Kawlin
ကောလင်းမြို့ | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 23°47′25″N 95°40′50″E / 23.79028°N 95.68056°E | |
Country | Myanmar |
Region | Sagaing Region |
District | Kawlin District |
Township | Kawlin Township |
Area | |
• Total | 1.06 sq mi (2.75 km2) |
Elevation | 604 ft (184 m) |
Population (2019)[1] | 25,254 |
• Ethnicities | Bamar |
• Religions | Buddhism |
Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MST) |
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]
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]