April 23, 2025
NAYPYIDAW – A military convoy carrying the flags of the Northeastern Military Command entered Lashio, Shan State (North) this morning (April 22).
The military convoy, which includes hundreds of vehicles, is currently parked on the side of the Union Highway.
The Tatmadaw’s return to Lashio, which was controlled by the MNDAA, came after reports emerged in the past few days that the city would be handed over to the local administration of the NSA. The Tatmadaw’s return to Lashio comes after the MNDAA, NSA security officials, and the Chinese ceasefire monitoring delegation held talks in the past few days.
Although no official announcement has been made by either party regarding how the Lashio administration will proceed, the MNDAA removed their Special Region (1) flags in Lashio on April 21.
However, some locals said that some MNDAA members are still present in Lashio, near the Two Elephants Hotel, where they are holding talks.
The Myanmar New Year holidays have ended and government offices have reopened today (April 22), so it is not yet clear whether Lashio administrative staff will be joining the military convoy.
“We saw a military convoy coming in. It is currently parked on the side of the road. We don’t know if the administrative staff came at once or not. The number of vehicles is in the hundreds. The people are moving around as usual,” said a local.
A staff member said that the staff currently serving in Taunggyi from Lashio have only been given a list of names and that there has been no order to return to Lashio, and that administrative staff may join the Tatmadaw convoy.