Locals have told gold miners operating in Lashio Township, northern Shan State with permission from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) to cease their activities and leave within seven days.
Nearly all of Lashio Township, including the areas where the gold mining is happening, is under the control of the MNDAA, but the junta controls Lashio Town. Previously it had been held by the MNDAA between 25 July 2024 and 22 April 2025, but it was forced to hand the town back to the junta after coming under pressure from China.
According to nearby communities, an ethnic Wa entrepreneur began gold mining operations near the Namohn natural spring, close to Kaungwein Village in Lashio Township’s Nampawng Subtownship on 15 June 2025, after receiving permission from the MNDAA to do so.
On 16 June, monks from Nampawng Subtownship led a local protest at the mining site demanding a halt to the operations. The miners eventually responded and agreed to stop mining by 1 July, according to a Nampawng Subtownship resident.
He said to Shan Herald: “Even after their promise, they kept digging here and there around the spring. On 28 June they were digging with backhoes, saying they were just making grooves, which made the locals come out and protest again. The original deadline was 1 July, but since they hadn’t finished packing their things, they were given an extension until 3 July. Still, they weren’t done by then, so a final deadline to leave was then set for 7 July.”
The location of the gold mining operation was unacceptable to locals because it was happening at a site of religious significance to them that is also an important water source for agriculture in the area.
The aforementioned Nampawng resident said: “They showed us the approval letter from the Kokang army [MNDAA], but if the people don’t accept it, they can’t mine there. The boss of the mining operation is a Wa ethnic businessman, not a Kokang military officer. The locals warned the miners to pack up and leave between 1 and 7 July, and they promised they would. But so far, nothing’s really changed. There are still two backhoes and other mining equipment there.”
Shan Herald obtained a copy of the MNDAA’s approval letter. It said that the mining had been authorised by the MNDAA’s Theinni (Hsenwi) Township Administration Committee. As well as authorising gold mining in Nampawng Subtownship it also authorised it in Salanponghtun Village, in neighbouring Mongyai Township.
Currently, there is gold mining underway in Salanponghtun Village, but locals there say they are unsure who authorised the mining. They have also said they are concerned that the mining could harm natural springs and the surrounding environment.
