Two Shot after Dispute with Soldiers

Burmese soldiers march during ceremonies on March 27, marking the 65th anniversary Armed Forces Day in Naypitaw. (Photo: AP)

Two young men were shot dead in a dispute with soldiers of the Southern Region Military Command in Pegu, some 50 km north of Rangoon.

Local sources identified the victims as Aung Thu Hein, 22, and Soe Paing Zaw, 18. The sources said they were shot dead execution-style by soldiers from the Command's Infantry Battalion 59 on Saturday after a dispute between local young men and officers from the battalion near a local restaurant.

One Pegu eye-witness reported: “After arguing with local youngsters, about 10 soldiers, including officers, came back to the town with arms, looking for the young men they had had problems with. The soldiers found them near a local teashop and shot them after more arguing.”

A medical official at the Pegu General Hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Aung Thu Hein had six gunshot wounds, while Soe Paing Zaw had four. Hundreds of angry residents gathered at the hospital.

A battalion general staff officer reportedly offered the families of the dead men 1 million kyat (US $10,00) compensation, provided they remained silent on the incident, which fueled further anger.

“My nephew was quite innocent. He was killed unjustly. So how can we calm down? We don’t want any money. We only want truth and justice,” said Aung Thu Hein’s aunt.

State-run radios such Myanmar Radio and Padaunt Myae FM reported the two young men had been shot at because they tried to wrest weapons from the soldiers.

“This is misinformation as well as an insult, not only to victims’ families, but also to all of us,” said a Pegu lawyer, Aye Myint.

The funerals of the two dead men are scheduled for Tuesday. Local authorities are very nervous at this time because of the anniversary of the Sept 2007 uprising and the approaching November election.

Irrawaddy Correspondent Zarni Mann contributed to this story.



Source:http://irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=19384
Source:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oGVr8VHqU9w