Sixteen Arakanese residents arrested on suspicion of having links with the Arakan Army (AA) and facing long potential prison sentences under the Counter-Terrorism Law were released on September 9, according to family members. 

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) has announced that it will strive for the unconditional and immediate release of all people, including political leaders, detained after the military seized power, while advocating for a political approach over armed confrontation with Myanmar’s military regime. 

People in Arakan State paying respects on Sayadaw U Ottama Day, commemorated September 9, said they would continue to push the government to designate an official public holiday for the independence hero, and would not quit until their demand is met. 

Memorial wreaths were removed not long after they were laid in front of an U Ottama statue in Ann town on September 9, marking the 82^nd anniversary of the Sayadaw’s death. 

A spokesman for the United League of Arakan and Arakan Army (ULA/AA) has condemned the military’s recent sit-down with some Muslim administrators in Arakan State, at which Tatmadaw officials instructed the local leaders not to accept the ULA/AA’s administrative outreach. 

Five ex-ministers for Arakan State who have been charged under the Anti-Corruption Law, including the detained former Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, appeared via video link for a court hearing in the state capital Sittwe on Wednesday, according to one of their lawyers.

The Sittwe District Court on September 9 released four Arakanese youths who were detained for two years under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.

The domestic gold price in Myanmar surged on September 7, the day the National Unity Government (NUG) declared a “people’s defensive war” against the country’s military regime, hitting a record high of nearly K1.8 million per tical of 24K gold. 

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) has welcomed a proposal from Erywan Yusof, ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, for a four-month ceasefire by all sides to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the country.  

Local people in Paletwa Township, Chin State, are facing various difficulties as they are being restricted from leaving their homes after 11 a.m. due to rising Covid-19 infections.

A Covid-19 patient in Sittwe who was recently identified as having been infected with the highly contagious Delta variant was discharged from hospital after recovering, said Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the Arakan State Department of Public Health. 

Raft-fishing businesses in Arakan State, which have been hit hard by both the second and third waves of the Covid-19 pandemic, are expected to restart operations at the end of this month.

Two people arrested on August 26 for violating a local stay-at-home order imposed in Gwa Township were sentenced to one month in prison each under Section 188 of the Penal Code. 

The Myanmar military has summoned some local Muslim administrators in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, telling them not to accept an offer of police and administrative training courses to be provided by the Arakan Army (AA), according to the ward and village administrators.

Mandalay-based university students issued an emergency statement on September 7, saying they would be at the forefront of the fight against the military dictatorship as the anti-regime movement enters a potentially more dangerous new phase. 

Although the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has declined in Arakan State over recent weeks, the disease remains a threat, cautioned Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the state’s Department of Public Health, urging the public to stay vigilant and live in line with health guidance.  

The Myanmar military has been encamping at Pazunpyae village, in Arakan State’s Thandwe Township, for two days, according to the village-tract administrator.

Random Covid-19 tests have been conducted to gauge the prevalence of coronavirus among people in Arakan State, according to the Arakan State Department of Public Health.

More than 10,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State returned home of their own volition in August.