Forest ranger assaulted by soldiers over sharing bribe
Written by KNG
A high ranking forest ranger was severely assaulted by a group of Burmese Army soldiers over a quarrel regarding sharing bribe with their officer on the Sino-Burma border in the country's northern Kachin State, said local sources.
U Tin Shwe, a forest ranger in Bhamo district was severely beaten up in the Kai Htik army post on June 9 at night about 8:30 pm local time by soldiers even as the army post commander Major Nay Tin Latt and U Tin Shwe grappled with each other, said sources close to the army post.
The Burmese Army's Infantry Battalion (IB or Kha La Ya) No. 37 led by commander Major Nay Tin Latt is currently in the Kai Htik army post under the army’s rotational system every three or four months, added sources close to the army post.
The IB No. 37 soldiers were replaced in the rotational system from their army battalion base in Myitkyina town, the capital of Kachin State, said local sources.
The quarrel started when forest ranger U Tin Shwe hit the army officer who had been refusing to pay him a share of the bribes in cash, the sources said.
According to sources close to forest ranger, border businessmen paid the bribe in cash to the commander Major Nay Tin Latt in the evening that day which was meant to be shared with the forest ranger U Tin Shwe.
After the bribe was collected by the army commander Nay Tin Latt, the forest ranger U Tin Shwe lost his temper and started hitting the army officer with his fists, said sources.
The forest ranger was hospitalized as an inpatient in Mansi town (Manje in Kachin) with severe injuries, after the soldiers who came to help their officer, beat him up.
The army post put a lid on the incident, worried that word would spread to senior officers, said sources.
The Kai Htik army post is a good place to generate income for army battalions and soldiers. Border traders and illegal timber businessmen are fleeced there, said local people.
The Kai Htik checkpoint for the army post is on the border trade route of Nam Kham/Nong Dao-Man Win-Bhamo-Myitkyina and Nam Kham/Nong Dao-Man Win-Bhamo-Mandalay, added local traders.
Unlicensed Chinese motorcycles, oil and essential commodities are mainly imported from China through Nam Kham and Nong Dao border gates by local traders.
