A man was killed in regime custody in Mandalay Region after he was detained on Sunday on suspicion of shooting a woman who locals believe acted as an informant for the military.
Myo Myint Than, a 38-year-old engine repair worker from the village of Inn Tay, was arrested hours after two young men on motorcycles shot Hnin Hnin Wai at close range at a market in the nearby town of Taungtha.
The alleged informant, who is also 38, is being treated for bullet wounds in her back and chest at the Meikhtila military hospital and has not regained consciousness since the attack.
The attackers appeared to be two men in their 20s, a witness told Myanmar Now. They shot her at the Yoon Yoon Electric Store, which she owns.
About 10 minutes after the shooting, a large group of soldiers and police arrived at the market and searched the area extensively. They inspected motorcycles similar to those of the attackers and arrested two shoppers, who are from the village of Myintay.
Four other men, including Myo Myint Than, were arrested when regime forces raided five villages in Taungtha Township in connection with the incident.
A group calling itself the Taungtha Township Youth Guerrilla Group has claimed responsibility for the attack and said none of those arrested were involved.
A member of the group told Myanmar Now that Hnin Hnin Wai was targeted because she gave away the identities of anti-coup activists to the military.
The Inn Tay village administrator, appointed by the military council, told Myo Myint Than’s family that he was dead at around 1pm on Monday without mentioning the cause of his death.
His wife, two parents, and a monk were allowed to look at his body, according to a source close to his family. “They said the face was all ruined,” the source told Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity.
Myo Myint Than was cremated at the Taungtha cemetery at 3pm the same day.
He is survived by his wife and an eight-year-old son. Myanmar Now was unable to contact his family.
Twenty-two civilians have died at interrogation camps since the military seized power on February 1, with more than half dying within 24 hours of detainment, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners said last week.
Taungtha locals have said Hnin Hnin Wai was a member of the military’s Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). A USDP spokesperson for Mandalay Region said the party was investigating whether that was true.
A handmade bomb exploded at Hnin Hnin Wai’s shop in March but there was no damage and no one was hurt.
A member of the Metta Seitta Social Welfare Organization, a local aid group, told Myanmar Now that Hnin Hnin Wai’s injuries were severe.
“They said she had a ruptured bowel,” the member said. “The condition of her injuries was very worrying yesterday, but they said the operation was a success. The patient has not regained consciousness.”
Despite being a stronghold of the USDP, Taungtha Township saw several weeks of anti-coup protests until early April.
Since then, most of those who were actively involved in protests have had to flee because of the danger posed by informers, locals said.
