Most displaced residents of Khampat and surrounding villages in northwestern Myanmar remain too fearful to return home, despite the military junta regaining control of a strategic border corridor after a two-month offensive, according to local sources.

Khampat sits along the vital Kale-Tamu Highway connecting Myanmar to the Indian border. 

Resistance forces aligned with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) had controlled the route for more than two years before junta forces retook the area in late July.

While state media announced that civil servants were dispatched to Khampat to reopen departmental offices, schools, and hospitals, locals say the town remains largely deserted.

"Only a few government staff and a handful of townspeople have returned so far," a resident told Chin World. "The vast majority still don't dare to go back because they fear fighting could erupt again at any moment."

To reclaim the highway, the junta launched a massive dual-pronged offensive on June 7, deploying ground columns from both Tamu and Kale. Supported by heavy artillery and airstrikes, regime troops forced resistance fighters to withdraw from Khampat Town, Kanan Village, and adjacent areas.

Despite the regime's push to portray a return to normalcy, residents from surrounding villages—including Sawbwaryaeshin, Hpetyaryaeshin, and Kyuntawyaeshin—remain scattered, prioritizing personal safety over the military's call to return.