YANGON — Myanmar’s military said Wednesday that it recaptured the border town of Mawtaung near Thailand after a two-week counteroffensive, marking a continued expansion of territory it claims to control in the country’s civil war.
State media reported that government forces retook the town in Tanintharyi region on Tuesday after losing control of it in November. The town functions as a minor trade route, handling about $26.7 million in freight in the 2023–2024 financial year based on official statistics.
The military said the operation involved more than 200 clashes between government forces and opposition fighters. The Global New Light of Myanmar reported that at least 24 opposition fighters were killed. The report also said military personnel died in the fighting but did not provide a number.
State media said the recapture would allow trade and transport along the Tanintharyi–Mawtaung route to resume.
Myanmar’s military has faced armed resistance from ethnic minority groups and pro-democracy fighters since it seized power in a 2021 coup that removed the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
A coalition of opposition forces launched a major offensive in late 2023 and initially gained ground, but fighting has since shifted as the military has regained several areas, including key transport routes.
The military recently claimed control of a highway toward the Chinese border and has also reported gains along major trade corridors to Thailand.
Some ethnic armed groups involved in earlier coordinated offensives have since agreed to ceasefires brokered through diplomatic channels, leaving other resistance groups to continue fighting in multiple regions.
The military government has also continued plans for a restricted political transition process that excluded Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and resulted in a January election that international observers and democracy monitors have criticized.
Military leader Min Aung Hlaing was later named to a senior political role under the new arrangement.
