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. 

The prices of gold and the US dollar in Myanmar continue increasing following the military coup in February. 

The ongoing depreciation of the kyat has caused a price hike in the prawn market in Arakan State, according to prawn traders.

In order to ensure the safety of students when schooling resumes, the Covid-19 vaccine will be administered to students over 12 years old, regime council chairperson Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was quoted as saying in the state-owned Myanma Alinn newspaper on September 25.

Construction materials costs in Arakan State have risen by as much as a third due to the sharp rise in the value of the US dollar, according to industry stakeholders. 

A 13-year-old blind girl from Barya village in Taungup Township, Arakan State, needs financial assistance for eye surgery to restore her sight, her family said. 

Fighting in Thantlang, Chin State, has forced thousands of people to flee their homes, reportedly leaving fewer than a dozen people, including three elderly, in the town. 

More than 390,000 replacement seedlings are planted annually to prevent mangrove and other deforestation in Arakan State, according to the state’s Forest Department.

It is difficult for locals to access information due to internet blackouts in eight Chin State townships, some of which have seen clashes take place recently between junta troops and local militias under the People’s Defense Force (PDF) banner. 

The Sittwe District Court has dismissed the appeal of four Arakanese students recently sentenced to two years and six months in prison, according to a lawyer representing the defendants. 

Oyster sellers in Arakan State are reportedly facing difficulties due to lower prices.

The price of coconuts in Manaung Township, Arakan State, has plummeted since last year, according to coconut dealers in Manaung. 

Family members continue to demand justice for those who have gone missing and remain incommunicado after being arrested during armed conflict between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army in Arakan State from 2018-2020.

A resident of Ann Township, Arakan State, who was charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law after the military arrested him, has required medical treatment at hospital for internal injuries he suffered from being beaten in detention, his family members said. 

The Kyauktaw-based Future Target Education Foundation is offering computer and English-language proficiency courses to provide free educational opportunities to young people in Arakan State.

Farmers in Arakan State say the soaring price of fertiliser means some are opting to forgo or scale back use of it on their crops this season.

More than 5,000 tonnes of illegal timber were seized in Arakan State between October 2020 and August of this year, according to figures from the state’s Forest Department.

A ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace was observed on September 21 in the Arakan State capital Sittwe.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State say the rising prices of basic foodstuffs such as rice, cooking oil, iodised salt, onion and garlic are making life more difficult for those displaced by conflict.