Mong Ko (; ), sometimes spelled Mongko or Monekoe and also known as Man Kan, Man GuoShelby Tucker, Among Insurgents: Walking Through Burma. p. 27 and Panglong, is a town in Mu Se Township, Mu Se District, northern Shan State, Myanmar.
Like many towns in the region, Mong Ko is known to be a hotspot for drug production and trade.Peter John Perry, Myanmar (Burma) Since 1962: The Failure of Development. p. 152
Geography Mong Ko lies by the China–Myanmar border, 25 km east of Pang Hseng (Kyu Koke).Möng Ko: Burma There is a border checkpoint in the town. The town on the Chinese part of the border is Manghai in Mangshi county-level city, Yunnan Province.
History The Communist Party of Burma (CPB) entered Shan State on New Year Day 1968, captured Mong Ko, and established the first war zone ‘303’ of the CPB North-East Command (NEC). This was quickly followed by ‘404’ in Kokang substate winning over the local warlord Pheung Kya-shin.
For 20 years Pheung controlled Kokang as a member of the Communist Party of Burma. In 1989, however, the CPB split up and Pheung established his own army, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, with which he mutinied and captured Mong Ko town. After this he signed a cease-fire with the military junta, which allowed the Kokang army to retain their weapons, and established an autonomous Kokang region as the "First Special Region" of Myanmar.
The Northern Alliance launched an offensive to capture Mong Ko on 20 November 2016. The town was recaptured by the Myanmar Army in December 2016.Burmese army recaptures Mongko. Naw Noreen. December 5, 2016. Democratic Voice of Burma
On November 7 2023 the Brotherhood Alliance, which consists of most of the same members of the Northern Alliance, established control over the town, raising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) flag over the border bridge.
Further reading Myanmar: IDP Sites in Kachin and northern Shan States - Mimu
References
External links Xinhuanet, Dec 20, 2016 - Over 900 displaced persons return to Mongko