Following numerous posts on social media, we see that Mogok—Myanmar’s legendary gem mining region—has been under attack for several weeks now.
According to the latest reports, anti-junta forces captured the region on July 23, 2025. The offensive, part of a broader campaign known as Operation 1027, was led by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), with support from the People’s Defense Force (PDF), a coalition of resistance groups opposing Myanmar’s military junta.
Locals, long subjected to military extortion and violence, reportedly viewed the takeover as a liberation: “Residents welcomed the TNLA-led forces with flowers as they entered the town on Wednesday,” according to Myanmar Now. But the victory has brought a swift and punishing response.
Airstrikes / Displacement
Days later, the junta launched airstrikes, bombing the Golden Butterfly Hotel near Kyatpyin—widely believed to be a TNLA base located near newly opened mining sites. “The strike was probably meant for those mining sites, not the hotel. Recently, a golf course was also hit because new mining was happening there,” a Mogok resident told Eleven Media. Meanwhile, civilians fleeing the renewed violence found themselves trapped: “Many who fled remained stranded on the road for days due to the junta’s closure of checkpoints on the way to Mandalay,” reported Myanmar Now.
International gem dealers have most likely stayed at the Golden Butterfly. It may no longer be there if—or when—they are able to return.
The Battle for Mogok: Military Economics
Myanmar’s military has long depended on revenues from gemstone mining, having maneuvered to control licensing in the 1990s. The ruby trade from Mogok alone has been valued at up to $400 million annually. When official mining licenses expired in 2020, informal miners surged in to fill the vacuum—only to face extortion. As one source told Frontier, “The military would sometimes seize miners’ motorcycles and charge exorbitant fees for their return, or demand bribes from bosses for the release of arrested miners.”
With the military now driven out, miners are seeing a larger share of profits. “Before, miners would only get paid a fixed salary, and wouldn’t even get 1% of a gemstone’s worth, but nowadays, they can earn as much as they work.” Still, uncertainty reigns. With Chinese buyers hesitant and trade routes blocked, the gemstone market has slowed to a crawl. Local dealers say their hope now rests on the TNLA establishing fairer systems for resource governance. As one trader put it: “With the TNLA now in control, they would like to see it establish just and equitable protocols governing Mogok’s mines.”
Calls for International Action
Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, U Kyaw Moe Tun, has called on the international community to take concrete steps to support the people of Myanmar in ending military rule. Speaking at the UN in April, he warned that the junta has “entirely neglected both the rule of law and critical disaster preparedness,” leaving civilians vulnerable not only to conflict but also to natural disasters. He condemned the regime for its “indiscriminate airstrikes against civilian populations,” including in earthquake-affected regions, and argued that the only path forward is the complete dismantling of the military dictatorship. “We urge the world to stand with the people of Myanmar,” he said, “and support their efforts to uproot the junta and establish a Federal Democratic Union.”
How Long Can the TNLA Hold On?
While the takeover of Mogok marked a symbolic and economic blow to the junta, it may prove temporary. A military analyst cited in Eleven Media warned that the regime’s recent success in retaking nearby towns like Taungkam and Thabeikkyin “holds significant strategic value,” and that “an operation to reclaim Mogok may soon follow.”
For now, the TNLA’s control has brought new hope—but also new risks. With airstrikes continuing and trade routes blocked, the fate of Mogok’s people—and its prized gemstones—remains deeply uncertain. – gr
Myanmar Now
July 25, 2024
