Growing tension between government soldiers and Ta’ang National Liberation Army troops in northern Shan state has forced hundreds of people from seven villages in Hseni township of Lashio district to preemptively flee to safety to the town of Theinni, RFA reported on 20 July quoting a local lawmaker.
Nang Khin Htar Ye, a member of the Shan state parliament from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party said 296 people arrived in Theinni on Wednesday, and a total of 731 are staying in a Buddhist monastery. The town is about 28 miles north of Shan state’s largest town Lashio.
Fighting between the TNLA and government army and intermittent clashes between the TNLA and the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S)have forced thousands of residents in northern Shan state to flee their homes and seek shelter in Buddhist monasteries, the report said.