26-11-2023 (BANGKOK) In a significant development, an ethnic minority armed coalition in Myanmar has successfully wrested control of a strategically crucial border crossing into China from the ruling junta, as reported by local media and confirmed by a security source on November 26.
Intense clashes have engulfed Myanmar’s northern Shan state, situated in close proximity to the Chinese border. This unrest stems from an offensive launched in October by an alliance comprising three ethnic minority groups against the military junta.
These groups have not only seized numerous military positions but also taken control of a town crucial for trade with China, effectively constricting commerce routes for the financially strained junta.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a key member of the allied groups, spearheaded the offensive that led to the capture of the Kyin San Kyawt border gate, as reported by a local media outlet affiliated with the group.
On November 26, the Kokang news outlet conveyed, “MNDAA also reported they seized one more border trade gate, which is called Kyin San Kyawt, in Mongko area, Muse district this morning.”
The alliance, comprising the MNDAA, Arakan Army (AA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), expanded its control by capturing additional positions within the border trade zone since the assault commenced on November 24.
The MNDAA emblem now flies over the border trade zone at Kyin San Kyawt, according to a security source cited by AFP.
Kyin San Kyawt gate, a major trading point along the Myanmar-China border, had been reopened in 2022 after pandemic-related closures.
Earlier in the week, Zaw Min Tun, the junta spokesman, attributed the destruction of around 120 trucks near the border crossing to armed groups. The heightened conflict has inflicted further damage on Myanmar’s already beleaguered economy, disrupting vital cross-border commerce and depriving the military of much-needed tax revenue and foreign exchange.
Local reports indicate that goods passing through the Kyin San Kyawt crossing encompass machinery, electrical appliances, agricultural tractors, and various consumer items. The ongoing unrest poses a severe challenge to the stability of the region, with implications reaching beyond Myanmar’s borders.
