Seven killed, 12 injured in MraukU riot

January 17, 2018

Seven civilians were killed and 12 injured by police during a protest that turned into a riot Tuesday night in MraukU, Rakhine State over the banning of a literature talk marking the anniversary of the end of the ancient Rakhine Kingdom.

A ceremony to mark the 233rd anniversary of the fall of Rakhine Kingdom was held at Nandawyar, the ancient site of the former king’s palace in MraukU on Tuesday morning.

But the Rakhine State Government prohibited the talk related to the ceremony from being held at the same place later in the evening.

In a letter sent on Monday by the MraukU office of the Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library to the committee that manages the site, authorities prohibited from the talk and warned that action would be taken against those who failed to follow the order.

At 6:30 pm on Tuesday, just before the talk was originally scheduled to begin, the MraukU District General Administration Department cut the power supply to the event, resulting in raised voices from the people gathered there, officials said.

By 7 pm, about 400 people were marching in protest from Merchant Street to Nandawyar, shouting slogans.

By 8:30 pm, about 5,000 people had gathered and marched on Yangon-Sittway Road, shouting “Freedom of Rakhine State - Our Cause” towards the Mrauk-U District General Administration Office. By 9 pm, the number of people gathered outside the office had reached about 10,000, authorities said.

As authorities repeatedly asked the gathering through hand-held speakers to disperse, demonstrators launched stones with slingshots and threw bricks at security forces, and later allegedly tried to seize the weapons of two policemen. Soon after, protesters broke open the fence surrounding the General Administration Office in Mrauk-U and entered the offices.

It was reported that some of the protesters hoisted the flag of Rakhine State atop the flagpole at the General Administration Office.

Authorities said the crowd entered the compound, destroyed furniture, windows, barricades, lamps, four cars and five motorcycles.

Authorities said security forces tried to disperse the rioting crowd using their police batons and shields, with little success.

With permission from district management authorities, police fired about 20 warning shots with assault rifles and about 40 warning shots with bolt-action rifles.

At this point, authorities said some rioters tried to seize guns from the security forces, who warned protesters several times that they would open fire with real bullets to control the riot. It was reported that rubber bullets had been fired earlier to try and disperse the crowd.

“The police used rubber bullets initially but the crowd didn’t leave. Finally the security members had to shoot. The conflict happened when some people tried to seize guns from the police,” said Tin Maung Swe, the secretary of the Rakhine state government.

With the rioting escalating, authorities said security forces fired 10 shots into the crowd with assault rifles and bolt-action rifles, killing seven people, including Nyi Pu, 33, from Bandoola Ward in Mrauk-U, and injuring 12, including Maung Aung Naing, 19, from Hsinchaseik Village.

The dead bodies and the injured were transported to Mrauk-U Hospital at 10:40 pm by authorities.

At 1:30 am yesterday, five men including Aung Htay, 19, who was injured in the incident, were transferred to Sittway Hospital.

Twenty policemen were injured in the incident, including the head of the Mrauk-U District Police Force. Four of the injured are receiving medical care at Mrauk-U Hospital while eight are at Sittway Hospital.

According to a police source, at the point when the crowd in the compound of Mrauk-U District General Administration Office reached 4,000, there were only 30 police officers on site.

Police said a case has been opened and an investigation will be launched during which it will be determined whether the procedures used to try and control the protesters were in compliance with the law.

Authorities said they will investigate the incident and action will be taken against those who instigated the rioting.

The United Nations in Myanmar called on authorities to “investigate any disproportionate use of force or other illegal actions that may have occurred in relation to this incident”.

Myanmar News Agency

Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar