Thousands displaced in Hpakant due to junta attacks, including many Arakanese migrant workers

By Admin 24 Sep 2025

DMG Newsroom
24 September 2025, Hpakant, Kachin State

Thousands of local residents in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, have been displaced in recent days due to intense clashes, junta airstrikes, and the arbitrary arrests and killings of civilians, according to local sources. Tens of thousands of Arakanese migrant workers are among those affected.

Residents from Shraw Ka, Mashikahtaung, Mawtaung, Sanchwe, Mawmaw Lyan, Mhaw Wam Gyi, and Mhaw Wam Kalay villages near Hpakant town have fled since the third week of September and remain displaced as of today.

“Mainly it’s because there’s no security anymore. People can’t stay, so they’re fleeing to other townships. Along the Hpakant–Myitkyina road there are lots of cars and motorbikes, all packed with people fleeing the war. There are also many Arakanese among them,” said one woman from Hpakant.

The military seized control of the strategically important village of Sanchwe near Hpakant on September 17. Since then, junta troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) joint forces have clashed near Seipmu, Kyauk Twe Taung and Sine Taung villages, with fighting intensifying in the area.

The junta has been conducting indiscriminate airstrikes and shelling on civilian areas, causing civilian casualties. On September 22, two brothers from Seipmu Village were killed by junta shelling.

With the risk of escalating ground battles, coupled with the increasing danger of junta air raids and artillery fire, residents say they have no choice but to flee.

“The junta is arresting everyone they see on the road. Some have even been shot dead. Their brutal actions against civilians show no mercy. So people living in villages near their military convoys or under junta control feel they can only survive by fleeing,” explained one man from Hpakant.

Some residents, however, unable to afford to flee due to financial hardship, are taking shelter in religious compounds in Hpakant town.

Hpakant Township is home not only to jade and gold mining operations, but also to rubber, banana and other plantations where many migrant workers earn a living. Among them are tens of thousands of Arakanese migrant workers.

“In Hpakant, aside from the Kachin, there are large communities of Arakanese and Bamar people. Among those fleeing now, many are Arakanese. With the conflict, they have lost their jobs. Arakanese workers, like other migrants here, are now facing severe hardship,” another local man from Hpakant said.

Since late May, clashes have broken out near Hpakant between the junta and KIA joint forces, with the junta conducting both ground offensives and airstrikes. Reports of arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings of civilians by junta troops continue to emerge.

The fighting has also disrupted vital trade routes and shut down local industries, leading to soaring commodity prices and worsening hardship for residents of Hpakant.