Villagers walked for up to three days to safety in neighboring Langkhur.

Around 70 villagers from the Loi Pangpi mountain range in southern Shan State’s Mong Pan Township have fled to Langkhur Township, saying they fear forced recruitment into armed groups if they stay.

After walking for up to three days, the civilians have taken refuge in two Langkhur monasteries, Ho Ner and Pang Wong. According to those who have arrived, more villagers continue to hide in the forests, concerned about their safety at home.

Local authorities and communities are currently providing the displaced people with assistance.

Buddhist monk U Tilawka was among those who fled from Mong Pan’s Nawng Cho village, and told SHAN that the area had at times seen a presence of both the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA).

“Before Pa-O forces came to this area, RCSS/SSA also recruited new soldiers in this area,” he said, adding that to his knowledge the recruitment was not forced. He alleged that subsequent recruitment by the PNLO had been forced, however, and had occurred since the Shan armed group left.

RCSS spokesperson Lt-Col Sai Oo told SHAN that women in the area had been made to “cook and send food to PNLO camps,” adding that this was “why villagers flee.”

“This area didn’t have problems in the past,” he said. “We have to find the root causes. After that, we can solve this problem through discussion.”

Military tension between the PNLO and the RCSS in Mong Pan has been growing since early October. Last Friday, the PNLO released a statement accusing the RCSS of rounding up villagers from four communities in the area and telling them to leave.

News also spread through social media this week that ethnic Pa-O civilians from Mong Pan’s Ner Moon village had crossed the Salween River and taken refuge in Wa-controlled areas near the Thai-Burma border.

Both the PNLO and the RCSS have signed Burma’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the government and military.