The military regime has sent additional troops to three of its military bases which are located near the Shan State Progress Party’s (SSPP) Wan Hai headquarters in Kehsi Township in Loilem District in southern Shan state.

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Local witnesses reported that 30 military trucks carrying military regime soldiers travelled from the Northern Military Command Headquarters in Lashio to Kehsi Township in southern Shan state on 26 January.

“Of the 30 military trucks, 10 trucks went to the Light Infantry Battalion 22 in Mang Hpyet village located between Mong Yai town and Kehsi Town. The remaining 20 trucks continued to Kehsi town. These military regime bases are not far from the SSPP’s Wan Hai headquarters,” a local man (source 1) from Mong Yai town who requested anonymity for security reasons told SHAN.

Also on 26 January, local witnesses reported that 10 military regime trucks carrying soldiers from the Central-East Military Command Headquarters, based in Kholam town, arrived in Mong Nawng town. Mong Nawng which is the location of the regime’s Military Operation Command Number 2.

“A total of 10 military trucks from Kholam arrived at MOC-2 in Mong Nawng town. The military regime’s MOC-2 is only about 20 miles distance from the SSPP’s Wan Hai headquarters. It appears that the military regime is continuing to send troops to its military bases which are located near the SSPP headquarters,” a local man (source 2) told SHAN.

At around 9 a.m. on 27 January, more military regime troops were moved to Kehsi town. Local people reported that 24 military trucks from Light Infantry Battalion 325 and an artillery battalion, which were both based in Mong Yai town, travelled from Mong Yai to Kehsi town.

The movement of additional military regime troops into the immediate vicinity of the SSPP’s Wan Hai headquarters in Kehsi Township occurred just days after military regime Yakovlev Yak-130 fighter jets flew through the airspace above the SSPP Wan Hai headquarters.

On 24 January around 11:50 a.m., the Russian-made fighter jets flew approximately 500 meters above the SSPP’s Wan Hai headquarters. In response, a SSPP spokesperson immediately condemned the presence of military regime fighter jets above the SSPP headquarters as a provocative action.

In 2015, the military regime attacked the SSPP’s Wan Hai headquarters using both airborne and ground forces.