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Bangkok Post
Bangkok Post
World

Junta-appointed Myanmar central bank deputy head shot

The deputy governor of Myanmar's central bank was shot and wounded in her home in the commercial capital Yangon on Thursday, a junta spokesman told AFP, in the latest high-profile attack on military-linked officials.

Myanmar's military has led a bloody crackdown on dissent after taking power in last year's coup, sparking social unrest and a worsening economic crisis.

Self-declared civilian "people's defence forces" have sprung up to fight the junta, with dissidents also targeting officials perceived to be working with the military.

Deputy governor Than Than Swe, appointed by the military days after it seized power, was shot by unknown assailants at her house in Yangon late Thursday morning, junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun told AFP.

"She was shot this morning at about 11.30 am and was injured. She's now at the military hospital," he told AFP.

"We heard she's in good condition," he added, without giving more details.

No group has so far claimed the attack.

Across the country, there are almost daily killings of low-level junta officials or alleged informers, with details murky and reprisals from the military often following quickly.

Last November a top executive from Mytel -- a telecoms venture between Myanmar's military and Viettel, itself operated by Vietnam's army -- was gunned down outside his Yangon home.

On Sunday Myanmar's central bank ordered that foreign exchange earned by locals must be deposited in licensed banks and exchanged for the local kyat currency within one working day, with those failing to comply facing legal action.

The neigbouring country’s nation's economy has been in chaos since the coup, with the junta seeking tighter control over scarce foreign cash.

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