Outrage as Myanmar Arrests six-year-old Child Over General’s Killing

Cho Htun Aung

Myanmar’s military regime has come under fierce criticism after arresting a six-year-old girl alongside 15 others in connection with the assassination of a retired general, highlighting the junta’s increasingly hardline tactics in a conflict that has gripped the country since its 2021 coup.

Cho Htun Aung, a former brigadier general and diplomat, was gunned down in broad daylight on 22 May in Yangon. In a statement published Friday, a state-run newspaper claimed 16 suspects were arrested, including three women and the daughter of the alleged gunman—just six years old.

The child’s image, blurred in official reports but later visible in junta-affiliated social media posts, has sparked international outrage, deepening concerns about the military’s treatment of civilians.

The anti-junta group Golden Valley Warriors claimed responsibility for the killing, saying the general had supported military operations targeting civilians. Myanmar’s military claims the assassination was funded by the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), which denied any involvement.

“There is no truth to the claim that we are paying people to kill others,” NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt told Reuters.

Myanmar has been locked in turmoil since the military toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021. What began as a wave of protests has morphed into a nationwide armed resistance. Rebel forces now control parts of the country, and fighting has crept into urban areas.

According to rights group AAPP, over 29,000 people have been detained since the coup, including more than 600 children. The junta insists it is targeting “terrorists”, not civilians—claims human rights observers increasingly view as hollow.

The detention of a six-year-old, observers say, is a chilling new low.

-2025-06-07