By Bala / MPA
Residents returning to Northern Shan State are being denied passage at the Kyauk Gu checkpoint on the Yaksawk-Namlan road, according to the reports.
Among internally displaced residents returning to Northern Shan State from Taunggyi, only individuals over the age of 45 had previously been allowed to pass. However, since September 2, no one has been permitted to pass, according to a resident from Hsipaw who had been at the checkpoint.
“There’s only one checkpoint at Kyauk Gu. Initially, they checked NRCs. When we said we were going to Northern Shan, we were told to turn back. Since young people dare not go, only elders were traveling, but since yesterday, they are being turned back as well,” the source told MPA.
Reportedly, the junta soldiers at the checkpoint gate are not allowing passage to travelers heading to Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Lashio, Kutkai, and Muse.
“Due to a military checkpoint on the Yaksawk-Kyauk Gu-Namlan road, people avoided it in the past. They had to pay checkpoint fees, and sometimes passengers were extorted for money. Before, people used the Thazi road, but now the Thazi bridge is flooded, making it impassable, so travelers returning to Northern Shan are stranded in the southern region. In the early mornings and evenings, sometimes there are no soldiers at the Kyauk Gu checkpoint, and some people manage to pass during those times,” explained a person transporting passengers from southern to northern Shan.
Meanwhile, heavy clashes between the TNLA and the military are intensifying at the 902 Artillery Operations Command near Taunghkam Village in Nawnghkio Township, Northern Shan State.
