Myanmar junta recaptures gold-mining town of Thabeikkyin

Myanmar’s military has retaken Thabeikkyin, a strategically vital gold-mining town in Mandalay Region, following a sustained air and ground offensive against resistance forces that captured it nearly a year ago. The assault, which began late last week, culminated on Tuesday with the seizure of key positions, including the town’s public hospital, by regime forces. Local sources confirmed that junta troops had entered the town centre after days of heavy fighting. Anti-junta forces aligned with the National Unity Government (NUG) had controlled Thabeikkyin since capturing it in August of last year. “Regime troops have now reached the area around the public hospital,” a senior NUG defence official told Myanmar Now, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly. The military used overwhelming force in the offensive, deploying troops transported to the area by river from Mandalay and launching repeated airstrikes. Six navy vessels reportedly arrived at a riverbank near Thabeikkyin on Tuesday before the military made a final push into the town. Despite the junta’s gains, sources said that resistance units—including NUG Battalions 1 and 2, the Mogok Strategic Unit, the Thabeikkyin People’s Defence Team, and Pyin Oo Lwin-based Battalions 509, 510, and 512—continue to fight near the town. Battalion 1222 of the Mandalay People’s Defence Force is also active east of 7-Mile, a village in the area that hosts a major junta army base. People’s Defence Force troops pose after capturing junta bases in Thabeikkyin Township in August 2024 (Photo: MDY-PDF) Fighting began to intensify in rural areas about four miles from Thabeikkyin on July 17, setting the stage for junta troops to enter the town five days later, local sources told Myanmar Now. Located more than 80 miles north of Mandalay, Thabeikkyin is known for its high-quality gold deposits and proximity to Mogok, a major gemstone-producing area some 55 miles to the east. Before the town was taken by resistance groups last year, mining operations were dominated by companies affiliated with the military. According to official data, Mandalay Region accounts for 61 percent of Myanmar’s gold production. Junta troops had regrouped in recent weeks at bases in 7-Mile and Twin Nge, using their positions in the villages to launch a renewed bid to reclaim Thabeikkyin and restore control over resources critical to the regime’s finances. This is not the junta’s only recent territorial gain. Last week, its forces also recaptured Nawnghkio, a town in northern Shan State that had been under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. The group had faced weeks of intense military pressure across its frontlines before being forced to withdraw. The back-to-back offensives mark a renewed push by the junta to retake lost ground in both central Myanmar and northern Shan State, amid a broader effort to weaken resistance momentum and re-establish control over key strategic and economic zones. Yee Mon, the NUG’s minister of defence, confirmed to Myanmar Now on Wednesday that troops under his ministry’s command had withdrawn from Thabeikkyin, but declined to elaborate further on the situation.

Myanmar junta recaptures gold-mining town of Thabeikkyin

The town, which had been under the control of resistance forces for nearly a year, is the latest to fall back into junta hands in recent weeks

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