Myanmar Junta Soldiers Shoot Dead Pregnant Woman

By The Irrawaddy 3 September 2021

A pregnant woman died on the spot after being shot by junta soldiers on Wednesday night.

The 27-year-old victim, Ma Ei Thwe Moe, was five months pregnant. She had just picked up her husband, who had been fishing, and was returning to their home in a village in Mon State’s Paung Township when the incident happened, a relative told The Irrawaddy.

Junta forces patrolling in the area reportedly opened fire on the couple after they saw the light from the couple’s flashlight.

The victim’s husband, Ko Min Nay Lwin, was also shot and severely injured and hospitalized.

Ma Ei Thwe Moe had worked as a teacher until a year ago and was the mother of a four-year-old daughter. Her unborn child was also a girl and a funeral was held for both victims.

Killings, arrests and torture by regime forces continue to be reported daily across the country, as the junta escalates its crackdown on dissidents and supporters of the shadow National Unity Government.

On Tuesday, Ko Min Htet Ko and Ko Lu Aye, the older son and younger brother of Ayeyarwady Blood Donor Association Chairman U Ko Ni, were shot at their home in Myingyan Township, Mandalay Region by Pyu Saw Htee militia trained and armed by the military regime.

Pyu Saw Htee members reportedly came to their house to kill U Ko Ni, but were unable to find him and so shot the people they saw. During the attack, U Ko Ni’s son Ko Min Htet Ko was shot in the stomach. He died later that night at Myingyan hospital. U Ko Ni’s younger brother, Ko Lu Aye, was injured in the shooting.

Also on Tuesday, Ko Than Soe Aung, a 25-year-old living in Myo Thit Gyi Ward in Myitkyina Township, Kachin State, was shot while riding his bike by junta soldiers guarding a branch of the Myawaddy Bank, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported. He was on his way to retrieve his fishing net and died in hospital.

At least 1,043 people, including children, youths, students, bystanders, protesters, politicians and resistance fighters, have been killed by the junta since the February 1 coup, according to the AAPP. Over 7,700 people have been arrested.

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