Gunmen kill ALP member, civilian in Maungdaw Twsp

13 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
13 August 2022, Maungdaw 

A member of the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and a civilian were reportedly shot dead in Gyinchaung (Muslim) village, part of Hkwaynyaung village-tract in Maungdaw Township, at around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday. 

The deceased have been identified as U Htay Lin, a 35-year-old ALP member working as a livestock farmer, and Ko Khaing Myat Kyaw, a man in his 20s from Thayay Konbaung village. 

A group of unidentified armed men shot the pair while they were sleeping in a hut where ALP members were staying, said a resident of the village. 

“The villagers knew about the shooting incident in the morning. Three men were sleeping in the hut, but one of them managed to escape from the scene when the gunmen shot at them,” the resident explained. “The man who survived the attack is a former ALP member and lives in our village. Ko Khaing Myat Kyaw was shot dead while sleeping in the hut.” 

For now, the bodies are being kept at Maungdaw Hospital and an autopsy report will be handed over to police for an investigation, said U Tun Tun Naing, the administrator of Thayay Konbaung village. 

“I have the autopsy report in my hand, and I will be able to speak on my side only after I hand it over to the police and know the answer. I don’t want to explain about the incident for the time being. The police will launch a probe into the shooting,” the village administrator added. 

When DMG contacted Lt. Col. Khaing Kyaw Soe, an information officer for the ALP, to seek comment on the matter, he said the ethnic armed group was undertaking its own probe.  

“We are investigating the incident. As far as we know, there is no ALP member or ALP camp in Maungdaw, but I am not sure. We will be able to explain to you after we investigate the incident in detail,” he said.