Over 800 administrators assassinated since 2021
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NP News - Oct 15
According to government sources, more than 800 administrators have been assassinated during its tenure. From February 2021 to September 5, 2024, terrorist groups have resulted in the deaths of 833 ward and village administrators.
U Thein Tun Oo, executive director of the Thayninga Institute for Strategic Studies, told the Statesman that “The assassinations of administrators by PDF terrorists are part of a strategy to install fear in the public and strengthen the dominance of these groups.”
“They believe that if there are no individuals like this left, there will be no one to support the government. If that happens, the government will collapse. This mindset drives them to think that if the government's structure collapses, it will be easier to topple it. Therefore, as the assassinations increase, their violent tactics are becoming more apparent,” he stated.
In addition, Mandalay Region has seen the highest number of assassinations of ward administrators, with 272 killed due to PDF terrorists. This is followed by Bago Region with 122, and Yangon Region, where 118 administrators have lost their lives.
U Thein Tun Oo continued, “In urban areas rather than border regions, people are constantly moving about in their neighborhoods and recognize each other's faces. This fosters a sense of greater security. However, when they think there are no risks, they suddenly find themselves facing an increase in assassination attempts.”
The ongoing assassinations of numerous administrators by the PDF terrorists may raise questions about the current government's ability to protect them and could also impact its credibility, he noted.
He also remarked, “It’s like one mechanism shake up. It’s impossible for everything to fall apart at once. For instance, during the COVID period, government departments operated with a mix of in-office and remote work. At that time, everything was tightly managed, allowing for smooth operations. Government processes rely on adaptability to function effectively. However, believing that the level of assassinations could become so high that no one can act, leading to the government's collapse, is a significant misconception."
Similarly, in Yangon, there have been at least three targeted attacks on administrators in recent days, along with other incidents affecting civilians, including ward administrators.
In the most recent incident on September 20, in the South Dagon Township, a ward administrator over the age of 60 and a 100-houses group elder were attacked and killed by the PDF terrorists inside the ward administration office.