Residents from more than 20 villages in Arakan State’s Minbya Township are facing food and supply shortages as soldiers at a junta checkpoint overlooking an important waterway are known to fire random shots at travellers, according to locals.

Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) troops clashed in two Ann Township locations on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of villagers from their homes.

The abbot of a village monastery in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, was released on the morning of November 9, five days after he was detained by the military, according to a source close to the monk. 

Seven residents of Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township were arrested by junta troops on Monday night, with the detainees being interrogated at the military’s Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 550, according to family members.

The Arakan Refugee Relief Committee (ARRC) issued a statement on Tuesday urging Arakanese people in Malaysia to be cautious when travelling during that country’s upcoming general election, scheduled to be held on November 19. 

Civilian casualties have been on the rise amid the renewed fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State and Chin State’s Paletwa Township over recent months. But even as they grieve and take stock of their new realities, the injured and family members of the deceased are feeling the financial strain of unexpected hospital costs and lost breadwinners. 

A 47-year-old man from Arakan State’s Taungup town was reportedly abducted by the Myanmar military at around 3 p.m. on Tuesday. 

Junta soldiers detained a resident and an internally displaced person (IDP) in Arakan State’s Sittwe Township on Sunday and Monday, respectively, according to family members.

Eleven civilians were killed and 31 others were injured in shooting incidents and landmine explosions in Arakan State and neighbouring Chin State’s Paletwa Township last month, according to a DMG tally.

Nanthar Island, the site of a marine national park and home to dozens of globally endangered species in Arakan State’s Rathedaung Township, is suffering from understaffing and neglect, with only two staff taking care of the island, which covers more than 20,000 acres.

Myanmar military and Border Guard Force (BGF) personnel detained a woman and a motorcycle taxi driver at the Kyeinchaung security checkpoint in Maungdaw, Arakan State, on November 1, and the pair have not been in contact with their families since.

Local business owners have urged the Arakan State Administration Council (ASAC) under Myanmar’s military regime to do more than provide lip service to its stated aim of facilitating the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Arakan State.

The veteran Arakanese vocalist Khaing Pyi Kyaw died unexpectedly at Minbya Hospital on Friday night. He was 50 years old.

Four family members were injured when artillery shells allegedly fired by the Myanmar military landed and exploded in Konsut Village, near the Kayah State capital Loikaw, on Friday.

Security affairs officials from the Myanmar military abducted the abbot of a village monastery in northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, on Friday night. 

A Muslim schoolteacher was killed, and two other people including a child were injured by artillery strikes in Tharekin Manu Village, part of Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township, at around 11 a.m. on Saturday, according to local residents. 

An internally displaced person (IDP) and another local man in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, who had been detained by the military for some three months before being transferred to police custody this week, have reportedly been charged under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. 

Ko Sithu Kyaw Zan aka Ko Michael, a 46-year-old man from Kanpaing Ward in Arakan State’s Taungup, was detained by police on Friday night, according to family members. 

An elderly man who was gravely wounded by an artillery strike in Shwepyithit Village, part of Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, on Thursday morning succumbed to his injuries in the hospital later that day.