2 Rakhine villagers shot dead in Maungdaw during night hours

Narinjara News, 14 August 2022

Two Rakhine people were shot dead in the southern part of Maungdaw township in the Myanmar-Bangladesh border area.

The incident took place in Gan Chaung village at 12.30 pm on 13 August. The victims have been identified as Myat Khaing Kyaw (22 years old) and Ko Htay Lin (35), both hailed from Tharay Kaung Bon village.

Locals informed that a group of unidentified armed men entered into the hut located outside of Gan Chaung village and opened fire on them, where both the victims were taking shelter. Three others, who were also with them, escaped unhurt, said a villager.

"They were together in the hut near a creek and stayed there after looking for crabs. The families of victims wanted to see them, but the junta authority opposed it,” he added.

Htay Lin  was working as a guard in the chicken farm belonging to Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and Myat Khaing Kyaw often spent nights with him while coming to collect crabs.

Both the bodies were sent to Maungdaw hospital for postmortem. The families are demanding their bodies for funerals with necessary rituals in their village.

The reason for shooting is yet to be known, but many suspect that the junta forces might have misunderstood them as Arakan Army members or supporters.

Rakhine State is currently witnessing an increase of military conflicts resulting in the death of innocent civilians and also arrests. At the same time, incidents of robberies are also increasing in various localities.