Education office staff found dead in Falam Township

AYEYARWADY TIMES (Falam), July 17 – The body of Pu Pate, an education office staff member who had been missing, was found in Falam Township, northern Chin State, near the RC church in Vankau ward, according to local residents. Pu Pate had been missing for about 10 days, and his body was found on July 15. Upon discovery, the body showed signs of brutal murder. "We found him with severe injuries from a brutal killing. We were able to identify the body as Pu Pate's by looking at the clothes he was wearing," a Falam resident told the Ayeyarwaddy Times. Local residents are speculating that the military may be responsible, as the location where the body was found is close to a military encampment. "The place where the body was found is near where the soldiers are stationed. Everyone is saying the soldiers killed him. However, it has not yet been confirmed," a Falam resident told the Ayeyarwaddy Times. Pu Pate was known for having good relations with his neighbors. His wife passed away in 2025 while displaced in Kale City, and he is survived by two daughters. Local residents buried the body at the Lampa cemetery. Since the military regained control of Falam Township on April 25, 2026, arrests and deaths have occurred frequently. On July 11, one of two men arrested at a military checkpoint on the Falam-Hakha road died.