The chair of the Myanmar regime’s Veterans Association in Tatkon Township in Naypyitaw was assassinated on Monday by a local resistance group after being identified as a junta informant.
Former army captain Thein Myint was shot four times with revolvers on Monday afternoon while at his home in the Myanmar capital and died on the spot. Fight for Justice-Tatkon, a local resistance group, claimed responsibility for the killing.
In a statement, the group said they killed Thein Myint because he oversaw and supported a local Pyu Saw Htee group. Pyu Saw Htee are militias of pro-junta supporters formed and armed by the military regime to counter the anti-coup movement.
Fight for Justice-Tatkon said also that they will eliminate military informers and junta forces at every opportunity.
Some Tatkon residents said that Thein Myint was not only chair of Tatkon’s Veteran Association but also gave information about the resistance movement to the junta.
With the Myanmar military fighting resistance groups and ethnic armed organizations nationwide and suffering casualties and defections, the junta is increasingly calling on former members of the military to help in its fight against the anti-regime movement.
Some are used as informants who keep an eye on their neighborhoods, while others have been recruited into Pyu Saw Htee groups. Retired soldiers have also been reenlisted into the military and posted to areas where resistance groups are especially active.
Local residents said that a bomb exploded near Thein Myint’s home during his funeral, destroying some motorbikes. The funeral was attended by Naypyitaw military commander Major General Zaw Hein.
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