MNDAA to withdraw from Hsenwi in August
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Htet Nadi/Pearl (NP News)
The MNDAA will withdraw from Hsenwi in August, according to information obtained by The Statesman Journal from local residents.
There are reports that MNDAA groups will have to hand over the areas they control, including Hseinwi in northern Shan State, to the State Administrative Council (SAC) this year and withdraw to their original self-administered zone.
“Now we’ve got the confirmed news. It’s going to be around August — most likely just after the Thadingyut festival. They said we’ll have to wait a bit longer for them to pull back to Laukkai. But they will eventually withdraw to Laukkai. As for Hseinwi, it’ll likely be in August or just after Thadingyut. The government will take back control. Of course, there will be some behind-the-scenes negotiations and give-and-take among them,” a local resident told The Statesman Journal.
It has been some time since the MNDAA began relocating office equipment, including computers, from Hseinwi, leading local residents to speculate that MNDAA troops were preparing to withdraw. Now, it appears that such assumptions are becoming more certain, according to local sources.
“It’s been about a week or two since MNDAA started moving their office-related items like computers. We’ve seen them relocating administrative office equipment using vehicles. So, speculation that they might be handing back control has been circulating for a while. Now, we’re hearing more talk about them possibly handing over Hseinwi. And lately, we’ve seen more signs — like how they were moving supplies back when they withdrew from Lashio,” said another local resident.
Currently, basic food and fuel prices in Hseinwi town, which is under MNDAA control, have risen significantly, according to local residents.
“If they withdraw, the best outcome would be that the local indigenous people’s lives improve. It’s only about a 45-minute drive between Lashio and Hseinwi at most. Administration can be better managed too. In Hseinwi, fuel prices and basic food costs have risen significantly. Phone lines are unreliable. If Lashio and Hseinwi are jointly administered again like before, no matter what anyone says, it would benefit the local people. Everyone just wants to return home,” said a local resident.
Lashio, which was temporarily controlled by the MNDAA, was handed back to the National Liberation Army (NLA) on April 22. Currently, many government offices, including the Lashio General Hospital, are operating again, and relief efforts are being carried out for local residents in Hseinwi and Kunlong townships.
Furthermore, after the government regained control of Lashio, many local residents from Kutkai, Hsipaw, Kyaukme, and Mantong, areas under the influence of TNLA, MNDAA, and KIA, have been relocating and settling in the city. –