Junta fighter jet flies low in apparent intimidation of RCSS chairman

A junta fighter jet allegedly flew low in a threatening gesture while Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) chairman General Yawd Serk, accompanied by RCSS members, was visiting Kholam Town in Namsang Township, Shan State.

Around 10:00 a.m. on May 27, while RCSS officers led by General Yawd Serk were at Wannang Village in the Hkoaut Village Tract on the outskirts of Kholam Town, a junta fighter jet conducted six low-altitude flyovers, according to Tai Freedom, the RCSS’s information media outlet.

General Yawd Serk arrived in Wannang Village on May 26 after attending the pinnacle umbrella installation ceremony of a Buddhist stupa in Narwan Village, Mong Pan Township.

On the morning of May 27, a junta fighter jet that took off from Namsang Air Base began circling over Wannang Village, where General Yawd Serk was present. The aircraft initially flew at high altitude before descending to a lower altitude in what appeared to be a threatening gesture.

“I didn’t respond to the junta’s provocative actions because I respect and comply with the national-level peace agreements, and my visit was solely intended to meet local communities within RCSS territory,” General Yawd Serk told Tai Freedom.

Junta sources said the flight was conducted purely for training purposes, while Tai Freedom maintained it was a deliberate, threatening, and insulting gesture.

Shan Herald attempted to contact RCSS spokesperson Major Sai Kham San several times regarding the matter, but he did not respond.

Although coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, who recently assumed the presidency through a sham election, has publicly called on ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) to enter peace talks with his new administration within 100 days, such reckless actions undermining peace efforts could damage mutual trust, General Yawd Serk also warned in the interview with Tai Freedom.

The RCSS issued a statement in October 2025 marking the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), noting the Myanmar peace process had stalled due to the coup and that the junta needed to rebuild trust with the EAOs.