SPDC Soldiers from Tong Lao Village Company situated in Nong Wo, Merng Kueng Township, Southern Shan State killed one villager and made an unprovoked attack on four others. Some villagers, according to the Buddhist tradition, went to make the alms offering during lent (the rainy season festival) at a local temple. Upon returning to their village, they were stopped, surrounded and sadistically tortured. Later, a fifth man on the same route was cruelly tortured and soon after died from injuries sustained during the attack. A ‘Tai Nation’ reporter gathered the information on this incident from eye-witnesses.

As stated by the witnesses - on September 06, 2006, villagers from North Tong Lao village were preparing to make an alms offering at the temple following the Buddhist tradition. That day at about 6:30 pm, three young men, aged 16, 18 and 23, were asked by some elders to go and fetch things from the village. As they walked on the road from the temple to the village, they came face to face with four drunken SPDC soldiers. One of the four soldiers struck one man’s face with his palms accusing him of talking too loudly. Another soldier hit a second man with his belt and pointed a knife at his neck. The remaining two soldiers pointed a knife at the third man’s stomach while one of them struck him with a belt. The three young villagers pleaded with them not to do so but it was in vain. After the disputes and saying that they did not want to create problems with the SPDC soldiers, the three managed to get away. This is the first part of the incident.

After returning home to the village, the three young villagers in the above incident were afraid to go back to the temple. Hence, they went with a group of people, assuming that they would be safe. A group of 13 from the village carried the donation facilities and were on the same way back to the temple when they met the same four SPDC soldiers. Contrary to what they thought, the villagers were ordered to sit on the highway after which they were asked if they had returned to retaliate. Being enraged by this, one of the SPDC soldiers kicked a 40 year old man on the face and the man fell to the ground. After the man was struck down, the remaining villagers struggled to help him up and then the villagers ran away. As the bleeding from the man’s nose was so severe, they helped him to get medical treatment at the village clinic the same night. This second incident was narrated by one of those involved in the case.

After this incident and the problems created by those four SPDC soldiers, travel between the temple and the village became difficult for the people in the festival and those who were preparing for alms offering. But at midnight, ladies cooking the alms wanted to go home and asked for someone to accompany them to the village. Being a committee member and also a leader for the alms offering ceremony, Loong Htun (40), offered his help to accompany them.

When Loong Htun accompanied the ladies to the village, the soldiers were thought to have gone back to their camp. But on the way back to the temple, he met them face to face and they stopped him, nastily taunted him and pushed him down on the highway. In spite of pleading with them over and over again, Loong Htun was hit several times with torches so that blood was continuously flowing from his wounds. After this, they hit his head repeatedly on the highway until he became fully unconscious. With the idea of removing the traces of their criminal acts on Loong Htun, they were preparing to throw him into the Nam Lao River. Then they saw the light from a motor cycle headlamp heading towards them, which made them drop Loong Htun and flee south of the place of the incident. This is the third worst incident that a witness described.

After the departure of the SPDC soldiers, the villagers and the elders nearby took Loong Htun to the village clinic for medical treatment soon after the incident. But despite being treated, he remained unconscious. The next morning on September 07, he was sent to the Public Hospital in Namlan town arriving at the place at 11:30am. Till that time, the victim was still unconscious. His legs and hands were stiff and the elbows were crooked. Those who accompanied him to the hospital explained about his condition.

Loong Htun was treated at Namlan Public Hospital for four days and four nights but there was no sign of recovery. On September 10, at 12:00 midnight, due to the severe pain on the head, he choked with blood and passed away while receiving medical treatment.

On September 11, at 11:00 am the dead victim was examined by the hospital. In his head there were no bones broken, but in his brain there was blood and water. The brain was bruised and damaged, and at the surface of the brain the veins were festering. These facts were revealed by the postmortem conducted at the hospital.

The Chief Doctor at Namlan Public Hospital says that the causes of death of the victim are _

The veins of the brain have been destroyed because the brain had been hit severely.

The damage of the brain can cause the cessation of blood circulation and the death will definitely follow.

The dead victim Loong Htun, age 40, has left behind him his wife and two young daughters.

SPDC battalion information

- Battalion – Kha La Ya (292), location – Nong Wo
- Brigadier – Maj. Yae Naing
- Camp – Tong Lao camp
- Camp Chief – Thein Han
- Soldiers who committed the Crimes – (a) Company in charge No. 2, Bo Win

(b) Soldier, Than Htun (c) Soldier, Thint Zaw Oo and (d) Soldier, Hein Zi Thu Aung