By Zwe Ko / MPA
Ko Min Swe, a township executive member of National League of Democracy (NLD) living in Ward 10 of Taungoo Township, Bago Region, was arrested and executed by the State Administration Council (SAC) and his house also got sealed, according to local sources.
A man who is closely related to the family said that he was arrested while sitting at a tea-shop on 23 August, 2024, the day when Senior General Min Aung Hlaing visited Taungoo.
“It’s been confirmed that he was taken to the Southern Command of SAC Army. He was executed on 5 September, and his family was informed of his death,” the man said.
Min Swe, who was over 50 years old, had previously been imprisoned during the early days of the coup, according to an NLD member from Taungoo.
“He participated in protests. So, on 9 February, 2021, he was arrested. He was charged under Section 505 and sentenced to three years in prison. He was released not long ago, just a few months ago. Now, he’s been re-arrested and executed,” the NLD member explained.
a 50-year-old woman living in the same ward said that in addition to Min Swe’s execution, the military also sealed his house on September 10.
“Yesterday, they sealed the house. Soldiers and police came and sealed it. People in the neighborhood are too scared to look outside. Min Swe’s family is not there; they are fleeing,” she said.
A political activist from Taungoo commented that these arrests and executions of civilians are intentionally done for imposing fear in the people’s mind.
“They have been killing anyone they dislike for a long time. They’re doing it again now, and they will continue to do so. The civilians’ lives are in constant danger. This devil military must be uprooted completely,” the activist urged the people of Myanmar.
Since the military coup, there have been at least ten confirmed cases of people being arrested and executed in Taungoo Township, including three NLD members.
The NLD’s Human Rights Documentation Team (HRDT-NLD) announced on 31 August that, since the coup, 2,181 NLD members and 145 members of parliament have been arrested.
In August, the Resistance Forces attacked the Taungoo Air-force Base twice using drones and short-range missiles, killing at least 14 military personnel, including a colonel, a captain, and two air force officers, according to statements from the Resistances Forces.
After the air base attacks, the military has ramped up arrests of residents in Taungoo Township.
