Family of man convicted of high-profile murder in Sittwe to appeal ULA court’s death sentence

08 Feb 2023

DMG Newsroom
8 February 2023, Sittwe

The wife of a man convicted of murder and sentenced to death by a court set up by the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the Arakan Army (AA), says his family will appeal the ruling.

Ma Nwe Thandar Win, an 18-year-old resident of Sittwe’s Mingan Ward, was stabbed to death at her place of employment, a consumer goods shop near the Arakan State government offices, on August 15, 2022. 

Both Myanmar’s military regime and the AA detained separate suspects in parallel investigations into the killing, with the AA identifying Myo Myint Zaw as the alleged murderer on August 31.

Ko Myo Myint Zaw, the manager of the shop, was reportedly charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code at a ULA court on September 22, with the ULA/AA court subsequently handing down the death sentence on February 3.

But family members of Ko Myo Myint Zaw say they are not satisfied with the court’s ruling, and will file an appeal.

“We plan to appeal the ULA court order. We see that this court made a forced order. So, as long as we are not satisfied with the order made by the ULA court, we will appeal,” said the wife of Ko Myo Myint Zaw.

“Ma Nwe Thandar Win’s family also said that they are not satisfied with the decision of the ULA court. Every time the ULA makes a court appointment, they and we face a lot of difficulties. We are concerned that if we appeal the ULA court’s verdict, Ma Nwe Thandar Win’s family will not be able to go to court,” she added, explaining that the repeated visits to the courthouse were taking a financial toll on both families.

Ko Myo Myint Zaw’s wife said the evidence presented in the case was not conclusive. 

“I would like to tell the ULA officials that this verdict is wrong. I think the innocent person in this case should be released and the case should be re-examined from the beginning. I think the ULA should investigate this case properly, from scratch,” she said.

Maung Myo Chit Soe, the other suspect, who was detained by the military regime, was acquitted and released late last month.