An unidentified armed group attacked the home of the leader of the Mong Yang People’s Militia Force (PMF) in Lashio Township on Tuesday, killing both him and his wife. 

According to local civil society groups, the attack on the house in Man Kawng village in Mong Yang village tract—about 30 miles east of Lashio—occurred at about 8:30 p.m. U Win Maung, age 60, and his wife Pa Mya, 58, were killed. A 16-year-old boy who was in the house reportedly escaped. 

PMFs are typically government-backed armed groups; many are active in northern Shan State. 

“It was not a battle… Nobody knows who those gunmen were,” Sai Harn, who works for the Lashio-based Tai Youth Organization told SHAN. 

Sai Harn said that the gunmen used rifles and grenades in the attack, and burned down the house, along with a motorbike and truck. 

“When we arrived at the PMF leader’s house, we found ammunition and grenades there,” he said, adding that the bodies of U Win Maung and Pa Mya were found inside. 

According to Man Kawng locals, the gunmen spoke Chinese during the attack, which lasted about one hour. 

Villagers fled the area during the shooting, and sought refuge in a monastery. 

A Lashio-based social volunteer team transferred the bodies of U Win Maung and Pa Mya to the Lashio public hospital.