Kokang army to issue ID for residents of Kutkai, northern Shan State

The Kokang ethnic armed group sharing joint authority over Kutkai, northern Shan State has announced plans to issue identification cards for inhabitants of the town and district, according to local sources. Officials of the Kokang group, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), told ward and village administrators earlier this week to expect the rollout of the identity cards in the coming days. The cards will serve as official documents required for residency and travel in areas under the group’s administration, an MNDAA official said. “It is open to all ethnic groups, but people from Lashio under the junta-controlled areas are not eligible to apply for it,” said a representative of the MNDAA’s Kutkai District police department. “We will carry out the process one ward at a time in Kutkai,” he said. “It is already underway in Hseni [Hsenwi] as well. Residents holding this identity card will not need to submit any other documents to cross the border into China.” According to the MNDAA—also commonly called the Kokang army—the aim of this initiative is to allow residents to take advantage of trade, work, and medical treatment in Kokang-controlled areas and China more conveniently. “We began issuing ID cards to residents from wards 1 and 2,” the MNDAA police official in Kutkai added. “Around 100 people applied on the first day.” The town of Kutkai lies on an important route for border trade between China and Myanmar, around 47 miles north of Lashio, northern Shan State’s largest city. The Kokang army captured Lashio in 2024, holding it for eight months before returning control to the Myanmar military in April of this year. The town of Kutkai is made up of eight urban wards, while the broader territory of Kutkai Township encompasses dozens of village tracts, each made up of several villages. The township has a total population of more than 100,000. Although another group allied with the MNDAA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), led the capture of the town early last year, the Kokang army also maintains a presence there and shares administrative responsibilities, Kutkai residents said. Kokang army member inspecting documents at a checkpoint (Photo: The Kokang/Facebook) The Kokang army’s division of the territory under its administration—which differs from the Myanmar military regime’s—counts Kutkai District as one of four districts in Kokang Special Region 1, an area designated for self-government by the Kokang ethnic community. The Myanmar air force targeted Kutkai in bombing raids last month, killing at least six people and injuring nine more, after the military recaptured the town of Nawnghkio from the TNLA in mid-July. Kutkai residents said they were confused about the purpose of the various identity cards issued by the junta, the MNDAA, and other authorities. Some said they regarded the MNDAA-issued cards as essential for anyone working in the Kokang-controlled border town of Laukkai, or across the Chinese border. Others have continued to carry their old identification cards issued by the junta-controlled immigration department, which they say are still accepted for travel through territory held by anti-junta armed groups in northern Shan State. Some also noted that a separate identity card issued by the TNLA is needed to enter and pass through Ta’ang-controlled areas. “I think this card is only useful for those who move or travel to Kunlong, Laukkai, or other areas controlled by the Kokang army,” a man from Kutkai said. “We are not planning to apply for it since we are not moving anywhere. However, if this card is compulsory for residency or must be obtained, then we will have to obey the requirement.” As allies, the TNLA and MNDAA both participated in the sweeping anti-junta offensive dubbed “Operation 1027” in 2023 and 2024, capturing towns across northern Shan State from the junta. The TNLA has issued its own identity cards for residents of the towns it controls, including Namhsan, Mongton and Namtu.

Kokang army to issue ID for residents of Kutkai, northern Shan State

Locals expressed confusion about the benefits of carrying the documents issued to them by various authorities, including the Myanmar junta and different ethnic armed organisations

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