In Kyaukme Township, Shan State, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) is conducting a door-to-door population and housing census under the guise of rebuilding efforts.
During the clashes, significant damage occurred in Kyaukme's downtown wards and surrounding villages. Since late August, TNLA members have been compiling a list of damaged houses and conducting a population census under the pretext of rebuilding efforts.
"TNLA troops are going door to door, saying they are collecting lists to rebuild what was damaged during the clashes. However, there are reports that they are tracking family member details to recruit new troops into their ranks, which is raising concerns among the people,” a 40-year-old woman from Kyaukme said.
With the fighting in Kyaukme now over and the situation stabilized, many displaced residents have returned home. However, some are staying with relatives or in monasteries due to the destruction of their homes during the conflict.
Currently, TNLA-appointed administrators have started overseeing local administration in downtown Kyaukme and nearby villages. While they have inquired about the condition of residents whose homes were damaged, no clear information has been provided on how assistance will be offered for the damages.
A local reported that wards 7 and 8, located near the former junta battalion bases, suffered more damage. Despite the clashes subsiding, residents are grappling with rising prices and remain anxious about possible junta’s nighttime airstrikes.
In the fourth week of August, TNLA and People's Defense Force (PDF) members fired warning shots into the air, driving vendors away from the roadside at Mingala Market in Kyaukme.
On August 27, junta jet fighters dropped two 500-pound bombs on No. 2 Basic Education High School (BEHS-2) in No. 9 Ward of Kyaukme Town, destroying several classrooms. The attack resulted in one death and two injuries to individuals from a nearby house.
The TNLA-PDF coalition fully captured Kyaukme District, on August 6, previously the base of the junta’s Military Operations Command No. 1 (MOC-1), as well as the 501st and 502nd light infantry battalions (LIB 501 and LIB 502).
