MNDAA says it frees 500 junta POWs held during Lashio fighting

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops attend a traditional ceremony marking the release of prisoners on January 25. The event was held by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army in northern Shan State following its decision to free hundreds of detainees captured during fighting in Lashio, Shan State. (Photo: The Kokang)

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army said Sunday it had released 500 prisoners of war captured during fighting in northern Shan State, marking one of the largest recent handovers by an ethnic armed group as Myanmar’s civil war grinds on.The prisoners were captured during its takeover of Lashio in northern Shan State in 2023 and 2024, detaining them during fighting under Operation 1027. The detainees were released on the seventh day of the Da Jiao Festival, a Chinese ritual honoring martyr spirits, as a gesture of humanitarian goodwill, the group said.The MNDAA, also known as the Kokang Army, stated that nine prisoners convicted of minor crimes and 500 well-behaved POWs were freed, while 49 other inmates had their sentences reduced. Earlier, more than 80 POWs held in Chin Shwe Haw. . .