Fighting has erupted in Naung Kyaw and Taung Shae village tracts of Hsihseng Township, Southern Shan State, resulting in approximately 100 casualties among military and militia forces, according to Khun Yaim Ran, information officer of the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA). The conflict began on August 6 when PNLA forces engaged with combined forces of the military council and Pa-O National Organization (PNO) militia who had launched operations in the area. The week-long battles resulted in significant casualties on the military council’s side.
The PNLA forces were compelled to withdraw from positions near Naung Htaw and Kaung Htee villages when the military deployed over 1,000 troops in their offensive. During the fighting, the military conducted airstrikes targeting PNLA/PNLO headquarters and nearby villages. Khun Yaim Ran clarified that PNLA forces do not maintain positions within villages but operate from nearby hills and forested areas. The military council and PNO militia forces, using overwhelming numbers, managed to enter some villages, where they proceeded to commit acts of destruction and violence against civilians.
On August 9, military and PNO militia forces burned down parts of Naung Htaw village’s Kayah quarter and Naung Htaw Kular Lan village, where Kayah, Kayar, and Karenni ethnic groups reside. More than 24 houses were destroyed in the arson attacks. Additionally, PNO militia forces killed a 38-year-old man from Salaung Htaung village. These actions have forced over 2,000 local residents to flee their homes and seek safety elsewhere. The PNO militia, which emerged from local communities, has transformed from a people’s militia in 2009 to become a tool of the military dictatorship. The current PNO militia leader, crony Nay Win Tun, is not of Pa-O ethnicity but rather exploits the Pa-O people to protect his business interests, according to PNLA’s information department.
