The civilian death toll attributed to Myanmar’s military coup stood at 1,503 on Monday, the eve of the putsch’s one-year anniversary, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said in a January 31 statement.

Marking the one-year anniversary of Myanmar’s coup on February 1, a “silent strike” observed by millions of people across the country is being called a success by participants. 

The Myanmar junta’s extension of a State of Emergency for another six months has raised criticism in some quarters, with the announcement coming on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the military seizing power in a coup on February 1, 2021.

Military veterans and their family members held pro-Tatmadaw rallies in several Arakan State townships on Monday, but disapproving residents in the state say the demonstrations were not reflective of broader regional sentiment.

Some of the 31 detained youths who were arrested last week at Kyein Chaung checkpoint in Maungdaw Township were released on January 31, according to U Hla Thein, a spokesperson for the Arakan State regime council. 

A motorbike dealer from the Arakan State town of Thandwe has been arrested on suspicion of financing the anti-regime People’s Defence Forces (PDFs).

Events commemorating the 237th anniversary of the fall of the Arakan Kingdom were held at Pyin Chaung village in Myebon Township, Arakan State, on January 30 and 31.

Residents of Kaing Shay ward in Taungup, Arakan State, staged a protest on Sunday morning against ongoing construction of a filling station in the residential area.

The number of cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant in Myanmar reached 283 on January 28, as the Ministry of Health reported no deaths attributed to Covid-19 for the fifth consecutive day.

Fighting between a coalition led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Myanmar military has been ongoing in the country’s north in recent days, according to local sources.

Three people were killed and two others were injured when a timber truck overturned in Nga Pyaw Daw village, Taungup Township, according to residents.

Concerns have been raised by locals in Arakan State’s Buthidaung Township following reports of gunfire in the vicinity of Ngakyidaunt village on Saturday morning.

Ahead of a planned, nationwide “silent strike” to protest the one-year anniversary of Myanmar’s military coup, members of the junta have distributed leaflets warning locals in Kyauktaw, Arakan State, to refrain from participating in such activities.

The ANC leader made the remarks at the first-ever People’s Conference convened by the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) on January 27.

A man from Paletwa, Chin State, who was detained by the Myanmar military and is facing incitement charges, appeared before the township court on Thursday, but the hearing was rescheduled for February 10, according to the defendant’s family. 

Locals in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township are worried that some villages will be flooded next monsoon season as the Kyaukphyu Creek is being blocked to build a road leading to a sub-power station.

As many as 30 youths were arrested at the Kyein Chaung security checkpoint in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, on Thursday, according to locals and other eyewitnesses.

Humanitarian aid workers say they face difficulty accessing internally displaced people (IDPs) in northwest and southeast Myanmar.

A 4-month-old baby was found to have been infected with Covid-19 at Kyaukphyu Airport in Arakan State on Wednesday.