About half of eligible voters in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung townships in Arakan State cast ballots in the junta-organized election, according to sources close to the Union Election Commission (UEC).

Junta troops stationed at the Point 666 hilltop camp near Ma Thone Village, close to the military’s weapons factory No. 16 in Padaung Township, Bago Region, are facing shortages of food and drinking water, according to military sources on the ground.

In the first phase of the election, junta soldiers and their families were reportedly forced to vote exclusively for the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), according to military sources.

Since early December, clashes have occurred almost daily across the township, with exchanges of both heavy and small arms fire.

In Sittwe, junta soldiers and police have been stationed in crowded areas and residential neighbourhoods, including schools where polling stations are located. Security has been tightened, with personnel closely monitoring pedestrians.

As the junta-organized election approaches, attacks by revolutionary forces in central Myanmar have increased.

The ethnic Thet community, one of the indigenous groups of Arakan State, is facing growing challenges to its national identity and cultural survival due to migration and a gradual decline in population.

Arakanese young people who have travelled to Yangon for various reasons say they are concerned for their safety as Myanmar’s military regime conducts a census of young university graduates.

A junta column attempting to reinforce Point 666 hilltop camp near Mathone Village in Padaung Township, Bago Region, was intercepted by a coalition force led by the Arakan Army and is now facing heavy air support from Myanmar’s military regime, according to military sources.

Myanmar’s military regime has carried out repeated attacks on Ponnagyun and Pauktaw townships in Arakan State, which border Sittwe, using heavy weapons including airstrikes, according to local residents.

At least six humanitarian workers providing emergency assistance during the latest fighting in Arakan State have been killed in airstrikes and artillery attacks carried out by Myanmar’s military regime.

Australian live streaming platform Kick has removed seven TV channels linked to Myanmar’s military regime, less than 24 hours after they began broadcasting on the platform.

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The number of migratory birds entering Arakan State during the winter season has been declining year by year, according to local residents and environmental observers.

Myanmar’s military regime is carrying out heavy ground and air offensives in the Magway, Bago and Ayeyarwady Regions bordering Arakan State, according to military sources and local residents.

Residents in Arakan Army-controlled townships of Kyauktaw, Pauktaw, Gwa and Buthidaung in Arakan State say greater attention is needed to fire hazards during the current open season, after at least four fires were reported in December.

Local ethnic communities have expressed concern over their security in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships, which are under the control of the Arakan Army (AA), amid recent activities by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).

Among winter crops in the state, groundnut is the most profitable for farmers. However, farmers say they are unable to expand cultivation because of limited access to seeds.

Arakanese merchants in India say India–Arakan trade will be temporarily suspended for several days during the upcoming Christmas holiday.