Arakan State News Summary (August 1-7, 2021)

By DMG 08 Aug 2021

1 August

• Authorities in the Arakan State capital Sittwe shut down a local charity’s plans to distribute low-cost basic foodstuffs to those in need over the July-into-August weekend, with the officials citing fears that the event would draw a crowd amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The United League of Arakan, the Arakan Army’s political wing, announced plans to establish a judiciary parallel to the existing legal system in the state, saying it would be accepting complaints in an effort to provide another path to justice for the wronged.
• Myanmar’s military caretaker government appointed U Sein Tun Hla, a retired deputy director of the Education Department in Arakan State, as minister for ethnic affairs in Chin State. 

2 August 

• Civil society organisations assisting with Covid-19 prevention activities in Ramree Township said they were in desperate need of personal protective equipment (PPE), including hazmat suits and other coronavirus preventive supplies.
• Ethnic literature teachers working as daily-wage staff in Arakan State had not yet received their salaries for July, according to the teachers.
• Residents in Thandwe Township began receiving Covid-19 vaccinations on July 30, causing crowds that were themselves reportedly raising concerns about the potential spread of the virus.
• Basic food items such as rice, cooking oil and iodised salt were in short supply at the Kanhtaunggyi camp for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Myebon Township, according to a camp official. 

3 August 

• With Taungup Township tallying the second highest third-wave coronavirus death toll in Arakan State, people looking for routine medical care and treatment for common illnesses are finding health clinics closed and alternatives limited as shortages of basic medicines are reported at pharmacies across the state. 
• Four villages in Myebon Township and three villages in Ann Township, as well as Kanhtaunggyi town, were reportedly left without electricity for nine days as of August 3.
• Local civil society groups and authorities in Ramree Township have been working together to reduce the spread of Covid-19, in part by detaining those caught out in public without a face mask after 12 noon.
• Food supplies for flood victims in northern Maungdaw Township could not be transported to their intended destinations because bridges connecting the villages were damaged or destroyed during the recent flooding.
• Arakan State Administration Council spokesman U Hla Thein urged people not to attempt to provide medical treatment at home if someone is suspected of contracting Covid-19. 

4 August

• The Arakan Army (AA) announced that it would extend the stay-at-home period it imposed in Arakan State for another two weeks amid the ongoing third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Pregnant women in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have not had access to full healthcare services during the ongoing third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Arakan State surpassed 3,000 cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic’s third wave began about two months ago, with 239 fatalities attributed to the disease over that period, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.
• An oxygen plant in Mrauk-U was forced to temporarily halt production as the electricity supply to the town was cut off. 

5 August 

• Bus fares have increased on routes to Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U and Minbya townships, according to drivers and passengers in Arakan State.
• A woman who had tested positive for Covid-19 delivered her baby at Kyaukphyu District General Hospital and later died.
• Two oxygen plants in Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships, which were forced to halt production for different reasons, restarted operations.
• The Tatmadaw conducted checks on some houses in Gyogar Kwin village, part of Taungup Township, after an unidentified group abducted a village official.
• The Peace Process Steering Committee (PPST) said in a statement that the military government’s recent annulment of the 2020 election results was a setback for the country’s democratic transition.
• Kyauktaw Myoma Market, which was temporarily closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, would be allowed to open from 6 a.m. to noon in accordance with coronavirus regulations, the township development committee said. 

6 August

• Residents of some Arakan State townships have found it difficult to properly dispose of household waste during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Some 10 villages in Taungup Township faced flooding due to incessant rains. Water levels in some villages rose by as much as 12 feet due to continuous rains since the early hours of August 6, said a village elder from Sar Pyin village.
• Arakan State’s military government decided to include internally displaced people (IDPs) above the age of 65 in an ongoing coronavirus vaccination campaign that will target 100,000 people statewide in a prioritised first tier of eligible individuals.
• According to figures from the Arakan State Department of Public Health, during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, the number of Covid-19 cases statewide had reached 3,154 as of August 6, with the death toll rising to 265. 

7 August

• The United League of Arakan (ULA) warned merchants in Arakan State not to overcharge for basic foodstuffs.
• Buddhist nuns at nunneries in the Arakan State capital Sittwe face difficulties with food and medical costs during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
• Organisers of efforts to set up a self-help oxygen plant in Manaung town said they have arranged to run the facility by generator as the electricity supply is not sufficient to operate it using the power grid.
• Joint teams of military, police and immigration personnel were reported to be stopping and checking vehicle traffic in some Arakan State townships, raising concerns among residents.
• The military council declared an extension of a previously issued public holiday order to apply to August 9 to 15.