Residents fear worst as TNLA prepares to withdraw from Mogok

Residents of the famed ruby-trading town of Mogok in Mandalay Region say they are struggling to find ways to leave ahead of the planned return of regime forces later this month. Under a Chinese-brokered ceasefire, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) has agreed to hand over control of the town to the regime after occupying it for more than a year. The transfer is slated to take place by November 25. Many residents supported the TNLA’s takeover of the town in July of last year, and now fear they will be punished for cooperating with anti-regime forces. In other towns, returning junta troops have arrested civilians deemed sympathetic to the resistance and sealed off their homes and businesses. “We want to get out, but the fighting isn’t limited to one area—it’s happening all across the region. Going to Mandalay also poses security risks,” said one resident, adding that after a year of occupation by the TNLA, most people still living in the town have some connection to the group. The greatest challenge, he said, is the sheer expense of travel in a region where transportation has been upended by two years of conflict. “It costs roughly 500,000 kyat [around US$125] per person to get to Mandalay, which adds up to about three million kyat for a family of five when factoring in food along the way. And this doesn’t even cover accommodation once we get there,” he said. Another resident pointed out that most of those still living in the town simply don’t have the means to leave. “Those who could escape have done so. Most of those who have stayed are already struggling financially. With transport so difficult, the cost of goods has soared,” she said. Since retaking the strategic town of Nawnghkio in northern Shan State in July, the regime has also seized control of Kyaukme and Hsipaw, two other towns captured by the TNLA as part of Operation 1027, an anti-junta offensive launched in October 2023. Residents of all three towns have reported punitive actions taken against groups and individuals who cooperated with the TNLA and its allies. People’s Defence Force troops in western Mogok on July 1, 2024 (Photo: Myanmar Now) Under a ceasefire agreement that went into effect on October 29, the TNLA is set to withdraw from Mogok and Mongmit (Momeik) in northern Shan State by the end of this month, sparking fears of similar reprisals. In Mogok, residents say that preparations for the TNLA’s planned pullout are already well underway. “They’ve been clearing out their offices, sending all female officers away, and arranging vehicles for departure. We saw all these preparations,” said one man living in the town. Another Mogok native said she was “troubled” by the prospect of returning junta troops, but added that she and her family have no intention of leaving. “I am deeply committed to this revolution and distraught that Mogok is being returned. I don’t plan to run away, and there are many others like me whose whole families have sacrificed for the cause,” she said. While the TNLA has signalled that it is no longer willing to fight to retain control of Mogok, other groups that helped to capture the town said they would continue to defend it. These groups—including the Mandalay People’s Defence Force, the All-Burma Students’ Democratic Front, the People’s Liberation Army, and the Mogok Strategic Force—have all issued statements pledging to resist the junta army’s planned re-entry. According to reports, junta columns are currently advancing on Mogok from Nawnghkio in the south and from Thabeikkyin—also recaptured in July from groups aligned with the National Unity Government—to the west. A resistance fighter based in Mogok told Myanmar Now that the town’s inhabitants have been warned to remain on the alert for airstrikes, as clashes in the town could soon intensify. He also asserted that the resistance forces continue to regard the TNLA as a key ally of their struggle against the regime. “We respect and acknowledge the TNLA’s involvement in the Spring Revolution battles. This is not the end of the revolution, and I am confident the TNLA will remain committed to it,” he said.

Residents fear worst as TNLA prepares to withdraw from Mogok

The ethnic Ta’ang armed group has agreed to leave the ruby-trading centre, but other groups have vowed to defend it

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