Arakan State residents have called on the Tatmadaw to withdraw its troops from pagodas and temples during Myanmar’s New Year festival, Thingyan, so that Buddhists can freely practice religious activities at those sites. 

Myanmar’s military governing body, the State Administration Council, must be held accountable for killing more than 500 people nationwide as security forces have unleashed lethal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters since the February 1 coup, said Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) leader General Yawd Serk. 

The Karen National Union (KNU) has called on the international community to impose severe sanctions on the military in the wake of Tatmadaw airstrikes that killed several people and displaced thousands more in Karen State over recent days.  

People in Arakan State facing prosecution under the Counter-Terrorism Law for alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA) will still have to stand trial despite Myanmar’s military regime removing the ethnic armed group from its list of terrorist organisations, said a spokesman for the Arakan State Administration Council. 

The price of construction materials, which Arakan State mainly sources from Yangon and Mandalay, has increased by up to 15% compared with last year, according to construction materials shops. 

Minbya residents have called for effective measures to prevent the Lemro River from eroding away parts of the riverside town, as bits and pieces of land and property are carried downstream each year. 

A local court in Sittwe Township on Friday heard one out of two plaintiffs in a case involving four students who were arrested last year and charged with incitement and violating Myanmar’s Natural Disaster Management Law. 

Eight organisations representing Myanmar journalists have released a statement objecting to a Ministry of Information plan to issue press identity cards. 

A 65-year-old man died this week while standing trial on terrorism charges over his alleged involvement with the Arakan Army (AA), according to his defence lawyer. 

The price of clams in Manaung Township, Arakan State, has fallen compared with last year, according to sellers.

With the Rar Maung Bridge — spanning the river of the same name in Arakan State’s Minbya Township — inaccessible to heavy vehicles for years, a boat accident this week is straining alternative river-crossing methods, and snarling trade and transport in the region. 

Some petrol stations in the Arakan State capital Sittwe reported facing fuel shortages on April 1, according to the Arakan State Petrol Association.

Locals want pilgrims to visit the historical Kyein Taung Pagoda in Minbya Township, Arakan State, without the site also being used to host Tatmadaw troops.

The Arakan State Administration Council is planning to rebuild nearly 150 houses in Kyauktaw Township’s Phayarpaung and Taungpauk villages that were destroyed by fire last year.

Two residents of Paletwa town, Chin State, were acquitted on April 1 after standing trial on terrorism charges for six months, family members said.

Wai Hun Aung, a writer who is also involved in social work, said 195 new houses are being built with donations to replace some of the hundreds of shelters that were destroyed in a fire at Tin Nyo camp for internally displaced people (IDPs). 

Civil society organisations in Arakan State are stepping up to help address chronic seasonal water shortages amid a sense that the state government has proved unable or unwilling to tackle the issue.  

An Arakan State-based civil society organisation has urged Arakanese people not to overindulge in Thingyan revelries amid the Myanmar military’s lethal crackdowns on anti-regime protesters across the country. 

The United Nations says more than 500 civilians, including several children, have been killed by security forces since the military seized power in Myanmar, with the world body calling for a strong international response to the bloodshed.