The junta has indefinitely closed the highway linking Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, to northern Putao Town, citing military reasons.
The route is crucial for trade and cargo transport throughout Putao Township in Kachin State. However, since October 23, the junta has closed the road at Lamonzwut Village in Myitkyina Township, according to a motorist familiar with the route.
“I was able to travel on the road until yesterday. This morning, the soldiers closed it, saying they were there to carry out an operation,” he told KNG on October 23.
The junta is stopping and turning back all trucks traveling from Myitkyina City to Putao at the Tanghpe checkpoint, Myitkyina Township.
Sources close to the junta said regime soldiers are preparing to launch operations along the Putao-Myitkyina Road in the coming days.
“On the Myitkyina side, the junta is sending soldiers to Tanghpe. On the Putao side, there’s constant military activity day and night, with reinforcements heading to Tanja and Longshayang villages in Putao Township. Something unusual is likely to happen,” a source said.
A Kagabu People’s Force (KPF) official confirmed that the junta has closed the route but said the motive was still unclear. “Yes, the road has been closed by the junta. Our resistance forces aren’t blocking it, and we still don’t know why the junta shut it down like this,” he told KNG.
The Putao-Myitkyina Road passes through Sumprabum Township, where Sumprabum Town, the township’s administrative center, is controlled by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), KPF, and allied resistance groups.
The Myitkyina-Putao Road was closed for over three months in 2024 due to military tensions. During that period, prices in Putao soared to unprecedented levels, with a single egg reaching 5,000 MMK and a liter of petrol climbing to 80,000 MMK.
Putao District is made up of four townships: Putao, Machanbaw, Naungmon, and Khaunglanhpu. On October 13, a coalition of the junta and Tangu militia clashed with KIA-led joint resistance forces near Htanggar Village in Machanbaw. Since then, military tensions have remained high in the region.
Furthermore, on September 23, clashes broke out between KIA-led resistance forces and the junta in Khaunglanhpu Township, near the border with Tsawlaw Township. The KIA ultimately seized two outposts from Khaunglanhpu militia, a junta-aligned group.
Amid the tense military situation in Putao District, the junta has suddenly closed the Myitkyina-Putao Road indefinitely.
