Kyi Lin says he shot Ko Ni in fear of being killed

13 July 2018
Kyi Lin says he shot Ko Ni in fear of being killed
Kyi Lin (C). Photo: Ye Naing/Mizzima

Gunman Kyi Lin testified in court yesterday that he had to shoot advocate Ko Ni at Yangon International Airport at close range in fear of being killed and he also said that he had no wish for the death of the advocate.
Kyi Lin and other co-accused namely Aung Win Zaw and Zeyar Phyo appeared before the Yangon North District court in the 60th hearing on July 12.
According to testimony given by Kyi Lin at court, a man called Myint Swe intimidated Kyi Lin to kill advocate Ko Ni and this man Myint Swe lived in Mae Sot, Thailand and had known the man since they lived in Mandalay when he was 25.
Kyi Lin testified that Myin Swe called him on January 18, 2017, and said he would like to see Kyi Lin as they had not met each other for a long time. Myint Swe told him that he was in Yangon and asked him if he was free to meet. He reportedly told Myint Swe that he would call him back when he was free. Later Myint Swe called Kyi Lin on January 29, 2017, and told him to come to a park near Sule pagoda for a meeting.
Kyi Lin did not see Myint Swe when he reached the park and he called him and asked where he was. Myint Swe replied he was at Yangon airport to pick up a friend and told him to come to the airport by taxi. When Kyi Lin arrived at Yangon International Airport Myint Swe told him to come with him in his car. So he got in Myint Swe’s car, Kyi Lin said in his testimony.
Kyi Lin asked Myint Swe if he had something important to tell him and he replied ‘no’. So, Kyi Lin roamed around the airport alone. Then Kyi Lin came back to Myint Swe and had a chit-chat about their families. Then Myint Swe asked Kyi Lin if he would like to do a job.
Kyi Lin told Myint Swe, “I’m a businessman and do everything except narcotic drugs.” And then Myint Swe showed him photos stored on his phone of a man. Myint Swe told Kyi Lin he would give Kyi Lin a handsome amount of money if he dared to kill that man. “I told Myint Swe that I was not starving at present and I was not a contract killer. I did not even do the drugs business as I feared imprisonment,” Myint Swe testified at the court.
Myint Swe intimidated him by saying he had to kill this man shown in the photos and he had to pull the trigger of the gun that he would give him, no need to use either sword or stick. Myint Swe added that his duty would be finished as soon as he shot at the head of the target. 
“Then he told me ‘there would be another man behind you if you did not do what I said he would kill you. I argued that it was nothing but arm twisting. Then he replied to me that I did not need to say these things but I had only to shoot at the head of the target that he showed me. ‘If you leave here without doing as I said I would not spare your family and I would terminate all of your family. I always bear a gun all the time,’ he said. I requested Myint Swe not to force me to do this job as I did not know how to fire a gun. Then Myint Swe drew his gun from his waist and demonstrated how to shoot a gun. ‘You don’t need to load the gun, just pull the trigger. Shooting at the head at close range will not miss the target. Your brain will be blown out if you failed to do as I said,’ Myint Swe said to me,” Kyi Lin said at court how he was intimidated to commit this murder.
Gunman Kyi Lin said to court that Myint Swe gave him a shoulder bag and ordered him to assassinate Advocate Ko Ni. Yangon North District Court fixed July 13 for next hearing and on that day, another accused in this case, Aung Win Zaw, would be examined.