A muslim lawyer for Aung San Suu Kyi was assassinated on January 29, 2017 while in an international airport.
Time Magazine reports, “Many in Myanmar are in mourning this week after the assassination of a prominent Muslim lawyer and peerless symbol of the country’s democracy movement, Ko Ni, who was shot in the head at point-blank range on the pickup curb of Yangon International Airport on Sunday night.”
A taxi driver got shot after trying to stop the killer from escaping.
Per Fox News, “The Ministry of Information said in a video posted on state-run MRTV that the gunman was arrested after he wounded a taxi driver who tried to stop him from fleeing.”
The motive of the shooter is not known.
The Guardian explains, “Following Ko Ni’s death, police have named the alleged shooter but no motive has been given.”
The government issued a statement condemning the attack on Ko Ni.
Time Magazine reports, “Ko Ni, a legal adviser to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party and an expert in constitutional law, is among the nation’s most high-profile Muslim figures. He was also a loyal supporter of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and the country’s de facto leader since April of last year. The NLD issued a statement condemning his death on Sunday night, lamenting the loss of an ‘irreplaceable’ member.”
Not only was the loss of Ko Ni mourned by the government, but also many Muslim citizens.
Per the Guardian, “His distraught relatives were joined by senior figures from the ruling National League for Democracy, imams, Buddhist monks and members of the public who crammed into a Muslim cemetery on the outskirts of Yangon for the funeral on Monday afternoon.”
Ko Ni was against the power the Myanmar army had.
Time Magazine reports, “Although he was an almost universally admired figure, Ko Ni accrued powerful enemies both for his status as a Muslim public figure — among other things he was the patron of a newly formed Myanmar Muslim Lawyers Association — and as a vocal opponent of the country’s military-drafted constitution, the army’s most crucial tool for maintaining power.” Not only are Muslims in big trouble, but also Christians. In December a couple of pastors went missing. They were believed to be kidnapped by the military. Vision Beyond Borders works in Myanmar to bring Good News to refugee camps.
Mission Network News reports, “VBB has contacts in the area who are distributing medication and food to both IDP camps and refugee camps across the borders. Their ministry is an example of Jesus’ love. Romeijn says along with that work, we must pray for lasting peace and continue to care.” Please pray for Myanmar, especially those in refugee camps, that many would come to know Christ’s love.
Fox News: Myanmar ruling party mourns assassination of Suu Kyi adviser
The Guardian: Myanmar: thousands attend funeral of Aung San Suu Kyi adviser
Times Magazine: The Assassination of a Revered Muslim Lawyer Stuns and Saddens Myanmar
