Two villagers were charged by the Tatmadaw under the Explosive Substances Act 3 on suspicion of involvement in a bomb explosion near Min Phoo village in Rathedaung Township, Arakan State.
The Tatmadaw said that explosion killed a 19 year old girl named Yi Yi Soe who lives in Min Phoo village. But Yi Yi Soe’s parents have rejected the Tatmadaw’s explanations and said that their daughter was killed by gunfire by the Tatmadaw on February 19 this year.
U Maung Tun Hla, father of the deceased said that the bomb blast occurred outside the village while the Tatmadaw troop was checking the family member list inside the village.
He added that the troop shot the guns into the village after hearing the explosion.
“They [Tatmadaw] shot my daughter. They surrounded our house from four different sides and started to fire guns when they heard the bomb explosion,” U Maung Tun Hla said.
But the Tatmadaw said that Yi Yi Soe died from pieces of shrapnel that hit her from the explosion and arrested two suspected villagers.
Soon after the explosion, DMG went to Min Phoo village and found Yi Yi Soe dead with the bullet wound.
Than Pe, 40 and Wai Soe Tun, 35 from Min Phoo village were detained under suspicion of possessing explosives but the lawyer of the accused complained that the hearing has been delayed as the complainants failed to come to the court.
Lawyer Daw Aye Nu Sein confirmed that four plaintiffs of the case: Police Officer Aung Kyaw Soe Moe and three from the Tatmadaw side didn’t appear at the court.
“To end this case, we need to have Police Officer Aung Kyaw Soe Moe at the court. He is one of complainants as well as an investigating officer. But he just said on the phone that his boss didn’t let him come,” Daw Aye Nu Sein said, adding that the delay has made the accused to stay in jail longer.
Sittwe District’s court set the date for the next hearing on August 30.
Brigadier – General Zaw Min Tun from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team said that Yi Yi Soe died from fighting between the Tatmadaw and Arakan Army (AA). He added that AA set the bomb at the village bridge and fired the guns inside the village, and the Tatmadaw retuned the AA’s gunfire.
“We had the fighting there. The AA soldiers wore civilian clothing ran into the village and shot back at us. We assumed that Yi Yi Soe was killed by the bullets fired by AA,” Brigadier – General Zaw Min Tun told DMG.
But the AA and villagers said that no fighting happened in Min Phoo village.
“The Myanmar military just tries to cover up their acts of war crimes,” Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson said.
It has been up to seven months since the two Min Phoo villagers have been detained after the bomb explosion. The Explosive Substances Act 3 which they are charged with carries a sentenced of 10 years imprisonment to life in prison or a fine.
