Myanmar junta attempts charm campaign in recaptured town of Nawnghkio

The Myanmar military has initiated a propaganda campaign in Nawnghkio, northern Shan State just days after retaking it from anti-regime forces, with whom it fought for more than a year while terrorising the area with indiscriminate airstrikes. After seizing the town last Wednesday, the military has distributed food, reopened administrative institutions, and disseminated messages portraying a return to ‘normalcy’—an apparent bid to restore its image among people devastated by months of brutal bombardment. Residents say the military has handed out rice porridge and fuel canisters while spreading pro-regime propaganda, aiming to present itself as a stabilising force. “It’s just for show,” said one Nawnghkio resident. “They bombed our homes for months, and now they hand out porridge like they’re here to help.” Since the military retook control of the town, junta-run media have circulated videos of civil servants returning to work, state bank branches resuming operations, and schools being cleaned in preparation for reopening. Local sources said the Myanma Economic Bank is slated to reopen its doors on July 22, while police officers, township-level administrators, and a limited number of other government employees have already started to return to their old jobs. Behind the cheerful public display of recovery, however, the town’s residents have said the reality of the military’s return has shown a more repressive side. Authorities have reportedly begun quietly rounding up and interrogating local people suspected of sympathising with or supporting the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the ethnic armed organisation that held control of the town for nearly a year. “While handing out aid on one side, they’re detaining people for questioning on the other,” said a resident who asked not to be named for safety reasons. Supporters of the military on Telegram propaganda channels have touted its re-entry into the town as a return to law and order, advancing the narrative by posting curated footage of offices reopening and civilians returning to their homes. Nonetheless, many locals remain distrustful of the military, recalling the relentless airstrikes and destruction that preceded this ostensible normalisation. The Myanmar military carried out at least 20 airstrikes on civilian-inhabited areas in and near Nawnghkio from September 2024 to July 2025, killing at least 77 people including children, monks, and the elderly, and injuring at least 112, as documented by Myanmar Now. Among the most destructive incidents was the bombing of the Zeyar Yadana Buddhist school in the south side of town on March 16 of this year, which killed 10 people including five novice monks and injured 18 more. The junta air force also attacked a tea shop near the police station during a morning rush in January, killing 10 people including elderly customers and the shop owner’s family. In October 2024, the military bombed a detention camp in the township run by the Mandalay People’s Defence Force (MDY-PDF), killing 16 detainees and a junta officer, and injuring more than 60 others. Entire sections of the town—as well as its hospital, police station, district offices, schools, and residential areas—have sustained damage in the junta’s relentless raids. However, junta loyalists now claim the airstrikes were “necessary” to eliminate the influence of anti-junta fighters in the area, justifying the destruction as part of a legitimate counterinsurgency operation. In recent days, over 20 military vehicles have brought reinforcements to Nawnghkio. According to military-aligned sources, the junta now intends to push northward towards Kyaukme and Hsipaw, two other crucial towns held by the TNLA. The military has already escalated its aerial attacks on Kyaukme, with at least eight recorded bombing raids since the beginning of June killing seven civilians and injuring more than 30, including many children. Locals estimate that almost half of Kyaukme’s population of around 50,000 has fled, with many seeking safety in the larger city of Lashio. Meanwhile, some TNLA forces have maintained a presence in parts of Nawnghkio Township, particularly along rural routes such as the Gohtwin road, where fighting has continued. Skirmishes have also been reported in villages outside the township, with both sides preparing for potential escalations. Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, and Hsipaw are located along a strategically important trade corridor linking Myanmar to China. During Chinese-brokered peace talks hosted in Yunnan Province earlier this year, the junta demanded that TNLA relinquish control of five towns, including Nawnghkio and Kyaukme. The talks ended without an agreement, and a new round is scheduled for August. In advance of the reconvened negotiations, observers believe the military is trying to shift the diplomatic balance in its favour by reclaiming territory and creating an image of stability through staged recovery and repair.

Myanmar junta attempts charm campaign in recaptured town of Nawnghkio

While the regime portrays is recapture of the town as a return to normalcy and calm, residents have noticed authorities detaining their neighbours for questioning and remember the destruction caused by the military’s relentless airstrikes

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