The military regime has officially designated Matman as the new principal town for the “Wa” region in Shan State, replacing the previously assigned capital, Hopang.

On October 31, regime leader Min Aung Hlaing, acting as interim president, personally signed and issued the notification in the State Gazette. The change was formalized under Order No. (9/2025), issued by the National Defence and Security Council on September 19. The order amended a designation made by the former State Peace and Development Council in 2010 and stated that the move to Matman aims “to carry out administrative and regional development activities more effectively.”

The “Wa” region, officially recognized as the Wa Self-Administered Division under the 2008 Constitution, comprises six townships in northern Shan State: Hopang, Mongmao, Pangwai, Narhpan, Matman, and Panghsang. These townships are grouped into two administrative districts.

The decision to relocate the principal town follows significant territorial gains made by the United Wa State Army (UWSA). During “Operation 1027,” Brotherhood Alliance forces captured Hopang and Pan Lon, and in early January 2024, the two towns were handed over to the UWSA. Since June 2024, the UWSA has reorganized the area as Hopang District and fully introduced its own administrative system. The junta’s decision to shift the principal town to Matman came shortly after the UWSA took control of Hopang and Pan Lon without any armed clash.

It is notable that the military council, then operating under the name State Security and Peace Commission, had agreed to transfer the Hopang–Pan Lon area on January 4, 2024, after repeated requests from the UWSA to the Union Government. The UWSA officially assumed control on January 10, according to WSTV.

In a related electoral development, the Union Election Commission (UEC) announced that for the military-organized 2025 election, the Wa National Party (WNP) has submitted a single, unopposed candidate for the National Assembly Constituency No. (1) in the “Wa” region of Shan State.