A retired New Mon State Party (NMSP) medical worker was beaten to death by local Burmese Army soldiers. He was being tortured and was being forced to admit to exploding bombs in a nearby polling station in Khawzar sub-township Mon State . Retired NMSP members fear a similar fate.
The 35 year old medic, Nai Show died on May 20 following severe injuries sustained at Khawzar town police station, where he was sent by Infantry Battalion (IB) No.31 army officers. He was accused of causing explosions in Yindein polling station on May 10 and of distributing fliers advocating people to "vote against the draft constitution".
He was arrested with two other villagers and the army seized some fliers and a video CD of the "monk led demonstration in September 2007 (Damma Kun Are)" from his home.
According to family members he admitted, while being tortured to distributing the fliers but denied exploding the bombs.
According to family sources, the man was subjected to electric shocks, severe beating and food deprivation. He was kept at the battalion base during interrogations by army officers with two other villagers, former village headman Nai Owen Ngwe and Nai Jaw Tun.
On May 10, two bombs went off near a polling station at Yindein village prompting junta accusations against Mon activists and retired NMSP members living in the area. To evade imprisonment retired NMSP members, including a NMSP Tavoy district CEC member and some NMSP members from Yinye, Yedein and Maha village have fled.
In a scandalous exposure, however, Khawzar town police revealed the explosions were planned by local army officers in Yinye, Yedein and Maha villages. But due to a lack of support from village headmen and police the plans were cancelled in Yinye and Maha village.
According to the police, the plan was to frame Mon activists and NMSP members in the area by exploding bombs. Before the May 10 referendum, local Burmese battalion IB No.31 spread a rumour that activists planned to bomb polling stations.
Mon activists in the area had distributed fliers to encourage locals to vote against the constitution like other townships in Mon state. Regular fighting broke out in the area between Mon splinter group led by Nai Chan Done and Burma Army troops. Some NMSP members and retired members were accused of supporting the Mon splinter group which separated from NMSP in 2001 and were arrested. Some retired NMSP members in the area were executed in 2004 when the army launched a military offensive against the Mon splinter group in the area.
