One Injured in Burma-India Border Town Shooting

By Htun Htun 4 October 2016

One man was injured in a shooting in Tamu on Sunday, a town on the Burma-India border in Sagaing Division, according to members of a border monitoring committee made up of civil society representatives and trade merchants.

The shooting occurred in the afternoon near Tamu’s Nang Pha Lone market; in the evening, a bomb also exploded on the Tamu-Moreh border near Banka village, west of Nang Pha Lone. No one was injured in the bomb blast.

Armed groups including National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) and a Manipuri armed group are active in the area and there are sporadic shootings between groups, said U Kyaw Thet Win, a member of the border monitoring committee.

“Such shootings usually happen between armed groups. Border security is weak here. Those who go to India from here have to undergo checks, but [those from India] can enter and exit here as they like,” U Kyaw Thet Win told The Irrawaddy.

The victim reportedly belongs to the NSCN-K. He was injured in the abdominal region and is receiving medical treatment at Kale Township People’s Hospital for what were described as minor wounds.

The border monitoring committee, citing the accounts of eyewitnesses, said around four people were involved in the shooting and that they reportedly crossed the border and fled to India after the attack.

The reason for the attack is not yet clear and investigations into the case are ongoing, an officer from the Tamu Township police force told The Irrawaddy. But he refused to talk about further details such as the frequency of shootings and their fatality rates.

The Upper Chindwin Youth Network said it is discussing with local civil society organizations whether to stage a demonstration to demand that the government provide better security for residents in Tamu.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.