The man was in prison for more than a month before his family learned that he had been arrested and was reportedly in poor health

A man who was arrested in October on charges of financially supporting the anti-regime People’s Defence Force (PDF) died in prison last week, according to a source close to his family.

Relatives of 43-year-old Myo Naing, a resident of Pakokku in Magway Region, were notified of his death last Monday, just weeks after they learned of his whereabouts, the source said.

He had been transferred to Pakokku Prison less than two weeks earlier and was said to be facing three charges under Myanmar’s Anti-Terrorism Law at the time of his death.

“They said he felt a sharp pain on the left side of his chest and collapsed. He was sent to the out-patient department and was going in and out of consciousness on his way to the hospital. He died 15 minutes after arriving at the hospital,” said the source.

The victim’s family was later notified by the Prison Department that he had died due to pre-existing health conditions, according to the family friend, who spoke to Myanmar Now on condition of anonymity.

“They said he had pre-existing health conditions, but I’ve never heard anything about him having any health problems or being admitted to a hospital,” he said.

On Tuesday, the day of Myo Naing’s funeral, the Prison Department issued another notice stating that there were no external injuries on his body.

“The notice also said that he had been charged with possession of weapons. There were three charges against him, but that’s all his family knows,” the source added.

Members of the victim’s immediate family were not available for comment.

On Thursday, the anti-regime Pakokku People’s Revolution Committee of released a statement saying that the military must take full responsibility for Myo Naing’s death.

According to a member of the committee, Myo Naing was arrested by armed and plainclothes junta personnel at a tea shop in mid-October, but his family did not learn that he was in prison and in poor health until December.

“We spent three weeks trying to get information about him at the local police stations, but didn’t get any answers, so we just assumed that he was being held at the interrogation centre,” the committee member said.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, the military has killed a total of 1,398 people since seizing power on February 1 of last year, including many who have died during interrogation.

Myanmar Now News

The United Nations Security Council has called for accountability for the Christmas Eve massacre in Hpruso Township, Kayah State, in which at least 35 people, including four children and two Save the Children staff, were killed in Myanmar.

Photos from a Kayah-based group showed the charred remains of bodies on burned trucks in the rural area.

Security Council president Abdou Abarry from Niger said in a statement that the global body condemned the slaughter and “called for the immediate cessation of all violence and emphasized the importance of respect for human rights and of ensuring safety of civilians”.

The statement added that members reaffirmed their support for the people of Myanmar and the country’s democratic transition.

The statement stressed “the need for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need, and for the full protection, safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel”.

The Security Council action on Myanmar is normally vetoed by permanent members Russia and China. In the wake of the Feb. 1 coup, the council failed to condemn the military takeover as both Russia and China, which maintain close relations with the military, blocked the move and insisted it was a domestic affair.

The human rights affairs minister in the parallel National Unity Government U Aung Myo Min said: “It also very important that justice is done for every crime the military regime has committed.

He said the lack of any rule of law in Myanmar meant the NUG was looking to the international courts to bring the junta leaders to justice. Delays in international action, however, pushed “the people to take matters into their own hands”, U Aung Myo Min added.

The massacre happened after a battle between junta troops and the Karenni Army and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), an alliance of resistance groups fighting the regime in Kayah State.

Junta soldiers detained villagers near Moso and killed and burned them along with seven vehicles and five motorbikes.

Four members of the Karenni Nationalities People’s Liberation Front, a border guard force which agreed a ceasefire with the former junta in 1994, were tied up and shot in the head while they were negotiating with junta forces for the release of the abductees, according to the resistance group.

The Security Council’s condemnations echoed statements from domestic civil society organizations, ethnic armed groups, Save the Children and Myanmar’s envoys to the UN.

The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths condemned the junta’s actions and called for a thorough investigation.

Armed resistance against the junta began in Kayah State in late May and nearly half of the state’s population of around 150,000 has been displaced by fighting. An estimated 187 people in the state had been killed by Dec. 26, said the Progressive Karenni People’s Force.

By Wednesday, at least 1,382 civilians have been killed by the junta and an estimated 11,254 have been detained with more than 8,000 still in detention.

The junta’s crackdowns and offensives against the civilians opposing the regime include indiscriminate shooting, launching artillery and frequent aerial bombardment.

The UN’s special envoy to Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, on Tuesday called for a New Year’s ceasefire.

Irrawaddy News