Soldiers’ corpses were found

DVB (August 25,2003)

The corpses of the two soldiers, Privates Aung Kyaw Thu and Nyi Nyi Soe were found with gunshot wounds on their heads on the bank of the river near Ywathaya, about 10 miles from Shwebo.

They were killed by the soldiers from the Infantry Battalion (IB) – 88 based in Minbu, Magwe Division which the three soldiers belonged to.

Their bodies were discovered by local people on the bank of River Irrawaddy below Minbu.

According to a local resident, the army continued their search for the sergeant. But some residents in Minbu believed that he was dead. .

On 19 August, three Burmese soldiers including a sergeant rebelled against their commanders and escaped to island in the middle of the Irrawaddy River. After days of resistance, they were killed during the attempt to capture them

Many people found it strange that the army sorted this incident in the public because rebellions have been quite common within the Burmese army as a result of poor living condition and overloaded work.

“There is too much oppression from the top to the bottom. They have to obey all the orders and are treated inhumanely with severe beatings,” said a resident in Minbu. “The authorities need to re-assess the situation.”

An ex-officer who served the SPDC army for 13 years commented, “The gaps between the soldiers and officers are enlarging everyday.”

In addition, the ex officer thought the SPDC should rally its own soldiers rather than the people of Burma.

“They have to face the reality now,” said the ex officer.