A soldier from the government’s controlled Border Guard Force (BGF) is alleged to have repeatedly fired his gun at a boat loaded with cement bags at a tax gate on the River Moei on the Thai-Burma Border.
The incident happened on May 7 at tax gate 14 and involved a soldier from the BGF’s Battalion 1021st that is based in the Burmese border town of Myawaddy.
The boat was transporting cement bags destined for the Karen National Union’s (KNU), Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO).
Speaking to Karen News, a KNU liaison office said.
“The BGF soldier at the No. 14 Gate fired 10 times to the boat loaded with cement bags for the KNDO. The boat had already paid its taxes officially to the Burmese government and the BGF blocked the boat that was transporting [its cargo] from Thailand.”
A soldier involved in the incident was under the command of the 1021st BGF Battalion leader Major Saw Ba Lue.
Following the incident, senior officers from the KNDO, Burma Army and BGF met to discuss the shooting and to put in place arrangements to prevent further misunderstandings at the 20 tax gates along the River Moei that are under the control of the government military and various armed groups.
