2 days ago
Myanmar junta arrests six-year-old girl over general's assassination
Myanmar's military regime arrested a six-year-old girl in connection with the assassination of a retired brigadier general, who was also a former diplomat, Reuters reported.
The child, identified as the daughter of the alleged gunman, was among 16 people detained by authorities following the May 22 shooting of 68-year-old Cho Htun Aung in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The Global New Light of Myanmar, a junta-controlled publication, included a blurred image of the girl in its Friday edition. However, unredacted photos have since circulated widely on social media via pro-junta accounts.
The military accused the group of being 'terrorists' and claimed the attack was coordinated by anti-regime insurgents. It did not explain why the six-year-old was among those arrested. Calls to junta spokespersons for clarification went unanswered.
Cho Htun Aung was ambushed and killed in broad daylight last month. A statement from the Golden Valley Warriors, a resistance group, said they carried out the operation in retaliation for the retired general's alleged support of military offensives, including those that targeted civilians.
The junta has blamed the shadow civilian administration, known as the National Unity Government (NUG), for backing the assassination and claimed a payment of 200,000 Myanmar Kyat (USD 95) was made to the perpetrator.
NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt strongly rejected the allegation. 'It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people,' he told Reuters.
Myanmar has been engulfed in chaos since the February 2021 coup that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The military's violent suppression of protests sparked a broad-based resistance movement. Armed ethnic groups and newly formed civilian militias have seized control of vast territories, and violence has spread from rural battlegrounds to cities like Yangon.
According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 29,000 people have been detained by the junta since the coup, including over 600 children and more than 6,000 women. The AAPP has also documented over 6,700 civilian deaths during this period, including 825 children.
