Tens of thousands of people gathered in the Myanmar city of Yangon on Monday for the funeral of Ko Ni, a Muslim lawyer shot dead the previous day,

The 63-year-old was an expert in constitutional law and adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party that came to power in April.

A prominent member of Myanmar's Muslim minority, the lawyer was involved in efforts to amend a military drafted constitution.

Police have arrested a 53-year-old man, suspected of being the lone gunman who shot Ko Ni in the head outside Yangon's international airport on Sunday evening.

Ko Ni had just embraced his young grandson as he stepped out of the airport terminal on his return from Jakarta, said the lawyer's daughter Yin Nwe Khine.

"My father was talking to his grandson. Then, I heard a gunshot. At first, I thought it was a car tyre blowing out, then I saw my father lying on the ground," she said.

The victim had just returned from a trip to Indonesia, where Myanmar government officials and Muslim community leaders discussed with Indonesian counterparts issues of reconciliation.

Taxi driver Nay Win, 42, was also killed when he attempted to apprehend the gunman, according to state media.

"We have detained and are questioning the gunman to find out why he killed him, and who is behind it or paid him to do it," Zaw Htay told Reuters news agency.

READ MORE: Malaysia - Muslim countries should end Rohingya crisis

An estimated 100,000 mourners, including family members, lawyers, NLD activists and members of Yangon's diplomatic corps attended Ko Ni's funeral at a Muslim cemetery in northern Yangon.

Aung San Suu Kyi was not in attendance and has yet to comment on the killing. Her party said on Sunday that Ko Ni's death was "a great loss for which there is no substitute".

The apparent assassination comes amid heightened tensions in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where Aung San Suu Kyi is under pressure over a heavy-handed security operation in an area of the country's northwest that is populated mostly by Muslims.

Ko Ni, an expert in constitutional law, had spoken out about the powerful role the military retains in governing Myanmar, despite handing over power to Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian administration in April.

"My father was often threatened and we were warned to be careful, but my father didn't accept that easily. He always did what he thought was right," said Yin Nwe Khine.

READ MORE: Myanmar detains policemen over Rohingya abuse video

"A lot of people hate us because we have different religious beliefs, so I think that might be why it happened to him, but I don't know the reason."

Ko Ni had joined Pe Myint, the minister for Information, on the visit to Muslim-majority Indonesia, billed as an opportunity to share experiences of national reconciliation.

The delegation included several Myanmar Muslim leaders, some belonging to the mostly stateless Rohingya minority.

Yanghee Lee, the UN's special rapporteur for Myanmar, voiced her outrage over Ko Ni's killing, saying she had met him on her last trip to the country earlier this month, which included a visit to Rakhine.



"My deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of U Ko Ni the most prominent and respected Muslim lawyer of Myanmar," she tweeted, calling on Aung San Suu Kyi's government to "get to the bottom" of his death.</s>Legal adviser to Burma’s National League for Democracy U Ko Ni was assassinated at Yangon International Airport on Sunday. “A very dark day for Myanmar. Just hearing the incredibly tragic and upsetting news that U Ko Ni was just assassinated at Yangon airport,” tweeted Thant Myint-U, the advisor to Myanmar president.

Ko Ni was shot dead when he was returning from a trip abroad, reported Frontier Myanmar, adding that the suspect has been arrested. The suspected shooter is a 53-year-old man from Mandalay, reported Myanmar Times. However, the police are yet to ascertain the motive of the killing. Pictures of a man in pink t-shirt covered in blood, identified as the suspect, are being shared widely on social media.

In November 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi’s NLD had won 80% of the Parliamentary seats, ending military rule in the country after nearly five decades. The NLD had bagged 348 seats across the lower and upper house of parliament, 19 more than the 329 needed for an absolute majority.</s>Thousands of Myanmar politicians, activists and others shocked by the assassination of a longtime adviser to leader Aung San Suu Kyi gathered Monday at a cemetery for an emotional funeral ceremony, while police investigated the motive for the killing. Ko Ni, a prominent lawyer and member of Myanmar's Muslim minority, was shot in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport Sunday.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Voice of America.</s>YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Thousands of Myanmar politicians, activists and others shocked by the assassination of a longtime adviser to leader Aung San Suu Kyi gathered Monday at a cemetery for an emotional funeral ceremony, while police investigated the motive for the killing.

Ko Ni, a prominent lawyer and member of Myanmar’s Muslim minority, was shot in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport Sunday. The suspected shooter was apprehended while trying to escape.

A statement issued late Monday by the office of President Htin Kyaw said that according to an initial interrogation, the shooting was intended “to threaten the country’s stability.” It said the authorities would step up security measures, and urged people not to be frightened and refrain from agitation involving race or religion.

The killing shocked many in Yangon because attacks on prominent people are rare, although security forces are notorious for brutal behavior in remote rural areas, especially when dealing with ethnic minorities.

Ko Ni “is irreplaceable for both Aung San Suu Kyi and the party,” Suu Kyi’s ruling National League for Democracy party said in a statement. He was especially valued as an expert in constitutional law, looking for ways to sidestep provisions placed in the charter by an earlier military junta to retain power at the expense of elected governments.

He was seen as a familiar and helpful figure by journalists and human rights workers who have found Suu Kyi’s government almost as difficult to deal with as the military-backed regime it replaced.

At the same time, Ko Ni was active in defending the rights of Muslims, who often face discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. Last year, he helped found the Myanmar Muslim Lawyers Association, which was criticized by ultra-nationalist Buddhists monks as well as by some of his political allies, who feared it encouraged sectarianism.

Anti-Muslim sentiments have increased in the country in recent years following deadly intercommunal violence in the western state of Rakhine, home to many Muslims belonging to the Rohingya minority. As a Burmese Muslim, Ko Ni shared their religion but was better integrated into mainstream Myanmar society.

The suspect was arrested after he also shot a taxi driver who tried to stop him from fleeing the airport, the Information Ministry said in a video posted on state-run MRTV. The driver died on the way to a hospital.

Police seized two guns from the man, whom they identified as Kyi Linn of Mandalay. Authorities were searching for any possible accomplices. Speculation about the motive included political intimidation, anti-Muslim prejudice and a possible business dispute involving the victim’s private law practice.

Mandalay regional police chief Han Tun said at a news conference that the suspect is an ex-convict who had received a 27-year-sentence on three counts of stealing statues of Buddha. Reports in the Myanmar press said he was released in 2014 under an amnesty after serving 11 years.

Members of Parliament, political activists and NLD party members were among those who gathered Monday for the funeral at a Muslim cemetery on Yangon’s outskirts, said Tun Kyi, a prominent Muslim activist and a friend of Ko Ni.

Many of the thousands of people who streamed to the cemetery wept openly. Security was tight, with police even using bomb detectors on the baskets of flowers sent by mourners.

The overflowing crowd turned rowdy at times, jostling for space as the open pavilion, with a capacity for perhaps 500 people, was surrounded by at least 10 times that number of people.

Those attending included U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel, who called Ko Ni’s death “a terrible loss.”

“Of course we are all shocked and really sad,” he said. “I knew Ko Ni and his commitment to his country and democracy.”

There are important antecedents in Myanmar for political violence against influential leaders, including Suu Kyi and her father Gen. Aung San, who led the country to independence from Britain. Aung San was assassinated in 1947 along with six members of his provisional Cabinet, and some historians consider his lost leadership a reason for the country’s unrest since then, because he could not oversee a power-sharing agreement he had made with ethnic minorities.

Suu Kyi was the apparent target of an assassination attempt in 2003, when her motorcade was ambushed by a mob on a remote road in central Myanmar. Her driver maneuvered their car to escape, but other people in her entourage — four by government accounts, more according to other sources — were killed. The attack was generally thought to have been carried out by a faction of the military, although no one faced punishment.

Ethnic minority leaders have also been targets, most notably the monarch of the Shan minority, Sao Shwe Thaik, who was also the first president of Myanmar in 1948-1952. He was arrested by the military when it staged a coup in 1962 and died in unclear circumstances in custody. His son was shot dead on the day of the coup, and another Shan noble disappeared after being arrested.

 Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.</s>A legal adviser for the National League for Democracy (NLD) has been assassinated at a Burma airport after returning from a trip overseas, the government said.

Ko Ni was the Supreme Court advocate for the NLD and a long-standing adviser to the country's leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The unidentified gunman made a close shot to the head as Ko Ni walked out of the arrival gate at Rangoon's airport, the Ministry of Information said in a video posted on state-run MRTV.

A friend of Ko Ni who witnessed the shooting said the suspected assassin also shot a taxi driver who tried to stop him from fleeing.

"As I stopped my car by the airport, that's where I saw Ko Ni's body lying on the walkway outside of the airport and I couldn't believe that just happened," said Thet Paing Soe, a friend and an NLD supporter.

"Then, as the shooter tried to run away, the police arrested him."

Thet Paing Soe said a taxi driver known as Nay Win stopped the fleeing assassin but was shot. The taxi driver's condition was not clear.

The Ministry of Information identified the suspect as Kyi Linn from Mandalay. The motive was not known.

Kyee Myint, a former chairman of the Myanmar Lawyer Network who has a close relationship with Ko Ni, also confirmed his death.

"It is a big loss for us that Ko Ni, our beloved friend, has been killed. He is the face of the democracy in our country and this is a big loss for us," Kyee Myint added.

Ko Ni was Burmese and one of the NLD's most prominent Muslim members.

He criticised the party in 2015 for not putting up Muslim candidates in the general election.

Burma is a mainly Buddhist country and anti-Muslim sentiments have increased in recent years following deadly violence in the western state of Rakhine, home to many Rohingya Muslims.

As a practicing lawyer, Ko Ni had handled more than 900 criminal cases and more than 1,400 civil cases. He established the Laurel Law Firm with two other advocates in 1995.</s>YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar politicians, activists and others shocked by the assassination of a longtime adviser to leader Aung San Suu Kyi are gathering at a cemetery for his funeral.

The government says Ko Ni, a prominent member of Myanmar’s Muslim minority, was shot in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport Sunday. The Ministry of Information said in a video posted on state-run MRTV that the gunman was arrested after he wounded a taxi driver who tried to stop him from fleeing.

The ruling National League for Democracy party issued a statement denouncing the assassination and adding that authorities are trying hard to track down accomplices of the arrested gunman.

The NLD said Ko Ni was irreplaceable, both to Suu Kyi and the party.

Comments

 WTOP is now using Facebook as our comment platform. Need help? Email us</s>A prominent Muslim human-rights lawyer was shot dead at Myanmar’s main international airport Sunday after returning from an overseas trip, an attack the ruling party described on Monday as a political assassination.

Ko Ni, 65, was a longtime adviser to the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy. He had also spoken out against the worsening sectarian divides in the predominantly Buddhist nation since...</s>Ko Ni, legal adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, was shot as he got into a taxi by an unknown assassin.

A legal adviser for Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party has been shot dead outside Yangon's international airport, in what appeared to be a rare outbreak of political violence in the commercial capital.

Police arrested a lone gunman, but a motive was unknown in the killing of 65-year-old Ko Ni on Sunday, a prominent member of Myanmar's Muslim minority.

A taxi driver who tried to stop the gunman was also killed, according to Zaw Htay, spokesman for President Htin Kyaw.

"We have detained and are questioning the gunman to find out why he killed him, and who is behind it or paid him to do it," Zaw Htay told Reuters.

A police official told Reuters the suspect was a 53-year-old Myanmar citizen from the central city of Mandalay.

The apparent assassination comes amid heightened tensions in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where leader Aung San Aung San Suu Kyi is under pressure over a heavy-handed security operation in an area of the country's northwest that is populated mostly by Muslims.

Ko Ni had just embraced his young grandson as he stepped out of the airport terminal on his return from Jakarta, said the lawyer's daughter Yin Nwe Khine.

"My father was talking to his grandson. Then, I heard a gunshot. At first, I thought it was a car tyre blowing out, then I saw my father lying on the ground," she said.

Ko Ni, an expert in constitutional law, had spoken out about the powerful role the military retains in governing Myanmar, despite handing over power to Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian administration in April.

"My father was often threatened and we were warned to be careful, but my father didn't accept that easily. He always did what he thought was right," said Yin Nwe Khine.

"A lot of people hate us because we have different religious beliefs, so I think that might be why it happened to him, but I don't know the reason."

Ko Ni had joined Minister for Information Pe Myint on the visit to Muslim-majority Indonesia, billed as an opportunity to share experiences of national reconciliation.

The delegation included several Myanmar Muslim leaders, some belonging to the mostly stateless Rohingya minority.

Yanghee Lee, the UN's special rapporteur for Myanmar, voiced her outrage over Ko Ni's killing, saying she had met him on her last trip to the country earlier this month, which included a visit to Rakhine. 

 

"My deepest and most sincere condolences to the family of U Ko Ni the most prominent and respected Muslim lawyer of Myanmar," she tweeted, calling on Aung San Suu Kyi's government to "get to the bottom" of his death.</s>YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar politicians, activists and others shocked by the assassination of a longtime adviser to leader Aung San Suu Kyi are gathering at a cemetery for his funeral.

The government says Ko Ni, a prominent member of Myanmar's Muslim minority, was shot in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport Sunday. The Ministry of Information said in a video posted on state-run MRTV that the gunman was arrested after he wounded a taxi driver who tried to stop him from fleeing.

The ruling National League for Democracy party issued a statement denouncing the assassination and adding that authorities are trying hard to track down accomplices of the arrested gunman.

In this Feb. 28, 2016, photo, Ko Ni, a legal adviser for Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy and a prominent member of Myanmar's Muslim minority, is photographed in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. A gunman killed a legal adviser for Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017, shooting the lawyer in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport, the government said. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

The NLD said Ko Ni was irreplaceable, both to Suu Kyi and the party.

Tin Oo, center, senior leader of Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy, talks to journalists as he leaves Ko Ni's house in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Jan.30, 2017. A gunman killed Ko Ni on Sunday, shooting the lawyer in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport, the government said. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Yin Ngwe Khine, center, daughter of Ko Ni, lawyer of Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy who was killed by a gunman, talks on a mobile phone during her father's funeral at their home in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Jan.30, 2017. A gunman killed Ko Ni on Sunday, shooting the lawyer in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport, the government said. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

People read local newspapers covering the killing of Ko Ni, lawyer of Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy, near a roadside shop in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Jan.30, 2017. A gunman killed Ko Ni on Sunday, shooting the lawyer in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport, the government said. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Tin Oo, center, senior leader of Myanmar's ruling National League for Democracy, talks to journalists as he leaves Ko Ni's house in Yangon, Myanmar Monday, Jan.30, 2017. A gunman killed Ko Ni on Sunday, shooting the lawyer in the head at close range as he walked out of the Yangon airport, the government said. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)</s>A prominent Muslim human rights lawyer was shot dead at Myanmar’s main international airport Sunday after returning from an overseas trip.

Ko Ni was a long-term adviser to the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy, but he had also spoken out against the worsening sectarian divides in the predominantly Buddhist...
Tens of thousands of people, including politicians and activists, gather for the funeral of Ko Ni, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's longtime adviser, who was assassinated yesterday as he walked out of the Yangon International Airport.