U Khaing Pyi Soe, the Arakan National Party (ANP) General Secretary, denied claims that the junta destroyed the party's headquarters in Sittwe City, Arakan (Rakhine) State.

According to reports circulating on social media, junta troops and police officers raided and destroyed the ANP party headquarters at about noon, on 21 September 2024.

On the morning of 22 September, U Khaing Pyi Soe told Narinjara news that these reports were untrue.

He said: “We received news about this incident only yesterday evening [21 September 2024]. We were unable to go and check at that time. Our party members in Sittwe checked the situation this morning and confirmed that the reports were not true.”

He explained that about 30 junta troops and police officers patrolled near the ANP headquarters in Sittwe City’s Shwepyar Ward at around 1:00 pm on 21 September, but they did not enter or destroy the building.

He said: “They were patrolling near the party office. They did not enter and destroy the party office. We know, because party members checked from outside the office.”

The office has been unoccupied since 2024.

After the February 2021 coup, on 26  March 2023, the ANP applied for party registration with the junta-controlled Union Election Commission (UEC).

But, the junta rejected the party’s application on 1 July 2024 for non-compliance with Section 7 of the law, which bars individuals with ties to unlawful, revolutionary or terror organisations from registering a political party. ANP party leaders denied to Narinjara News that they had not complied with Section 7 and that none of the people who submitted the party’s application for registration had ties to proscribed organisations.