Top Myanmar General Shot Dead in Yangon by Guerrilla Group

[geovalin]

Cho Tun Aung with Hun Sen

 

A former Myanmar military major general and ex-ambassador was assassinated outside his Yangon home on Thursday, in a bold attack claimed by an urban guerrilla group opposing the country’s ruling junta.

 

Cho Tun Aung, who once served as Myanmar’s ambassador to Cambodia and held a senior military post, was shot at close range around 9 a.m. in Mayangon township, according to a local official. The gunman fled the scene. The official, not authorised to speak publicly, described the killing as “a targeted act.”

 

The Golden Valley Warriors, a self-declared resistance group, claimed responsibility for the assassination on Facebook. In their statement, they accused Cho Tun Aung of contributing to the junta’s “daily inhumane atrocities” by lecturing on internal security and counterterrorism at the National Defense College in Naypyitaw. They also noted his involvement with the military-aligned War Veterans Organization, which has reportedly helped mobilise militias against pro-democracy forces and ethnic insurgents.

 

Since the military coup in 2021 that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government, Myanmar has spiralled into widespread armed conflict. While much of the fighting rages in rural regions, targeted killings in major cities have increased. Retired officers, civil servants, and individuals suspected of aiding the junta have frequently been marked for assassination.

 

This is not the first such killing in Yangon. In 2022, Brigadier General Ohn Thwin, another former ambassador and senior officer, was also shot dead at his home. Financial executives linked to the military have been similarly targeted, though responsibility is not always claimed.

 

Thursday’s killing of Cho Tun Aung underscores the growing reach and boldness of resistance groups within Myanmar’s urban centres. It also highlights the ongoing volatility of a nation trapped in a violent struggle between military rulers and a diverse resistance movement pushing for democracy.

 

-2025-05-23