Kanbalu (also speltKantbalu[1]) is a town inShwebo District,Sagaing Division, inMyanmar. Located in the north-western part of the county, the town is the administrative seat forKanbalu Township. Kanbalu is on the main Burmese north-south railroad betweenSagaing andMyitkyina.[1] As of 2014, it had a population of 25,022[2]
Its railyards were bombed by theAllies duringWorld War II.[3] During theMyanmar Civil War, it was attacked by resistance forces, who torched the local police station.[4]
Following the2021 Myanmar coup d'état, an ultranationalist monkU Wasawa established aPyusawhti militia in Hmaw Taw village to launch offensives against the region'sPeople's Defense Force. Several villages in Kantbalu have been turned into Pyusawhti bases, with U Warthawa reportedly forcing locals to join the militias. Initially armed with homemade weapons, around 900 Pyusawhti members in Kantbalu have since been supplied with modern BA-63 (G-3) rifles, MA-1 assault rifles, and carbines. His influence has spread to Kanbalu township, Taze, and Kyunhla—key towns known for their military andUnion Solidarity and Development Party support.[5]
The military-runMyanmar Economic Corporation operates two factories, manufacturing sugar andmenthol, in Kantbalu.[6] The sugar factory is a joint venture with Thai-owned Sutech Engineering.[7] Kanbalu is also home to the 30 megawatts (40,000 hp) Thaphanseik hydropower plant on theMu River, a $20-million project financed by theChina Import and Export Bank.[8]
23°12′14″N95°30′55″E / 23.20389°N 95.51528°E /23.20389; 95.51528
.svg)  | ThisSagaing Region location article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
