This was one of the major objectives stated by rebel groups in eastern Burma. One more slap in the face inflicted on the military junta, routed since the start of the offensive launched in mid-October by the armed groups.
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The soldiers of the Burmese army surrendered their weapons at the end of the day and ceded control of their main regional base to the rebellion, after a siege of several months. Nearly a thousand soldiers and civil servants, accompanied by their families, were authorized to evacuate the premises. And the capture of Laukkaing marks the most crushing defeat inflicted on the central government since the launch of this large-scale offensive launched by an alliance of armed groups on October 17.
To date, around ten communes and more than 300 combat posts have fallen into the hands of the rebels, as well as most of the trade routes linking Burma to China, its main trading partner. The Chinese authorities, very influential in the area, managed to negotiate a ceasefire between the two parties around two weeks ago. It did not last and the question now arises: does the rebel alliance have the will and the capacity to extend its incursions outside the northeast of the country where it originated?