Lashio residents displaced by fighting between the junta and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) are cautiously eyeing a return home after the two sides signed a ceasefire.
Residents fled in large numbers after the MNDAA and allied forces launched their assault in early July last year. The ethnic army captured the city and its Northeastern Command one month later, prompting regime airstrikes that forced more residents to flee.
The ethnic army signed a truce with the regime during the seventh round of China-brokered talks in Kunming last Saturday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
“I am happy to hear about the ceasefire,” said a Lashio resident sheltering in Mandalay. “I hope the [junta’s] military will stop conducting airstrikes. We have been away from home for months, so we are desperate to return. We will monitor the situation for three or four days and then go back [if it is safe].”
Residents who fled Lashio sought refuge in Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region and Taunggyi in southern Shan State.
The MNDAA has installed its own administration in Lashio, restoring telecommunications, overseeing reconstruction work and providing healthcare services.
However, China closed borders with MNDAA-controlled territory and arrested its leader to pressure the ethnic army to stop fighting the regime.
Following Saturday’s ceasefire, Beijing has reopened MNDAA-controlled border trade crossings in Chin Shwe Haw and Yan Lone Kyaing, according to the United Wa State Army (UWSA). Transport of goods from UWSA territory to MNDAA areas has also been restored.
A Lashio resident sheltering in southern Shan State said: “People want to return to Lashio now that the flow of goods is resuming. Prices are cheaper in Lashio than in southern Shan State. Many are already returning.”
Other displaced residents are staying put, however, worried that the ceasefire won’t hold.
Lashio residents who remained despite the fighting said the town has returned to near normalcy and is in festive mood as Chinese New Year approaches.
Lashio’s 12 wards are home to an ethnically diverse population of 162,000 people spanning Shan, Palaung, Wa, Kachin, Chinese and Bamar communities.
