In Kanyutkwin town of Pyay Township, Bago Region, the military forces killed two innocent civilian brothers and falsely labeled them as members of the People’s Defense Force (PDF), according to local residents. The incident occurred on September 6 around 9:30 PM when two brothers, Ko Sone Linn Htet (aka Aung Paw Paw), aged 28, and Ko Nyi Linn Htet (aka Ei Pe), aged 25, were returning home on a motorcycle after spending time at the Ngwe Kyar tea shop in Kanyutkwin town.
As they were traveling, a military vehicle carrying intoxicated soldiers attempted to stop their motorcycle. Fearing they would be forced into porter service for the military, the brothers continued riding without stopping. The soldiers then pursued and opened fire on them, resulting in the immediate death of the elder brother, Ko Sone Linn Htet. While the younger brother Ko Nyi Linn Htet sustained a gunshot wound to his leg, the military officer ordered his subordinates to ‘finish him off,’ leading to his execution with a shot to the head near their motorcycle. The soldiers responsible for the killings were identified as members of Infantry Battalion 307, based in Shwe Wa village, Penwegon town.
Following the killings, the military not only murdered two innocent civilians but also attempted to cover up their crime by falsely reporting to their superiors that the deceased were PDF members. The military refused to immediately return the bodies to the family, making various excuses and repeatedly delaying the process. Eventually, they did not allow the bodies to be transported to Kanyutkwin town and instead forced their burial in Pyay town. Local residents reported that this deliberate misrepresentation and handling of the bodies was part of the military’s effort to conceal their unjustified killing of two innocent civilians who were simply returning home from a tea shop.
