• Burmese
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
29 °c
Ashburn
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Abbot Killed by Gunmen Amid Tax Dispute in Myanmar’s Shan State

The Irrawaddy by The Irrawaddy
October 22, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Followers of Abbot Khay Nin Sayadaw carry his body to his monastery on Oct. 21. / Mai Sky / Facebook

Followers of Abbot Khay Nin Sayadaw carry his body to his monastery on Oct. 21. / Mai Sky / Facebook

5.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON—Khay Nin Sayadaw, the abbot of Khaynin Village Monastery in Lashio, northern Shan State, was shot dead on Sunday evening at his monastery. The abbot also went by the name Bhaddanta Pinna Jotika.

“The abbot was an ethnic Palaung,” Shan State police chief Brigadier General Zaw Khin Aung told The Irrawaddy. Palaung is the Burmese language name for ethnic Ta’ang people. “I heard he didn’t get along with villagers. He was shot seven times with a Luger pistol.”

A number of gunmen entered the monastery and shot the 45-year-old monk at close range, according to local villagers. The gunmen then fled the scene. The monk was shot in his temples, chest and back and died on the spot. Seven bullet casings were found at the crime scene, according to police records.

RelatedPosts

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
725
Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

June 13, 2025
1.6k
China Lead Mine Weighs Heavily on Myanmar’s Padaung Ethnic Group

China Lead Mine Weighs Heavily on Myanmar’s Padaung Ethnic Group

June 11, 2025
726

Brig-Gen Zaw Khin Aung said the case is under investigation.

Local residents believe that the assassination was the result of a division in the community over taxes levied by a Shan ethnic armed group active in the area. Half of the population in Khaynin Village is Shan while the other is ethic Ta’ang.

Local Ta’ang objected to paying taxes to the Shan armed group and reportedly went to discuss the issue with Khay Nin Sayadaw in late September. The abbot told the local residents not to pay the taxes, according to a Lashio-based reporter for a local news outlet, who spoke with The Irrawaddy on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

“He didn’t tell them directly not to pay the taxes but instead said [the taxation] should not happen like this,” said the reporter.

Most ethnic Shan residents pay taxes to the armed group but the ethnic Ta’ang allegedly refused to pay.

Khay Nin Sayadaw was also involved in another dispute as many local ethnic Shan residents wanted their ethnic Shan monk to be abbot at the monastery instead of him.

“There have been divisions between Shan and Ta’ang who are supporters or laymen regarding the monastery,” said the local reporter. “There has been a power struggle for the position of abbot at the monastery.”

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko

You may also like these stories:

Monk Taken to Mandalay After Triggering Roadside Landmine in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

Myanmar Navy Shelling Injures Five in Rakhine

Fighting Reported Between Myanmar Military, TNLA

Primary School Teacher Detained in Rakhine State

Your Thoughts …
Tags: Shan StateShan State Progressive Party
The Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy

...

Similar Picks:

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows
Burma

‘Myanmar Military in Chaos,’ Swift Capture of Strategic Outpost Shows

by Yuzana
January 5, 2024
28.4k

Many of the more than 200 junta troops captured on Wednesday at Shan State outpost after brief battle were medics,...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Military Suffers Swift Losses as Operation 1027 Expands to Mandalay

by The Irrawaddy
June 27, 2024
18.2k

Ethnic army and PDF allies capture two dozen junta bases in three days of fighting in townships along the road...

Read moreDetails
China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army
Myanmar-China Watch

China Faces Fierce Online Backlash in Myanmar After Threat Against Ethnic Army

by The Irrawaddy
September 2, 2024
13.6k

The Chinese Embassy’s Facebook has been swamped with comments condemning a Chinese agency’s warning to the TNLA to stop fighting...

Read moreDetails
Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta
Analysis

Wa Army Shows How to Succeed in Fight Against Myanmar Junta

by Ko Oo
July 17, 2024
13.3k

The UWSA has expanded its territory in Shan State without firing a single shot.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio
War Against the Junta

Myanmar Junta Troops Surrender Key Shan Base, Ethnic Armies Advance Into Lashio

by The Irrawaddy
July 6, 2024
11.5k

The Brotherhood Alliance and its allies are battling to drive junta troops from hilltop bases in three wards of Shan...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Coinciding with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to the Japanese capital, dozens of Arakanese people stage a protest in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo on Monday. / Myat Thaw Khine

Protesters Outside Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo Condemn ‘Silent Genocide’ in Rakhine

An artillery shell fell near Hteik Htoo Pauk in Buthidaung, Rakhine State. / The Irrawaddy

Villager Injured by Artillery Strike in Myanmar’s Rakhine

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

1 week ago
1.9k
The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

The Lady Myanmar’s Generals Can’t Defeat

5 days ago
808

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Scrambles for Chinese Energy Investment as Lights Go Out

    Myanmar Junta Scrambles for Chinese Energy Investment as Lights Go Out

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • New Law on Civil Servants by Myanmar’s Parallel Gov’t Troubles Observers

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Moves to Seize Sagaing Roads

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Certifying a Chinese Security Invasion; Boosting Ties With Nuclear North Korea; and More

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Changes Election Law Ahead of Polls

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.