Bo Bo Min Thaik, the recently deposed township administrator in Mrauk-U, Rakhine State, was found stabbed to death on Tuesday evening beside his car which had been set on fire.

Speaking to DVB today, Ponnagyun Police Captain Ba Su said, “We know that the vehicle was set ablaze at around 8pm. We have as yet no details if anyone was accompanying Bo Bo Min Thaik at the time. We have sent the body to Ponnagyun hospital for examination, and are investigating the incident.”

He said he would not speculate on who had committed the murder and arson.

Bo Bo Min Thaik’s body had three stab wounds and was lying beside his car between mileposts 169 and 170 on the Sittwe-Ponnagyun highway.

Bo Bo Min Thaik was until recently township administrator in Mrauk-U, but was transferred to a position as deputy director of Rakhine State’s general administration office in Sittwe on 19 January, three days after a deadly crackdown by police on protesters in Mrauk-U.

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On 16 January, seven demonstrators were shot dead and at least 12 others injured when police apparently opened fire on several thousand people who had marched to the township administrator’s office in Mrauk-U to protest a decision to prohibit a commemoration ceremony for the 233rd anniversary of the fall of the Arakan kingdom.

Rakhine parliamentarians on Monday approved the establishment of a nine-member committee to look into the fatal crackdown in Mrauk-U.