Myanmar political candidate arrested for murder after fatal beating in Taunggyi

Myanmar’s junta election commission detained the People’s Pioneer Party’s (PPP) candidate in Taunggyi on November 5 on suspicion of murder, but the party says he will still contest the upcoming election. Sai Shwe Htee, a 52-year-old People’s Pioneer Party candidate running for a Shan State parliamentary seat in Taunggyi Township’s Constituency 1, and his son were arrested after allegedly beating a neighbor to death around 2am on the full moon day of Tazaungmone—early November 5—after accusing him of stealing their chickens.The two were held at Aye Tharyar Police Station in Taunggyi town and face charges of murder and aiding and abetting murder, with a maximum punishment of death if convicted.PPP Vice Chairman U Saw Han Aye stated to local media that Sai Shwe Htee, who was arrested months before the election, will continue as the party’s candidate and will not be substituted. He added that the party has not received any details of the case and, with the election campaign already underway, Sai Shwe Htee cannot be replaced as the candidate.“He will face prosecution if found guilty of violating UEC (Union Election Commission) laws,” Saw Han Aye told Myanmar Now. “At present, he remains the candidate, as the verdict has not yet been issued and he is still in police custody.” According to the junta’s election laws, individuals serving prison sentences cannot run in elections, while those on trial are allowed to do so. If a winning candidate is later sentenced to prison, they would be removed from their parliamentary seat. Myanmar Now has reached out to the junta election commission but has yet to receive a response. Founded in 2019, the People’s Pioneer Party is led by entrepreneur Thet Thet Khine, who broke away from the National League for Democracy (NLD). Former junta officials Kyaw Zeya and Myint Maung Tun serve as vice chairmen to the party. The PPP ran more than 240 candidates in the 2020 election, but failed to secure any seats. The political party was set to field over 500 candidates in the junta’s election scheduled for late December, but the election commission announced that the party’s chair, Thet Thet Khine, had been barred from running for a parliamentary seat. Regarding the party’s response to Sai Shwe Htee’s arrest, Saw Han Aye said there is still time to decide on the next steps. “He is still under interrogation, and no verdict has been reached,” he added. “The commission will determine what happens next.”

Myanmar political candidate arrested for murder after fatal beating in Taunggyi

The People’s Pioneer Party refuses to drop its Taunggyi candidate, who remains in custody on murder charges ahead of Myanmar’s December election

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