Kalay farmer dies in Myanmar military custody following election-day checkpoint arrest

Mizzima

A 43-year-old farmer from Myo Hla village in Kalay, Sagaing Region, died in military custody overnight after being arrested at a junta checkpoint during the first phase of the military-organized elections.

The victim was arrested in the early evening of 28 December and died the following morning on 29 December.

According to sources, two people were arrested and tied up at the checkpoint that night.

“They arrested and tied up two people at the checkpoint that night. They later claimed he was shot while trying to escape. He did not die immediately but was left without medical treatment and died from excessive bleeding the next morning,” a family relative told Mizzima.

A family member close to Ko Maung Gyi said he had sustained not only gunshot wounds, but also facial injuries believed to have been caused by being struck with a gun butt, while the condition of another local man arrested alongside him remains unknown.

The body was retrieved only after significant difficulty, as villagers who requested its return were initially refused by junta soldiers.

The body was finally recovered on 29 December at Myo Hla Gate after his mother, who lives in Aung Zeya Ward in Kalay Myo, contacted the Regional Operations Command (ROC) to seek assistance.

Ko Maung Gyi’s body was cremated by his family on 30 December.

“After the shooting, they claimed the perpetrators were members of the PDF [People’s Defence Force] who had fled, and no action was taken,” a political prisoner told Mizzima. “Civilian deaths have become routine, and such incidents are happening across the country. The military’s lack of discipline and widespread corruption are glaringly evident.”

Locals said that since 26 December, junta soldiers have been patrolling Kalay in heavily armed vehicles and subjecting pedestrians to strict interrogations.

According to a 30 December statement by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), more than 30,000 people have been arrested since the February 2021 coup, with 7,640 confirmed dead.

In addition, reports indicate that around 4,400 deaths are still awaiting confirmation.