Myanmar:Memorial service for assassinated Muslim lawyer

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

YANGON, Myanmar (AA) – State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday attends a memorial service in Myanmar’s largest city, Yangon, to mark one month of the death of a high-profile Muslim lawyer and legal advisor to the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD).

Suu Kyi has been criticized for her silence over the assassination of Ko Ni who is credited with the creating the position of State Counselor for her as she is barred from the presidency under the constitution drafted by former junta.

On Sunday, Aung San Suu Kyi led the tribute to Ko Ni at a memorial service held in front of some 10,000 mourners including senior government officials , public figures and family members.

"U Ko Ni´s death is a great loss for party and country," Suu Kyi said at the ceremony, using an honorific for older man.

Ko Ni, 65, was shot in the head at Yangon International Airport on January 29 as he returned from a visit to Indonesia as part of a Myanmar delegation of Muslim leaders and government officials. A taxi driver was also shot dead in the attack.

A gunman, Kyi Lin, was arrested by a group of taxi drivers shortly after the shooting. He was reportedly confessed hired with almost $60,000 by three ex-military officers to assassinate Ko Ni.

Police have arrested two more suspects, Aung Win Zaw and Zayar Phyo, but said main and fourth suspect, Aung Win Khaing, is still at large.

Myanmar’s Presidential Office previously said the incident appears to be an attempt to destabilize the state.

Military-appointed Home Affairs Minister Kyaw Swe said they were motivated by “extreme patriotism”, not part of a bigger conspiracy by the military or ultra-nationalist group, better known as Ma Ba Tha in its Myanmar acronym.

“When we were investigating, we discovered it was a case of patriotism,” Kyaw Swe told a press conference on Saturday.

“This extreme patriotism that led to assassinating him (Ko Ni), according to our findings,” he said.

Police chief Zaw Win said Saturday that the conclusion of the police investigation was that “the murder was because of their personal reasons.”

“Zay Yar Phyo and Aung Win Khine were angry at what U Ko Ni had said and done on social media,” said Zaw Win told the reporters.

“And they acted immaturely.”