Most of Laukkai now under MNDAA control

Laukkai, the administrative centre of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone (SAZ), is now almost fully under the control of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), according to local sources. The MNDAA and its allies have been closing in on the city since mid-November and first entered its outskirts at the beginning of this month. According to a resident who fled on Sunday, there were few signs left of a military presence in the city, and most members of a pro-regime Kokang militia based there had surrendered. “The militiamen have all laid down their arms and the MNDAA has taken over the police compound. There’s hardly anything left of the junta’s grip there now,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. However, regime forces have continued to fire heavy artillery at the city, killing eight local civilians and injuring 25 others on Monday, according to an MNDAA statement released the following day. The victims were all Laukkai residents who had stayed behind to take care of their property, said a local man who did not want to be named. “I heard they were going to a market. They were all locals,” said the man, adding that the incident occurred in Tong Chain, a ward in the southern part of Laukkai that has been occupied by the MNDAA for nearly a month. The casualties were caused by two heavy artillery shells that exploded near a hotel in Tong Chain at around 1:30pm on Monday, according to the MNDAA statement. The victims’ personal details were not available at the time of reporting, but photographs released by the group show that at least one of the deceased was a woman. Videos have also been circulating online in recent days showing soldiers in MNDAA uniforms patrolling parts of Laukkai, as well as deserted buildings inside a police compound. Militia members surrendering to MNDAA troops and handing over large quantities of weapons can also be seen in the videos, which are believed to have been filmed since Monday. According to Shwe Phee Myay, a local news agency, the MNDAA also seized the home of militia leader Bai Suocheng, who has been wanted by China since December 10 for his role in running massive scam centres in the Kokang SAZ. Bai became head of the region’s administration after helping the military force the MNDAA out of Laukkai in 2009. He was also a Shan State legislator for the military proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party. Earlier this week, it was reported that the MNDAA had seized three outposts near Laukkai over the weekend. At present, the regime reportedly controls only two positions in the area—the Laukkai Regional Operations Command centre and a border outpost northeast of the city. Myanmar Now was unable to reach MNDAA spokesperson Li Kyar Win for comment on the current situation in Laukkai, and the junta’s information officer has also been silent on the latest developments there. Laukkai was reportedly the focus of talks held in the Chinese city of Kunming on December 7-8 between the regime and the Brotherhood Alliance, of which the MNDAA is a member. According to leaked documents seen by Myanmar Now, the junta agreed to give up control of Laukkai in exchange for a ceasefire to allow regime personnel to leave the city. However, fighting resumed a little more than a week later after the MNDAA took control of the Yanlone Kyaing gate, a busy checkpoint on the China-Myanmar border located some three miles from Laukkai.

Most of Laukkai now under MNDAA control

The military appears to have largely abandoned the city but has continued shelling it, killing eight civilians on Monday

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