Arakan Bay News-ABN English Edition

28/09/2025

Rakhine Ethnic Students Killed, Over 12 Injured in Bangladesh Army Shooting

AB News – September 28, 2025
By Nwe Soe

Several Rakhine ethnic students were killed and more than 12 others were seriously injured after the Bangladesh Army opened fire with live ammunition, according to reports.

The incident occurred in Guimara Township, Khagrachhari District, where Rakhine students peacefully demonstrating were shot at by the Bangladesh Army.

Local media reported that some students were killed and many others sustained critical injuries.

On the morning of September 28, students staged a peaceful protest along a main road in Guimara Township. The Bangladesh Army responded by firing on the demonstrators, forcing many to flee.

Due to the army’s indiscriminate shooting, some students lost their lives, while more than 12 others were seriously wounded.

In addition to shooting civilians, the Bangladesh Army has also reportedly set fire to and destroyed homes and shops belonging to Rakhine communities.

Meanwhile, on September 27, during a previous demonstration, indigenous hill residents claimed that illegal Muslim settlers attacked them with machetes and sticks, leaving several students injured.

⚠️ Warning: The following video footage contains graphic and distressing scenes.

28/09/2025

Bangladeshi Army Fires on Peacefully Protesting Rakhine Students

AB News – September 28, 2025

Khagrachari District, Guimara Township, Bangladesh – Local students have reported to Arakan Bay News that the Bangladeshi Army opened fire on Rakhine students who were peacefully demonstrating in Guimara Township.

According to one of the protesters, the incident occurred this morning (September 28) along a main road in Guimara Township, where students had gathered to stage a peaceful protest.

Those injured were reportedly in serious condition and were transported to hospitals for treatment.

Currently, the crowd has dispersed, and students are fleeing the area.

26/09/2025

Destruction of Arakanese Buddhist Statues in Bangladesh’s Hill Tracts

AB News – September 26, 2025
Chandra

In the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, a village belonging to the Chakma people, an Arakanese ethnic group, was attacked by local Bangladeshis who destroyed sacred Buddhist statues.

The incident occurred about a week ago in Telkhula Chakma village, located in Ukhiya Township, Cox’s Bazar District.

20/09/2025

But now, the future engineer is gone. All that's left are his school books. He is no longer here. What are we supposed to do with these? This child who loved his books is gone from our community and our society, all because of these unjust people. They have no human empathy. Even animals show warmth and kindness. These people have none”, said Uncle , the deceased’s relative, to Arakan Bay News.

05/09/2025

https://youtu.be/oLI-RtAcE-g?feature=shared

"The bones and clothing found in Tan Shauk kan Village, Buthidaung Township, are said to belong to members of the Myanmar military. Allegations made by some ...

17/07/2025

Exchange of Gunfire Between Rakhine Armed Group and Bangladeshi Government Forces; One Officer and One Soldier Seriously Injured

AB News – July 17, 2025
By Nwel Soe

An exchange of gunfire occurred on July 15 between members of the Rakhine armed group known as the Mog Party and Bangladeshi government troops in Banghalia village, Rajashahi Township, Rangamati District, Bangladesh. According to Hill Voice news outlet, a Bangladeshi army officer and a soldier were seriously injured in the clash.

The two injured individuals have been identified as Officer Azmat Hossain and Nasir Uddin, a soldier.
The incident reportedly took place at a tax collection site run by the Mog Party in Banghalia. According to Hill Voice, the confrontation stemmed from disputes over tax collection and the distribution of funds.

Bangladeshi military officer Azmat Hossain and five soldiers arrived at the Mog Party’s tax collection point in Banghalia. A verbal altercation broke out between the soldiers and Mog Party members who were on duty at the site, which escalated into armed conflict. As a result, one officer and one soldier were seriously injured.

It is reported that Officer Azmat Hossain was initially taken by Mog Party members to one of their camps and later transferred to the Banghalia Naval Base.

Additionally, reports suggest that two other soldiers were subjected to assault. In response, a Bangladeshi military unit, including a senior officer and several troops, arrived in Banghalia village in four vehicles. However, by then, Mog Party members had already fled the scene.

Prior to this incident, on April 1, a group of 12 to 15 individuals posing as Mog Party representatives were allegedly collecting fake taxes from local residents, beating people, and issuing threats in parts of Rajashahi Township, as reported by Hill Voice.

16/07/2025

Arakan People's Revolutionary Government Provides Seed Support to Farmers in Maungdaw District

AB News – July 15, 2025
By: Chandra

In Maungdaw District of Rakhine State, particularly in Buthidaung and Maungdaw areas, the Agriculture and Administrative Departments of the Arakan People's Revolutionary Government have reportedly distributed seeds to local farmers.

According to sources, the seed distribution began in June, and on June 19, seeds were provided to all farmers in Buthidaung — including Muslim farmers.

A farmer from Buthidaung told AB News, “AA provided us with seeds. They gave them to every farmer who planned to work on the land. Now, they are also selling fertilizers to us at lower prices,” he said.

Farmers stated that the Agriculture Department under the Arakan People's Revolutionary Government is selling fertilizers at reduced prices compared to the market rate.

Currently, in local markets across the Arakan region, a bag of fertilizer costs up to 250,000 kyats.

However, it is reported that the agriculture department is selling a bag of Bangladeshi fertilizer for 125,000 kyats and Indian fertilizer for 135,000 kyats.

A farmer from Kyauktaw told AB News, “We are grateful to the ULA/AA for selling fertilizer at these affordable prices. Rice prices are low, and many farmers like us are operating at a loss. Still, if we don’t farm, we fear starvation, so we have no choice but to keep working.”

There are around 1.2 million acres of farmland in Rakhine, but this year only around 500,000 acres are reportedly being cultivated.

16/07/2025

AA Invites Forced Recruits from Junta to Defect and Join the Resistance

AB News – July 15, 2025

The Arakan Army (ULA/AA) has issued a public call inviting youth and young adults across Myanmar—who have been forcibly conscripted by the junta—to defect and join the resistance side.

In its statement, the AA said:

“Forcibly conscripted soldiers who are suffering various forms of abuse under the terrorist military junta can defect to the Arakan Army at any time and at any location where AA forces are present. The AA guarantees the safety and security of all defectors who come over to the light.”

On the same day, July 15, the AA also announced that two junta soldiers from the Ann-Padan frontline had defected and joined its forces.

The two defectors were identified as:

Private Nay Lin Aung, ID No. PS/134981, from LIB 79 under Division 99, and
Private Aung Thet Htun, ID No. PS/127146, also from LIB 79 under Division 969.

The junta has been abusing the military conscription law by forcefully drafting youths and young adults into its army, reportedly to extend the life of its military dictatorship.

It is understood that many newly conscripted soldiers or civilian militias under junta control, who have been forcibly sent to frontline areas, lack the will to fight and are instead seeking opportunities to defect to nearby ethnic revolutionary forces.

The AA has reaffirmed that those who choose to defect can safely do so in areas where AA forces are present, and that the group assumes full responsibility for their protection and lives.

14/07/2025

Drone Misfire in Kyaukphyu Kills Around 10 Junta Soldiers

AB News – July 13, 2025
By Nwe Soe

In war-torn Kyaukphyu, a drone unit of the Myanmar military mistakenly targeted its own reinforcements, misidentifying them as Arakan Army (AA) fighters and launching a su***de drone strike that reportedly killed around 10 junta troops, according to AB News sources.

The incident occurred on July 12 near the front yard of a pagoda on Kyaukphyu Hill, in the Gon Chwein battle zone of Kyaukphyu Township. A ground-based military source told AB News that the drone unit mistakenly dropped over 20 bombs on its own side.

“The drone team mistook their own convoy for AA fighters and launched bombs—more than 20 were dropped. We believe around 10 soldiers were killed. Clashes in the Gon Chwein area are still ongoing,” the source said.

Due to the misfire, around 10 soldiers were reportedly killed, and some of the injured were taken to Kyaukphyu hospital for treatment.

Fierce clashes continue in Kyaukphyu between the AA and junta forces, with the military using airstrikes, naval attacks, and su***de drones in response.

Currently, fighting remains intense in areas surrounding Malagyun, Pyinsekan, and Katthapyay village where junta troops are stationed. The AA is reportedly launching offensives to gain control of Kyaukphyu, Sittwe, and Manaung, the last remaining towns under military control in the region.

13/07/2025

Explosion in Pauktaw: Young Woman Severely Injured by Heavy Weapon Fire from Sittwe

AB News - July 12, 2025
Nwe Soe

A young woman was seriously injured in Pauktaw due to heavy weapon fire from Sittwe, according to a military news source. The injured individual is 17-year-old Ma Myat Myat Soe, daughter of U Aung Hla Khaing from Min Tine village, Pauktaw Township.

Around 12:20 PM on July 12, 2025, the military council’s No. 12 Police Battalion in Sittwe fired heavy weapons three times toward Min Tine village, resulting in Ma Myat Myat Soe being hit by a projectile, the military source told AB News.

“At around noon, they fired three consecutive shots. The shells landed in the village. A young girl was severely injured. It was fired from Sittwe,” the source said.

Ma Myat Myat Soe was struck in her right hip and sustained severe injuries.

On July 10, 2025, an elderly man was also injured when the military council’s Battalion 908, located near Kyar Ma Thout village in Sittwe, fired heavy weapons toward Nyaung Pin Yin village in Ponnagyun Township.

13/07/2025

Hefazat Protests Against Opening of UN Human Rights Office in Dhaka

AB News – July 12, 2025

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has strongly opposed the interim government's decision to open a United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Dhaka for a three-year term.

At a protest held yesterday, July 11, after Friday prayers near the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Hefazat’s Joint Secretary General and Dhaka City Secretary Maulana Mamunul Haque stated:

"Allowing international organizations to enter the country before justice is served for 16 years of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and murders amounts to granting impunity to perpetrators and is a grave injustice to the people."

He further declared:

"No one has given the government the right to dig its own grave. We will not allow this UN human rights office to be opened in Dhaka."

Mamunul added that if the interim government does not immediately reverse its decision to open the UN human rights office in Dhaka, Hefazat-e-Islam would be pressured to mobilize nationwide protest actions.

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh is a powerful Islamic fundamentalist group that emerged in Bangladesh in 2010.

12/07/2025

Two Escaped Soldiers Who Shot AA Security Guards in Maungdaw Recaptured in Buthidaung Township

July 12, 2025

In Arakan (Rakhine) State, during the Maungdaw town capture operations, two junta soldiers detained by the Arakan Army (AA) escaped after shooting two AA security personnel and were later recaptured in Buthidaung Township.

The two junta soldiers, who were among many captured by the AA during the Maungdaw offensive, reportedly shot and injured two AA security guards on July 8 using concealed pistols while on guard duty. They then fled with one gun and 20 bullets.

According to sources close to the AA, the two fugitives were recaptured near a Muslim village called Thayintawpyin in Buthidaung Township on July 10.

“One gun and more than 20 bullets were seized on July 8, and the AA managed to track them down and recapture them near Thayintawpyin village in Buthidaung Township on July 10,” a source close to AA members said.

During the battles in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, the AA captured thousands of junta troops. Among them, the AA had previously released hundreds of family members of the soldiers.

The Arakan Army fully captured Buthidaung on May 18, 2024, and later took complete control of Maungdaw on December 8, 2024.

As of now, excluding three towns—Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Mrauk-U—under junta control, the AA holds 15 townships in total, including Paletwa in Chin State.

Photo caption:
Maungdaw: The moment when the AA captured junta soldiers, including Major Thurein Tun, after the takeover of NKK-5 outpost.
(Photo: AA Info Desk - Archive)