Locals reported that junta troops and allied militia operating in the embattled Lapu Maw and Wai Law mining sites in the amber mining area of Danai Township, Kachin State, are abducting and beating the miners and seizing their valuables.

Clashes erupted around Wai Law on the morning of January 10, prompting mining workers to flee with their belongings, but the junta arrested eight miners attempting to escape, tied them with ropes, beat them, and forcibly took them away, confiscating their cars, phones, and motorbikes, according to a local witness.

“The miners were packing up their equipment to evacuate as soon as they heard the explosions, but at that moment a junta column arrived. The soldiers tied up the eight people who were loading their gear onto cars, beat them with their fists and boots, and kicked them with combat boots. They then took them away and confiscated their cars, motorbikes, phones, and cash,” he told KNG.

Despite pleas from other miners who tried to stop the confiscations, some militia members in the roughly 50-strong column refused with gestures and continued marching.

All eight of the arrested men were over 50 years old. They were tied up with ropes and subjected to beatings until the fighting subsided.

“They were all ordinary civilians. The soldiers rounded them up while they were packing their belongings, beat them, and robbed them of their valuables. The junta treated the civilians as enemies. The beatings were severe, with some kicked fiercely with military boots. The perpetrators were from one of the military columns operating in Wai Law,” the source added.

After the clashes began, residents and miners in the area struggled to evacuate due to junta-imposed blockades, leaving those trapped to endure bullying by junta forces.

Starting December 13, the junta, along with the allied Warazut militia, launched military operations in the Lapu Maw and Wai Law areas, known for their rich gold and amber deposits.

According to locals, the forces entering the area mainly operated by Battalion 14 under Brigade 2 of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) include junta troops, the Warazut militia led by Commander Min Zay Thant, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) from Mohnyin Township, and the New Democratic Army–Kachin (NDA-K).

The KIA previously controlled these gold and amber mining sites and surrounding areas but was forced to retreat in late 2025 after a large-scale junta offensive supported by heavy airstrikes.

The KIA is seeking an opportunity to retake these areas and has been attacking the junta with artillery barrages and drone strikes, raising military tensions in the region.

Ongoing fighting in Lapu Maw and Wai Law has forced residents from 10 nearby villages, including Thapara, Rakhinekone, Lapu Kha, and Sanlwin, to seek refuge in Danai Town.