An innocent teenage boy was shot dead on August 11th by Burmese soldiers during a military operation against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), in Manmaw (Bhamo) District, northern Kachin State, local residents said.
The boy was about 15-year-old and lived in a Shan village called Tong Palwe, in Manje (Mansi) Township, in the southern part of the district, said villagers.
He died soon after he was shot by government soldiers from Column-2, led by Major Zaw Nyo Myint Oo, of Infantry Battalion No. 105, based in Sarhmaw, but which currently is based in Mong Hkawng, according to local villagers.
A villager told the Kachin News Group, “The boy’s hearing was poor. He was afraid and running away from the Burmese army column when they were approaching near the village. So, Burmese soldiers chased him and shot him while the boy’s grandmother tried to stop soldiers”.
The event happened between 4 and 5 p.m. local time and the boy died of a gunshot wound while he was being carried to the Manje hospital, added villagers.
The boy was mistakenly shot as a member of the KIA People’s Defense Army by government soldiers, a KIA officer in the area said.
Mong Hkong residents said army columns 1 and 2 of the same battalion have operated in Manje Township since July and several villagers were killed and wounded by troops from the two military columns.
The skirmishes started in the Manje area between government troops and the Manje-based KIA Battalion 12 in early June.
