Experts from the Department of Archeology and National Museum say the expansion of squatter settlements, roads, buildings and other land uses in the Mrauk-U cultural area could be detrimental to its ongoing bid to gain UNESCO World Heritage status. 

A section of road connecting Tin Nyo San Pya and Shwe Kyin Pyin villages in Mrauk-U Township, Arakan State, is in need of immediate repair, residents say.

A court is set to rule in an Arms Act case against 22 Lekka villagers in Mrauk-U Township who were arrested and charged for alleged affiliation with the Arakan Army (AA), according to a local law firm involved in the case.

A civil society peace committee was set up in Sittwe on October 2 to strengthen the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the peacemaking process in Arakan State.

A Muslim preacher was abducted and his home was robbed in Maungdaw Township’s Ngan Chaung village in the early hours of October 2. 

A bridge used by people from 14 villages in Minbya Township, Arakan State, is broken, significantly disrupting the local transportation network. 

A burglar broke into a staff building at the high school in Yan Aung Pyin village, Rathedaung Township, and stole food from some teachers, according to Daw Khaing Hlaing Aye, a teacher at the high school.

Ferryboats plying between Kyauktaw town in Arakan State and Paletwa town in Chin State are operating on a rotating basis, according to boat operators. 

A man on trial in the Arakan State capital Sittwe for last year observing the anniversary of the 2014 deaths of eight fallen Arakan Army cadets in northern Myanmar was released from those charges on October 1, his lawyer said. 

Paddy prices in Arakan State are falling due to declining purchases from mainland Myanmar, according to paddy merchants.

Residents of Mrauk-U, where an effort to list the ancient city as a UNESCO World Heritage site is ongoing, have criticised the town’s municipality for using only crushed stones and sand to repair roads in downtown areas.

Hotels and guesthouses will be provided “Covid-19 Safe Service” certificates if they meet two metrics, said the Arakan State Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

A committee was formed on September 29 to protect the Wunbaik reserve mangrove forest (WRMF), Asia’s second-largest mangrove forest, in Ramree Township, Arakan State.

Five residents of Mala village in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township were recently released after being charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, but they now face livlihood difficulties as IDP camps they once took refuge at are not accepting them again, they told DMG.

The Arakan State Administration Council has twice this month called for internally displaced people (IDPs) to return to their homes at various IDP camps in Paletwa Township, Chin State. 

Sea turtles in Myanmar are facing extinction due to the consumption of turtle eggs and reckless fishing, Dr. Kalyar Platt, director of the Turtle Survival Alliance, told DMG. 

Out of 100 hotels, motels and guesthouses in Arakan State that have closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, 57 have been allowed to resume operations so far, according to the state’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism. 

Local businesspeople say Arakan State’s economy has contracted dramatically due to the third wave of Covid-19 and political instability in Myanmar.  

The Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine Sinovac has been administered to Arakanese and Muslim IDPs in 12 Arakan State townships, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.