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Lawmaker Lin
Zaw Tun of the Union Solidarity and Development Party
speaks to reporters at
the parliamentary complex in Naypyidaw
on 27 February. (Image: DVB)
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Lawmaker Lin Zaw Tun, a classmate of the Defence Services
Academy graduate who allegedly masterminded the plot to kill prominent National
League for Democracy legal adviser Ko Ni, has threatened to sue those
speculating that he was in some way involved in the high-profile assassination.
Lin Zaw Tun, a Union Solidarity and Development Party
Lower House MP representing Shan State’s Mong Hpayak Township, appears in
photos widely circulated on social media alongside Aung Win Khaing, an alleged
co-conspirator in the murder who is still at large. Both former military
officers, Aung Win Khaing and Lin Zaw Tun were classmates of the DSA’s 36th
Intake.
At a press conference on Saturday, the chief of the
national police force, Zaw Win, said Lin Zaw Tun and two other individuals —
Zaw Zaw Soe, the Burmese consul general in Hong Kong, and Kyaw Zeyar Lin, the
consulate’s counsellor — who had appeared in photos on social media alongside
Aung Win Khaing were questioned by investigators. The three men were members of
the same DSA intake, with the photos taken at social gatherings such golf
outings and dinner parties, and during a visit by the suspect to Hong Kong, but
investigators determined that there was no link between these individuals and
Ko Ni’s killing.
Speaking to reporters in Naypyidaw on Monday, Lin Zaw Tun
threatened to take legal action against anyone speculating that he had had a
role in the assassination.
“There have been rumours going around and photos of my
family were circulated on [social media] — as a citizen of Burma, I have my
rights and legal protection. I am not going to tolerate it anymore. I am going
to pursue legal action against those attacking the credibility of the
organisations I am or was associated with,” said Lin Zaw Tun.
“I hope the truth will surface soon so that the doubts
will be cleared.”
Kyi Lin, the gunman who shot Ko Ni, Aung Win Zaw, who is
Aung Win Khaing’s brother, and Zeyar Phyo are in custody for their suspected
roles in the assassination plot. Kyi Lin is the lone suspect who is not a
former military officer.
Ko Ni, a prominent lawyer and legal adviser for the
ruling NLD, was shot outside Rangoon International Airport as he returned from
a state-sponsored trip to Indonesia on 29 January. Taxi driver Ne Win; a
bystander who pursued Kyi Lin after he carried out the assassination and
attempted to flee, was also shot dead by the gunman.