'No chemical weapons used', says President Office
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Yangon - Riot police did not use chemical weapons while they were dispersing the protest camps at Lapadaung copper mine site, a controversial project near Monywa in central Myanmar, said Zaw Htay, Director of President's Office.
Monks and locals, who protested against the China-backed copper mine, were dispersed away at their protect camps starting 3 am on November 29.
Htay Zaw told the Eleven Media," I believe that police did not use any chemical weapons. Instead, they use water cannon, tear bombs and smoke bombs. Protest camps were fired by smoke bombs."
Director commented that the facebook of ex-major Soe Thein Win of Myanmar Army Weapon Factory No.2, who is living abroad in exile, is illogical.
Htay Zaw said that the police did not use the battle field weapons in dispersing the protesters.
In response to a question by the Eleven Media Group about the reason why fires occurred in the incident if the police used only the smoke bombs, Zaw Htay quoted the Ministry of Home Affairs as saying that the police used only smoke bombs normally used in dispersing protesters. “Smoke bombs are also used by riot police in the foreign countries. They are not the ones which are used in battlefields. Those three types of weapons are only used in forcing demonstrations to disperse,” he added.
Eleven Media
