Three days after Mongla’s number 6 leader Min Ein, was gunned down, the assassin, who was reported to have driven off in a white sedan, is still at large. “It’s a Mark 2 Toyota,” said a source.

“There must be 100 white Mark 2 Toyotas in the area,” another source said.  Finding no culprits to blame, a Mongla official thought that the killer could be from one of the two likely sources:

One, the 4,500 strong NDAA (National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State)
Two, the Burmese Army

There are only a handful of junta officials in the area: Immigration, Customs and school teachers. Apart from them, there are hundreds of Burmese hired labourers in the city opposite China’s Daluo.

The National Democratic Front (NDF), an alliance of several ethnic movements, yesterday issued a statement saying the secret order to assassinate leaders of the ethnic ceasefire groups that have refused to transform themselves into Border Guard Forces (BGFs) came from Naypyitaw following the tri-annual meeting in November.

Irrawaddy News also reported that junta commanders have been instructed to launch pre-emptive strikes against recalcitrant ceasefire groups. Apart from the NDAA, there are five official ceasefire groups that have refused to allow themselves to be controlled by the Burmese Army: the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Kayan New Land Party (KNLP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Army (SSA) North and United Wa State Army (UWSA).

Min Ein’s funeral is on Sunday, January 31.