September 18, 2026 | Burma Independent Voice
Thirteen Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) officers who were arrested at Happy KTV in Myitkyina, Kachin State, in 2022 were released from Myitkyina Prison on September 16 upon completing their three-year prison sentences.
The officers were taken into custody on the morning of November 12, 2022, while at Happy KTV on Shwe Street in Tatkone Ward, Myitkyina. Following their arrest, the 13 officers were transferred to the Northern Command headquarters, where they underwent interrogation for approximately one month, according to sources close to the KIO.
Upon the conclusion of their interrogation, they were transferred to Myitkyina Prison, prosecuted under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment each. Having served their full terms, all 13 KIO officers were released from Myitkyina Prison on September 16.
“The group of Salang Kaba (KIO officers) arrested at Happy KTV have been released from Myitkyina Zealun Prison. Saya Lamai Gum Ja from the Peace-talk Creation Group (PCG) went to receive them yesterday at around 10:00 AM,” a source close to the KIO stated.
According to a KIO officer, detentions of KIO personnel occur annually in urban areas, including Myitkyina, as well as in other townships. Among those publicly known to have been arrested, some served sentences and were subsequently released, while others were detained covertly and have gone completely missing.
“When cases become public knowledge, individuals are prosecuted under applicable laws and eventually released. However, for officers who were secretly detained, there are no traces left even to conduct an investigation,” the KIO officer told the Kachin News Group (KNG).
The officer added that local civilians accused of affiliation with the KIO/KIA face similar circumstances when detained. He noted that most arrests of KIO officers stem from informant tips and lax security precautions.
“Some were arrested because of informants—primarily individuals in their immediate surroundings. Others were detained due to failing to strictly follow directives or a lack of vigilance,” he said.
Between 2022 and 2024, multiple incidents were reported involving the arrest of KIO officers at guesthouses, KTVs, bars, and other venues in Myitkyina. In a separate incident on September 14, 2025, two KIO officers—Salang Kaba Lahtaw Zaw Seng Aung and Salang Kaba Ngwa Lang Lawt Rein—riding a motorcycle on Sanpya Road in Myitkyina were pursued and shot at by junta forces in a civilian vehicle before being taken into custody.
Furthermore, inspections and detentions targeting KIO/KIA officers and individuals suspected of having ties to the KIO/KIA occur regularly at the Warazup People’s Militia checkpoint located at the Lawa Gate in Mogaung Township, according to local residents and sources close to the organization.
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