The 49-year-old freelance journalist, also known as Par Gyi, was killed Burmese soldiers after they had arrested him. According to a statement from the Burmese Army, Aung Kyaw Naing "was in the custody of an unnamed ‘roving battalion’ looking for DKBA rebels, when he tried to seize a gun from a guard and run away; then he was shot dead by the guard."
The army's version was called into question by the journalist's wife, Thandar, who accused them of ' torture'. Civil society organisations in Burma as well as the US government raised concern of the killing and called for investigations into its curcumstances. Aung Kyaw Naing was working with reporters in Mon State on about ethical issues along the Burma-Thai border. Reports suggest that Aung Kyaw Naing was arrested by the army so that they could interrogate him about whereabouts of DKBA (Democratic Karen Benevolent Army) units. He was returning from DKBA-controlled area when he was detained.