'' Shot dead case twisted by the government’s media''

( By Noveline ) (No investigation had been conducted but in the local government radio, they deliberately twisted the account incident to avoid accountability)

On 5th of September at around 12 midnight, two Burmese boys, Aung Thu Hein and Soe Paing Zaw 22 and 18 years old respectively were shot by soldiers from Infantry Battalion 59 of the Southern Regional Military Command in Pago, 1 and half hours drive from Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. This happened after a quarrel about a motorcycle accident between the son of a general and two civilians. The news was forwarded by an exile news media. Aund Thu Hein was shot six times and Soe Paing Zaw four times.

After the incident, the police officers blocked the road and did not allow the families members to see the bodies of these two boys.

Members of the victim's families have not been allowed to see the bodies and were offered 1000000 kyats (1000 US $) which they refused to accept. They told the authorities that they only want truth and justice. The aunt of one of the victims told the media that no action had been taken against the offenders.

During the ceremony, local police, firemen and members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association went to the cemetery in order to control the ceremony.

In militarized societies like that of Burma, civilian police forces assist the military. If police officers land in trouble, the military will protect them. When the military troops are in trouble, the police protect them.

In the ethnic regions of military occupations area where it was hard to report the troops have been killing many of people including women and children for many decades. But now in Bago which is only one and half hour drive from Yangon, two boys were shot publicly and the soldiers have stated openly that anyone trying to challenge them will be shot and killed. It seems that they do not care about the existing law released in 1995. People in the military enjoy impunity because existing laws are manipulated to their advantage. In Burma, the law does not apply for some people because militarization puts rulers and their supporters above the law.

"The victims’ families can go to law against the offenders but also can try to get compensations. They cannot do other than that. Only the military court judge can decide these kinds of murder cases. They can be punished under The Myanmar Police Force Maintenance of Discipline Law of 1995", said lawyer, Aye Myint to the media.

According to the relatives of the boy who were shot, no investigation had been conducted but in the local government radio, they deliberately twisted the account incident to avoid accountability .They said that two boys were killed for supposedly attempting to wrestle the guns from the troops. But local people said that if they were indeed trying to attempt to wrestle the guns, they should have been shot in the place where they had a fight. Actually they were shot forty minutes after the disputes. It is obvious that government news media protects the military other than protecting the rights of the individual. The family members have not known that the murders will be charged under The Myanmar Police Force Maintenance of Discipline Law or not. If the law does not punish the person who violate that law or are not prosecuted, the perpetrator will enjoy the impunity.

Recently in Bago a boy who refused to join the army was shot dead and three months later four civilians were seriously tortured without reason by the commissariat and sub inspectors. During the torture, they were told that they could complain about the torture wherever they want because nothing will happen to their complaint anyway. If these crimes are no longer merits for serious investigation, this is the abrogation of criminal justice.

Anyhow, Tomás Ojea Quintana said to the media that he would include the recent killings of two young men by Burmese army soldiers in his forthcoming report to the United Nations general assembly in November.