Junta kills elderly philanthropist in Taungup

By Admin 16 Nov 2024

DMG Newsroom
16 November 2024, Taungup

A philanthropist from Kanpaing Ward in Arakan State's Taungup has reportedly been shot dead by junta soldiers.

U Soe Myint, the 70-year-old philanthropist, was shot and killed on the morning of November 15 while cleaning the Kaingshae Bridge in Taungup.

"He was shot dead on the bridge when he went to clean up the garbage in the morning. To this day, we have not been able to retrieve his body," said a source in Taungup.

U Soe Myint had been conscientiously cleaning up the Kaingshae Bridge and the surrounding area in the centre of Taungup for the past decade, and was awarded the Heart of Charity Award for his efforts.

Local charity workers in Arakan State said they were saddened by his killing.

"Those of you who dare to shoot a good man will definitely be in trouble," Wai Hun Aung, a philanthropist and writer, wrote on his Facebook page.

The military has been clashing with the Arakkha Army (AA) near the Kaingshae Bridge and Theintaung Ward in Taungup, where the regime's No. 5 Military Operations Command is based, since November 13.

As a result of the hostilities, Taungup residents are fleeing the town for safer locations, though some are trapped in the middle of the fighting, unable to escape.

"We are worried about our safety following the junta's killing of a philanthropist," said a local resident in Taungup.

Human rights activists say that the regime, which is facing the prospect of decisive military defeat in Arakan State, is openly committing war crimes such as targeting civilians with airstrikes and heavy weapons fire.

More than 600 civilians have been killed and over 1,000 others injured in Arakan State by junta air and artillery attacks, raids, and explosions of landmines and unexploded ordnance since the latest fighting broke out between the Myanmar military and the AA just over a year ago, according to a DMG tally.