Myanmar Spring Chronicle – October 2
(MoeMaKa, October 3, 2024)
Lashio Residents Flee Again; Facing the Risk of a Second Flood in Eastern and Southern Shan Regions
After the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) seized control of Lashio in early August, they began to administer the town, encouraging residents to return. However, in recent weeks, the junta has been bombing the town daily, using airstrikes. According to RFA news, many civilians who had returned following the clashes in late July and early August have now fled again, with the number of those displaced reaching the thousands.
Initially, after the town was seized, there were no bombings by the junta’s air force, and the uncertainty of when or if they would retaliate led people to return to protect their homes from looting. However, after about ten air raids during September, many have decided to flee once more.
Reports indicate that hotels, markets, and civilian homes in Lashio have been damaged by airstrikes, with civilians among the casualties. While it is suspected that the junta is targeting areas where armed groups may be staying, the majority of the victims are civilians.
When the MNDAA and other armed groups attacked the military bases and the Eastern Command headquarters (YaMaKha) in the area, dozens of civilians in Lashio were killed. Now, the junta’s airstrikes on MNDAA-controlled Lashio have resulted in further civilian deaths.
It’s suspected that the junta aims to retake Lashio, establishing a temporary base in Mine Ye for a future ground offensive. Although no ground operations have started yet, it’s clear the junta does not intend to let Lashio go easily, given its strategic importance as a central trading town in northeastern Shan State and its proximity to northern Shan.
Much like Lashio, other towns in northern Shan, including Kyaukme, Naungcho, and Hsipaw, under TNLA control, have also been subjected to airstrikes. During the Lashio fighting, the junta bombed Laukkai, the largest town in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.
Since early September, heavy rain caused by remnants of Typhoon Saola flooded towns like Tachileik, Kalaw, Shwenyaung, and Nyaungshwe. Even before these areas could fully recover, more heavy rains returned, causing water levels to rise again. On October 2, reports surfaced of renewed flooding in Tachileik and Kalaw, with streams overflowing into town roads. Floodwaters have reemerged before the mud and debris from the previous floods could be fully cleared.
While it’s uncertain how severe the current flooding will be, residents of these areas, who previously lost lives, homes, and supplies in last month’s flood, now face a second disaster within a month.