Four villagers who disappeared from Thanbyuzayat killed by armed group

April 9, 2024

HURFOM: It has been discovered that four villagers from Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State who disappeared for nearly a month were killed by “Taung Nyo Column” of the 27th Brigade of the Karen National Liberation Army.

The group took responsibility for the murders in a statement made on March 20th, 2024.

On March 6th, 2024, 40-year-old Nai Thein Zaw and 50-year-old Nai Ah Kyel from Ka Rope Pi village and 40-year-old Nai Kon Tea and Nai Kon Tet from An Khel village, Thanbyuzayat Township left Nai Thein Zaw’s home for Wel Kha Mi village to buy “food and items” for ordination ceremony.

The “Taung Nyo Column” said they received a report from civilians and stopped and checked them. They found a contact number of the Police Chief of the Ka Rope Pi Police Station in Nai Thein Zaw’s mobile phone and arrested all of them. Then, four of them were tied with rope.

According to the statement by the “Taung Nyo Column”, all four villagers were accidentally killed by one of their members who was drunk during the interrogation.

“Since the four villagers disappeared, the local organizations, the monks and the local residents visited the armed groups active around Wel Kha Mi area and inquired about them. At the time, they lied, they knew nothing,” said a resident from Thanbyuzayat Township.

Among four victims, Nai Thein Zaw was a member of the “Farmland and Plantation Department” of the New Mon State Party and Nai Ah Kyel was an activist for the Mon national schools.

“As the statement is circulating on social media, it’s sure that they killed them,” said a local villager from Thanbyuzayat Township.

The “Taung Nyo Column” announced that the member who committed the murder was sentenced to five-year imprisonment with hard labor and expelled from the group forever. However, the “Taung Nyo Column” has failed to apologize to the victims’ families.

The family members of the victims could not accept the misconduct of the “Taung Nyo Column” and on April 3, 2024, they filed a report to the New Mon State Party requesting the party to have a discussion with the “Taung Nyo Column”.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News