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Home News Burma

Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

The Irrawaddy by The Irrawaddy
June 12, 2025
in Burma
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Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

Junta forces torch heavy machinery in Hpakant township’s Hmawsizar village. / Aung Zaw Moe-Hpakant’s Post

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Junta troops and allied militias are torching mines in Hpakant Township in a counteroffensive aimed at reclaiming control of Myanmar’s jade hub.

Hpakant town has been encircled by Kachin resistance forces for the past year, and clashes have been raging for weeks as the regime seeks to break the siege.

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied Kachin People’s Defense Force surrounded Hpakant last June, after seizing control of roads leading east to Kamaing and south to Mohnyin.

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On April 24, two columns of junta troops totaling around 1,000 soldiers began advancing on Hpakant from Kamaing and Mohnyin. The troops from Mohnyin were intercepted by resistance forces and remain trapped in Nam Mun, close to Indawgi Lake, 100 kilometers south of Hpakant town. However, the Kamaing junta column of around 600 troops advanced to Lone Khin, 12 km from Hpakant town, in late May after seizing KIA positions along the road. The troops have threatened to bomb the town if attacked.

“They torched machinery and staff accommodation at a mining site belonging to Zaw Naing Htay,” said a resident.

“They have been burning mining sits in the areas. People are terrified. Some troops have advanced toward Hpakant. Others are using a pagoda in Hmawsizar as a base to raid nearby villages and mining sites. Clashes are erupting here and there,” he said.

Locals report that a junta column of around 200 troops is raiding villages and torching vehicles and heavy machinery, including backhoes and dump trucks, at jade mining sites.

On Monday, the junta reportedly bombed a mining compound storing explosives near Seik Mu village, one hour south of Hpakant town, triggering blasts and fires.

Smoke rises from a jade mine in Hmawsizar after a raid by junta troops./ Aung Zaw Moe-Hpakant’s Post

“We villagers are terrified. All the markets and bazaars have closed.  People are scrambling to buy what little they can from village kiosks,” a local woman said.

Food prices have surged as fighting for the jade hub escalates. Locals report that a sack of rice now reportedly costs over 200,000 kyat (around US$ 40) – more than twice the Yangon price – while eggs are being sold at 1,000 kyat each. Residents say medicines and fuel are also becoming increasingly scarce and expensive.

A regime drone struck a warehouse for mining explosives in Lone Khin last Friday, killing nine civilians, including a child. A separate drone attack nearby killed four mining staff and wounded several others, according to residents.

Locals say fleeing Hpakant has become increasingly difficult as the junta has blocked the Hpakant-Kamaing road. The only other escape route is controlled by the junta-aligned Shanni Nationalities Army, which reportedly extorts money from travelers and arrests young people.

Meanwhile, sources say that the junta has arrested Hpakant-based Battalion 33 Commander Colonel Kyaw Hset Myint for alleged involvement in illegal jade mining and trading in mining explosives. He was reportedly detained along with his wife and mother-in-law, who were released after interrogation.

The commander of Brigade 99, Colonel Tin Maung Kyaw, has also reportedly been detained and removed for operational failures in recent clashes.

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