Family accuses Myanmar resistance fighters of killing civilian in Bago Region

A woman living in central Myanmar’s Bago Region is demanding an investigation into the death of her husband, who she says was killed last month by resistance forces operating under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG). The victim, 43-year-old Kyaw Lin Naing, was a resident of Minhla Township in central Bago Region and the father of an eight-year-old girl, according to his wife and friends. They say he had no ties to Myanmar’s military or any armed organisation. NUG officials said an investigation into the case has already begun, but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility. “We are conducting an initial investigation into the allegations,” said Tin Oo, deputy commander of the NUG’s Sub-Military Region No. 2, which oversees People’s Defence Force (PDF) operations in Bago Region. He declined to confirm or deny whether PDF fighters were involved. According to local sources, Kyaw Lin Naing was killed on April 25 after PDF members accused him of illegally transporting teak timber from the Bago Yoma and failing to stop at a checkpoint near the town of Okpho, north of Minhla. One source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said that six PDF members on two motorcycles chased Kyaw Lin Naing and two other men after they allegedly ignored orders to stop. “They fired two shots and forced the motorcycles to halt,” the source said. “As soon as he got off the motorcycle, they beat him, tied him up and took him into a field. Then they killed him.” The two other men were reportedly released. Photographs reviewed by Myanmar Now showed Kyaw Lin Naing’s body lying face down in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds to his back. Two teak logs were visible nearby. The teak logs that were allegedly in Kyaw Lin Naing’s possession when he was stopped by PDF forces on April 25 (Photo: Supplied) His wife said she believes resistance fighters may have mistaken her husband for a military informant. “The dead are already gone,” she told Myanmar Now in a telephone interview. “No group has contacted us at all. Now I am struggling alone with my little daughter.” Local residents buried the body near the site of the killing because the family was reportedly too frightened to travel into the area. A complaint letter submitted by relatives called for an investigation into members of Battalion 3802, a unit under PDF Strategic Command 22, based in the Bago Yoma. Some resistance fighters reportedly later justified the killing by claiming that Kyaw Lin Naing and his family had ties to the pro-military Pyu Saw Htee militia. But people close to the family denied the accusation, saying he was a day labourer who transported small quantities of timber by motorcycle to support his family. “If he broke forestry laws, he should have faced legal punishment, not execution,” said Lu Aye, a local observer monitoring political and military developments in Thayarwady District. The killing comes amid broader tensions surrounding illegal logging in the Bago Yoma, a forested mountain region long known for valuable hardwoods such as teak and padauk. Logging in the area was officially suspended by Myanmar’s previous civilian administration in an effort to curb deforestation, though small-scale smuggling reportedly continued. The case also follows earlier allegations against resistance units in the region. In 2024, fighters from another PDF battalion in Thayarwaddy District were accused of killing five civilians, while separate allegations in early 2025 involved the killing of a local armed group leader and detention of 18 members. Tin Oo said investigations into those incidents also remain unresolved. “Revolution is revolution, and injustice is injustice,” he said. “The truth must prevail.”

Family accuses Myanmar resistance fighters of killing civilian in Bago Region

The incident, possibly related to illegal logging, is the latest to raise concerns about tensions between locals and anti-regime forces

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