Meikhtila rioters to go on trial in next few days
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Four people who allegedly burned a Buddhist monk alive during the Meikhtila riot and three others, including the owners of the New Weint Sein gold shop where the riots started, will be put on trial within a few days, according to Mandalay Region's advocat
“Many people were involved in the Meikhtila rioting. We will act quickly on two cases – the gold shop case and the murder of the Buddhist monk – by bringing them to court within the next day or two. [The cases] will be tried quickly and sentences carried out,” said Ye Myint Aung, advocate-general of Mandalay Region and member of the Mandalay Region government.
“The culprits will be given the most effective punishments in accordance with the penal code. For a bodily injury, the highest punishment is seven years [in prison]. For Section 302 [murder], the highest punishment is the death penalty. Effective punishments will be carried according to each act of crime,” he said.
Police say at least 42 people have been arrested in connection with the sectarian violence last month. Meikhtila-based police officer Kyi Shein says 30 Buddhists are among those who have been detained.
On March 20, a quarrel in a Muslim-owned gold shop in Meikhtila escalated into riots that killed 43 people and injured 86.
The authorities’ investigations are ongoing.
The rebuilding of houses torched during the riots has begun, with the government planning to spend 5.3 billion kyats (Bt1.77 million) to repair the damage in Meikhtila.
