Militia leader gunned down

Drugs

Militia leader gunned down

Speed pills found nearby

A well known militia leader from Tachilek was shot down on his way home from a religious ceremony on 17 May, according to residents.

Sai Keow, 49, of Pakha village, Monghpong tract was found dead together with his wife, Nang Hsenghsa, 43, and his mother Nang Dee, 75, sometime after 21:00 on the Tachilek-Monghpong road, near Hwe Lin Lam village. Unknown gunmen had fired upon his Toyota 4WD (red), at the intersection from Markyang. More than 100,000 pills of yaba (methamphetamine) were "discovered" in a bush on the roadside by Burmese troops who arrived at the scene of the killings.

Sai Keow was widely believed to be involved in drug trafficking, but sources thought that "the discovery" of drugs in the vicinity could be "a put up job".

"He wouldn't be thinking of doing business when he took his wife and mother to meet Sao Viset (one of the most revered monks in Tachilek)," said a source from Hwe Linlam who knew him.

Sai Keow was also known to be close to an intelligence officer from Military Intelligence #24, based in Tachilek.

The news was first broken by the Free Information Group (FIG).