The junta allegedly used chemical weapons to defend Sakhanthit Military Camp near Namhkam Town in northern Shan state when it was attacked by Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) fighters on 18 November.

At about 2:00 p.m. on 18 November, the junta ground and air forces counterattacked the TNLA, firing at least two chemical munitions believed to contain poisonous gas which caused TNLA soldiers to experience symptoms such as numbness, dizziness, suffocation, and unconsciousness.

A TNLA soldier said: “Throughout the battle, the junta consistently launched shells, and we were not immediately aware that it was a gas shell. I experienced dizziness and lost consciousness after inhaling the gas released from the shell.”

TNLA soldiers needed medical treatment because they were anxious and had low levels of oxygen in their blood. They were given supplementary oxygen with antidote and stimulant injections and are now recovering, said a doctor from the TNLA Health Department.

He explained that any soldiers who had been on the battlefield and were suffering similar symptoms may have inhaled poisonous gas.

He said: “We are unsure of the specific type of poison, but it appears to impact breathing and the lungs. We are continually monitoring the patients.”

The TNLA did not reveal how many of its soldiers it had treated for gas inhalation, but it said that the junta’s use of chemical weapons was a violation of international law.

The TNLA claims that the junta previously used chemical weapons on the TNLA when its soldiers attacked the Moekyat junta military camp in Lashio Township on 4 November.

Since the fighting at Sakhanthit military camp, residents of nearby Namkhan Town are staying indoors and the TNLA has heightened security measures in the town.