Three men were killed after a local anti-junta resistance group launched an attack on seven alleged members of the military-backed Pyu Saw Htee militia in Yangon’s Twante Township on Saturday.
An officer in the Twante Guerrilla Force claimed responsibility for the assault, which took place in Thaban Seik village, seven miles from the township’s administrative centre.
“They were raising funds for the military and we decided to eliminate them because they were also threatening the security of the area,” he told Myanmar Now.
The men, who were between the ages of 26 and 40, were identified as Thein Zaw, Thein Win, Hein Min Htet, Aung Thu, Kyaw Lin Naing and Hein Min Thi.
Myanmar Now is unable to independently verify their status as members of the Pyu Saw Htee, a nationwide network armed and trained by the junta to support the military in their fight against the anti-coup resistance movement.
Armed with pistols, two members of the Twante Guerrilla Force reportedly opened fire on the seven men as they were assembling at a home belonging to Thein Zaw and Thein Win, who were brothers and among the casualties.
Kyaw Lin Naing was wounded and died on the way to the hospital, according to junta propaganda channels on the platform Telegram, which identified the victims as manual labourers.
On Sunday, a married couple were shot and killed by unknown perpetrators in Twante at their vehicle repair shop in Lakapone village. A member of the shop’s staff found the bodies of Toe Min Htike, 41, and Pa Pa Win, 21, with bullet wounds to the head, neck and arms.
“We don’t know why they were killed, but we have released a statement saying that we will uncover who the perpetrators of this attack were,” the Twante Guerrilla Force officer said, adding that he was “saddened” by their deaths and that they were not believed to have ties to any junta entities.
After their murders, several Myanmar army soldiers reportedly arrested around 20 locals from Lakapone and the surrounding communities.
