As police speculate that the Arakan Army are responsible for the murder, the latter claim the military carried out the killing in order to damage the rebel group’s reputation.

The Sittwe District Court sentenced prominent ethnic Arakanese politician U Aye Maung and author Ko Wai Hin Aung for encouraging people to support a rebel group.

A woman was injured and a historic pagoda was damaged by artillery fire in Mrauk-U during fighting between the Myanmar military and rebels, a community elder and an official said.