In Nat Htamin village of Minle Township, Bago Region, village administrator Thant Naing Soe, who had been forcing civilians and youth who couldn’t afford military service fees into porter service and arrests for the military, was killed in an attack by revolutionary forces. On March 8th at approximately 11:45 AM, combined forces from Thayarwaddy District Battalion 3802’s Units 2 and 3, along with Minle Township People’s Defense Force, entered the administrator’s house and shot him, resulting in his immediate death from three gunshot wounds to the head.
The deceased administrator, also known as Ngaylae, had been forcibly collecting money from impoverished civilians under the guise of military service fees. Those who couldn’t pay were reported to the military for arrest. He was also known for providing false information to the military about civilians and showing contempt for revolutionary forces by challenging them, which ultimately led to the attack, according to a responsible person from the Thayarwaddy District PDF. His actions had forced local residents to flee their homes, disrupting their livelihoods and causing severe economic hardship in the community.
Due to the administrator’s practice of forcing those who couldn’t pay military service fees into porter service and arranging arrests, local residents had been living in fear and had made numerous complaints to PDF forces. The Thayarwaddy District Battalion 3802 Unit 3 has issued a warning to civilians to avoid proximity to military forces and their supporters, as they plan to intensify their operations against the military and its collaborators who have been causing suffering to the public. The incident highlights the ongoing tension between military-appointed local administrators and resistance forces fighting against military rule in Myanmar.
