Homalin: History
The 1908 Imperial Gazetteer of India recorded that the steamers of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company plied weekly between Pakokku and Homalin. Government of Myanmar also plied its launches on this route. During World War II, Homalin on the bank of the Chindwin River, was occupied by the Japanese in late May/early June 1944. Following this, after the Japanese were defeated, the town was combed thoroughly to remove any Japanese soldiers and this was followed by further preparations to counter any Japanese gunboat attacks from the river side.
On August 6, 1988, an earthquake with an epicentre near Homalin killed 3 people, damaging infrastructure.
Myanmar had the distinction of accounting for 60% of world's heroin supply, in 1997, with the production of about 2500 tonnes of opium. Particularly in North Burma, the Army has been maintaining the drug refineries.The 22nd Infantry Battalion (IB) has a refinery at Homolin, apart from other places in the region, which establishes “The Regime's Complicity in the global drug trade.”