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. 

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.