In the Meneitaung area of Hopong Township in southern Shan State, residents are rebuilding their homes destroyed during heavy fighting, relying on their own efforts.

On January 21, junta troops and their allied Pa-O National Organization (PNO) combatants fought against Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA) fighters in Meneitaung, resulting in the burning and destruction of about 150 houses.

The majority of the destroyed houses in Meneitaung are from the villages of Kyaukkachar, Pinlyan, and Namhu, primarily due to Junta’s artillery shelling. The locals are rebuilding the destroyed houses on their own, with assistance from nearby villages, a Meneitaung resident said.

"Our villagers and volunteers from nearby villages chose which house to rebuild through a a system of drawing lots. Now my home has been reconstructed into a sturdy structure with plywood and thatched walls”, a local woman told Shan Herald.

Over 40 buildings, including a monastery and houses in Pinlyan village, were destroyed, with at least 66 houses burned down in Namhu. Now villagers and residents from nearby villages are working together to rebuild these structures. While the destroyed houses are being rebuilt, householders are temporarily seeking shelter in schools and rural clinics within the villages.

The villages’ elders and abbots are spearheading the reconstruction efforts, with support and donations coming from both local and foreign contributors.

The Pa-O Youth Organization (PYO) announced on May 13 that during the more than three months of clashes in southern Shan State, at least 96 civilians were killed and 92 were injured as a result of Junta’s airstrikes and killings following arrests