The case against a distance university student and a motorbike taxi driver from Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act was heard on Thursday, the first court hearing in relation to the matter in nearly three months since the duo were detained.

A local man was reportedly killed in a landmine blast near Pharpyo Village, part of Arakan State’s Minbya Township, on Friday afternoon, according to family members.

The festival is traditionally believed to bring about bumper harvest, peace and prosperity in Arakan State, and is generally held before Tabodwe Full Moon Day.

There are criticisms that the military council must take full responsibility for livelihood and resettlement programs for the residents who were forced to return to their homes.

A local woman was killed and two others were injured after mortar shells landed and exploded in three villages near Kyondoe town in Kayin State on Tuesday morning, according to residents.

A Muslim boy was reportedly killed and three others were injured in a landmine explosion near Phoe Khaung Chaung Village in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township at about 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Ponnagyun Township residents and the township electricity office have been locked in disputes after the office recently began making efforts to collect on what it says are outstanding electricity bills dating back to 2021.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has handed over its food assistance programme for displaced people in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U Township to the World Food Programme (WFP).

The Sittwe Township Basic Education Students’ Union, the first of its kind in Arakan State, has asked for official recognition by authorities.

Freshwater fish and shrimp farming businesses in Arakan State are facing feed shortages and rising feed prices, according to fish and shrimp farming breeders.

Few farmers grow papaya in Arakan State though there is local demand for papaya and the fruit fetches good prices, according to papaya growers.

Nearly a year after they migrated to a purpose-built settlement in southern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, more than 600 ethnic Mro people are still facing difficulties in terms of access to healthcare, economic opportunities and education.

Facing widespread scepticism, Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has promised an election this year in which all citizens can cast votes freely, without threats or coercion.

Coconuts grown in the Arakan State townships of Manaung, Thandwe and Gwa are fetching good prices due to high demand from Bangladesh, according to coconut dealers.

Betel nut growers from the Ashaetaw area in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei Township are facing travel barriers due to fighting in the region, which is also contributing to volatility in the local betel nut market.

Two residents of Ai Tin Village in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township, who were given three years in prison under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly having ties to the Arakan Army (AA), have been released after serving their time, according to family members.

Muslims who have been living in camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, for a decade are reportedly facing accommodation difficulties as the populations in the camps rise.

There are political parties in Arakan State that have decided not to contest the junta’s election, and there are parties that have declared that they will contest.

The labour affairs support centre in Arakan State says it only received 43 complaints last year about violations of labour rights in the state.