One of three arrested villagers found dead in Dawei River

October 13, 2023

HURFOM: On October 1, 2023, the military junta arrested three villagers from Maung Mae Shaung village, Dawei Township, Tenasserim Division and one individual was found dead on October 6.

The local villagers found the body in the Dawei River, west of Nyaung Zin village.

“They were arrested on the west riverbank of the (Dawei) River. Nearby villagers said they heard the sound of gunfire in the evening. When the villagers went to the river bank, they found blood stains,” said a Maung Mae Shaung resident.

Two prison staff from Dawei Prison were killed on September 30 and after the incident, about 30 Burmese troops entered and launched a military operation in Maung Mae Shaung village. They arrested 30-year-old Ko Thar Gan, 29-year-old Ko Myoe Swe and 14-year-old Maung Ah Pu Q.

A local witness confirmed that the dead body was Ko Thar Gan.

On October 10, another dead body was found and the color of the shirt on the dead body was similar to the color shirt worn by Ko Myoe Swe when he was arrested. HURFOM has not confirmed if the body was Ko Myoe Swe.

“A day after the arrest (on October 2), villagers found a body without a head. After seeing the dead body, the family members of Maung Ah Pu Q said the clothes on the body weren’t the same as their son’s clothes. So we could confirm nothing,” said a source close to the victim’s family.

Maung Mae Shaung is the village where the military junta has established their base. The Burmese soldiers typically arrest villagers, use them as human shields, and demand a ransom for their release.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News