Family and friends of murdered LGBTQ online content creator, Tin Zaw Htway, told DVB that they’ve identified the suspects in the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot, adding that they’ve shared this information with police and believe they will be arrested soon.
A close friend of Tin Zaw Htway told DVB on the condition of anonymity that they believe the killers are known to the Myanmar community in Mae Sot, which numbers roughly 250,000 migrant workers and political exiles who have fled conflict in their home towns and villages throughout Myanmar’s history with a rise in migration into Thailand since the military coup on Feb. 1, 2021 with a further spike resulting from the Feb. 10, 2024 implementation of the military conscription law.
Tin Zaw Htway, known on social media as “Ayeyarwaddy Ma,” was reported missing after leaving home on the night of Jan. 19. The 33-year-old Mae Sot resident comes from Ngapudaw Township, Ayeyarwady Region.
Thai media reported, citing Mae Sot Police, that they are searching for four Myanmar nationals in connection to the killing. All were acquaintances of Tin Zaw Htway, whose body was found in a farm field in Mae Sot’s Ban Mae Tao Phae, on Jan. 20.
A friend told DVB on condition of anonymity that the autopsy report found that she died from excessive blood loss due to head injuries and had a broken jaw. Family members added that an unknown amount of gold jewelry, cash and an iPhone, worth about $1,000 USD, were missing.
A funeral was held for Tin Zaw Htway on Jan. 24 in Mae Sot, which is located in Thailand’s Tak Province along the Myanmar border, five miles (8 km) from the Moei (Thaungyin) River across from Karen State’s Myawaddy Township. It is 305 miles (492 km) northwest of the Thai capital Bangkok.
Thailand remains a major destination for migrants from Myanmar. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) states that 2,308,166 Myanmar nationals were registered as migrant workers in Thailand in March 2024.
The number of undocumented migrant workers from Myanmar in Thailand remains unknown but is estimated to be over double the official number, according to IOM.
