Soldier shoots officer in central Burma

DVB ( 10 November 2003 )

A Burmese army captain was killed when a rebellion occurred at a military base near Pakkoku in Magwe Division on 2 November.

Captain Kyaw Htay of LIB - 259 died at the scene when he was shot by Private Kyaw Min. Although the soldier tried to escape, he was captured two days later after hot pursuit by his comrades.

It is not clear how the soldier will be dealt with but local residents believe that he is likely to be court-martialled and given the death penalty.

Observers believe that the rebellion could be related to religious dispute because the incident happened on the same night that religious unrest took place.

There was a similar rebellion in central Burma a couple of months ago and the renegade soldiers were killed after a prolonged shoot out.