Monkeys there depend on food provided by pilgrims. But the ongoing hostilities, food shortages and hyperinflation mean few people are visiting the pagoda and fewer can afford to feed them. 

The AA has been launching attacks on Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion No. 5 in Maungdaw’s Myothugyi Ward and a junta camp near Shwezar Village since July 19.

A resident of Kyeintali Town, part of Arakan State’s Gwa Township, was severely injured in a landmine blast on Friday, according to local residents.

Gold shops in Arakan State have suspended buying gold as many residents are selling their gold jewellery amid worsening economic hardships in the war-torn state.

The Shwe Mingan naval base launched shells at least seven times on Friday morning, said residents. “They fired multiple rockets. I heard the strikes were targeted at Ponnagyun and Pauktaw,” said a resident.

Thandwe residents were quick to dispute the denial, however, and specifically said that six civilians had been killed by artillery shells fired from a Myanmar military naval base in the area.

Heavy rains and high tides have flooded some 10 villages in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, with flood victims in need of food and shelter, according to residents.

The junta has been using civilian boats to bring in reinforcements, food supplies, weapons and ammunition by sea, the AA said as it warned civilians not to travel in the waters offshore of the two townships.

“Now pregnant mothers are having a hard time. Pregnant mothers are giving birth with the help of traditional birth attendants, which can be life-threatening,” said a pregnant woman.

Agent fees typically total more than 1.2 million kyats to get to Malaysia. There are risks as well, including potential arrest along the way, or being swindled by agents.

Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has again blamed “unscrupulous businessmen” for the country’s ailing currency as the kyat has continued to plummet against the US dollar over the past month.

Local charities in Arakan State provide first aid, free ambulance services and help finding blood donors for patients who need transfusions.

The victims who are killed and injured in the ambush are the displaced people from Buthidaung who are currently taking refuge in Gantgawmyaing Village.

A woman displaced by the fighting said that commodity flows have all but ceased and there is a shortage of food, causing the prices of goods to rise exponentially.

Thousands of acres of farmland in villages such as Kansauk, Panphechaung and Chaungtu in the Yoe Creek area, part of Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, have been inundated by floodwaters, according to residents.

Fierce clashes between the military and Arakkha Army (AA) have been reported in Maungdaw and Thandwe townships, where civilian casualties were highest last month.

Owners of Mizofed, Mavula, Lyno, F. Rothuama, BZ, and B. Sangchem filling stations released a joint statement on July 24, saying that the ban on fuel sales to Myanmar is unfair and discriminatory.

The regime has used the same excuse of “instability” in the country to extend its emergency rule by another six months.

Junta soldiers and allied Muslim militias broke into the offices of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), World Food Programme (WFP) and Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), which provide humanitarian assistance in Arakan State.