HAKHA, Myanmar — Resistance forces and local residents in Chin State have accused the Myanmar military of executing three young civilians and staging a crime scene to make them appear as armed insurgents.
The Chinland Defense Force (CDF-Hakha) issued a stinging condemnation on Monday, detailing the deaths of the three men near the Government Technological Institute (GTI) in the state capital, Hakha. The victims have been identified as U Thaung Hlei Mann, U Thaung Tin Thang, and U Thaung Van Mann.
According to local reports, the three youths were detained on March 23, 2026, while traveling near the residence of an official linked to the military-backed regional assembly. Sources suggest the men were carrying a scope for an air rifle—a non-lethal item—when they were intercepted by junta troops.
“They were beaten to death during interrogation,” a source in Hakha told MPA. “Initially, their families thought they had simply been imprisoned and even approached religious leaders to help negotiate their release. But the next day, military-aligned propaganda channels began circulating photos of their bodies with a military-grade rifle placed beside them to claim they were armed combatants.”
The military has reportedly refused to return the bodies to the grieving families, a practice frequently used by the sham government to hide signs of torture.
The killings occurred amidst heightened security in Hakha, following a recent drone strike on the junta’s regional parliamentary session on March 20. Residents say the area where the men were snatched was not a regular checkpoint, suggesting a sudden and lethal tightening of military control in the city.
“There was never a permanent gate there before,” the local source added. “It seems the military is on edge and lashed out at the first civilians they found.”
In its statement, CDF-Hakha urged the city’s youth to remain hyper-vigilant against arbitrary arrests and summary executions. The group stated that such atrocities highlight the need for civilians to actively join the resistance movement against military rule.
“The perpetrators will be held accountable for this cold-blooded murder,” the CDF-Hakha statement read. “Creating ‘fake insurgents’ out of innocent civilians is a desperate and cowardly act.”
As the conflict in Myanmar’s borderlands intensifies, international monitors have documented a growing number of “staged” encounters, where civilians are allegedly killed by security forces and then labeled as “terrorists” to justify the use of lethal force.
