Thousands of residents from 13 eastern Pekon Township villages in southern Shan State have had to flee their homes due to heavy fighting in the area.
On 2 June 2025, junta forces supported by members of the junta-aligned Pa-O National Organisation (PNO) ethnic armed organisation (EAO) launched an offensive and advanced towards villages in eastern Pekon Township. This triggered heavy fighting with local resistance forces that continued until 9 June.
This forced 8,000 residents of 13 eastern Pekon Township villages to flee their homes, according to an official from the Phekon (Pekon) Shan Youth Network, a local civil society organisation.
He said to Shan Herald: “The problem is, there’s hardly anywhere safe for displaced people to go because heavy fighting is happening all around them. Some have taken refuge in the forests. Among them are lots of women, children, and elderly people. Only a few men stayed behind in the villages to act as guards.”
Currently, most of the displaced people (IDPs) are seeking shelter in villages and forested areas in western Pekon Township and nearby Hsiheng Township. Some are also taking refuge in local monasteries and schools.
They are in urgent need of food, clothing, and other aid, as they fled with only the clothes on their backs because the fighting broke out so suddenly, according to one of the displaced villagers.
He said: “Whole villages have had to flee. But now, almost all the roads are blocked by fighting, so we’re stuck, not sure where to go. Some have tried escaping through jungle paths, but those routes are really tough. If this keeps up, things could get even worse. Right now, we desperately need all the help we can get.”
Currently there is also heavy fighting ongoing around Mobye Town in eastern Pekon Township near to the border with Karenni State as the junta tries to retake the town from the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF)-led resistance coalition that took control of the town on 23 November 2023. Mobye People’s Defence Force (PDF) has advised the public to avoid traveling in the area whenever possible.
The 13 villages in eastern Pekon Township that villagers had to flee from are: Taungpoetkwe, Taungpoetgyi, Yaepu, Hpayartaung, Hsantswea, Hsantlate, Loipaw, Saungnankhe, Nangpawlong, Mahkayhkam, Lahei, Nyaungmun, and Konepaw.
