The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that four suspects were arrested on 31 January over the murder of Bo Bo Min Thaik, a former administrator for Mrauk-U Township in Rakhine State.
A statement posted on the ministry’s Facebook page included photos of the four suspects — identified as Kyaw Myint, a.k.a. Khaing Kyaw, and three of his family members; wife Kyi Kyi Win, son Min Than Htay and daughter-in-law Khaing Zar Hlaing.
Acting on a tip-off indicating that the suspect Kyaw Myint, a former administrator of Tain Nyo village, and his elder son Min Than Htay would be visiting the former’s 15-year old son in Yangon’s Mingaladon Township, police arrested Min Than Htay at eight-mile in neighbouring Mayangone Township.
Upon receiving another tip-off that the suspect Kyaw Myint was being harboured at a nunnery in Yangon’s Thanlyin Township, police went to the location and arrested Kyaw Myint, his 47-year old wife and 20-year old daughter-in-law. Police also seized a Honda vehicle and 75 million kyats ($56,000).
Bo Bo Min Thaik was murdered on his way back to Sittwe after having been questioned by authorities regarding a deadly police crackdown on a protest in Mrauk-U last month. He was found stabbed to death beside his car on Tuesday evening between mileposts 169 and 170 of the Sittwe-Ponnagyun highway.
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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 the deadly crackdown on protesters in Mrauk-U.
The suspect Kyaw Myint, Min Than Htay and another man who has yet to be identified are said to have accompanied Bo Bo Min Thaik in a Honda CR-V on the day of the protest crackdown. Min Than Htay and the unidentified suspect went missing after the incident and the latter remains at large.
Bo Bo Min Thaik’s body was cremated at Yayway Cemetery in the Rakhine State capital Sittwe on Thursday.