Momeik (), also known as Möng Mit (), is a town situated on the Shweli River in northern Shan State. It is the capital of Mongmit District and the principal town of Mongmit Township, Myanmar.
Whereas Mogok lies at an elevation of , Momeik is just above sea level and to the north of Mogok. by road to the west of Mogok lies Twinnge Village and the town of Thabeikkyin on the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy). There is now a direct road linking Twinnge with Momeik.
Earlier in 1542, when the Shan ruler of Ava Thohanbwa (1527–1543) marched with the Saophas of Möng Yang, Hsipaw State, Möng Mit, Möng Kawng, Man Maw and Yawnghwe State to come to the aid of Prome Kingdom against the Burmese, he was defeated by Bayinnaung. In 1544, Hkonmaing (1543-1546), Saopha of Onbaung-Hsipaw and successor to Thohanbwa, attempted to regain Prome, with the help of Möng Yang, Möng Mit, Möng Nai, Hsenwi, Man Maw and Yawnghwe, only to be defeated by King Tabinshwehti (1512–1550).
Bayinnaung succeeded in three campaigns, 1556-9, to reduce the Shan states of Möng Yang (Mohnyin), Möng Kawng (Mogaung), Möng Mit (Momeik), Möng Pai (Mobyè), Samka State (Saga), Lawksawk (Yatsauk), Yawnghwe, Hsipaw, Man Maw, Kalay, Chiang Mai, and Lan Xang (Vientiane), before he raided up the Taping River and in 1562.
A bell donated by King Bayinnaung (1551–1581) at Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan has inscriptions in Burmese language, Pali and Mon language recording the conquest of Momeik and Hsipaw on 25 January 1557, and the building of a pagoda at Momeik on 8 February 1557.
Sao Hkun Hkio, Saopha of Möng Mit, was one of the seven Saophas on the Executive Committee of the Shan State Council formed after the first Panglong Conference in March 1946. On 16 January 1947, they sent two memoranda, whilst a Burmese delegation headed by Aung San was in London, to the British Labour government of Clement Attlee demanding equal political footing as Burma proper and full autonomy of the Federated Shan States. He was not one of the six Saophas who signed the Panglong Agreement on 12 February 1947. The Cambridge-educated Sao Hkun Hkio however became the longest serving Foreign Minister of Burma after independence in 1948 until the military coup of Ne Win in 1962, with only short interruptions, the longest one of which being between 1958 and 1960 during Ne Win's caretaker government.
The Shan State Army-North's 3rd Brigade has been active in Momeik, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, Namtu and Lashio. It reached a cease-fire agreement with the SLORC (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed. In 2005, an attempt by the Shan State Army-South based near the Thailand border to fill the vacuum left by the cease-fire in the north was thwarted by the Tatmadaw.
During the Myanmar Civil War, the town was temporarily taken by the Kachin Independence Army, but then retaken by the Tatmadaw on 2 January 2024. The junta counter-offensive destroyed large parts of the town and the fighting left scores of civilians dead. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army launched a renewed offensive on the town in July 2024, as part of their resumption of Operation 1027.
Diamond found in Momeik region is believed to be derived from primary sources in north-western Australia but distinguishable from similar stones from eastern Australia. Gold mining in the area is being operated by Asia World and Shweli Yadana companies.
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