A few years ago, however, something very worrying came to light unexpectedly. Daw May Latt Kyi found out that her farmland, where she and generations of ancestors have worked, is included in the project area of the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Despite the fact that many have ended up being arrested while attempting to illegally cross the border, desperate job seekers continue to risk their freedom by taking the same path.

Junta troops’ continued presence in villages and nearby areas, despite the ceasefire, along with the ongoing danger of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs) surrounding their villages are contributing to IDPs’ reluctance to return.

Small-scale fishermen are facing some of the same challenges. Due to the nature of the job, fishermen go out to sea at night and work in conjunction with the tides. But many local fishermen are now wary of going out at night, even in the aftermath of the latest ceasefire.

Daw Sandar’s eldest daughter currently attends a government technical high school in Sittwe and her younger daughter is a Grade 8 student.

The ambush was followed by retaliatory artillery barrages from the military’s Ponnagyun-based Light Infantry Battalion No. 550 and air strikes by junta helicopters near the two villages. And a junta column marched toward Sin Inn Gyi Village, which is located along the Sittwe-Yangon road. 

Ma Nwe Thandar Win passed the matriculation examination with one distinction this year. Since the announcement of the exam results in June, she had been working at a consumer goods shop that also employs her aunt, Ma Sandar Win. 

The remaining Tinma villagers could not accept that reply, saying their relatives were abducted before their very eyes.

The Shwe Yaung Metta Foundation does not just operate for residents in Sittwe, where it is based. It also provides free ambulance services on request from other townships when patients require hospitalisation in Sittwe or Yangon.

Hostilities between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army broke out in Paletwa in 2015. Amid the heavier fighting that ensued from 2018 to 2020, thousands of Paletwa residents were forced to flee their homes to displacement camps.

Maung Myat Thu Lin and Daw Aye Yin Nu, 60, died at the scene of the strike. U Hla Aung Thein, 35, a native of Chaung Thit who was working in Kin Seik village at the time of shelling, died later at the hospital of a wound to his throat. 

Living conditions in IDP camps are especially stressful for women and adolescent girls. Privacy is essentially nonexistent, whether bathing, changing clothes or using the toilet.

One of those shells was a direct hit on the home of Ko Shwe Tun Thein. He pulled his wife and son close to his chest, shielding them against the attack at the risk of his own life. His son survived unscathed, while his wife sustained minor injuries to her arms and legs. But Ko Shwe Tun Thein himself was soaked in blood.

It was pouring rain in Kyauktaw on June 21. Residents were on edge and the town was a scene of chaos, with junta soldiers infuriated by the Arakan Army’s recent abduction of three local policemen. 

A top makeup artist in the Arakan State capital Sittwe applies cosmetics one step at a time to make up a girl’s face. The makeup artist is focused on the task at hand, including making the girl’s lips and eyelashes look their best. The artist is Ko Kyaw Kyaw Moe, 32, a member of the LGBT community. 

She felt unsafe after she received the message. So, she told her family about it the same day. In the evening, she slept in the room of a female colleague as she felt increasingly unsafe. 

There are various kinds of traditional dance in Arakan State. Arakanese traditional Buddha pujaniya oil lamp choral dancing is among the most significant of them. The dance was created during the Dannyawaddy Dynasty, when Theravada Buddhism began to flourish in Arakan State. The styles of dancing represent the Three Gems of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

Daw Ma Hla Sein is sick with worry as the monsoon season approaches and her temporary home is crumbling. Nagging at her constantly is the thought that her house, which is mostly made of bamboo and roofed with tarpaulin sheets, might collapse in the seasonally inclement weather to come. 

“If there had been no war in Arakan State, our lives would not have been so miserable,” lamented Daw Than Than Nwe, a 36-year-old victim of the 2018-2020 conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army.