Zahkung Ting Ying: Rise and Fall of the Rare-Earth Warlord in Myanmar

(Khandakar Tahmid Rejwan – The Jamestown Foundation) Zahkung Ting Ying led the Myanmar government-sponsored Kachin Border Guard Force (BGF), controlling a semi-autonomous, resource-rich region near the People’s Republic of China (PRC). He used this territory to develop illegal but highly lucrative poppy cultivation, timber, and rare-earth mining operations. In late 2024, the rival Kachin Independence Army (KIA) defeated Ying’s militias and dissolved his semi-autonomous fiefdom, forcing Ying to flee to the PRC after the KIA took over administration of his former territories. Ying, however, remains an influential figurehead, recently resurfacing with Myanmar junta officials to pledge support for the junta-sponsored national elections, and continuing to operate his lucrative illicit businesses. – Zahkung Ting Ying: Rise and Fall of the Rare-Earth Warlord in Myanmar – Jamestown