Pinlaung Township

On 11 March 2023, the village of Namneng became the site of the Pinlaung massacre, during which Myanmar Army troops killed at least 30 civilians, including 3 Buddhist monks.^[2]

Inle Lake and Inlay Lake Wetland Sanctuary, a well known tourist place and bird watching site, partly lies in this township.^[3][4]

This township is home to two endemic rare species of trapdoor spider, the Liphistius Birmanicus and Liphistius Lordae. After first being discovered by an American scientist in 1897, the spiders were again spotted in Pyin Oo Lwin and Taunggyi.

The township is home to the Tigyit coal-fired power plant, one of three coal-fired power plants in Myanmar.^[5]

Pinlaung Township accounts for the largest area of tea cultivation in southern Shan State.^[6] The Tea grown here is of the Assamica cultivar.^[7] Tea plantations in the area cover 12,000 acres, with half of the cultivation taking place in the higher elevations of Le Hlaung, 10 miles from Pinlaung. In the Koe Khaung ward, tea production is refined and the tea coming from the nearly 100 tea-producing households is highly sought after. Farmers here use stoves with chimneys and clean pans for roasting, which creates a smoother teat that fetches higher prices than other teas in the region.

Traditionally, farmers in Pinlaung Township made a living mostly off of poppy production, but have expressed interest in recent years of veering away from such farming and switching to substitute crops. In 2017, the Taung Yoe Ethnic Literature and Culture Association (Central) requested government assistance not only for the substitute seeds but also for pesticides in order to substitute cash crops^[8]