Charged with incitement under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, the detained former chief minister of Arakan State, U Nyi Pu, appeared via video link for a court hearing in the state capital Sittwe on Monday.

The relatives of detainees charged for their alleged ties to the Arakan Army (AA) have called for speedy trials for the accused.

Out of 68 hotels, motels and guesthouses in Arakan State’s Thandwe District that closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 18 have been able to resume operations to date, according to the district’s Directorate of Hotels and Tourism.

A resident of Taungup Township, Arakan State, has been charged with incitement and violating the Natural Disaster Management Law in connection with his opposition to Myanmar’s military government.

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) of the 10 ethnic armed groups that are signatory to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) announced on February 20 that it would suspend political talks with Myanmar’s military government.

Former Arakan State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu and several election sub-commission officials from townships in the state have been detained by the Tatmadaw for more than a week, according to their families. 

The initial hearings of two Manaung Township residents charged for protesting the military takeover will be held on February 25, according to their family members.

More than 13,400 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State have registered with authorities to return to their homes from displacement camps, according to the Arakan State Administration Council. 

The National League for Democracy (NLD) has confirmed that the detained former chief minister of Arakan State, U Nyi Pu, has been charged under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code, a provision that has frequently been used to stifle dissent under successive Myanmar governments.

Fifteen members of the Myanmar Press Council (MPC) have quit the organisation in the face of new restrictions by the military regime that they say threaten press freedom in the country. 

The chairman of the State Administration Council’s Information Committee has said the military government will set up three new peace committees during the state of emergency to work toward achieving genuine peace and “pragmatic results.”

Three National League for Democracy (NLD) youth members in Taungup Township were arrested by township police on Wednesday morning, the latest of at least 19 people in Arakan State detained for anti-coup protests since the military’s February 1 takeover. 

U Nga Htay of Thayetpin Chaung village stepped on the landmine while foraging for wild vegetables along mountainous terrain outside the village on Wednesday morning, according to U Kyaw Htay, who accompanied U Nga Htay.

As you know, I was arrested over a talk on the topic of the fall of the Arakan Kingdom. Those who arrested me and the author [Wai Hun Aung] at the time were irrational to have arrested us over a talk. They failed to notice that the event was allowed for years under the U Thein Sein government. So, those who imprisoned me will not be happy if I say that I thank Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing for releasing me.

Resolving Myanmar’s current issues at a roundtable is the best solution, said Saw Mya Razar Lin, spokesperson for the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP).

The Tatmadaw began landmine clearance operations on February 15 along the Ann-Sittwe road and around Angumaw and Khamaung Seik villages in Rathedaung Township, Arakan State, according to the Arakan State Administration Council.

The participation of the Arakan National Party (ANP) in the State Administration Council will reportedly be decided on the basis of whether it is in the best interests of the Arakanese people.

Curfew orders in some Arakan State townships that were imposed as COVID-19 infection rates climbed alarmingly last year have been revoked, but the order in war-affected townships remains in effect, with authorities citing security reasons.

Commodity flows into Arakan State have slowed since Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup early this month, according to local businessmen.