Residents report that a residence located within the Lel Kone ward of Myitkyina Township in Kachin State was subjected to a raid, resulting in the arrest of 11 young individuals.
At approximately 9:30 PM on August 28th, a residence situated in the Lel Kone (East) ward underwent an unexpected raid carried out by 30 troops from the Military Council, arriving in three vehicles, according to a witness.
"The news about the arrest of youths, including People's Defense Force (PDF) members, in the ward is accurate. In total, 11 people were arrested, including both those connected to PDF and those who were not. Apparently, only one individual was a PDF member among them, and reports indicate that he has already provided a confession”, the source told KNG.
Out of the apprehended youths, there were 6 men and 5 women. One among them has acknowledged his affiliation with PDF, whereas the current status of the rest remains uncertain.
"The Military Council has been tracking PDF members who are active in the Myitkyina area for a while. The arrested individual had been under observation for a considerable period. There are speculations that the other young individuals might be released, but nothing has been concretely confirmed”, the aforementioned source added.
The identities of the 11 youths apprehended by the Military Council remain undisclosed. According to some locals, family members present in the targeted residence were also taken into custody. However, these assertions have not been thoroughly confirmed by KNG at this time.
Among the detainees, it seems that the person accused of being affiliated with the PDF is said to be connected to Ko Chit, the leader of Myitkyina Defense Force, who himself was captured in April 2022.
However, the Myitkyina Defense Force mentioned that since Ko Chit's arrest, there has been no further communication between him and the other members.
Since the coup, occasional arrests of young people and PDF members in Myitkyina have occurred, frequently based on tips from informants associated with the Military Council.
Furthermore, the Military Council is presently employing civilian vehicles for patrols in the downtown area of Myitkyina, along with deploying undercover sentinels.
