Shooting Death of Newly Elected Myanmar Lawmaker Condemned as ‘Lawless Act’

 RFA, Nov. 24, 2020

Myanmar political parties and ethnic armies condemned the weekend shooting death of a newly elected ruling party member of parliament by unknown assailants in turbulent Shan state two weeks after a largely peaceful nationwide vote.

It was not immediately clear if the killing of Htike Zaw, who had just won a seat for the National League for Democracy (NLD) representing northern Shan state in the upper house of parliament, was motivated by politics or a personal matter in a region that has seen shootings and armed skirmishes among militiamen.

Less than two weeks after his election victory on Nov. 8, Htike Zaw was shot in the chest Saturday evening as he tended a grocery store attached to his home in Pin Tain village, Kyaukme township, his widow told RFA.

“I was preparing a meal, and he was making betel quids at the store,” said Htike Zaw’s widow, Ohnmar Htwe, referring to a popular stimulant made from the nut of the Areca palm.

“At the time, I heard two gunshots. Then, he screamed, ‘I’ve been shot,’ and he ran into the house as I was running out. He collapsed in my arms,” she said. Htike Zaw was immediately taken to the hospital, but died upon arrival, others said.

Shan state, Myanmar’s largest state and home to the Shan, the country’s second-largest ethnic group, has been under armed conflict between government forces and ethnic-based armies fighting for autonomy since 1958, 10 years after the former Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948.

In full:  https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/shooting-death-11232020183542.html

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