• Home
• about
• Activities
• Contact
• Programs
• Manual

• Analysis
• Commentary
• Feature
• General Election
• Monthly Report
• News
• PDF Format
• Special Report
• Video Clips

Five Thanbyuzayat Township villagers murdered in drug-fuelled violence

Five villagers in Wae-Win-Kara village, located in Mon State’s Thanbyuzayat Township, have been killed, following the worst case of drug-related violence on record in Mon State.

On April 4, at approximately 9 a.m., 40-year-old Nai A Yone set fire to his own home and began stabbing multiple villagers, in a spree of violence that left five dead, four injured and four homes destroyed.

The dead included the head of a local militia group, Nai Sein Kine, and his wife. Others who died from their injuries were named as Nai Aung Tun, 40, Nai Lon, 40, and Nai Tun Kyi, 80.

According to eyewitnesses, the damage Nai A Yone inflicted worsened when, following a stabbing spree, he seized a gun from local militia forces as they unsuccessfully attempted to subdue him.

Nai Chan Mon, a teacher in Wae-Win-Kara, described the attack, “We saw him set fire to his house and then he started stabbing Nai Lon and other people. Some were killed and some were injured. The militia shot at him but it didn’t work, so then the militia ran away and one member left their gun near [Nai A Yone]. He got the gun and started shooting at the militia group.”

Reports suggest that Nai A Yone, a known drug addict, was under the influence of drugs at the time of the attack. According to villagers, he was earlier seen singing and clearly incapacitated, before threatening to kill all of the people in the village.

The violence ended 20 minutes after the attack began, when a group of Burmese soldiers and police arrived at the scene and shot Nai A Yone in the head. Nai A Yone, who eyewitnesses say had already sustained injuries to his leg during the attack, died immediately at the scene.

Following the incident, injured residents were sent to Mawlamyine Hospital, while the bodies of the dead were transferred to Thanbyuzayat. Firefighters were eventually able to extinguish the fire, which left four houses destroyed in addition to Nai A Yone’s home.

Comments