Sniper shoots dead brigadier in helicopter

Four members of the Myanmar security services including a brigadier-general were shot dead by sniper fire yesterday as their helicopter prepared to land, a military source told AFP. Brigadier General Aye Min Naung, his personal security officer and two pilots were shot by a "sniper" as their helicopter prepared to land at eastern Thingannyinaung town near Myawaddy on the Thai border, the security source said. The brigadier general later died, the source said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to talk to the media. Two other servicemen on the helicopter had "survived," they added, without giving details. The source did not say how many snipers had shot at the helicopter, or attribute blame for the shooting. The junta has clashed regularly around Myawaddy with ethnic minority fighters and allied "People's Defence Force" groups in recent months. Local media published images purporting to show the aftermath of the incident that showed a small helicopter lying on its side in a field. One local outlet said the helicopter was a twin-engined Eurocopter 365. The brigadier general is the latest high-ranking officer to be killed on the frontlines as the junta battles opponents of its coup across swathes of country. In November, the brigadier-general of an infantry battalion was killed by a bomb dropped from a drone in Monekoe.