Questions Arise Over ONN’s Report on AA’s Reconstruction Efforts for Htan Shauk Kan Residents

Photo: ONN

Arakan Now | 22 October 2025

One Nation News (ONN) claims that the Arakan Army (AA) has built 110 houses out of a planned for 131 of Htan Shauk Kan residents who survived the massacre on May 2, 2024, in Hgnet Thay, in Buthidaung Township, and that more than 791 people still remain in the village.

However, an Arakan Now investigation has found that these claims appear to be significantly exaggerated. According to multiple local sources, the AA has so far completed around 85 houses, not 110. Moreover, the housing distribution reportedly divides single families into multiple household units — for instance, one house for the father, another for the son, and another for the daughter.

Residents also dispute ONN’s population figures. Local sources estimate that only about 100 residents of Htan Shauk Kan currently remain, far fewer than the 791 reported by ONN.

A villager told Arakan Now that the AA recently sent several residents from Htan Shauk Kan to Sai Din (also known as Tar Raing, စိုင်းဒင်) to collect bamboo and timber for house construction.

The investigation further found that the AA used unpaid labourers from Sin Taung Village to assist in the building process.

Arakan Now already reported on this earlier. Here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1VpvyXyKS7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

📸 The photos below show houses built by the AA, originally posted by ONN.