MNDAA Seals Off Ta’ang Homes in Namphatkar, Forces Locals to Sign Pledges Not to Join TNLA

Local residents from Namphatkar Village in Kutkai Township, Shan State, have reported that Kogang Army (MNDAA) forces have been seizing property from Ta’ang homes and sealing them off, a local Lway Nilar (Not her real name) said. 

According to locals, between March 14 and March 24, at least seven Ta’ang houses located near the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) police station in Ward 3 of Namphatkar were occupied, looted, and sealed.

“Since the afternoon of the attack on Namphatkar, we have been barred from entering our homes. On March 15, we asked the soldiers for permission to enter, but they refused. I thought perhaps they only denied the men, so I went to ask personally in the afternoon, but I was also turned away. They told me our belongings were safe and untouched, but we later found out they had destroyed everything,” a local woman said.

Residents of Namphatkar further alleged that MNDAA troops entered the houses, looted expensive furniture and household goods, and deliberately destroyed the remaining items.

Another local man told TWO, “We have been displaced to other towns. Now, community elders are calling us to return, telling us that if we are civilians, we must come and sign a written guarantee, and there is no need to be afraid.”

The resident added that in order to return, locals were required to sign a pledge organized by local Chinese community leaders and cultural organizations. The pledge states that they are civilians having no ties to the TNLA and that they must surrender any weapons or military equipment to the MNDAA.

It was also reported that MNDAA forces threatened to arrest any residents who complained or questioned the sealing of their homes. In some cases, belongings from the sealed houses were reportedly piled up and burned.

Photo: Provided by a local (Video footage showing the destruction of household items in Namphatkar Ward 3).