Kawlin (ကောလင်းမြို့) is a town in the Sagaing Division in Myanmar.[2] Since December 2018 it has been the administration headquarters for Kawlin District as well as Kawlin Township. As of 2019, the town had a population of 25,254,[3] up from 21,431 in 2014.[4] The town is further subdivided into 8 wards.[1]
In late 2023, Kawlin became the first district capital to fall to resistance forces in the 2021 Myanmar civil war.[5]
History
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Under the Burmese monarchy governors of Kawlin were by royal appointment. The site of the old town where they ruled is about a mile west of Kawlin, and is reduced to a village. The new town of Kawlin was formed by consolidating the former villages of Taungin (တောင်အင်း) and Northin (မြောက်အင်းခေါ်).[2]
On 6 November 2023, the town came fully under control of the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) during the ongoing civil war.[5] By December 2023, it was restored to full civilian rule.[6] However, Tatmadaw forces recaptured the town on February 10, 2024.[7] Around 80 percent of the town has reportedly been destroyed when Tatmadaw forces started burning homes in the aftermath of their recapture of the town. [8]
^ abကောလင်းမြို့ [Kawlin]. Burmese Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Hertford, England: Stephen Austin & Sons Ltd. p. 267. (page 43 in part B of volume 1 in the pdf file)