On the same day, four young men going out to celebrate Thingyan were reportedly
arrested near a military base. According to reports, they were severely tortured
and later killed. They were abandoned near the Shwe Myanmar oil shop,
close to the intersection of Mashi Ka prison and the municipal road, in a gray
four-wheel-drive vehicle. The bodies of the four young men were reportedly
dumped on the roadside at around 2:00 p.m. and remained there until after
4:00 p.m., according to a local social organization. Local residents later
contacted a funeral assistance group, which recovered the bodies.
No fighting was reported in Hpakant on April 14, 2026. However, local sources
said that artillery shelling from a military unit near the Ram Chat factory, close
to a military checkpoint in Lone Khin village tract, and
drone attacks in other areas had taken place.
According to local information, the four young men
arrested by military forces were from Bala Kha village
(three people) and Taung Byo village (one person) in Aye
Myit Thar Yar - tract, Hpakant Township. The reason for
their arrest remains unknown. Reports stated that the
young men were not members of any armed resistance
group but were local gold scavengers.
Members of a funeral assistance group reported signs of
severe torture on the bodies. Injuries included damage to
the face, hands, and eyes, wounds on the legs, tied wrists, and gunshot wounds
to the forehead and chest.
Military officials, including Major General Aung Zaw Htway,
commander of the Northern Command, Colonel Kyaw Thu Ra,
Minister of Security and Border Affairs, Brigadier General Win
Ko Ko (Hpakant military strategy commander), Major Thet Paing
Htun (ground operation commander), and Colonel Wai Yan Soe
(G-1 of the Hpakant military unit), together with pro-military
militia groups (Min Zin Thant People’s Militia), have reportedly
continued conducting checks, questioning, and arrests in mining
areas and residential wards in Hpakant Township.
According to reports, the victim was returning from San Kar village when his
motorcycle ran out of fuel. While pushing his motorcycle near the entrance
of Aung Yar village, in front of Kaung Pyi fuel shop and close to a military
24 | "Inhumane Acts" by KHRW