SHAN STATE – The junta council has blocked off the entrance to Lashio in northern Shan State from Nammatu starting December 25 and as a result, a large number of displaced people from Nammatu are trapped in Mansan, reported the locals.
The junta council has set up blockades near the gas station at the exist of Lashio leading to Nammatu and at Naunglai Village while Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) led allied forces had blocked the road at Einai Village, trapping the displaced people. A local revealed that there were a few thousand displaced people.
“The power is at the barrel of the gun. Those who were permitted to enter Lashio were also banned from leaving the city. The entry was not for everyone either. They only permitted those queuing to clear the area. You cannot exist once you enter. The situation is muddy and things are changing constantly,” explained the local.
Although the gate on the road to Nammatu was closed, Melhan gate on the road to Mandalay was still open, said a traveler.
Most of the main roads in northern Shan State, where the military situation is tense between the Three Brotherhood Alliance and the junta council, are temporarily closed at present while some roads are opened and closed at intervals, according to residents.