No. 8 Police Station in Chanayethazan Township, Mandalay / The Irrawaddy
Reported killings by pro-regime Thwe Thout militia in Mandalay have risen, with a total of 17 people killed and dumped by the roadside from June 1 to July 3. Some of the bodies were found with Thwe Thout lanyards.
In Amarapura Township, the bodies of two men were discovered with stab wounds and Thwe Thout lanyards around their necks on June 30. A man was also found dead in rural Madaya Township with a note on his body reading “the path of extremists.”
In Patheingyi Township, a 50-year-old was found dead beside the road having suffered severe injuries on June 4. Another man was discovered dead with injuries from a beating in Maha Aung Myay Township on June 21, according to residents.
“Even a major city like Mandalay has been hit by a crime wave including mugging, robberies and knife attacks since the coup. Perpetrators are hardly ever arrested. The crime of killing people and dumping their bodies by the roadside has become increasingly common. It seems difficult to find killers in those cases. This shows the junta’s administrative mechanism is collapsing, and there is no rule of law,” said a lawyer from Mandalay.
Among other victims was a Buddhist monk from the village of Koebin in Thabeikkyin Township who was fatally shot. Three more men were found dead with gunshot wounds near the same village on June 15, said locals.
Other victims included a 42-year-old woman whose body was dumped near a toll gate in Patheingyi Township. In another case, the body of a 30-year-old man was found near a monastery in Kyaukse Township.
A former political prisoner in Mandalay said: “These killings are intended to instill fear in the public. Such cases have increased since the so-called Thwe Thout emerged in public. Many of the victims are National League for Democracy [NLD] members and core supporters, and their bodies were left with Thwe Thout lanyards.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, and there is little evidence of investigation by junta authorities.
However, pro-military Telegram channels have accused diehard supporters of the NLD and People’s Defense Force of committing most of the killings.
A source from Mandalay District administration who asked for anonymity said: “We have received reports about bodies dumped by the roadside. Most of the victims could not be identified, and there were no missing person reports.”
Victims who could not be identified include a woman dumped in Madaya Township, two men dumped in Nganzun Township, two men found in Patheingyi Township, and one man dumped in Maha Aung Myay Township, said the source.
The killings in Mandalay first emerged soon after Thwe Thout was formed in April 2021. The group said it intended to eliminate resistance groups and NLD supporters. Bodies of victims are normally dumped beside roads.
In April last year, Thwe Thout updated its hitlist to include resistance supporters, journalists and Myanmar dissidents and their families living in other countries. In Mandalay Region alone, more than 70 bodies have been found dumped beside roads since the February 2021 coup.
Thwe Thout claims it has no junta ties. The regime has also denied having ties to the group.