Village administrators in Rakhine state threaten to resign

14 January 2020
Village administrators in Rakhine state threaten to resign
(File) Myanmar soldier and policeman walk at the Pike The village, Minbya township, western Myanmar. Photo: EPA

Dozens of village administrators in Rakhine state have threatened to resign if State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi does not order an investigation into the death of one of their colleagues allegedly killed by government troops, RFA reported.

The 68 village chiefs from Minbya township sent a written appeal to the State Counsellor, military Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and deputy parliamentary speaker Aye Thar Aung to look into the death of Nyan Thein, the head of Satetaya village.

A Myanmar soldier reportedly arrested Nyan Thein at his home on Dec. 13 while he was meeting with a Buddhist monk and villagers congregated near a bonfire in his compound. Villagers told RFA’s Myanmar Service that soldiers hit Nyan Thein on his head with a rifle butt, then shot and killed him. A 39-year-old mother from the village was also shot and killed in the same incident, the report said.