A village administrator from Hlegu, a rural township in Northern Yangon, is in critical condition today after being stabbed yesterday morning as he sat sipping tea in a local tea shop, according to a Hlegu police officer.
The incident, which occurred at 9am, saw 45-year-old U Wunna Kyaw Thu allegedly approached from behind and stabbed in the back by 30-year-old Thet Lin, who police say bore a longstanding grudge against the administrator.
Kyaw Thu was taken immediately to Hlegu Hospital, according to the officer in charge of the case, who spoke to Coconuts Yangon on condition of anonymity.
“Last I heard, Kyaw Thu was in the operating room. We don’t know what his condition is yet,” the officer said.
Thet Lin, who was arrested shortly after the stabbing, had become fed up with Kyaw Thu after the village administrator had repeatedly accused him of theft, he added.
“According to Thet Lin, whenever something went missing in the village, the village administrator accused Thet Lin of stealing. Over time, the accused became increasingly frustrated and couldn’t take it anymore,” the officer said.
Yangon has struggled in recent years with rising crime rates, and in 2017, was ranked the second-most unsafe city in the world by the Safe Cities Index, just ahead of Karachi, Pakistan. The low ranking was attributed to low investment in health and infrastructure, threats from traffic, and risks to personal security.
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