Myanmar junta claims to have captured guerrilla assassins of retired army officer 

The Myanmar military regime announced on Monday that it had arrested 10 individuals responsible for the high-profile killing of a retired brigadier general in late September.

Ohn Thwin, 72, was shot dead by gunmen in front of his residence in Yangon’s Hlaing Township on September 24 along with his son-in-law Ye Tayza. Inya Urban Force (IUF), a Yangon-based guerrilla group, claimed responsibility for the attack, accusing him of cheerleading the junta and endorsing the murder of anti-dictatorship protesters. 

An ex-ambassador, Ohn Thwin had once headed Myanmar’s diplomatic missions to Bangladesh, Maldives, South Africa and Sri Lanka, and is the highest ranking current or retired military officer to have been assassinated by anti-junta forces since the February 2021 coup.

The junta’s announcement in its Burmese-language newspapers said that its troops had arrested seven men and three women from the IUF over three days during the first week of October. It accused the guerrilla group of committing several attacks since it was founded in July 2021 with 14 members. 

The military accused the group of six targeting regime personnel in the commercial capital. Among the casualties was Lanmadaw Township administrative officer Maj Gaday Phyo Aung, in April. The only survivor of the series of assassination attempts was administrator Than Win, also known as Bobby, in Botahtaung Township.

The IUF posted on their Facebook page on Monday that some of their members had been arrested, but did not specify when or how many. The statement said that the group fears for the lives of its members in junta custody. 

At the time of reporting, the IUF had not responded to Myanmar Now’s inquiry regarding whether the individuals mentioned in the military’s statement belonged to their group.