Arakanese University Student Brutally Murdered by SPDC

On the 9th February 2010, 23-year old university student, Maungg Aye Cho was brutally murdered by two SPDC soldiers in a horrific unlawful attack. The soldiers, identified as Corporal Soe Win and Corporal Chit San Thein from the Site-tway (Sittwe) are stationed with the SPDC medical battalion, based near Thun Pon Tann in Site-tway Township.

Maungg Aye Cho, a first-year student at Site-tway University, lived in Kyee Bun Gree ward, Site-tway, with his parents, U Hla Maung, who is a writer, and Daw Khin Cho who is a civil servant, working at Site-tway Telegram office. The attack was believed to be a result of the student being accused of theft by a village vendor named Lay Htee Maung alias Khin Maung, whilst he was buying food in the store. The student was taken to the Chairman of the Village Peace and Development Council, U Hla Khin Maung, where he was questioned. Maung Aye Cho denied committing the crime or thieving anything, rather only to being a student studying at Site-tway University.

However, dissatisfied with the student’s response, the vendor requested the chairman to take him to the local police station. Maungg Pa Lin alias Maung San Kyaw, a close friend of the vendor living in the same village, accompanied by two SPDC soldiers, said that they would take the boy to the police station. Following this, they tied up and repeatedly beat the innocent student, dragging him out of the village at about 8:30 p.m.

Witnesses said that yelling and screams of pain were heard from outside of the village. However, no village members dared to go to prevent the beating, afraid for their own safety, and waited until the next morning before they ventured to the scene of the incident. They found the body of Maunng Aye Cho lying in a pool of blood which had been hidden under a bale of straw by the perpetrators.

Once the police had been informed of the incident, the body was taken to the mortuary of Site-tway General Hospital for autopsy. Only after the body of their son arrived at the hospital at approximately 7:00 a.m. were the family told of their son’s murder.

Maung Pa Lin alias Maungg San Kyaw, who was supposedly involved in the murder, was detained temporarily by police but later released on bail. Lay Htee Maung alias Khin Maung, also suspected of being involved in the murder, escaped arrest. Neither SPDC soldiers were charged or held accountable for their unlawful actions which resulted in the wrongful murder of an innocent and ambitious university student.