Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have begun returning to Nanneint Village in Pang Laung (Pinlaung) Township, Southern Shan State, say they remain unable to rebuild their lives after years of displacement caused by armed conflict.

In 2023, intense fighting between the military junta, the Pa-O National Organization/Army (PNO/PNA), and Karenni revolutionary allied forces forced more than 3,000 residents from Tawngmethin, Nanneint, and Pinpong villages to flee their homes. Many sought refuge in nearby villages such as Pin Khun, Man Htar, and in Pang Laung town.

After more than two years in displacement, some families began returning to Nanneint in October 2025. However, residents say their homes and religious buildings remain heavily damaged by artillery shelling, and they lack the resources needed to rebuild.

“Only about one-third of the villagers have returned so far,” a male resident SHAN. “We can’t repair the monastery or our houses. Everything is still destroyed. We came back with nothing and are struggling to make ends meet. Even donating for monastery repairs is beyond our means.”

He added that while some working-age residents have returned to seek livelihoods, many elderly people and children remain at displacement sites due to ongoing security concerns.

Although the Pa-O militia (PNO/PNA) has claimed that landmines have been cleared within the village, residents remain deeply concerned about unexploded ordnance in surrounding farmland and forested areas.

“They said the village was cleared, but I’m still afraid to go to the orchards,” another returnee said. “It seems only the residential area was cleared. No one dares to farm yet. After everything we’ve suffered, people are extremely cautious.”

Villagers are calling on relevant authorities to conduct comprehensive demining operations in agricultural areas and along access routes, as well as to provide landmine risk education for returning residents.

Nanneint Village is located about one hour by motorbike from Pang Laung. Travel remains difficult, with residents reporting strict inspections and checkpoints operated by PNO forces along the route.

The security situation in the area remains fragile. In the second week of September 2025, joint offensives by the military junta and the PNO near Baw Yan Village along the Pang Laung–Pai Khun (Pekon) corridor displaced approximately 5,000 people from ten villages, forcing them to flee into nearby forests and surrounding areas.