Three women harvesting sugarcane in Nawnghkio Township, Shan State, were injured after triggering a landmine in farmland recently retaken by junta forces, according to local sources, underscoring the growing danger civilians face from unexploded ordnance in former conflict zones.

The explosion occurred on February 11 in a sugarcane field near Kone San village along the road to Gote Hteik Bridge. The victims, all daily wage laborers, reportedly triggered a tripwire mine while working.

“People harvesting sugarcane are frequently encountering mines. Near Kone San village, on the way to Gote Hteik Bridge, three people triggered a mine while working. Among them were an elderly woman and two young women. It’s said they stepped on a tripwire,” a Nawnghkio resident told SHAN.

One of the injured women is currently receiving treatment in Kyaukme for wounds to her head, back, and legs. The conditions of the other two victims have not been independently confirmed.

Since around May 2025, Nawnghkio Township has witnessed intense clashes between junta forces and joint troops from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Danu People’s Liberation Army (DPLA). Residents say large areas of farmland remain contaminated with landmines planted during the fighting and have yet to be cleared, leaving civilians at constant risk.

“No one dares to go to the upland farms because it’s not safe; we don’t know where the mines are hidden. We returned home after being displaced, but we’re afraid to enter our own orchards. With sugarcane, however, you have no choice — you have to harvest it or lose the crop. Between the labor shortage and the cost of transport to the factory, there’s almost nothing left for farmers,” a Nawnghkio sugarcane grower said.

Landmine incidents are reportedly increasing across Shan State. On February 2, a man clearing his plantation in Nam Kyant village, Lashio Township, stepped on a landmine and later had both legs amputated below the knee, according to a February 5 report by the Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO).

Residents warn that unless systematic mine clearance is carried out, civilians returning to agricultural livelihoods will continue to face life-threatening risks in areas where fighting has subsided but explosive hazards remain.