Four civilians have been allocated permits to own weapons in Shan State, according to the state’s security minister.
Colonel Naing Win Aung, Shan State’s Minister for Security and Border Affairs, named the four gun-toting civilians as U Aung Ko Win, a businessperson and owner of a KBZ Bank branch, retired Lieutenant General Aung Than Htut, Dr. Sai Kham Leng, medical superintendent of Jivitadana Sangha hospital in Taunggy, and state hluttaw MP U Myint Lwin from Kutkai township, who also leads a local militia.
The minister was responding to a question raised by U Nyi Lay Chan, a state hluttaw MP from Pindaya, on the opening day of the assembly’s eighth session on December 4.
“I asked the question out of concern for public safety and rule of law,” U Nyi Lay Chan said. “I asked the question to differentiate who currently holds weapons or will possess them in the future, or if weapons are in the hands of unexpected persons,” he added.
The minister specified that Dr Sai Kham Leng owns a .32 pistol, the retired Lt. Gen. Aung Than Htut owns a .38 Smith & Wesson gun and .32 American pistol, U Aung Ko Win owns a 2075mm gun and U Myint Lwin owns a German pistol.
Retired Lt. Gen. Aung Than Htut, who was formerly the bureau chief for the Ministry of Defense Special Operations Zone 2, currently serves as a state hluttaw representative for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) from Laukkaing District, which is in the Kokang Self-Administered Zone.
