Internet comedian Aung Yell Htwe was fatally beaten at a New Year’s Eve party in Yangon this week. He died from his injuries at Yangon General Hospital on Jan. 2, prompting an outpouring of grief from his friends and fans.
Aung Yell Htwe was attending a party at The ONE Entertainment Park in Thingangyun Township with his girlfriend when he was attacked by a group of men. Police said the comedian had met the attackers earlier at another club.
The beating left Aung Yell Htwe with severe head injuries, and he was rushed to Aung Yadanar Hospital. Hospital staff instructed those caring for the injured man to move him to Yangon General Hospital, where he died.
Yangon police announced today that they had arrested three people suspected of being involved in the attack. They have been charged under Section 302 of the Myanmar Penal Code for murder.
However, Aung Yell Htwe’s brother has said six people were involved in the attack.
“It was deliberately plotted,” the brother said. “The club’s security guards did nothing when he was beaten.”
Aung Yell Htwe had over 1.3 million followers on Facebook and had posted dozens of sit-com style videos to Facebook and YouTube. He frequently played more than one character in his videos.
His final video was a humorous imagining of a night out on New Year’s Eve with a demanding date.
Collaborator Ye Yint, who appears in Aung Yell Htwe’s final video, wrote on Facebook yesterday: “Brother, where did you go? It was a short ride.”
The Facebook page Myanmar Celebrity has published several tributes to Aung Yell Htwe featuring his friends and family.
