Regime forces shot and killed a man and a 14-year-old boy while on patrol in the town of Launglon in Tanintharyi Region’s Dawei District on Sunday, according to local sources.
The victims, 31-year-old Kyaw Lwin Oo and Aung Wai Yan, 14, were both riding motorcycles at the time of their killing. Another man was also beaten and arrested, the sources reported.
Aung Wai Yan’s younger sister, who was riding with him on his motorcycle, was also shot but reportedly sustained only minor injuries.
“They weren’t trying to get away or anything. They were just riding their motorcycles when the junta forces opened fire on them,” said the spokesperson for the Dawei District Democratic Movement Strike Committee, citing witnesses.
He said that some 10 soldiers and police officers stationed at Launglon’s central police station and General Administration Department office were responsible for the attack.
Kyaw Lwin Oo died on the spot in a gutter on the side of the road, while Aung Wai Yan bled to death on his way to the hospital, monitor group Dawei Watch reported on Monday.
Kyaw Lwin Oo’s body was set to be cremated at noon on Tuesday.
Regime forces in Launglon, which is located about 20km southwest of regional capital Dawei, have killed a number of civilians over the past year in connection with the junta’s efforts to crush local resistance groups.
In June, three people were murdered during a raid on a village south of the town, and last year, a 16-year-old boy was shot dead by soldiers for being out after dark.
According to the latest figures compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Myanmar’s military has killed a total of 2,525 civilians since seizing power on February 1, 2021.
