A local official of the Myanmar military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) was shot dead in Mon State in southern Myanmar on Thursday morning.
Two unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on U Myint Swe and his wife while they were on their way to their farm in Arrlulay village, Bilin Township around 8:15am, according to the USDP’s Mon State branch.
“He was shot in the head and died on the spot and his wife was injured in the jaw,” a local said. His wife was transported to a military hospital. The funeral will be held right away, the local added. The USDP’s Mon State branch also confirmed U Myint Swe’s death.
Junta forces blocked the area after the attack and conducted searches of people and property.
U Myint Swe was the chairperson of the USDP in Bilin Township. He stood for an Upper House seat in Bilin Township in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, losing to the National League for Democracy (NLD) candidate on both occasions.
Former dictator Senior General Than Shwe founded the USDP in the early 1990s as a social organization. It was transformed into a political party in 2010 to win the rigged general election of the same year. The party leadership is still dominated by former generals.
The USDP was heavily defeated in the 2015 and 2020 general elections by the NLD. Refusing to accept the losses, the USDP and its allied losing parties said the elections were marred by voter fraud. The 2020 election results were annulled by the regime after its February coup.
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