With just days until the vote, the Arakan Election Monitoring Committee is claiming that the upcoming elections in Arakan State will not be fair, with the group citing internet restrictions affecting several townships in the state’s north. 

Civil society organisations say they are finding it difficult to monitor so-called military polling stations in Arakan State ahead of the November 8 general election. 

A 64-year-old resident of Sanae town in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township was shot dead by the Tatmadaw on November 4 while he was out catching crabs, according to family members. 

The inclusion of Mrauk-U, an ancient cultural heritage zone in Arakan State, on the UNESCO World Heritage List continues to face delays due to COVID-19, according to Daw Ohnmar Myo, national project officer at UNESCO’s Myanmar office.  

Government spokesman U Zaw Htay has pushed back against preemptive critiques of Myanmar’s upcoming general election as unfair, speaking during a press conference held at the President’s Office in Naypyidaw on November 4.  

Monsoon paddy cannot be harvested as yet in some Arakan State townships plagued by fierce clashes, though the harvest is due.

A man is believed dead after being shot in Minbya Township’s Myitnadone Chaung village on November 3, according to family members of the deceased. 

A woman was seriously injured after stepping on a landmine and two men were reportedly shot by the Tatmadaw in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U District over the past two days.

Military personnel in Arakan State arrested two residents of Ramree Township and four people from Sittwe Township on November 3, saying they were being detained for further questioning, according to locals. 

With fighting between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army approaching its unofficial two-year mark, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Arakan State has surpassed 236,000, according to figures from the Rakhine Ethnics Congress. 

The number of COVID-19 fatalities in Arakan State stood at 18 as of November 3, according to state health officials. 

A university student from Nyaungkan village in Arakan State’s Myebon Township who sustained shrapnel wounds to her head is struggling to afford medical treatment, according to family members. 

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.