Laukkai’s Escape: A Harrowing Journey from War-Torn Myanmar
In the twilight of 2021, Laukkai, a border town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, found itself on the brink of war. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), an ethnic armed group, stood poised to seize control from the ruling military junta.
For Htun, a young man lured into the town’s deceptive scamming industry, the signs of impending conflict were subtle. Mobile networks faltered, electricity vanished, and the Chinese workers who ran his company fled.
Ja Hkawn, a former university student working as a cashier in a scamming operation, watched as security guards shed their uniforms and the building transformed into a semblance of a hotel. The Chinese supervisors vanished, leaving behind bewildered Myanmar nationals.
As the MNDAA’s forces advanced, Laukkai erupted in chaos. Roads clogged with desperate residents seeking escape, while artillery fire and jet strikes raged overhead. Htun and his companions navigated perilous checkpoints manned by resistance fighters and witnessed young men forcibly recruited.
Ja Hkawn and a friend escaped on a motorbike through cane fields, enduring body searches and surrendering their phones. Their arduous journey to Lashio, the capital of northern Shan State, tested their limits. They trekked through mountains, abandoned vehicles littered their path, and checkpoints loomed ominously.
On the third day, Htun’s group encountered a pregnant woman in labor. With no medical assistance, they miraculously delivered her baby in their car. The group finally reached Lashio, a sanctuary from the escalating conflict.
On January 12, 2022, the MNDAA and its allies secured Laukkai and brokered a China-mediated ceasefire. The Haigeng Agreement promised safety for Chinese citizens and businesses within the border region.
Laukkai’s fall marked a turning point in the resistance against the military junta. The town, once a hub of illicit activities, became a symbol of ethnic defiance. Htun and Ja Hkawn’s stories offer a poignant glimpse into the harrowing realities of conflict and the resilience of those who endure it.
