A roundup of the news out of Arakan State last week

By DMG 15 May 2021

Arakan State News Summary (May 8-14, 2021)

8 May

• Ma Moe San Suu Kyi, the daughter of former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, the vice chairman of Arakan State’s National League for Democracy (NLD) chapter, U Soe Lay, and two other NLD members were arrested in front of the party headquarters in Yangon. 
• A ceremony to pay homage and respect to elderly people organised by the Paritta recitation association was held at Pyinyar Linkarya Monastery in Sittwe, the event being the fourth of its kind.
  

9 May

• The necessary steps will be taken to crown the Mrauk-U archaeological site a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tin Mar Aung told DMG.
• A robbery took place at knifepoint in Thinganet village, Kyauktaw Township, according to local residents, with the thieves stealing K2 million intended for a local monastery.
• The Chin University Students in Rakhine State released a statement urging ethnic Chin university students in Arakan State to boycott the education system under military rule and join the civil disobedience movement (CDM).
• The 4^th annual meeting of the Arakan Literature Development Foundation and the 2020 Arakan Literature Award Ceremony were held at the town hall in Pauktaw Township.
• Sittwe Pwint Hla, an 85-year-old poet, died of a heart attack at her home in the Arakan State capital Sittwe.

10 May

• Residents of Tinma village, Kyauktaw Township, wrote a second letter to the State Administration Council requesting that the return of the war-displaced villagers be facilitated.
• Nearly 250 teachers in Arakan State are reported to have not yet returned to their respective schools despite the resumption of primary, secondary and high school classes being just weeks away.
• Ko  Nay Win San, Development Media Group (DMG) deputy editor-in-charge, and Ma Hnin Nwe, a female reporter for the news outlet, were summoned by the Sittwe Township Court to face charges being brought against them under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code. The duo are currently on the run.
  

11 May

• A total of 171 teachers from basic education schools in Arakan State are reported to have been dismissed for joining in anti-regime activities.
• U Kyaw Maung Hla, 57, was killed and his son Maung Than Win was seriously injured when they were hit by a tractor while riding a motorcycle. They were taking shelter at Nyaung Chaung IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State.
• A 54-year-old man named U Thaung Tun Sein aka Chin Gyi died at the hospital after he was beaten by four masked men at his home in Kyaetaw Paikseik village, Sittwe Township.
• Ko Aung Mrat Kyaw, the younger brother of Arakan Army (AA) chief Major-General Twan Mrat Naing, and seven associates who were charged under Section 50(j) and Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law appeared before Yangon’s Western District Court.

12    May

• Colonel Min Than, a member of the Arakan State Administration Council, was replaced by Colonel Kyaw Thura, according to a statement reported in state media on May 12.
• A Border Guard Force (BGF) unit on patrol and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) exchanged fire along the Maungdaw Township border fence in northern Arakan State.
• A former Lower House lawmaker for the National League for Democracy (NLD) in Taungup Township, Daw Ni Ni May Myint, and fellow NLD candidate for the national legislature Daw Chit Chit Chaw were arrested in Yangon.
• A quarantine centre is readied to reopen in Sittwe after four returnees from Bangladesh tested positive for COVID-19.

13    May

• With the junta-reconstituted Union Election Commission (UEC) offering to meet with political parties for a second time, the Arakan Front Party (AFP) said it would attend, but the Arakan National Party (ANP) and Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) have not yet announced decisions on the matter.
• Customers reported facing difficulty transferring or withdrawing money at private banks in several Arakan State townships.
• The National Unity and Peace Coordination Committee (NSPNC) formed by the military and a delegation led by Daw Saw Mra Yarzarlin of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) met at the former’s office in Naypyidaw.
• More than 100 schools in Arakan State will not be able to open for the 2021-22 academic year, according to the Arakan State education officer’s office.
  

14    May

• U Than Tun, a member of the Arakan State Administration Council, told DMG that dredging would be carried out to improve the flow of the Myolae Creek in Sittwe.
• An official from the All Burma Federation of Students’ Unions (ABFSU) said about 100 students have been arrested for participating in the civil disobedience movement (CDM) since the military seized power on February 1.
• Three people, including a doctor visiting Gwa Township, Arakan State, from Yangon, drowned while swimming on Kyay Gyai Beach in Gwa Township. The three victims have been identified as U Maung Zaw Latt, 46, Ma Htet Yi Lin, 19, and U Zaw Myo Myint, 34.
• U Ye Khaung Nyunt, a Lower House candidate for the National League for Democracy in Gwa Township who was charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, was arraigned, but the hearing was postponed to May 21 due to lack of prosecution witness.