Five police hospitalised after clash with villagers : DPA
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Yangon - Five police officers were hospitalised in Naypyitaw after a night raid on a town near the capital turned into a clash with the villagers, sources said Friday.
About 60 police entered Wegyi town, 350 kilometres north ofYangon, early Thursday in an attempt to arrest four village leaders who had opposed the government's acquisition of their land, said a Naypyitaw police officer who participated in the raid.
"One of the suspects shouted for help as if they were being robbed and nearly 100 villagers surrounded us and told us to disarm eventhough they knew we were police," said the officer who asked to remain anonymous.
The villagers beat up the police and tied some up with rope. "I don't answer how many police were detained but five were hospitalised and one is in serious condition," he said.
The Ministry of Information plans to confiscate some farm land in Wegyi to build a new office for state-run newspapers.
The villagers, led by Zaw Latt, a member of the National League for Democracy opposition party, have opposed the confiscation.
Police had issued arrest warrants for four of the village leaders including Zaw Latt, but failed to arrest the suspects on Thursday in the raid.
"Why did they enter the village and try to arrest me at midnight like a thief?" said Zaw Latt in a telephone interview. "They entered my house, even in my bedroom and tried to arrest not only me but also all my family, including my little daughter," he said.
Myanmar was under military rule between 1962 and 2010, when suchacts of village resistance were rare.
