In Myanmar’s war-torn Shan State, the MNDAA shot five convicts, one Chinese, for crimes like robbery and murder, continuing its brutal control over justice. With junta airstrikes and crime surging, the executions reflect a collapsing system. Manipur’s parallel ethnic strife, marked by recent assaults, underscores the region’s shared turmoil, though driven by different forces.
BY PC Bureau
April 1`2, 2025
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a major ethnic insurgent group in northern Myanmar’s Shan State, publicly executed five convicted criminals, including one Chinese citizen, at Lashio’s airport, local residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday. The executions highlight the MNDAA’s autonomous justice system in territories under its control, as Myanmar grapples with civil war and instability following the 2021 military coup.
The group—four Myanmar nationals and one Chinese citizen, aged 30 to 60 from Lashio, Hsenwi, and Mogok—was convicted of murder, rape, robbery, and burglary stemming from 2023 arrests. “They were shot after receiving death sentences,” a Lashio resident said, requesting anonymity for safety. Another Myanmar citizen received a death sentence, suspended for two years, while one Chinese man and another Myanmar national were sentenced to life imprisonment. The MNDAA invited the public to witness the executions, per its legal customs, but provided no details on whether the accused had legal representation. Attempts to reach the MNDAA’s communications officer went unanswered.
Insurgent army executes 5 civilians in northern Myanmar https://t.co/wiYbiGJjkm pic.twitter.com/rB1YLWCmgH
— Dr. Lumpy (@LumpyAsia) April 12, 2025
A Pattern of Harsh Justice
This is not the MNDAA’s first public execution. On December 5, 2024, the group accused 14 people in Laukkaing of crimes, including murder, executing six. The MNDAA, rooted in the ethnic Chinese Kokang community, has administered its own courts since seizing large swathes of Shan State, including Lashio, during its fight against Myanmar’s junta. However, ongoing clashes, junta airstrikes, and a collapsing economy have strained resources, leading to rising crime like looting in Lashio. Many insurgent groups, including the MNDAA, struggle to maintain formal judicial processes amid the chaos, often resorting to summary justice.
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Background: MNDAA and Myanmar’s Civil War
The MNDAA, part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army, launched Operation 1027 in October 2023, capturing key territories like Lashio’s military headquarters. Fighting for Kokang autonomy, the group has clashed with the junta while navigating Chinese pressure due to Shan State’s proximity to China’s border. A March 2025 report detailed a detainee’s death in MNDAA custody from beatings, raising concerns about extrajudicial measures. Recently, under Chinese mediation, the MNDAA agreed to withdraw from Lashio by April’s end, ceding control to the junta, though it retains villages in its Special Region
Myanmar’s civil war, triggered by the junta’s 2021 power grab, has killed thousands and displaced millions. Shan State, a mosaic of ethnic groups, faces relentless violence, with airstrikes and economic decline fueling crime. The MNDAA’s executions reflect both its attempt to maintain order and the brutal realities of a region where formal governance has crumbled. Critics argue such acts, absent transparent trials, risk alienating locals, while supporters claim they deter crime in lawless times.
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