Junta soldiers brutally tortured two men working for an aid group in Lashio Town, killing one of them, on 26 July 2024.

Ko Zaw Myo Aung, age 24, and Aik Lar, age 27 had gone out to distribute essential food items, including rice, oil, and salt, to people displaced by fighting on 26 July, when junta troops stationed at the indoor stadium in Lashio Town arrested them for no reason.

The soldiers accused the two men of behaving suspiciously and severely tortured them, including by slashing their mouths and hitting them in the head with their rifle butts. Aik Lar died during the torture, but Ko Zaw Myo Aung managed to survive and was then held captive by the soldiers.

Another aid worker, Ko Zaw Myo Aun, who was a colleague of the two arrested men, said: "We didn't know they had been arrested earlier, so we inquired about them every day. Eventually we heard the tragic news. This kind of treatment toward individuals who work to help people is completely unacceptable.”

Fortunately, Ko Zaw Myo Aung was found and rescued by fighters from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) as they took over heavily manned junta positions in Lashio Town.

Ko Zaw Myo Aun condemned the soldier’s actions saying: "We strongly condemn the brutal torture and murder of our two comrade aid workers. We hope that the righteous side wins the war."

The murdered man, Aik Lar, also known as Maung Mar Hla, was an ethnic Kachin from Lashio Town who was very highly respected within the community.

Lashio Town has been a warzone for the past few weeks. In that time many civilians have been killed and there are still many unretrieved corpses remaining in the town.

In northern Shan State during the second phase of Operation 1027, between 25 and 31 July, over 130 civilians were killed and more than 170 were injured.