Returning internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Nar Hee village, Pai Khun (Pekon) Township, on the Shan–Karenni (Kayah) border, are struggling to rebuild their lives due to widespread landmines left behind after recent fighting.

Between June and July 2025, more than 10,000 locals fled their homes amid intense clashes between junta forces, the pro-military Pa-O National Organization (PNO/PNA) militia, and the joint revolutionary coalition. The fighting erupted when the military and the PNO launched a major offensive to retake Pai Khun and Mong Pai (Mobye) towns from resistance forces.

Two months later, after the military council and PNO militia regained control of the eastern part of Pai Khun Township, they called on displaced residents to return home. However, those who came back found their farmlands and forests littered with landmines.

“When we fled, we had to borrow money to survive. Now that we’re back, we need to repay those debts, but we’re too afraid to go to the farms,” said a returning displaced woman. “If we step on a mine, death might be better. Living with missing limbs is like being a living dead person.”

In early September, two brothers from Nar Hee village — Sai Pyar and Sai Sitta, both in their 30s — were killed instantly after stepping on a landmine while searching for bamboo shoots and mushrooms in a nearby forest.
A Shan youth organization staff member said villagers continue to encounter landmines scattered across fields, roads, and forest paths.

“Even though they have returned, landmines are still being found everywhere — in the hills, in farmland, even on village paths. No one knows which armed group planted them,” the local youth said. “We’ve advised people to report any suspicious objects or landmines to the village head or local authorities immediately.”

More than 8,000 displaced people have now returned to areas east of Pai Khun Lake (Pekon Inn), where junta and PNO forces remain stationed in several villages. Locals are urging all armed actors in the area to begin mine clearance operations to ensure safety and allow people to rebuild their lives.

Following the junta’s recapture of Pai Khun and Mong Pai in July, displaced residents sheltering in Pang Laung (Pinlaung), Ywanghwe (Nyaungshwe), and Hsihseng townships have reportedly been told to return home ahead of the military council’s planned election later this year.