Myanmar Junta Colonel Assassinated by Corporal: Sources

By Hein Htoo Zan 31 January 2023

Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Soe Aung of the junta’s Signal Training Depot was shot dead by one of his troops in Pyin Oo Lwin Township, Mandalay Region, on Sunday, according to military sources.

Lt-Col Kyaw Soe Aung was parading troops at the training depot when he was shot twice in the chest with a rifle, sources said.

“It is confirmed that he was shot at close range on Sunday and he died in the hospital,” said a source, citing a captain who works under Lt-Col Kyaw Soe Aung.

The colonel was appointed as the depot’s vice-principal while the National League for Democracy was in office and was previously based in Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region, the sources said.

The lance corporal responsible has been detained and the community in Pyin Oo Lwin, a military-dominated hill station, is in shock, his family said.

Some military sources said they could not make calls to personnel in Pyin Oo Lwin.

Former captain Htet Myat of the civil disobedience movement said the assassination of a commanding officer by one of his troops revealed how the military is divided and some units might not be far from mutiny.

“We heard he was always bullying the lower ranks. There is no other way to deal with guys like that these days,” the former captain said.

Sources said the junta leadership is worried the incident could trigger uprisings elsewhere and is attempting to suppress the news. His family has been ordered not to issue a newspaper obituary.

“The situation that could lead to a huge mutiny. The incident highlights the regime’s many problems. Our revolutionary groups will use it to our advantage,” said a resistance fundraiser.