S.H.A.N. News has learnt that a group of youths carrying out ward security patrols arrested a policeman and a villager with drugs in Kung Hser Ward, Namkham Town, Northern Shan State.
Thein Htay Aung, a policeman from Namkham Township Police Station (ID number La/240264 from Pago Region) and Sai Tun San (a.k.a. Aik Tane) from Pauk-Nay Ward, Namkham Township, were arrested by local youths at 11pm on 23rd January.
Sai Aik Tin, the Kung Hser village secretary said: “While we were doing a ward security patrol we saw two suspicious men near the Moe Kyel Sin karaoke shop. We were about to search them and one of the men said he was a policeman and uncovered his uniform. We said that we also search policemen and we searched him. During the search we found 97 yaba tablets and one and a half Lippo bottles of heroin, a motorcycle [nearby], a pair of handcuffs, 25,000 kyats and 70 yuan in Chinese currency so we arrested him.”
He told S.H.A.N. that the policeman and Sai Tun San were held in custody overnight at the ward administration office. In the morning the villagers informed the police station and transferred the suspects to the township police officer.
According to Sai Hla Win, the Kung Hser village administrator when the Kung Hser village security team questioned the policeman, Thein Htay Aung, he confessed that the drugs were his and that because he had problems with his family business he was giving them to Sai Tun San to sell. He signed a letter of confession with a fingerprint in front of witnesses.
A villager who did not want to be named said these sorts of things (police selling drugs) happens a lot in NamKham Township, but this was the first time anyone had been arrested with drugs on them.
Translated by Aung Myat Soe English version written by Mark Inkey for BNI
