By Nan Lwin Hnin Pwint / The Irrawaddy | September 13, 2018
YANGON — Myanmar Army soldiers reportedly raided a house in Kachin State’s Hpakant on Tuesday and detained three men they claimed were insurgents extorting money for the Arakan Army.
The raid happened at a house in the village of Ah Hmike Pon Gone in Hpakant around 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
The village was formerly a dumpsite for mining waste but later prospectors came and resided there. About 1,000 prospectors from Rakhine State currently live there.
“People in plain clothes arrived around 10 a.m. in three cars and shot at the house. And they also dragged a few people into the cars. A few Arakanese people were abducted. I don’t know if they were dead or alive. For the time being, the house has been blockaded by soldiers,” said an Arakanese eyewitness who did not want to be named.
“Only Arakanese people live here. We are quite shocked by the shooting. People are in a state of panic. They do nothing wrong and only search for stones. They are worried that they will also be shot,” he added.