KBZ Bank employee shot dead in Myawaddy

By Admin 03 Oct 2023

DMG Newsroom
3 October 2023, Myawaddy, Kayin State

A senior manager of the Kanbawza (KBZ) Bank branch in Myawaddy, Kayin (Karen) State, was shot dead on Monday evening, according to sources close to the branch.

The deceased has been identified as U Tin Maung Aye, who was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen at the corner of the Tawyakyaung and Myittar-3 streets in Myawaddy’s Ward 4 at about 5 p.m. on October 2.

“He was shot by two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike at the corner of the Tawyakyaung Street and Myittar-3 Street in Ward 4 while he was returning home. He was pronounced dead on the spot,” said a source close to the KBZ Bank branch in Myawaddy.

At least four gunshots were heard in the drive-by, according to eyewitnesses.

The body of the deceased has been sent to the Myawaddy Township Hospital, and the assailants have been charged with murder as well as illegal possession of fireguns, said a person close to township police station, though the shooters’ identities remain unknown.

“Perhaps he was shot out of personal enmity. There is no other reason,” the person added. 

Following the incident, junta soldiers and members of the Border Guard Force (BGF) conducted checks on passersby and travelers at Myawaddy’s entry and exit points, and at the No. 1 Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge.

“Many junta soldiers and BGF members are seen in downtown Myawaddy,” said a local Myawaddy resident. “Junta soldiers and BGF members conduct security checks on locals and check for overnight guests. An office belonging to the township General Administration Department was attacked with bombs. Residents are worried about their safety.”

Since the 2021 military coup, Myawaddy, a town on the Thai-Myanmar border, has seen an increase in the number of small firearms, and those who wield them, residents say.