Military junta accuses five masons of killing its astrologer Dr. Phe Naung

Photo – Those accused and arrested for the murder of Sayadaw U Panyawamsa. The military junta announced on the evening of July 13 that it had arrested the perpetrators in connection with the murder of a Sayadaw in Hmawbi Township, Yangon Region. July 14 Mizzima. The military junta has accused five masons of being the perpetrators in the murder of Sayadaw U Panyawamsa, also known as Dr. Phe Naung, who served as the military junta's astrologer. The military junta announced on the evening of July 13 that it had arrested the perpetrators. A Sayadaw was found dead with stab wounds inside a building at the Sandakku Myay Yeiktha monastery in Ward 2, Hmawbi Township, on the afternoon of July 2. The military junta stated that it had investigated individuals entering and exiting the monastery and conducted investigations within the area to arrest the perpetrators. Subsequently, on July 11, the military junta announced the initial arrest of a man named Ko Thet Paing Htun, also known as Paing Lay, a resident of Hmawbi Township, followed by the arrest of two more men residing in Hmawbi Township and one man residing in Hlaingtharyar Township. It was learned that another man was arrested in Taungoo Township on July 12. According to investigations, the five arrested individuals are masons, and the military junta's statement indicates that they met at Ko Thet Paing Htun's house in Hmawbi Township on July 1 to discuss entering the Sandakku Myay Yeiktha monastery to steal due to financial difficulties. It is stated that the five then confessed that around 10 p.m. on the same day, when they entered the Sandakku Myay Yeiktha monastery to steal, Sayadaw U Panyawamsa, who was sitting inside the building, discovered them, and they stabbed him to death. The military junta's statement writes that after the murder, they took two of the Sayadaw's mobile phones and 500,000 kyats, which they divided among themselves. The military junta stated that the items used in the murder and the stolen mobile phones have been recovered. Currently, the five individuals arrested on suspicion of murdering the Sayadaw are being detained at the Hmawbi Myoma police station, and preparations are underway to file a case under Section 302/394 of the Penal Code and take action. The arrest of the five individuals accused of murdering the Sayadaw occurred more than a week after the incident. According to regional news, there were pressures on the relevant police officers due to the delay in arresting the culprits. There are also reports of workers and financially struggling individuals around the monastery being arrested and forced to confess to the murder. Mizzima has not been able to independently confirm these reports. U Panyawamsa, also known as Dr. Phe Naung, served as a national-level astrologer and numerologist for the military junta circle, including former military dictator U Than Shwe. The Sayadaw had been residing at the Sandakku Myay Yeiktha monastery in Hmawbi Township since 2011 after taking monastic vows and was killed on July 1, passing away.