A committee was formed on September 29 to protect the Wunbaik reserve mangrove forest (WRMF), Asia’s second-largest mangrove forest, in Ramree Township, Arakan State.

Five residents of Mala village in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township were recently released after being charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, but they now face livlihood difficulties as IDP camps they once took refuge at are not accepting them again, they told DMG.

The Arakan State Administration Council has twice this month called for internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their homes at various IDP camps in Paletwa Township, Chin State. 

Sea turtles in Myanmar are facing extinction due to the consumption of turtle eggs and reckless fishing, Dr. Kalyar Platt, director of the Turtle Survival Alliance, told DMG. 

Out of 100 hotels, motels and guesthouses in Arakan State that have closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 57 have been allowed to resume operations so far, according to the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

Local businesspeople say Arakan State’s economy has contracted dramatically due to the third wave of Covid-19 and political instability in Myanmar.  

The Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine Sinovac has been administered to Arakanese and Muslim IDPs in 12 Arakan State townships, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. 

Myanmar plans to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to six million people ages 13 to 17 years old, Dr. Khin Khin Gyi, director of the Public Health Awareness division of the Department of Public Health, wrote on social media. 

A gallon of fuel oil sold for K10,000 on the morning of September 29 in Manaung Township, Arakan State, according to petrol dealers. 

Flowers from Japan, Tabebuia and Robel trees, were recently planted along the roads in Kyaukphyu town, Arakan State, according to people involved.

Officials say the completion of a new bridge crossing Gwa Creek and linking Gwa Township with Magyingu, which is currently under construction, could greatly benefit trade and tourism in Arakan State.

Residents of Mrauk-U, where an effort to list the ancient city as a UNESCO World Heritage site is ongoing, have criticised the Arakan State town’s municipality for using only crushed stones and sand to repair roads in downtown areas. 

Burma News International (BNI), an alliance of independent Myanmar media organisations that includes DMG, on September 28 called for the immediate release of 47 detained journalists after more than 100 journalists have been detained in the seven months since the military coup on February 1, 2021. 

Former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, who has been charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, appeared via video link for a court hearing in Sittwe on Tuesday. 

An official from the Myanmar Archaeology Association said that Arakan State’s Mrauk-U must be kept clean in order for the historical site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

A court in Gwa Township, Arakan State, sentenced three men to prison on September 27 for staging an anti-coup protest earlier this year.

The cost of transporting fuel from Yangon to Arakan State is among the rising prices attributed to the recent appreciation of the US dollar against the kyat, leading to higher overall fuel prices in Arakan State. 

The caseload of Covid-19 infections in most Arakan State townships is decreasing, but new cases are still elevated in Buthidaung Township, according to figures from the Arakan State regime council. 

Clam catchers and clam breeders in Arakan State’s Taungup Township are uneasy as clam prices have fallen this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the country’s current political situation.