Rising civilian arrests reported in Hpakant

By Admin 05 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

5 October 2025, Hpakant, Kachin State

Amid escalating armed conflict in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township, both the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are reported to have increasingly detained local residents.

At least 40 men have reportedly been detained by junta forces, facing abuses including forced portering, arbitrary detention, torture, and even killings, according to residents.

“Mainly, they arrest whoever they encounter when military columns are advancing or when people are hiding in the forests. Some detainees reportedly died under torture. Some are used as porters during battles. Once arrested, people are rarely released,” said a local man from Hpakant.

The arrests by junta troops reportedly began in May, targeting civilians from urban Hpakant as well as nearby villages such as Maw Wun Lay, Maw Wun Gyi, Sharawkha, and A Hmote Pyone. Currently, civilians and travelers along the Hpakant-Myitkyina road are also facing arrests, locals say.

Similarly, the KIA has also been detaining civilians since July to forcibly conscript them.

“People here are living in fear. There is no work, and we dare not go outside. Many are going hungry. The wealthy can sometimes pay to avoid conscription, but for most people, once arrested, they are immediately conscripted,” another Hpakant resident said.

On 30 September, about 20 men searching for jade near a mining site close to Nam Maw village were detained by the KIA and taken away in four vehicles. During that incident, 27-year-old Myo Lwin Win from Nam Maw village fell into a pit and died while fleeing in fear of being arrested.

DMG attempted to contact KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu regarding the detentions but was unsuccessful.

In the past, the KIA reportedly targeted mainly Kachin and related ethnic groups for conscription. However, locals say the group is now recruiting people regardless of ethnicity, leading to declining public support for the KIA in Hpakant.

“It’s not right to coerce the entire population into this revolution. People are not ignoring the struggle, but when it comes to the KIA/KIO, public support and solidarity here in Hpakant have significantly declined,” said a local man familiar with the KIA.

Since May, fighting between the junta and combined forces of the KIA and Kachin People’s Defense Force (KPDF) has intensified in Hpakant Township. Local civil society groups estimate that at least 150 civilians have been killed due to junta airstrikes, artillery shelling, and small-arms fire.

In late September, clashes near villages including Sharawkha, Nyaung Pin Kone, San Kyar, and Maw Maw Layan forced thousands of residents to flee to Myitkyina, Mohnyin, Mogaung, and other townships.

Hpakant is home to Myanmar’s lucrative jade and gold mining industries, where hundreds of thousands of locals and migrant workers from across the country reside. Currently, civilians face dual threats — military airstrikes and artillery, as well as arrests and forced recruitment by both the junta and the KIA.