Myanmar or Burma

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has told its commanders to protect Chinese interests and citizens as it advances in northern Shan State.

Beijing has influence over the MNDAA, a Han Chinese armed group from the Kokang Region in Shan State who migrated to Myanmar during the time of Qing dynasty to escape the Manchurians who had taken over China and formed the Qing dynasty.

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Saturday announced rules for its troops in Lashio after claiming to have seized the northern Shan State capital and formed a commission for its administration on Thursday.

The statement by the MNDAA, aka the Kokang army, ordered its troops not to occupy or enter houses in Lashio unless militarily necessary, not to seize civilian vehicles, not to ask for money or resources from civilians, and not to levy tax from individuals or entities during the martial law period.

In a reckless and irresponsible act, the 422nd Light Infantry Battalion of the junta, stationed in Mongpai (Mobye) in southern Shan State, opened the Mongpai Dam, causing severe flooding that has affected over 1000 residents, locals said.

Fighters from Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority armed group have moved into a strategic town fought over by the junta and another ethnic armed group for weeks, they and the military said on Sunday.

On Saturday the United Wa State Army (UWSA) — another ethnic minority armed group with greater manpower — moved personnel into Lashio to “protect” its properties there, its spokesman told AFP.

Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing has had his former Navy chief arrested for failing to obey his orders during the fighting in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, sources told The Irrawaddy.

Resistance fighters are attacking the junta with a new eponymous weapon: Rebels green tea.

Map of Myammar showing territories controlled by different factions, as posted by Twitter user "Myanmar War Map".

Follow the twitter account here: https://x.com/MyanmarWarMap

Myanmar’s junta has ordered its staff to leave the northern Shan State capital Lashio following the ongoing offensive by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and its allies.

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) said it had taken the strategic city of Lashio in northern Shan State, about 120 km (75 miles) from the Chinese border, after 23 days of fighting with government troops.

Myanmar’s military regime has placed former senior military leaders—including ex-dictator Than Shwe and former President Thein Sein—under surveillance, sources close to the matter said.

They confirmed that current junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has directed his security forces in Naypyitaw to monitor not only the retired senior leaders of the previous regime and the quasi-civilian government that followed it, but also members of their households.

Prominent crony businessman Serge Pun, who is under Myanmar junta detention, has stepped down as executive chairman of Singapore-listed Yoma Strategic Holdings Limited after 17 years in charge.

An alliance of ethnic armed groups in Myanmar has agreed to extend a ceasefire with the junta in northern Shan State after “pressure” from China, nearly four weeks after the collapse of a China-brokered ceasefire.

“China put a lot of pressure on us to have a ceasefire immediately,” the TNLA leader told the news agency. “Therefore, we have to do it as we can’t avoid it.”