Friday, August 5, 2011

7 shot dead in gunfire by Myanmar ethnic armed group in northernmost state

YANGON, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- Seven people have been shot dead and another one injured in a gun fire launched by a Myanmar ethnic armed group, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northernmost Kachin state, an official media confirmed Friday.

The KIA opened fire at a vehicle carrying the eight victims on its return from Tarpein-1 hydropower plant to Momauk on Tuesday evening.

The eight including three mechanics, two Chinese interpreters, two Myanmar police members and two drivers were fired by the KIA with small arms when they reached a location of Gwekahtaung village, the report said.

Myanmar's military column found the dead bodies when they cleared the place of incident.

The authorities blamed the KIA with intentionally attacking the vehicle and incident was not hitting a land mine in KIA's prohibited area before the ceasefire was reached as claimed by the KIA.

Armed clashes between the government forces and the ethnic KIA broke out in early June near a power project site of Tarpein and intermittent fighting were going on along with hard negotiation.

The KIA once returned to the government's legal fold in 1994 under ceasefire agreement.

Source: Xinhua

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