In Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, two Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers were shot and abducted, sources close to the KIO said. The KIO is the political wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
Around 3:00 pm on September 14, two KIO officers riding a motorcycle in Sanpya Ward, Myitkyina, were wounded when junta soldiers in an unmarked vehicle suddenly opened fire on them. The officers were then arrested and taken away.
“The junta soldiers suddenly showed up in an AD Van. They opened fire on the KIO officers and then took them away. Witnesses said they saw the officers lying on the road, completely motionless, it's not even clear if they were alive at that moment. One of the officers was from Lawa Village, the other from Kamaing Town. It looks like the junta planned this ambush with precise intel. They also confiscated the officers’ phones. We need to stay alert to the potential consequences,” a KIO source told KNG. Lawa and Kamaing, both located in Hpakant Township, Kachin State.
The two KIO officers who were shot and abducted are Salan Kabar Lataw Zaw Seng Aung and Salan Kabar Ngalan Laudrein. Their undercover status was exposed while they were in junta-controlled Myitkyina City, leading to their grim fate.
The KIO source warned that the junta captured the two officers using precise intel and is likely to use any information from them to hunt down more KIO contacts, so networks in Myitkyina must remain highly vigilant.
“KIO and KIA officers, along with young members in Myitkyina, need to stay on high alert. The junta may increase its searches in the city. It is also trying to retake as many towns as possible ahead of the elections it will oversee. In times like these, it’s better not to let your guard down,” he said.
In August, a KIO official in Myitkyina City, who had been pressuring local ward administrators not to support the junta’s election, mysteriously disappeared and has not been heard from since.
On November 12, 2022, the junta arrested 13 KIO officers at the Happy KTV lounge in Tatkone Ward, Myitkyina City, then interrogated them and used the information gathered to carry out a series of follow-up arrests.
In Myitkyina City, the junta often placed informants in places like hotels and guesthouses to spy on KIO activities, leading to frequent arrests of KIO and KIA members.
