Eye-witnesses said as many as 70 people attacked the houses, carrying weapons such as machetes, while some 400 by-standers watched.

Attacks on civilians in northern Arakan State continued over the weekend, according to the Office of the State Counsellor, which described the assailants as “terrorists” in three violent incidents that saw four people killed, including a village administrator.

The NLD won nine of 19 vacant seats at this weekend's by-elections, largely failing to recreate the landslide victory it enjoyed at the polls in 2015.

Hundreds of small farmers in southern Shan State have boosted their income through apiculture and they are trained, and enthusiastic, beekeepers.

“Only by winning can we be represented in parliament, and ultimately form a government," said former President Thein Sein.

Burma's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi told her Chinese hosts on Thursday that her government would try to find a way to resolve the Myitsone dam issue that satisfies both countries.