The military council soldiers arrested five locals including ward administrators at dawn on Saturday in Minbya town, Rakhine State.

Those arrested were Minbya’s Okkapyan ward administrator, U Aung Kyaw Hla (a) Ni Daung Chay and an Okkapyn resident Ko Maung San and three others.

A source close to the administrator said the military council’s troops arrested five people from Okkapyan ward this dawn (8 October).

“We heard the administrator and four others were taken away. We don’t know who the others are. Last night, small and heavy arms were fired. We also heard the sounds of small arms from Okkapyan ward. We still have no idea why they made these arrests,”  the source said.

Minbya residents said small and heavy arms were fired for the whole night on 6 October from Kyetsin Bridge, Kyaintaung, Maedawtaung and other areas where the military has taken strongholds.

“We heard five have been arrested including the Okkapyan Administrator. The ward was located on the old bazaar group side. The soldiers have started making their rounds in Minbya since 9pm last night (Friday).

However, despite the arrests and firing of arms, some shops in Minbya kept opening normally for the traditional religious Thadingyut lighting festival.

The Arakan Army has announced that it had attacked the military council forces on Kyetsin Bridge in Minbya on 7 October where eight military council soldiers were killed and some others wounded.