Kokang (; ) is a region in Myanmar. It is located in the northern part of Shan State, with the Salween River to its west, and sharing a border with China's Yunnan Province to the east. Its total land area is around .[ The capital is Laukkai. Kokang is mostly populated by the ethnic Kokang Chinese, a group of Han Chinese descent living in Myanmar.
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Kokang had been historically part of China for several centuries and is still claimed by the Republic of China to this day, but was largely left alone by successive governments due to its remote location. After the British conquest of Upper Burma in 1885, Kokang was initially placed in China under the 1894 Sino-British boundary convention and ceded to British Burma in February 1897.
From the 1960s to 1989, the area was controlled by the Communist Party of Burma, and after the party's armed wing disbanded in 1989 it became a special region of Myanmar under the control of the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Armed conflicts between the MNDAA and the Tatmadaw have resulted in the 2009 Kokang incident and the 2015 Kokang offensive.
Etymology
The name Kokang derives from the Burmese , which itself derives from the Shan language (kāo, "nine") + (kúun, "family") or (kǎang, "guard").
Geography
Kokang is located in the northern part of Shan State, with the Salween River to its west, and sharing a border with China's Yunnan Province to the east. Its total land area is around .[Kokang´s capital is Laukkai.
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Demographics
In 2009, the population was reported to be around 150,000.
History
Chiefdom of Kokang, 1739-1897
Yang Xiancai () founded the chiefdom Xingdahu () in 1739 in and around Ta Shwe Htan. The name was changed to Kokang kingdom by his successors. In 1840, the Yunnan governor recognised the Yang rulers the hereditary rights as a Tusi (vassal) of the Qing dynasty.[ After the British conquest of Upper Burma in 1885, Kokang was initially placed in China under the 1894 Sino-British boundary convention. It was ceded to British Burma in a supplementary agreement signed in February 1897.]
British Burma, 1824-1948
From 1824 to 1948 Burma was a British colony. The region formed a de facto buffer zone between the Chinese province Yunnan and the Shan States kingdom of what was then Burma.
Communist Burma, 1948-1989
From 1948–1962 several factions of Communist parties ruled during what is called the Union of Burma (1948–1962). Northern Burma was under the influence of Kuomintang in Burma. Burma was ruled by the Communist Party of Burma until 1989.
Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, 1989-2009
In 1989 Peng Jiasheng's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) took control of the region. A ceasefire between the group and the Tatmadaw was signed in the same year, the area controlled by MNDAA was assigned as the autonomous "First Special Region" of Shan State (; ).
In 2003, a ban on the opium poppy came into effect.
The 2008 Myanmar Constitution defines Kokang as a self-administered zone. Kongyan Township and Laukkai Township aka Laukkaing Township are grouped together to form Kokang Self-Administered Zone, which replaced the "First Special Region".
In 2009, the Tatmadaw asked that the MNDAA become a border guard under the army's direction. The MNDAA refused, and the armed forces ousted the group and took over the region.
2009 Kokang conflict
In August 2009, Kokang was the site of a violent conflict, the Kokang incident, between junta forces and various ethnic armies.[ Auswärtiges Amt Myanmar Innenpolitik] As a result of the conflict the MNDAA lost control of the area and as many as 30,000 fled to Yunnan province in neighboring China.[ 47 Myanmar soldiers reported dead in clashes with Kokang rebels]
2015 Kokang offensive
On 17 February 2015 Myanmar president Thein Sein declared a state of emergency and a three-month period of martial law in Kokang in response to fighting between government troops and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a Kokang insurgent group.
2023 Kokang conflict
In November 2023, the MNDAA began encircling and attacking Laukkai as part of Operation 1027, a joint effort by the Three Brotherhood Alliance coalition during the renewed civil war following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.
The MNDAA successfully encircled and captured Laukkai, the capital of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone, with key victories in Chinshwehaw and other strategic border towns, leading to the surrender of the Tatmadaw's military and Border Guard Forces in Laukkai by December 26, ultimately securing control of the city by December 28.
2025
In September 2025, China sentenced 16 members of the Ming family (formerly headed by Ming Xuechang), a transnational crime syndicate from Kokang to death. They had built multiple scam factory with scammers obtained through human trafficking, held in prison like compounds. They also engaged online gambling, drug trafficking and organized prostitution.
Rulers of Kokang
- Chiefs of Kokang
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See Chiefdom of Kokang#Rulers
- De facto rulers
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Olive Yang 杨金秀: 1960–1963
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Jimmy Yang Kyein Sein 杨振声: 1963–1965 (commander of the Kokang Revolutionary Force)
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Lo Hsing Han 罗星汉: 1965–March 1969 (commander of Kokang Ka Kwe Ye)
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Pheung Kya-shin aka Peng Jiasheng: March 1969–3 January 1990 (governor of Kokang County)
- Chairmen of the Shan State First Special Region
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Pheung Kya-shin aka Peng Jiasheng 彭家声: 3 January 1990–27 February 1993
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Yang Mao-liang 杨茂良: 27 February 1993–1 January 1996 (Political Officer)
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Pheung Kya-shin: 1 January 1996–25 August 2009 (in exile: 26 August 2009–16 February 2022)
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Bai Xuoqian 白所成: 25 August 2009–30 March 2011 (chairman of the Interim Management Committee)
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Peng Daxun aka Peng Deren 彭德仁: 5 January 2024–present (in exile: 16 February 2022–5 January 2024)
- Chairmen of the Kokang Self-Administered Zone
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Bai Xuoqian: 30 March 2011–5 April 2016
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Zhao Dechen 赵德强: 5 April 2016–19 February 2021
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Li Zhanfu 李正福 aka U Myint Swe ဦးမြင့်ဆွေ: 19 February 2021–9 November 2023
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Brigadier General Tun Tun Myint ထွန်းထွန်းမြင့်: 9 November 2023–5 January 2024 (acting)
See also
External links
