ULA warns merchants not to sell foodstuffs at high prices

By DMG 07 Aug 2021

DMG Newsroom
7 August 2021, Sittwe 

The United League of Arakan (ULA), the Arakan Army’s political wing, on August 7 issued a warning to merchants not to overcharge for basic foodstuffs in Arakan State. 

“Basic food items should not be sold at exorbitant prices,” the ULA said in a statement. 

The ULA statement also said people should only buy and sell basic food items at designated times and maintain a social distance of at least 6 feet while doing so. 

In an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19, the ULA/AA first announced a stay-at-home period in Arakan State from July 20 to August 4, and subsequently extended it from August 5 to August 18. It issued a set of 24 rules to be followed by the public as part of that effort. 

Prices of basic commodities such as rice and other foodstuffs, as well as medicines, are rising in Arakan State, and some are in short supply. 

As a result of the stay-at-home order, there are some restrictions on the passage of motor vehicles used mainly by the public for inter-township travel, the ULA statement said, acknowledging that such travel is sometimes necessary for health reasons or to buy basic foodstuffs. 

During the first two weeks of the stay-at-home period in Arakan State, compliance has reduced the rate of Covid-19 infections, while at the same time there have been warnings about non-compliance, the ULA added.

Amid the twin crises of “Covid and coup,” the ULA in recent months has asserted itself as a governing entity in Arakan State to a degree not seen previously, even claiming to offer a justice system separate from the existing judiciary, which is now under the auspices of Myanmar’s military regime. 

As of August 6, a total of 3,154 coronavirus cases and 265 deaths were reported in Arakan State during the pandemic’s ongoing third wave.