11/22/22, 4:37 PM Pro-military death squad rallies openly on social media | Frontier Myanmar Khin Maung Thein and his wife, Daw Kha Kha, owned the Sein Win Win tea shop in Mandalay and were passionate supporters of the NLD, which won a landslide re-election victory in November 2020, three months before the militarycoup. Initial reports indicated Kha Kha was also seriously injured in the attack, but the NLD statement claimed she later died. Ko Aung Myint*, a Mandalay resident and frequent patron of Sein Win Win, confirmed the deaths and told Frontier the couple were “loved by everyone” and were “friendly to every customer”. Their support for the NLD was widely known. In the lead up to the election, the party used the tea shop as a campaign base, Aung Myint said, festooning it with party banners and portraits of State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint. Both civilian leaders were detained the morning of the coup and remain in military custody. “We are saddened by this loss of life,” Aung Myint said. “They lost their lives at the hands of inhumane people.” A screenshot of a Thwe Thauk Apwe lanyard posted to Telegram. Many posts also include bodies of victims. (Frontier) ‘A dangerous new breeding ground’ The first reference to Thwe Thauk Apwe that Frontier could find on Telegram came from Han Nyein Oo, an infamous pro-military social media personality that has been at the forefront of shocking online behaviour. The account has directed security forces to arrest business owners opposed to the coup, shared revenge porn of female activists, and posted photos of dead protesters and resistance fighters. On April 21, Han Nyein Oo accused armed anti-coup resistance fighters of “killing unrelated family members, innocent civilians and monks” and shared a statement announcing the launch of Thwe Thauk’s “Red Operation”. Four days later, a Telegram channel called “Thwe Thout Group” began sharing images of its victims, including Khin Maung Thein and Kha Kha. The posts were reshared by many prominent Telegram accounts, including pro-military persona Kyaw Swar, who has two accounts – one with over 62,000 subscribers and one with 21,000. Activists have long called for Telegram to better regulate content in Myanmar. In March, Han Nyein Oo’s primary account with over 100,000 subscribers was finally banned, and in May, a back-up account with over 76,000 subscribers was also taken down. A third account with nearly 50,000 followers remains active. Daw Wai Phyo Myint, who works for digital rights group Access Now, said Han Nyein Oo’s previous doxxing campaigns were a precursor to the Thwe Thauk content. “If Telegram took action https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/pro-military-death-squad-rallies-openly-on-social-media/ 2/9