The information team of the State Administration Council (SAC) announced that Win Neinmitayon Monastery Sayadaw Bhaddanta Munindabhivamsa from Bago Region was killed in a shooting incident between Myotha Town and Kamma Village in the Mandalay Region yesterday at noon.
On the morning of June 19, a retired member of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee (SSMNC), Kanthonsint Buddhism Learning Centre Sayadaw Bhaddanta Gunikabhivamsa from Mingaladon Township in Yangon Region, and the Win Neinmitayon Monastery Sayadaw arrived at TadaU Airport from Yangon.
They were planning to attend a preliminary coordination meeting ahead of the Shwegyin Nikaya Centre meeting, scheduled for June 20, 2024, at Maha Withokdayon Taikthit (Shwegyin Nikaya Centre) in Mandalay Region.
The two monks were en route to Kamma Village of Ngazun Township along the TadaU-Ngawun-Thakyin-Kamma Road by car when they were attacked.
A letter addressed to the Director-General of the Religious Department, sent by an officer in the Mandalay Region Religious Department, surfaced on social media, reporting that security forces had encountered the vehicle carrying the monks between Myotha Town and Kamma Village.
The letter stated that security forces ordered the car to stop, but the driver did not comply. As a result, the security forces opened fire on the vehicle, leading to the death of the Win Neinmitayon Monastery Sayadaw. The authenticity of the letter on social media has not been confirmed.
During the incident, mines targeted the security forces, and a vehicle traveling from Thakyin Village to Myotha Town arrived at the scene. Attacks from PDF terrorists caused the car to veer off the road and overturn about 250 meters from the scene, according to the SAC announcement.
After the incident, security forces inspected the vehicle, finding a deceased Sayadaw and rescuing another wounded Sayadaw and the injured driver.
The Win Neinmitayon Monastery Sayadaw, who was 77 years old and had passed higher religious examinations, died on the spot.
The SAC also reported that, to date, 87 monks and one nun have been killed due to assassinations.
