The Ta’ang (Palaung) National Liberation Army (TNLA) is allocating gemstone-mining plots to residents at the Mongkut Golf Course in Mongkut (Mogok) town, located on the border of Shan State and the Mandalay Region.

Residents said the TNLA, which recently announced its impending withdrawal from Mongkut, began distributing mining plots in the golf course area in early November. Large-scale gemstone excavation has taken place there during the period the TNLA has controlled the area.

A male resident of Mongkut told SHAN that when the TNLA first seized the town in September 2024, only major mining operators and companies were granted extraction rights. Now, he said, plots are being demarcated within the golf course and opened to local miners.

“Locals really are mining inside the golf course, and they’re digging actively. We don’t know what agreement or arrangement they have with the TNLA that allows them to do so,” the resident said.

Locals are currently allowed to conduct small-scale mining on the golf course, located west of the town. Large mining companies are reportedly continuing their operations in the same area.

A gemstone trader from Mongkut said locals receiving these small-scale mining rights are believed to be required to pay taxes to the TNLA.

“I have heard that people have died in landslides while mining in the golf course. If you find gemstones, you have to give two-thirds of the value to the TNLA,” the trader said.

Gemstone traders said the Gemstone Committee formed by the TNLA after taking control of Mongkut consisted of four TNLA representatives, two People’s Defense Force (PDF) representatives, and four town elders aligned with the groups. At that time, locals were permitted to mine only in the traditional Paw Lan gemstone fields and were required to pay up to 40 percent of their finds as tax to the TNLA. High-quality stones could be sold only to Chinese traders authorized by the group.

SHAN attempted to contact TNLA spokesperson Lway Ye Oo for comment on the allocation of small-scale plots ahead of the group’s expected withdrawal, but was unable to reach her.

The TNLA is rumored to be required to withdraw from Mongkut by November 20. The military regime’s plans for re-entering the town remain unclear, and some residents have begun fleeing due to security concerns.