Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State are concerned about the dangers of landmines and other unexploded ordnance from fighting in the region as some have begun to return to their homes in recent days.

The Arakan Army (AA) on Saturday said it has treated well the three National League for Democracy (NLD) candidates that it abducted last month, adding that it would release them when the two sides reach mutual understanding.

Lawmakers-elect from the Arakan Front Party (AFP) have promised to prioritise the interests of local people in implementation of the China-backed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township, where the party won three seats in this month’s general election.

A COVID-19 patient died at Maungdaw District Hospital in Arakan State on November 19, according to the district’s Public Health Department, the third to succumb to the disease at that hospital this month.   

A young Muslim man from Halapai village in Arakan State’s Minbya Township was seriously wounded when he stepped on a landmine on November 20, according to residents. 

A participant of a memorial service held this week for eight Arakan Army cadets killed in a 2014 Tatmadaw attack on a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) training school in northern Myanmar has been arrested, according to sources. 

Some 4,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering at IDP camps in some Arakan State townships have reportedly returned to their homes this month to harvest monsoon paddy as fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA) has eased. 

A monk who had tested positive for COVID-19 and was receiving treatment at Kyaukphyu District Hospital in Arakan State passed away on November 19 and his monastery has been subject to quarantine measures, according to the administrator of Kyaukphyu Township.

The National League for Democracy (NLD) on Wednesday reiterated calls for the release of three of the party’s candidates who were abducted by the Arakan Army (AA) during election campaigning last month. 

The military has reportedly taken back into its custody a resident of Kalapon village in Ramree Township, after opening a case against him under the Counter-Terrorism Law for alleged links to the Arakan Army, his family members said. 

Amid the growing popularity of a 3-acre stretch of coral reef along the Arakan State coast in Manaung Township, several guesthouses are under construction to accommodate visitors. 

An annual pagoda festival in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun Township will not be held this year due to instability in the region and the coronavirus pandemic, according to the board of trustees for the Bae Ngar Yar (500 Ducks) Pagoda. 

The Arakan State government stands ready to assist migrant workers and others in Yangon who are struggling to return to Arakan State during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a state government spokesman, who added that no one had sought help so far. 

Family members are worried about two residents of Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, who are believed to have been detained by the Tatmadaw for months without information being made available as to their whereabouts or status. 

Members of the outgoing Arakan State Parliament have urged the state government to expeditiously implement the proposals and questions submitted to the legislature in the long-term interest of the state and its people. 

Blankets and warm clothes are needed this cold season for people internally displaced (IDPs) by fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army in Arakan State.

Local residents of Arakan State stuck in Yangon due to coronavirus travel restrictions are finding it difficult to return home, as authorities at the commercial capital’s Aungmingalar bus terminal have not allowed them to leave, according to a philanthropic group based in Kyaukphyu Township. 

More than 400 villagers who had been taking refuge at monasteries in Ramree town, Arakan State, reportedly returned to their homes on November 16.

Two residents of Sanae town in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township have been charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army, with the duo sent to Kyaukphyu Prison on November 16, according to family members.