September 11 marked the end of an overnight curfew in the Sittwe and Kyaukpyu townships in the Rakhine state that was imposed more than two years ago, according to a spokesman.
A curfew from the hours of 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. had been in place in Sittwe, the capital of the state. The curfew went from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. in Kyaukpyu.
Information committee secretary U Win Myaing said that similar curfews would remain in place in Maungdaw and Buthedaung because of concerns about security.
The spokesman said that security forces deployment has been extended in those areas and that the curfew “cannot be lifted” in certain townships with “different populations”.
Curfews were imposed across the Rakhine State in mid-2012 following communal violence that left many people dead and required tens of thousands of locals to flee to refugee camps for displaced people.
The decision to lift the curfews was met with praise from many sources, including Rakhine State MP U Aung Win of the Rakhine National Party in the Myaephone Township. He said in media reports that lifting the curfew is a welcome decision because it is an “obstacle to business”.