The Ta’ang Civil Society Network (TCSN) has strongly opposed the replacement of entrance signboards in Ta’ang villages with Chinese-language signs in Kutkai Township, northern Shan State, a TCSN spokesperson told IMNA.
The signboards were reportedly changed after the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) took control of the area from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
TCSN spokesperson Mai Karng Hao said the move was carried out without the consent of local residents and violated the rights and identity of the Ta’ang people.
“Without asking for the wishes of local people or gaining their consent, they are destroying the literature and identity of an ethnic group and replacing it with Chinese influence. TCSN strongly opposes this action,” he said.
He added that the action did not comply with human rights standards, international law, or the federal principles of peaceful coexistence among ethnic groups.
“It is an act that creates conflict,” he said.
Clashes broke out between the TNLA and MNDAA in Kutkai Township during the second week of March 2026, exposing tensions within their alliance, according to Mai Karng Hao.
He also said the replacement of Ta’ang village signboards with Chinese writing reflected weak implementation of agreements reached during talks in Laukkai.
Entrance signboards in villages including Ho Naung, Mantong, Ton Hsin Gyi, Kon Chan, Ho Saung, Nam Lat, Man Maw, Pan Ku, Pan Lot, Pan Hse, and Lone Kyein in Kutkai Township were seen rewritten in Chinese and Burmese.
U Aik Char from the Lashio Ta’ang Literature and Cultural Association said local cultural groups could only express disappointment over the changes.
“As a literature and cultural organization, we cannot involve ourselves in politics and we do not have the authority to speak out. We can only feel saddened by it. Since they are armed organizations, there is nothing we can do,” he said.
Following the clashes in Kutkai Township, leaders of the MNDAA and TNLA reportedly held talks in Laukkai and agreed to continue cooperating as allies and resolve ground-level disputes through discussions between their leaders.
However, Mai Karng Hao said the MNDAA had shown weak compliance with those agreements. He accused the group of destroying Ta’ang national flags and symbols valued by the Ta’ang people, recruiting local residents into its armed forces, and gradually expanding beyond agreed territorial boundaries.
The Ta’ang Civil Society Network consists of the Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization (TSYU), Ta’ang Legal Aid Foundation (TLAF), Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO), Ta’ang Education Institute (TEL), Ta’ang Health Organization (THO), and Ta’ang Environmental Watch Group (TEWG).
