Residents of Hsipaw Township, Shan State, report that soldiers from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang Army, have arbitrarily arrested villagers and assaulted a local farmer during operations in the area.

According to a local source who spoke to SHAN, the incident occurred at around 2:00 p.m. on January 11, when MNDAA soldiers arrested two men from Nam Ma village and physically assaulted another villager who was on his way to a sugarcane plantation.

“They were searching for their missing personnel. During that process, without any clear reason, they arrested and beat a man who was heading to his plantation, right on his own farm,” the source said. “They also arrested two other villagers without explanation. All three were released this morning.”

The two men from Nam Ma village who were detained on January 11 were released on the morning of January 12, according to local residents. No formal explanation has been provided for either the arrests or the assault.

Separately, sources report rising military tensions in the area. The MNDAA has reportedly ordered Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) forces stationed in Nam Ma village to withdraw, increasing uncertainty and fear among civilians.

Hsipaw Township remains a contested area where junta troops, SSPP/SSA forces, and MNDAA units are all operating simultaneously. Residents say the overlapping presence of multiple armed groups has led to growing insecurity, with civilians increasingly caught between rival forces and exposed to arbitrary violence.