Fighting between the Myanmar military and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) has been intermittent and ongoing in Kayah (Karenni) State since the putsch on February 1, 2021.

The Maungdaw District Court on Thursday sentenced two men accused of having illegal ties to the Arakan Army (AA) to 10 years in prison with hard labour under Section 50 of the Counter-Terrorism Law, according to family members.

Artefacts decorated at the thrones of Buddha statues in two ancient pagodas at the UNESCO World Heritage site Bagan in central Myanmar were recently stolen, according to the Myanmar Archaeology Association.

Local drivers and commuters lined up for fuel for hours on Wednesday amid fears that prices may further increase. Panic buying has reportedly begun, even as the military government has sought to allay concerns about fuel supplies.

Some camps for internally displaced people (IDPs), as well as homes and schools in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U, Minbya and Kyauktaw townships, were damaged by strong winds on Wednesday afternoon, according to locals.

Many of the houses that were burnt down during two years of fighting between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA) have yet to be rebuilt, according to the Rakhine Ethnics Congress (REC).

Nipa palm bud producers in Arakan State are reportedly facing financial losses due to rising commodity prices. 

As many as 30 people are struggling to get by after they were evicted from a plot of land that the Myanmar military claims ownership of Ann Township, Arakan State, on April 18. 

There have been more than 200 clashes so far this month in Kayin State areas controlled by Brigade 5 and Brigade 6 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), killing at least 16 civilians, according to sources close to the ethnic armed group.

Arakan State received nearly 16,000 local and foreign visitors over the Thingyan holiday, according to the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

Gas stations in Arakan State and elsewhere in Myanmar began selling fuel on a quota basis Tuesday, with long lines reported in the commercial capital Yangon and other cities amid concerns about a looming fuel shortage, which the military government has denied. 

Family members of individuals arrested on suspicion of illegal ties to the Arakan Army (AA) have expressed frustration that their loved ones were not among more than 1,600 prisoners released by Myanmar’s military regime in a Thingyan amnesty.

Ko Min Ko Oo, the chair of the Taungup Township Youth Network who was arrested on suspicion of ties to the anti-regime People’s Defence Force (PDF), was released on April 18 due to unsubstantiated charges, according to a lawyer involved in his defence. 

The Bamar People’s Liberation Army (BPLA) has received the support of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of ethnic armed groups that includes the Arakan Army. 

Myanmar Beer and Andaman Gold Beer, two of the best-selling beers in Myanmar, have reportedly been banned from sale at a traditional water festival (Thingyan) in Arakan State.

A small clash broke out between the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) at a location between Wet Khaung and Dagon villages in Arakan State’s Myebon Township at around noon on Wednesday, according to locals. 

The ancient city of Mrauk-U’s drainage system will be overhauled, according to the deputy director-general of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, U Nyo Myint Tun.

Border traders are facing difficulties after the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) earlier this month imposed strict monetary controls requiring that US dollars and other foreign currency be converted into kyats within one day of being received. 

Officials from the Department of Archaeology and National Museum have said illegal settlements in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U will be removed within six months, ahead of the expected visit of experts evaluating the ancient city’s bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.