Regime troops killed one man and arrested two others who were supporters of the resistance fighting the military dictatorship outside of Hpakant town.
According to a source close to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and People’s Defence Force-Kachin Region (PDF-K), Ko Maung Aye from Aye Mya Thaya Ward, was shot dead by junta soldiers at around 4:30pm on 8 June as he was running towards his car in Maw Tawng village. After his lifeless body fell into a canal, the soldiers pulled him out.
The man was visiting Ko Thein with another friend, U Myint Lwin from Sharaw Hka village, when the soldiers stormed the house and arrested the latter two men, who were later reportedly tortured.
A commander for Hpakant Township appointed this year, has reportedly ordered executions of suspected members of the resistance. At the same time, the Military Council is sending more troops into the township and increasing spot checks and security at checkpoints along the main roads.
The source said military intelligence officers are wearing civilian clothes and travelling in private cars to remain discreet while collecting clues about suspects.
However, a revolutionary who wished to remain anonymous said, “I think they got the information during interrogations and that is why there have been frequent raids in the wards and villages here. They’re trying to arrest PDF soldiers and their supporters in Hpakant.”
In late May, soldiers stormed a hotel and arrested five men. All were eventually released, but one was held in an interrogation centre and his whereabouts are now unknown.
On 9 May, regime soldiers arrested four youths suspected of being members of the KIA and the PDF-K at a bridge over Uru Creek and took them to their camp on the mountain top. The fate of the youths remains unknown.
“I believe someone passed on information about these youths because the soldiers were waiting for them at the bridge and arrested them as soon as they arrived,” a local source told KNG last month on condition of anonymity.
The bodies of two people, believed to be resistance fighters, were found near Sharaw Kha on 4 May with serious wounds on their bodies. The next day, two more people who had been shot in the head were dumped near Mawsizer.
