Residents Flee From Myanmar Military Garrison Town as Resistance Attack Looms

Sebastian Strangio

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The clock tower in the center of Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar.

Residents of the hill town of Pyin Oo Lwin in Myanmar, including relatives of civil servants and military personnel, are reportedly fleeing south amid rumors of an attack by resistance groups on the town.

The Irrawaddy and other local sources yesterday published photos of cars choking the highway down to Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, which lies just 64 kilometers to the west. Radio Free Asia (RFA) quoted one resident as saying that “family members of civil servants have been sent to Mandalay and Naypyidaw,” adding, “The locals are worried.”

Pyin Oo Lwin, a scenic hill town in Mandalay Region formerly known as Maymyo, is the home of the Myanmar military’s Defense Forces Academy and is a key garrison town for the armed forces.

Following recent advances in Shan State and Mandalay Region, there are reports that the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and allied People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) will soon begin an offensive on the town. In late June, the TNLA and its allies in the Three Brotherhood Alliance launched the second phase of their Operation 1027 offensive, which has made rapid progress along the axis of the major highway linking Mandalay to the Chinese border.

In northern Shan State, the TNLA’s ally, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, has succeeded in capturing Lashio, the largest city in northern Shan State, consigning the military junta to perhaps its most significant defeat since the coup of February 2021.