Muslim lawyer assassinated in Myanmar was 'hero and martyr'

Aung San Suu Kyi breaks her silence on the killing of U Ko Ni.

Mandalay:  Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi's has broken her silence on the killing of a prominent Muslim lawyer and government advisor.

Suu Kyi described slain lawyer U Ko Ni as a valued colleague and hailed his fearless contribution to the country, during his memorial service held in a Yangon hall on Feb. 26.

"In a time when people are afraid to do what should be done, in a time when people are too afraid to refuse to do what should not be done, it is my wish for us to draw courage and strength from the constant realization that there are heroes and martyrs among the members of our party and in our country," Suu Kyi said during the memorial service reported RFA.

Suu Kyi had been criticized over her silence on the assassination of 64-year-old U Ko Ni who was shot at close range at the Yangon airport. Taxi driver, Nay Win was also killed as he tried to apprehend the gunman.

"Losing someone like U Ko Ni is such a deep loss for the National League for Democracy (NLD)," Suu Kyi said. "The fact that he worked together with the party for many years through his belief is also something that our party is proud of," she said. "I respect and value him a lot."

Muslim leaders in Myanmar welcomed Suu Kyi's speech, saying it was comforting for U Ko Ni's family and for the public to hear.

Kyaw Nyein, secretary of the Ulama Islamic Organization and an associate of the slain lawyer, said U Ko Ni was an example for all of Myanmar's people. "He was unafraid to do what others would not do," said Kyaw Nyein who doubted that justice for the murders would be delivered.

Tin Maung Than, joint general secretary of Myanmar's Islamic Affairs Council, also welcomed Suu Kyi's memorial speech and highlighted the work that U Ko Ni did for Myanmar.

"Despite that fact that U Ko Ni was Muslim, he wasn't involved in religious organizations and he seldom advocated for the Muslim community, instead he was a strong advocate for amending the Constitution and improving the country," said Tin Mg Than.

U Ko Ni was an expert in constitutional law and spoke against the military-drafted 2008 Constitution, which allowed the military to retain significant influence despite handing over power to Suu Kyi's civilian administration in April 2016.

Myanmar officials recently said that the motives for the assassination were "extreme nationalism."

The predominately Buddhist country has seen several bouts of religious violence since 2012, much of it targeting the Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. The Committee for the Protection of Race and Religion, the hard-line Buddhist group also known as Ma Ba Tha, spearheads much of the anti-Muslim rhetoric in Myanmar.

Source: UCAN