Junta launches intensive search in Mawlamyine following shootout

After a shooting in Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State, junta troops, police, and militia members have heightened security and are carrying out a large-scale cordon and search operation across the city, residents told Than Lwin Times.

On November 9, around 11:00 pm, three men from the LGBT community were shot in front of Myin Thu Lan Beauty Salon in Myaynigone Ward, Mawlamyine City.

Two LGBT individuals, Tin Ko Ko Oo (aka Ma Ni) and Mahmad Aryon, were killed instantly at the scene, while their friend Zwe Wai Yan Htet was seriously injured.

The three had visited a nighttime bazaar and were returning to their beauty salon when two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike pursued and shot them.

In the days following the shooting, the junta tightened security across the city, cordoning off entrances and exits, and conducting surprise inspections throughout Mawlamyine.