10 June 2026 By MPA
YANGON, Myanmar — A missing 13-year-old schoolboy has been found murdered inside a local pond in Yangon’s North Dagon Township, cutting short a frantic overnight search by his family and sparking deep distress among local residents.
The victim, identified as Maung Min Khant Zaw, a Grade 6 student, was the son of U Sai Wanna and Daw Chaw Su Win. The family resides at No. 11, Thitsa 4 Road, in North Dagon’s 39 (A) Ward.
According to relatives, the boy left his home at around 4:30 PM on Monday, 8 June, shortly after returning from school. When he failed to return by nightfall, worried family members tried repeatedly to reach him, but his phone remained disconnected. The family then spent the entire night scouring the neighborhood and surrounding areas.
During the agonizing hours following his disappearance, the boy’s aunt, Moe Makha Makha, launched an urgent appeal on social media networks, sharing his photograph and begging the public to come forward with any information regarding his whereabouts.
However, the search ended in heartbreak when community search teams discovered the child’s body submerged in a nearby pond, bearing signs of a violent assault.
“My nephew is gone. He was murdered and thrown into a pond. How could they do this to him?” his aunt posted in a grief-stricken update on her Facebook page, confirming the discovery of his remains.
The motive behind the brutal killing remains unclear, and local community elders have expressed profound shock over the targeting of a young student.
The incident comes amid a noticeable spike in violent crime, armed robberies, and unexplained homicides across major urban centers in Myanmar since the 2021 military coup. With the formal rule of law severely compromised and local police forces largely redirected toward state security and political suppression, neighborhood security has sharply deteriorated.
As news of the student’s tragic death circulates on social media, residents in North Dagon have voiced growing fears over the complete lack of public safety, calling for immediate accountability and justice for the bereaved family.
