In a move drawing international condemnation, Myanmar’s military has arrested a six-year-old girl alongside 15 others in connection with the assassination of a retired army general and diplomat.
The arrest was reported on Friday by the junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper, which labelled the group, including the child, as “terrorists.”
The late official, Cho Htun Aung, 68, was shot dead in broad daylight on May 22 in Yangon, the country’s commercial capital. A retired brigadier general who also served as an ambassador, his killing marked one of the most high-profile assassinations since the 2021 military coup that plunged Myanmar into chaos.
The junta claims the group responsible is linked to the Golden Valley Warriors, an anti-junta insurgent faction that reportedly confessed to the killing, citing Cho Htun Aung’s continued support for military offensives against civilians. The military further alleged the assassin was paid 200,000 Myanmar Kyat (approximately $95) and that the group receives backing from the National Unity Government (NUG) — the opposition coalition formed by ousted lawmakers and pro-democracy groups.
NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt firmly denied the junta’s accusations, saying, “It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people.”
An image of the arrested child, identified as the daughter of the alleged assassin, appeared in state-run media. Though blurred online, the photo was circulated on other junta-linked platforms with her face visible — sparking outrage over the regime’s treatment of minors.
Since the February 2021 coup that overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar has been engulfed in civil conflict. Anti-junta forces, including long-standing ethnic militias and newly formed resistance groups, have seized territory and brought guerrilla warfare into urban centres like Yangon.
Rights groups estimate that over 29,000 people have been arrested since the coup, including more than 600 children. According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), at least 6,700 civilians have been killed, among them 825 children and 1,646 women.
The military continues to justify its crackdown as necessary for maintaining “peace and stability,” while denying that it targets civilians — a claim increasingly contradicted by international watchdogs and eyewitness accounts.
Melissa Enoch
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