The military has blamed ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) for Myanmar’s stalled peace process and the loss of voting rights for people in some parts of the country where ethnic minorities predominate.

A National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate lodged a complaint with the Union Election Commission (UEC) over arrangements for revoting after ballots for incorrect constituencies were mistakenly marked during advance voting in Kyaukkyi village-tract, Thandwe Township.

Pauktaw Township residents are on edge and some have fled their homes in recent days amid continuing heavy weapons fire in the township, which had been an uncommonly peaceful pocket of Arakan State until last week.  

The All Arakanese Solidarity Committee (AASC) has advised local businesspeople to brace themselves for a possible economic downturn in Arakan State in the post-election period. 

One out of seven locals from Simaw village in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, who were detained by Tatmadaw troops over the weekend has been released, according to fellow villagers. 

The internally displaced person (IDP) camp at Kanhtaunggyi town in Arakan State’s Myebon Township is facing a rice shortage, making already difficult livelihood situations even more acute.

The Union Election Commission’s cancellation of elections in the majority of Arakan State’s townships has been described by the Arakan National Party (ANP) as an intentional attempt to limit the party’s electoral success.

Dr. Htar Htar Linn, director of the Public Health Department’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation, said instability in Arakan State is an issue, but that once the situation has returned to normal, the vaccination programme will commence. 

Burma News International (BNI) has called on the National League for Democracy (NLD) government to drop lawsuits against leading editors of some of its member news agencies ahead of Myanmar’s November 8 general election. 

There are more than 10,000 eligible voters over the age of 60 in Manaung Township, Arakan State, and they began casting advance votes starting on October 29, as part of a larger cohort of elderly voters who will go to the polls head of official Election Day, November 8.  

Erroneous rumour mill gossip aka fake news has been making its rounds on social media of late, falsely claiming that an Arakan National Party Z-craft had sunk during an ongoing campaign swing through southern Arakan State. 

The Union Election Commission (UEC) has yet to respond to a request from one of its subcommissions for a review of four townships in Arakan State where voting has been cancelled, with time winding down to Election Day.

About 80 people led by the Arakan National Democratic Party (Japan) staged a protest against human rights violations in Arakan State in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo on October 29. 

Charcoal prices have increased in Maungdaw District due to a district-wide electricity blackout that has lasted more than 10 days, forcing local residents to use charcoal for cooking. 

Five people including a 6-year-old child were injured by artillery fire from a Tatmadaw naval vessel in Arakan State’s Pauktaw Township on October 29, locals said, bringing the broader Arakan conflict to a township that had enjoyed relative peace prior to this week’s shelling. 

Three people including two girls from Seikkaya village in Arakan State’s Minbya Township were hit by bullets on October 29, with one of the victims severely injured and admitted to Sittwe General Hospital, according to locals. 

The Khumi Affairs Coordination Council (KACC) has called for holding elections in 12 village-tracts where the upcoming polls were recently cancelled by the Union Election Commission (UEC).  

The Arakan Election Monitoring Committee will be keeping a close eye on more than 400 polling stations on Election Day as questions about the freeness and fairness of the upcoming vote remain an open question with just over a week to go until ballots are cast. 

Arrested by the Tatmadaw more than a year ago, two brothers from Yaw Chaung (Ywar Tharyar) village in Myebon Township, Arakan State, still have not been heard from, nor has any information been provided about their situations, according to family members.