A court in Myanmar’s southwestern Ayeyarwady region sentenced three men to death, sources close to their families told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
Two from Bogale township were named as Kyaw Moe Lwin and Win Htay, a third, from Maubin township was named as Wai Yan Kyaw.
Two were accused of being members of a People’s Defense Force, who planned and carried out a murder, according to a family friend who declined to be named for fear of reprisal.
“Kyaw Moe Lwin and Wai Yan Kyaw were sentenced to death for being involved in the killing of the governor of Kyon Kyaik village,” the person said.
Win Htay from Myin Ka Kone village was arrested by the police and soldiers in September last year for allegedly keeping weapons in his restaurant, according to locals.
A year later, he was sentenced to death for allegedly supporting defense forces and abetting the murder of the village administrator, Aye Ko, and his wife in April last year.
“He was caught and the restaurant was searched. He was arrested for allegedly having weapons in the restaurant,” said a local who also didn’t want to be named for safety reasons.
“He has very good relations with the locals in Myin Ka Kone village and he’s not the type to keep weapons.”
The junta has not released a statement on the sentencing.
When RFA called the Ayeyarwady junta spokesperson Maung Maung Than, he said he was not aware of the matter.
Earlier this month, Pyapon District Court handed down the death penalty to four men from Bogale township for murdering a suspected military informer.
A total of 151 people have been sentenced to death since the Feb. 2021 military coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma), a monitoring group based in Thailand.
Of these, four people, including prominent democracy activist and 88-Generation student leader Ko Jimmy (real name Kyaw Min Yu) and National League for Democracy MP and rapper, Phyo Zeya Thaw were hanged by the junta council in Insein Prison in July last year.
The NLD is a political party that won a landslide victory in the 2020 elections but was ousted by the military the following year.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn and Elaine Chan.