Villagers from Pyin Hla claim that soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 551 arrived on Nov.20 and started shooting in the air at about 2 pm. When they started to run away the soldiers opened fire on the fleeing crowd. Villagers who were later caught by the soldiers were reportedly tortured.

The man killed has been identified as Abdu Zali, 45, son of Sayed
Ahmed.

No-one knows why the soldiers attacked the village. But the incident took place a day before Burma’s Border Affairs Minister Than Htay said that security forces are doing their best to enforce the rule of law in this area.

One schoolteacher said the government says one thing but does another.
 “The government says they will impose rule of law immediately, but in practical terms the reality is quite different.”