The Pa'O Self-Administered Zone (; ''paaow kopine aotehkyaote hkwng r days'') also abbreviated as Pa'O SAZ, as stipulated by the

2008 Constitution of Myanmar The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008) is the third Constitution of Myanmar after 1947 and 1974 constitutions which lost force after military coups. It is part of the seven steps road map announced by then Prime Minis ...

, is a

self-administered zone A self-administered area () is an administrative division, administrative subdivision in Myanmar (Burma). There are five ''self-administered zones'' and one ''self-administered division''. Description The self-administered division (SAD) exists ...

consisting of three townships in

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

History

Pa'O SAZ's official name was announced by decree on 20 August 2010. In the wake of the

2021 Myanmar coup d'état A coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when Elections in Myanmar, democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's milita ...

and ensuing

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Pa'O youths, like many throughout the country, formed and joined resistance forces like the Pa-O National Defence Force, in opposition to military rule. On 24 February 2023, fighting began in Pinlaung Township, forcing more than 5,000 villagers to flee, including most villagers from Namneng. On 11 March 2023, the village of Namneng became the site of the Pinlaung massacre, during which

Myanmar Army The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...

troops killed at least 30 civilians, including 3

Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimo ...

Government and politics

The zone is currently under the ''de facto'' control of the Pa-O National Organisation.

Administrative divisions

The Zone is divided into three townships-

Hopong Township Hopong Township () () is the capital Townships of Myanmar, township of Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in the Shan State of Myanmar (Burma). The principal town is Hopong. Hopong has numerous tourist destinations, such as Htam Sam Cave and :my:မ� ...

, Hsi Hseng Township and

Pinlaung Township Pinlaung Township () is a township of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone in the Shan State of Myanmar. Its principal town is Pinlaung. According to the 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census, there are 115,047 residents in the township. Histo ...

References

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