INDEPENDENT MON NEWS AGENCY (IMNA)

(March 28, 2003)

Villagers wounded in fighting

On March 26, when a fighting broke out between Burmese Army and KNLA on Three Pagoda Pass – Thanbyuzayat motor road, three villagers seriously wounded accordingly to a passenger who saw the incident.

KNLA soldiers ambushed troops of Burmese Army in a place on the Three Pagoda Pass – Thanbyuzayat motor road, which passes along Japenese’s WWII ‘death railway’. The fighting broke out in Burmese Army’s outpost in Taung-zun village and three women were wounded. One unnamed 50 years old woman was immediately brought to Moulmein hospital.

Those wounded women were the passengers who used the motor road and they became in the middle of fighting when it broke out. The fighting started at 11:20 and lasted just a few minutes, but the women were hit by unknown side of bullets and wounded.

Before the fighting happened, to crack down the KNLA activities, Burmese Army’s Light Infantry Battalion No. 550 led by Captain Khin Aung had launched the military activities. They also took 11 villagers as porters, said a witness to IMNA.

The fighting between the two sides took place regularly along this motor road as the Burmese Army has attempted to control the whole road and trading along it.

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