Tensions are running high in Hsenwi Township after troops from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), commonly known as the Kokang Army, detained and intimidated local vendors protesting the demolition of their shops and a forced relocation to a new market.

On April 30, MNDAA police forces entered the war-damaged Hsenwi market in Ward 1 and forcibly evicted vendors who had reopened their original stalls. According to eyewitnesses, the confrontation escalated into a physical scuffle.

“The Kokang arrested three women who were speaking on behalf of the vendors and immediately confiscated their phones. They weren’t allowed to contact anyone outside. When other vendors followed them to the police station, they were turned away and threatened with handcuffs,” one vendor told SHAN.

The three women were released later that evening, but witnesses reported that another female vendor was also taken into custody. Her current whereabouts remain unknown.

The market has been a focal point of controversy since late April, when the MNDAA began ordering the demolition of the heavily damaged site, hit by a military airstrike on July 18, 2024. The group is pressuring vendors to relocate to a new, MNDAA-managed market in Panglaw village.

However, many vendors have refused to move, citing unaffordable tax rates and concerns over transparency at the new location. In defiance, several traders reopened their original stalls earlier in April, only to be evicted again by MNDAA forces on April 15.

Local sources suspect the old market site may be slated for redevelopment into a casino or commercial complex, fueling further public concern about forced displacement and deepening economic hardship.

Community members are now calling for a transparent and fair resolution that prioritizes the rights and livelihoods of local residents.