According to a statement released on December 9th by the Central Headquarters of the Ramanya Mon Army (RMA), a shooting incident that killed the village administrator of Naing Hlun and one companion near Lettet village in Mudon Township, Mon State, occurred because RMA troops faced a situation requiring pre-emptive action.
The statement says that around 11 a.m. on December 7, RMA members left on two motorcycles toward the Mudon–Kamawet road to ambush enemy forces. As they were withdrawing due to the absence of a suitable site to make their attack, they saw two men pointing a gun at the remaining motorcycle. In response, RMA troops fired exactly eight shots, killing the two men on the spot.
The RMA says it recovered one gun and one motorcycle (a “Ngar Mwe Htoe” model) from the two deceased men. From the motorcycle box, they also seized a folded military uniform, a notebook labeled “Mudon Township Police Station,” and a wallet.
After the shooting, an RMA soldier reportedly informed senior officers immediately. By the evening, they learned that the two men killed were the newly appointed village administrator of Nain Hlun and a local People’s Defense Force (PDF) leader.
The RMA claims the shooting was not intentional but occurred in a situation where both sides were armed and required pre-emptive action.
The victims were U Zin Myo Oo (also known as Nai Ahtut), a man in his 40s and the newly appointed village administrator of Naing Hlun, and Min Byar Mon (also known as Nai Rot), a man in his 30s. Their bodies were cremated in Naing Hlun village on December 8th.
According to remarks from a family member and someone close to the victims, the autopsy showed that Nai Ahtut suffered liver damage due to gunshot wounds entering from the back, while Nai Rot had bruises around the jaw area and head injuries caused by bullets.
“Doctors said there were bruises on the body—marks of beating—and also bullet wounds. So it makes us question whether they were actually shot immediately upon encounter. I only want to say that among our own people, if forgiveness is possible, we want it to be handled more peacefully,” said a relative.
Due to the nature of the injuries that led to their deaths, residents are questioning the credibility of the RMA statement.
IMNA attempted multiple times to contact the RMA for further clarification but received no response.
A motorcycle was found burned near the bodies of the two deceased men on December 7th, but locals have not been able to confirm whether it belonged to the victims.
A resident of Nain Hlun said that about a year ago, a PDF leader in the village fled due to financial issues, after which Nai Ahtut and Nai Rot—who had been doing community service work at the administrator’s office—joined the local PDF to help maintain village security.
The resident added, “At that time, due to the situation, there was no one to take responsibility for village security. So Ko Ahtut and Ko Rot, who were doing community service at the administrator’s office, stepped in. Eventually, when the administrator resigned, Ko Ahtut became the new administrator.”
Nai Ahtut was shot and killed just a month after assuming his role as village administrator.
