Troops from Myanmar’s junta reportedly torched mining equipment near Hmawsizar village in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township on the morning of 3 June, prompting fears and displacement among local residents.

According to local sources, a backhoe, two earthmoving trucks, and a guardhouse at the 111 Mining Site were set ablaze around 8 am. The equipment had been brought to the site by junta forces the previous evening. Witnesses said the same soldiers then moved toward nearby Aung Ya village by 11:30 am and allegedly ignited another fire there.

“Every day, the regime troops are extorting money from company sites and setting fire to machinery. Some civilians are fleeing from areas where the military is stationed, while others are staying and monitoring the situation,” said one Hpakant resident. 

The arson is part of a broader pattern of military activity in the region. More than 100 troops from the junta’s Kansee strategic hill base reportedly entered the Lone Khinn area on 27 May. By 29 May, forces had deployed inside Hpakant town and were stationed on Hmawsizar pagoda hill, according to local reports.

Around 30 soldiers are now said to be patrolling the mining zones, demanding payments from site operators and continuing to destroy machinery.

“It’s true we’re worried. We haven’t faced direct trouble yet, but vehicles have definitely been burned," said a resident of Lone Khinn.

This incident follows a similar report from 31 May, when the military allegedly burned down a mining company near Hmawsizar village.

Local residents and civil society groups warn that the targeting of mining infrastructure, already a critical economic lifeline in the jade-rich region, is escalating, contributing to rising tensions and displacement in conflict-affected Kachin State.