Rampaging Regime Troops Abduct 21 People From Kachin Hospital

Regime troops abducted 21 people at a clinic in the jade hub of Hpakant Township on Tuesday night amid an escalating offensive in Kachin State marked by arbitrary arrests and widespread looting.

According to locals, soldiers raided the Mai hospital in Lone Khin village at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday.

“One doctor, three assistant doctors, and eight nurses were arrested,” one resident told The Irrawaddy. Troops also detained nine other staff, one patient and two of their family members, according to local reports.

“We still don’t know why they were arrested,” said the local source, adding there had been no information about the detainees for two days.

Local outlet Uru Daily News reported that soldiers detained at least 10 people in a raid on a local guest house on the same day.

The arrests follow reports that regime troops and allied Warazup militia have gone on a looting spree since seizing Lone Khin from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Sunday, stripping locals of valuable items, including money, mobile phones, and jewelry.

KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu said despite an absence of ground battles for three days, tensions remain high in Hpakant amid sporadic exchanges of artillery and drone fire.

He warned that regime soldiers have been arresting civilians across Hpakant Township since Sunday.

Clashes re-erupted in the Kachin jade hub on April 2, as regime forces advanced on KIA-controlled areas.

On Sunday, fierce fighting was reported near the Rakhine migrant workers center in Lone Khin village.

Naw Bu confirmed a battle for control of the township was underway.

The KIA and allies captured 14 towns across Kachin State, including most regime positions in Bhamo and Waingmaw townships, in an offensive launched in December 2024.

The regime has responded with airstrikes and arbitrary arrests in Kachin State and other resistance-held areas, despite a proposal of peace talks by coup leader-turned-president Min Aung Hlaing. Coming amid a mounting civilian death toll, the offer of dialogue has been dismissed by major resistance groups as an empty gesture.