a coup more than 10 months ago.

Myanmar activists at home and abroad have called for a nationwide “Silent Strike” marking Human Rights Day, which falls on December 10. 

In the aftermath of the February 1 coup, Myanmar’s political, economic and conflict dynamics have been deteriorating and could be headed for a “worst case scenario,” warned Yebaw Myo Win, vice chairman of the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF) and a spokesperson for the Peace Process Steering Team (PPST). 

Recent prison sentences handed down against former President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi — and a swift halving of those sentences by the junta chief — have further undermined confidence in Myanmar’s justice system under military rule.

Myanmar activists have criticised the new ASEAN chair for arranging a meeting with the Myanmar military council leader, saying it will be in vain for the international community.