Momeik (), also known as Möng Mit (), is a town situated on the
Shweli River in northern
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 ...
. It is the capital of
Mongmit District
Mongmit District, also known as Momeik District (), is district in northern Shan State, Myanmar created by decree in 2015; which was formerly part of Kyaukme District. Its administrative center is the city of Momeik.
Administrative divisions
Th ...
and the principal town of
Mongmit Township, Myanmar.
Transport
It is connected by road to
Mogok
Mogok (, ; Shan language, Shan: , ) is a town of around 90,000 people in the Thabeikkyin District of Mandalay Region of Myanmar, located north of Mandalay and north-east of Shwebo, Sagaing, Shwebo.
History
Mogok is believed to be founded in ...
and its
ruby
Ruby is a pinkish-red-to-blood-red-colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapph ...
mines, and via Mogok to
Mandalay, and to
Kyaukme which is on the
Mandalay-
Lashio railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line. Momeik is also linked to
Myitkyina
Myitkyina (, ; Jingpho language, Jinghpaw: ''Myitkyina'', ; , ''Sèna'') is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar (Burma), located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese language, Burmese it means "near the big river", and Myitkyina i ...
, capital of
Kachin State
Kachin State (; Jingpho language, Kachin: ) is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet and Yunnan, respectively), Shan State to the sou ...
via
Mabein and
Bhamo. There is an airport for domestic flights to Momeik.
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.
History
Möng Mit was founded in 1238. Thirteen villages of the Mogok Stone Tract were given to Möng Mit in 1420 as a reward for helping
Yunnan
Yunnan; is an inland Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 47.2 million (as of 2020). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the Chinese provinces ...
raid
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
. In 1465, Nang Han Lung, the daughter-in-law of the
Saopha (''Sawbwa'' in
Burmese) of Momeik, sent ruby as separate tribute from Hsenwi and succeeded in keeping the former possessions of Hsenwi until 1484 when Mogok was ceded to the
Burmese kings.
It was however not until 1597 that the Saopha of Möng Mit was forced to exchange Mogok and Kyatpyin with
Tagaung, and they were formally annexed by royal
edict.
Earlier in 1542, when the Shan ruler of
Ava Thohanbwa (1527–1543) marched with the Saophas of
Möng Yang,
Hsipaw, Möng Mit,
Möng Kawng,
Man Maw and
Yawnghwe to come to the aid of
Prome against the Burmese, he was defeated by
Bayinnaung
, title = King of Toungoo
, image = Bayinnaung.JPG
, caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar
, reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581
, coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...
. 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 (Saga),
Lawksawk (Yatsauk), Yawnghwe, Hsipaw, Man Maw,
Kalay,
Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...
, and
Linzin (
Vientiane
Vientiane (, ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of Laos. Situated on the banks of the Mekong, Mekong River at the Thailand, Thai border, it comprises the five urban districts of Vientiane Prefecture and had a population of 840,000 ...
), before he raided up the
Taping and
Shweli Rivers in 1562.
A bell donated by King Bayinnaung (1551–1581) at
Shwezigon Pagoda in
Bagan
Bagan ( ; ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that w ...
has inscriptions in
Burmese,
Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
and
Mon recording the conquest of Momeik and Hsipaw on 25 January 1557, and the building of a pagoda at Momeik on 8 February 1557.
British rule
The Saopha of Möng Mit had just died at the time of the
British annexation in 1885 leaving a minor as heir, and the administration at Möng Mit was weak. It was included under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner of the Northern Division instead of the Superintendent of the Northern Shan States. A pretender named Hkam Leng came to claim the title, but he was rejected by the ministers. A
Burmese prince called Saw Yan Naing, who had risen up against the British, fled to the area and joined forces with Hkam Leng, and caused a great deal of problems during 1888-9 to the
Hampshire Regiment stationed at Momeik.
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
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, to the British Labour government of
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British statesman who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. At ...
demanding equal political footing as Burma proper and full
autonomy
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy is the capacity to make an informed, uncoerced decision. Autonomous organizations or institutions are independent or self-governing. Autonomy can also be ...
of the Federated Shan States. He was not one of the six Saophas who signed the Panglong Agreement on 12 February 1947. The
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
-educated Sao Hkun Hkio however became the longest serving
Foreign Minister
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
of Burma after
independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
in 1948 until the
military coup of
Ne Win
Ne Win (; ; 24 May 1911 – 5 December 2002), born Shu Maung (; ), was a Burmese army general, politician and Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974, and also President of Burma from 1962 to 1981. Ne Win was Burma's mili ...
in 1962, with only short interruptions, the longest one of which being between 1958 and 1960 during Ne Win's
caretaker government
A caretaker government, also known as a caretaker regime, is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it co ...
.
After independence
The Shweli river valley and the hills around Momeik and Mogok are old strongholds of the
Communist Party of Burma (CPB) as early as the 1950s, but it was not until 1968 that the 1st Brigade of the CPB People's Army regained control of the area, and briefly captured Momeik itself in 1977. Their plan to strike west to the plains north of Mandalay however was thwarted by clashes with the
Shan State Army and the
Palaung State Liberation Army as well as
government military offensives.
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
Burmese military government (SLORC) in 1989, and its activities have been severely curtailed. In 2005, an attempt by the
Shan State Army-South based near the
Thai border to fill the vacuum left by the cease-fire in the north was thwarted by the
Burmese army.
During the
Myanmar Civil War, the town was temporarily taken by the
Kachin Independence Army, but then retaken by the
Tatmadaw
The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar (formerly Burma). It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and composed of the Myanmar Army, the Myanmar Navy and the Myanmar Air Force. Auxiliary services include ...
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.
Economy
Minerals
Momeik is famous for its precious and semi-precious stones in its own right.
Elbaite, a variant of
Rubellite (
Tourmaline
Tourmaline ( ) is a crystalline silicate mineral, silicate mineral group in which boron is chemical compound, compounded with chemical element, elements such as aluminium, iron, magnesium, sodium, lithium, or potassium. This gemstone comes in a ...
or ''Anyant'' meaning 'inferior' in
Burmese) including the "mushroom" tourmaline, and
Petalite
Petalite, also known as castorite, is a lithium aluminum phyllosilicate mineral Li Al Si4 O10, crystallizing in the monoclinic system. Petalite occurs as colorless, pink, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. ...
or ''Salinwa'' are mined in this region.
Diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...
found in Momeik region is believed to be derived from primary sources in north-western
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
but distinguishable from similar stones from eastern Australia.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
mining in the area is being operated by
Asia World and Shweli Yadana companies.
Agriculture
Mogok ruby mines rely on the staple Momeik
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
.
[ Hsinshweli strain high-yield rice as well as ]sugar cane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
, rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
Types of polyisoprene ...
, physic nut, jengkol bean and avocado
The avocado, alligator pear or avocado pear (''Persea americana'') is an evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae). It is native to Americas, the Americas and was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago. It was priz ...
are cultivated in the region.
Notes
External links
Satellite map
''GeoNames
GeoNames (or GeoNames.org) is a user-editable geographical database available and accessible through various web services, under a Creative Commons attribution license. The project was founded in late 2005.
The GeoNames dataset differs from, b ...
''
Tourmaline "Rubellite", Burma Momeik
Finest Minerals
Elbaite (Rubellite)
Fabre Minerals
S.H.A.N.
{{Shan State
Populated places in Shan State