The 12 killed in Thama Gyi village, Mahlaing are Pyu Saw Htee leaders armed by the military

The 12 individuals who died in Thama Gyi village, Mahlaing Township, Mandalay Region, were solely the military-appointed administrator and Pyu Saw Htee leadership, and the military has been spreading false information that they were civilians, it has been learned. Around 7 AM on August 31, resistance forces entered and opened fire on the military-appointed administrator Soe Lin Htike, the deputy leader, the finance officer, and members of the Pyu Saw Htee group who had gathered in Thama Gyi village. During the shooting, 12 people, including 44-year-old Pyu Saw Htee leader Soe Lin Htike, Maung Thein, Chit San Maung, Bo Thet Lin, Than Htay Aung, Wai Yan Soe, Zaw Khet, U Hein Wunna Zaw, Daw Khin Mu, Win Naing, Aung Maung, and Daw Lay Lay Win, were killed. Among the deceased, Wai Yan Soe was identified as a graduate of the second batch of military service training. "They are the leadership of the People's Militia organized by the military, so they were cleared as military targets. The military lobbyists are spreading propaganda as if civilians were killed," an official from Guardians Of Mahlaing told the Irrawaddy Times. It is known that the deceased were individuals who carried weapons provided by the military and collaborated with the military to arrest and pressure local residents. The military issued a statement on the night of August 31, falsely claiming that the 12 killed in Thama Gyi village were village administrators and civilians. It was also learned that troops are stationed in the village and are deploying forces to surrounding villages.