More than K700 million ($497,000) remaining in a fund of the Arakan State government formerly headed by deposed Chief Minister U Nyi Pu will be spent for the return of internally displaced people (IDPs), according to the military-led Arakan State Administration Council.

Out of 98 hotels, motels and guesthouses in Arakan State that have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 52 have been allowed to resume operations so far, according to the state Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

A total of 77 Arakanese civil society organisations released a statement on March 21 demanding the immediate release of those detained for protesting against last month’s military coup.

Myebon residents have called for the daily operation of passenger vessels between their town and the Arakan State capital Sittwe.

Colonel Min Than, a member of the Tatmadaw-led Arakan State Administration Council, said patients could receive free medical treatment at military hospitals as some patients told DMG that they have struggled to receive medical treatment for the past 15 days at Sittwe General Hospital.

At least 235 people were killed in violent crackdowns by the Tatmadaw and police from the day the military seized power on February 1 to March 19, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), which added that 2,330 people were arrested, charged or sentenced over the 47-day period.

The Committee Representing Yangon Region Hluttaw (CRYH) on March 19 announced that township Public Administration Teams had been successfully formed in Yangon Region, apart from the island township of Cocokyun.

The Myanmar Women’s Affairs Federation (MWAF) has condemned the military regime’s continued crackdown on unarmed peaceful protesters, its declaration of martial law in some Yangon Region townships, and the mobile internet cut-off in effect across the country over recent days.

Save the Children, UNESCO and UNICEF have strongly criticised Myanmar security forces’ occupation of education facilities across the country amid bloody crackdowns on anti-regime protesters.

A checkpoint set up near Kyauk Talone Pagoda in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, ceased inspections and had its gate dismantled on Saturday morning amid local opposition to its continued existence.

“I am facing difficulty for livelihood because I am jobless in Arakan State. I returned home because factories in Yangon are suspended due to the protests,”

Private schools in Arakan State have yet to make preparations for the coming academic year as Myanmar’s Education Ministry has not made any official announcement about the opening of basic education high schools for the 2021-22 academic year.

Young people in Myebon town want to have dustbins at Angu beach so that travellers can discard their rubbish systematically.

Some Wave Money agents in Arakan State are allegedly overcharging customers for money transfer services, those who have reportedly been overcharged told DMG.

A team from the military-run state administration council, CSOs and town elders in Arkan State’s Kyaukphyu town held a meeting on March 19 to discuss removing a checkpoint near Kyauk Talone Pagoda that was established during the COVID-19 outbreak, ostensibly to beat back spread of the virus at the time.

The Mrata Zaung Foundation is providing computer basic course training to 120 youths from Mrauk-U and Kyaukphyu townships, Mrata Zaung Sayardaw said.

Camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State are in need of fire safety equipment, camp managers told DMG following a fire that devastated the temporary shelters of more than 600 households in a blaze this week. 

The state-level military junta is moving ahead with plans to hold limited festivities for the upcoming Thingyan holiday, after celebrations were cancelled the previous two years due to the pandemic and conflict between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army.

Local residents in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township and travellers have called for the removal of a COVID-19 checkpoint near Kyauk Talone Pagoda, claiming that automobiles and motorbikes have been subjected to inspections irrelevant to pandemic measures.