Residents in six townships along the Arakan State coast were being evacuated Tuesday ahead of the arrival of a storm system bringing strong winds and heavy rain, according to the Arakan State military council.

A deep depression in the southeastern Bay of Bengal made landfall in Ayeyarwady Region on Tuesday morning, destroying homes and damaging pagodas in some townships, according to locals.

There is an urgent need for shelter due to strong winds and heavy rains near the Thaung Yin River on the Thai-Myanmar border, where internally displaced people (IDPs) are taking refuge, according to the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG).

The Arakan State Administration Council will resume train service along the Pyidawtha-Yaychanpyin rail route on March 24, an official from Myanmar Railways’ Sittwe branch told DMG on condition of anonymity.

A growing chorus of voices in Arakan State say existing curfew orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure should be repealed in some townships as the state is currently stable.

The Arakan National Party (ANP) insists that loyalty to the party remains strong among its membership, after it recently reached out to its cadres to ask whether they intend to continue to serve under the ANP banner. 

Residents of Kyauktaung village in Mon State’s Thaton Township are worried that fighting between a coalition led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Myanmar military could escalate after artillery shells fired by junta troops hit a pagoda festival.

Junta soldiers and police subjected passersby to inspection in Kyay Taw Ywama village, part of Arakan State’s Sittwe Township, on Sunday evening, according to locals.

Contradictory testimonies on the side of the prosecution in the case of a Thandwe man accused of incitement led Monday to the summoning of a local police official to sort out the discrepancy.

A deep depression is expected to make landfall along the coasts of the northern Andaman Sea and southeastern Bay of Bengal on March 23, according to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH).

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have expressed concerns about the impacts of an impending cyclonic storm on their camps, after the Department of Meteorology (DMH) forecast strong winds and heavy rains as it is expected to make landfall on March 23.

A fire broke out in Ann town, Arakan State, on Sunday, destroying nine huts and nine homes in No. 3 ward and leaving about 90 people without shelter or food.

Ice manufacturers in Sittwe are struggling due to daily, lengthy power outages recently affecting much of Arakan State.

Locals that remain in the Kayah (Karenni) State capital Loikaw are concerned about a possible clash in the town as military tensions have grown between the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and Myanmar’s junta.

A police officer was killed and two others were injured in a shooting that took place at a security checkpoint near Chaung Hnitkhwa Bridge in Kyaikmaraw Township, Mon State, on Saturday morning, according to locals.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have yet to receive cash assistance pledged last year by the Tokyo-based Nippon Foundation.

Local salt farmers in Arakan State say they need government-subsidised loans and other assistance to continue their business and improve salt quality.

Rice prices, along with other basic commodity prices, have continued to rise in Arakan State since the military coup in February 2021, leaving many people struggling to make ends meet as the staple grain becomes increasingly unaffordable.

Myanmar’s military regime has recently sent its troops to some parts of southern Arakan State, in what observers say appears to be an attempt to contain the growing influence of the Arakan Army (AA).