Myanmar detains a six-year-old girl as one of the suspects in the murder of a retired general

The military of Myanmar has detained a six-year-old girl and accused her of belonging to a “terrorist” organization connected to the murder of a retired general.

Myanmar’s military has detained a six-year-old child and fifteen other people in relation to the murder of a retired army general and diplomat, a move that has drawn international censure.

The junta-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported the arrest on Friday, calling the group—including the child—”terrorists.”

Cho Htun Aung, a 68-year-old administrator, was shot dead in Yangon, the nation’s economic hub, on May 22 during the day. His death was one of the most well-known assassinations since the military takeover that rocked Myanmar in 2021. He was a former brigadier general who also held the position of ambassador.

Citing Cho Htun Aung’s ongoing support for military offensives against civilians, the junta asserts that the group responsible is associated with the Golden Valley Warriors, an anti-junta insurgent faction that allegedly confessed to the killing. The military further claimed that the group has support from the National Unity Government (NUG), an opposition alliance made up of pro-democracy organizations and MPs that were expelled, and that the assassin was paid 200,000 Myanmar Kyat (about $95).

“It is not true that we are paying people to kill other people,” asserted NUG spokesperson Nay Phone Latt in a forceful denial of the junta’s charges.

State-run media carried a picture of the detained youngster, who was revealed to be the accused assassin’s daughter. Her face was apparent in the shot, which was shared on various junta-affiliated platforms despite being blurry online, igniting outcry over the regime’s abuse of children.

Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war since the February 2021 coup that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratic government. Long-standing ethnic militias and recently established resistance organizations are among the anti-junta forces that have taken over land and introduced guerrilla warfare into major cities like Yangon.

Since the coup, more than 29,000 people—including more than 600 children—have been arrested, according to rights groups. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reports that at least 6,700 civilians have been slain, including 1,646 women and 825 children.

While denying that it targets civilians, the military continues to defend its crackdown as essential to preserving “peace and stability,” a position that is being refuted more and more by international watchdogs and eyewitness reports.