If the Maungdaw border trade camp in Arakan State is not reopened, it will have a long-term impact on businesses, according to border trade stakeholders.

The prices of basic food items such as rice, cooking oil, iodised salt and dried chili, and other consumer goods continue to rise, according to shopkeepers in Arakan State. 

A species unique to the state it is named after, the Arakan mountain tortoise is facing extinction within the next five years due to illegal poaching, according to a turtle conservation group. 

A campaign to vaccinate internally displaced people (IDPs) against Covid-19 in Arakan State has concluded in Ann and Pauktaw townships, according to the Arakan State Department of Public Health. 

Thirty-eight people — 35 from Sittwe and three from Gwa Township in Arakan State — have been arrested for failing to comply with coronavirus-related regulations amid the pandemic’s ongoing third wave, according to data compiled by DMG.

Businesspeople say the recent rise in the value of the US dollar could push up the prices of imports and other commodities. 

Though property values in the Arakan State capital Sittwe have surged in recent years, few people are buying in a real estate market that has been described as pricing out would-be buyers. 

A 200-acre mangrove forest in Ann Township, Arakan State, has been named “Asia Nay Wun Sayadaw U Ottama Reserved Mangrove Forest” in honour of the 82nd anniversary of the death of U Ottama, which was observed on September 9.

Sixteen Arakanese residents arrested on suspicion of having links with the Arakan Army (AA) and facing long potential prison sentences under the Counter-Terrorism Law were released on September 9, according to family members. 

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) has announced that it will strive for the unconditional and immediate release of all people, including political leaders, detained after the military seized power, while advocating for a political approach over armed confrontation with Myanmar’s military regime. 

People in Arakan State paying respects on Sayadaw U Ottama Day, commemorated September 9, said they would continue to push the government to designate an official public holiday for the independence hero, and would not quit until their demand is met. 

Memorial wreaths were removed not long after they were laid in front of an U Ottama statue in Ann town on September 9, marking the 82^nd anniversary of the Sayadaw’s death. 

A spokesman for the United League of Arakan and Arakan Army (ULA/AA) has condemned the military’s recent sit-down with some Muslim administrators in Arakan State, at which Tatmadaw officials instructed the local leaders not to accept the ULA/AA’s administrative outreach. 

Five ex-ministers for Arakan State who have been charged under the Anti-Corruption Law, including the detained former Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, appeared via video link for a court hearing in the state capital Sittwe on Wednesday, according to one of their lawyers.

The Sittwe District Court on September 9 released four Arakanese youths who were detained for two years under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.

The domestic gold price in Myanmar surged on September 7, the day the National Unity Government (NUG) declared a “people’s defensive war” against the country’s military regime, hitting a record high of nearly K1.8 million per tical of 24K gold. 

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) has welcomed a proposal from Erywan Yusof, ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar, for a four-month ceasefire by all sides to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the country.  

Local people in Paletwa Township, Chin State, are facing various difficulties as they are being restricted from leaving their homes after 11 a.m. due to rising Covid-19 infections.

A Covid-19 patient in Sittwe who was recently identified as having been infected with the highly contagious Delta variant was discharged from hospital after recovering, said Dr. Soe Win Paing, assistant director of the Arakan State Department of Public Health.