Nhka Ga villagers refuted allegations by the Burma army that claimed that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) beheaded a Burma officer from IB 137. The residents denied the incident to visiting Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) officials that were on an aid mission in the northern district of Putao in Kachin state.
According to the villagers, Lt. Zaw Myo Htet, 23, was captured near Nhka Ga village on Aug. 29. Shortly after he was shot and killed by his captors from the KIA Battalion 7 after trying to escape. Eye witnesses that saw the officer’s corpse told the KBC that his head was intact but bullet wounds were clearly visible on his leg and back.
Following Zaw Myo Htet’s death, Burma military officials issued a statement that alleged the officer was tortured before the beheading took place.
Kachin Independence Organization’s (KIO) Chief Spokesperson Lah Nan denied that the beheading even happened to national media.
Several month before the conflict in Kachin state started in June of 2012, the late officer had achieved hero status amongst the military after taking part in military-coordinated rescue mission to retrieve the billionaire Tay Za and his party after their helicopter was stranded on Phonekan Razi mountain in western Putao in late February of 2011. The top brass was very sad after hearing the news of the officer’s demise, military sources told the Kachin News Group (KNG).
According to members of the KBC delegation that recently visited Nhka Ga village, the remaining residents have been locked in their village by the military. The area has been the scene of recent fighting. Although the residents would like to flee to the nearby internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps they have been prevented from leaving. KBC officials suspect that the army is using them as human shields to prevent a likely KIA counterattack.
