17 April 2026 By Min AB
THREE PAGODAS PASS, Myanmar — A senior commander of the Ye Guerrilla Force (YGF), a prominent anti-junta resistance group, has been assassinated at a restaurant in the border town of Three Pagodas Pass. The killing has sparked significant tension in an area crowded with diverse armed factions.
The victim, Bo Yan Paing (also known as Ye Baw Gyi), served as the Deputy Battalion Commander of the YGF. On the night of April 15, he was dining with seven comrades at the “Htoo” restaurant when a gunman reportedly affiliated with the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) entered and opened fire.
“It was a calculated attack,” a source close to the YGF told MPA. “The gunman walked directly into the restaurant and targeted Ye Baw Gyi specifically. He was struck multiple times and died at the scene. Fortunately, the other resistance members were not harmed.”
The assassination has taken on a political dimension following reports that the attack was ordered by a woman identified as “Ma Naw.” Local resistance sources allege that she is the wife of a military junta battalion commander and a former member of the junta-aligned Border Guard Force (BGF). Although she currently claims affiliation with the DKBA, she is widely suspected of acting as an informant for the military regime.
Sources suggest the primary target of the hit may have been Bo Kyan Yit, the top commander of the YGF and the younger brother of the deceased. The gunman reportedly struck just minutes before Bo Kyan Yit was scheduled to arrive at the venue.
“Ma Naw allegedly provided the weapon—which reportedly belonged to her husband, the junta battalion commander—to the gunman to carry out the execution,” the source added.
Following the shooting, YGF members detained Ma Naw and three others at the scene. They were later handed over to a local DKBA commander, Bo A One, for further investigation. The YGF has called for a transparent inquiry to uncover the full extent of the plot.
The YGF was formed in May 2021 shortly after the military coup and is officially under the command of the National Unity Government’s (NUG) Ministry of Defence. Operating primarily in Mon State and Tanintharyi Region, the group has been a key player in the southern resistance theatre.
“The loss of Ye Baw Gyi is a massive blow, not just to the Mon Blood Army which he helped support, but to the entire Spring Revolution,” said Min Yawd Snon, a spokesperson for the Mon Blood Army.
The Three Pagodas Pass area remains a complex patchwork of territories controlled by the military junta, the DKBA, and various Karen and Mon resistance groups. While it has served as a temporary sanctuary for anti-junta fighters, the latest assassination highlights the persistent threat of pro-military informants and the fragile nature of security in Myanmar’s borderlands.
As of Friday, the YGF’s top leadership has not issued a formal statement on how they intend to respond to the killing, as the community awaits the results of the internal investigation by the DKBA.
