Two young men passing by on a motorcycle in front of the 39th Infantry Battalion in Taung Ngoo Township, Bago Region, were shot; one was killed, and the arrested individual has not been allowed to meet with his family.

On May 22, at past 6:00 p.m., aw Zaw Aung and Wet Kalay, who lived in Kyue Zaung Kwat Thit Ward, Taung Ngoo Township, Seik Hpu (South) Village, were shot while riding a motorcycle in front of the 39th Infantry Battalion, according to a 30-year-old resident who lives in the village.

“Zaw Zaw Aung, who was sitting behind, died. I heard that Wet Kalay, who was driving, was also shot, and he was seriously injured when the motorcycle overturned. The boys were good kids in the village, only about 20 years old. They were shot while passing in front of the army on their way to town,” the resident told MPA.

A relative of Zaw Zaw Aung explained that although his body was returned to the family, the seriously injured Wet Kalay has not been allowed to meet with his family.

“They (the junta army) didn’t allow his family to visit him. It’s been four or five days now, and they are worried. They only say he’s receiving medical treatment. I don’t know which hospital he’s in, and they didn’t disclose the severity of his injuries,” she said.

A local man said that the 39th Infantry Battalion had issued a martial notice in May prohibiting passage between 6:00 p.m. and 4:00 am.

He said, “I heard that they told the victims to stop the motorcycle, but they didn’t pull over and tried to run away. Usually, if we pass in front of the army, we are checked at the four-mile checkpoint.”

On November 17, 2023, the 39th Infantry Battalion was attacked by revolutionary forces.