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.

The All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) says at least 25 students have been for street protests prompted by a prolonged internet shutdown in Arakan State and deadly fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army.

An expectant mother from Taungmin Kalar camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, tested positive for coronavirus this week, camp manager U Aung Kyaw Win told DMG.

People are cooperating in an ongoing effort to place food boxes for those who are hungry, the poor and others in need at wards in Kyaukphyu town, Arakan State. 

Locals say the Wunbaik mangrove forest reserve (WRMF) in Ramree Township, Arakan State, Asia’s second-largest mangrove forest, is being cut down for firewood, adding that the mangroves need further protection efforts.

There was only one case of human trafficking reported in Arakan State last year, according to the No. 5 Anti-Trafficking Task Force (Sittwe).

Covid-19 vaccines to be delivered by Myanmar’s military regime will be provided for the people as a matter of priority, a spokesperson for the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) told DMG on September 21.

Construction work on the Tawkan-Warbo bridge in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, started in 2019, but funding has not yet been allocated to complete the bridge, according to the Department of Rural Road Development.

With no clashes between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army for some 11 months, tens of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned home, but many are finding it difficult to make ends meet.  

Additional Covid-19 vaccines will arrive at Arakan State for more than 130,000 people, said officials of the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH). 

The cost of bricks, sand and stones in Arakan State has risen due to rising fuel prices, according to industry stakeholders.

Thirty-three internally displaced people (IDPs) from Taung Min Kala IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, are ill and have lost their sense of smell, raising concerns about a potential coronavirus infection cluster despite the 33 having been recently vaccinated.

Twenty-six locals in the Arakan State capital Sittwe were arrested and faced legal sanction on September 19 for not following Covid-19 rules, according to the Arakan State Administration Council (ASAC). 

U Thaung Htut, marine conservation manager for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS Myanmar), said the establishment of marine protected areas in Arakan State has been delayed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and political upheaval in the country. 

Dr. Tun Tun Thein, deputy director of the Arakan State Education Office, said reports about the reopening of basic education schools on October 1 were untrue, and that instructions had not yet been issued to reopen the schools. 

All lines of the Shwe Pyi Tan express boat service that were suspended due to the third wave of Covid-19 are set to resume from September 20, but boat fares will increase 20% compared with previous prices, according to the manager of the boat service.