Ethnic groups claim they have seized 100-plus Myanmar military bases in northern Shan State

The Tachileik News Agency reported that the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) announced on Saturday that it had successfully seized Jayan and Minean military bases in Lashio town.

Joining the operation are the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and other ethnic allied forces, namely MNDAA, AA, MDY PDF, and BPLA. Operation 1027 is the first military operation in which different anti-Myanmar junta groups have joined together to fight outside their zones.

According to a TNLA spokesman, over 100 military bases in five cities of Shan State have been seized by the group.

In Yangon, several Myanmar youths boarded public buses holding up banners supporting the 1027 operation on Friday. Their hope is that the operation will be successful.

Fighting between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups has been raging since October 27 across a swathe of Myanmar’s northern Shan state.

The area is where a billion-dollar rail link is planned as part of Beijing's Belt and Road global infrastructure project and is populated with Thais and other foreigners.

Thailand’s Foreign Ministry announced on Friday that 162 Thais living in the town of Laukkaing were shifted to a safe area and are awaiting repatriation to Thailand.

Laukkaing, a town in Shan State, is a self-administered territory of Kokang, that is prone to clashes and unrest in the nearby areas, the ministry said.

The ministry believes these Thai citizens have been deceived into engaging in illegal work in Laukkaing by agencies based in Myanmar.