Residents of northern Shan State are facing hardship as food and fuel prices skyrocket amid an upsurge of fighting between Myanmar junta troops and anti-regime ethnic allies, according to locals.
The Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Arakan Army, launched Operation 1027 on October 27. The alliance has since seized more than 80 junta military bases and taken control of Phaung Sai in Muse Township, Chin Shwe Haw town in Laukkaing Township in northern Shan State and Hseni town on the Lashio-Muse highway.
The fighting has also blocked supply routes and China border crossings, triggering a two- to threefold rise in the price of basic commodities. The prices of rice, meat, drinking water, vegetables, eggs and fuel have been surging in northern Shan State townships since last week.
A bag of quality rice that normally costs 120,000 kyats is now priced at over 200,000 kyats. The price of an egg has risen from 300 kyats to 1,000 kyats while a kilo of tomatoes has soared from 3,000 to 8,000 kyats, according to locals.
Kutkai Township residents said they can no longer find enough rice and fuel to buy.
“As days go by, people are getting into trouble. Cargo trucks cannot enter as the road is closed,” a Kutkai resident told The Irrawaddy.
The Lashio-Muse Union Road, which is the main route for Myanmar border trade, was temporarily closed as of October 27, according to the MNDAA.
A Muse Township resident said prices are rising amid panic buying in the town following the eruption of violence in northern Shan.
“There are shortages of rice and oil here because wealthy residents are stockpiling food. Grassroots people are now in trouble,” a Muse resident told The Irrawaddy.
Charity foundation Helping Hand was selling affordable eggs in Muse as of Tuesday.
“We sell an egg for 400 kyats. We are planning to source meat and vegetables from China and resell them in Muse. We will donate any profits [to charity],” Helping Hand’s head, Ko Htwe, told The Irrawaddy.
Border trade has been completely suspended at the Muse 105-mile checkpoint and Chin Shwe Haw checkpoint because junta officials have fled their posts, according to traders.
“Border trade is no longer functioning for anything except cars. Customs officials have not turned up for duty. We have even lost two watermelon shipments,” a Muse trader told The Irrawaddy.
Muse handles 70 to 80 percent of all border trade by land with China and sees around 100 cargo trucks entering or exiting per day.
