The junta is forcing internally displaced people (IDPs) from Pekon Township in southern Shan State, who fled due to conflict, to return home ahead of the upcoming elections.

In July, the junta regained full control of Pekon and Mobye towns, along with surrounding areas in Pekon Township. Following this, the coup regime began pressuring Pekon IDPs who had been sheltering in Nyaungshwe, Pinlaung and Hsihseng townships of southern Shan State to return home.

A member of the Pekon Shan Youth Network said the junta, which has announced plans to hold its own elections by the end of 2025, is forcing IDPs to return to Pekon beforehand.

“Junta-appointed authorities are forcing those who fled Pekon Town and sought refuge in nearby villages to return, while schools in Pekon have been ordered to reopen since August 18,” the source said.

An aid worker from Nyaungshwe Township, who has been assisting the displaced, reported that Pekon IDPs sheltering in Nyaungshwe and Pinlaung townships have been returning in groups since the first week of August.

“Most of the Pekon IDPs who were here have already gone back. They’re being pressured to return before the election, and even those whose houses were burned down during the clashes have been forced to return,” he told Shan Herald.

The junta has now ordered education workers who fled Pekon Town during the conflict to return immediately and has forced the reopening of middle and high schools.

From early 2025 until July, the junta and its ally, the Pa-O National Organization (PNO) coalition forces, launched a major offensive to regain full control of Pekon Township, including Mobye Town, sparking intense clashes and forcing around 10,000 residents to flee.