Inspections at military checkpoints between Namlan and Mong Kung townships in Shan State have become significantly stricter since early September, according to local sources.

Troops from the Myanmar military’s 506th Light Infantry Battalion (LIB-506), operating under the Military Junta’s so-called State Security and Peace Commission, are stationed along the Namlan–Mong Kung route in Hsipaw District. Travelers report that both passenger vehicles and cargo trucks are being stopped and thoroughly searched.

“At Namlan’s entry and exit gates, they only let people pass if they choose to. Even rice sacks and medicine are not allowed through. Passenger vans and private cars are also being stopped,” said a traveler who recently passed through the area.

A Mong Kung resident added that checkpoints along the Mong Kung–Laikha road have also tightened inspections, blocking goods imported from northern Shan State, including Chinese-made products.

“Even potato trucks coming from the Chinese side on their way to Taunggyi are being stopped at the gate. They have been stuck inside Mong Kung for about three days. Many trucks carrying Chinese goods from Lashio are now parked and stuck in Mong Kung. Some of the potatoes are already starting to rot,” he said.

At Mong Kung’s main entrance checkpoint, locals report that rice, cooking oil, salt, and Chinese food products are being turned back.

The Military Junta has been restricting the transport of goods from northern and eastern Shan State to southern Shan State since June 2025, particularly targeting Thai and Chinese food products.

Residents say this blockade has also disrupted the sale of locally produced rice, making it difficult to transport harvests to other towns.

Similar restrictions were previously reported in November 2024, when a military checkpoint near Loi Maw village—north of Mwe Taw Pagoda in Mong Kung—blocked cargo trucks carrying rice, fuel, and other food supplies headed toward Namlan and Mong Yaw in northern Shan State.