Two injured on second day of crackdown

The violence erupted when local villagers prevented employees of the Myanmar Wanbao Mining Copper from erecting a fence around the project site. On the first day, Khin Win was killed and several others were injured. Two of the injured had to undergo surgical operations. All were discharged from hospital.

Attempts to erect the fence began early Monday morning near Sede, Ton and Shwehlay villages. When villagers gathered to stop the workers again from erecting the fence, police dispersed the protesters by shooting them with rubber bullets, leaving two people injured.

At 3pm on Monday, villagers confronted the police near Ton village, but several Buddhist monks, including Shwenyawa Sayadaw, prevented further violence from breaking out. The fencing project continued into the late evening with the help of some 100 police officers. 

The fence now blocks the road to Moegyopyin village, the west of Sede village and the exit road of Ton village. 

“The local farmers in the currently disputed land where the fence was erected have not received any compensation, so they stopped the workers from doing so. The authorities and the company did not accept the prevention of the local farmers and intruded into the plantations. The plantations were destroyed by machinery and grabbed forcibly,” a local farmer said.

After the clash with the police, the people from Sede village dared not live in their village and moved in with their relatives. Moreover, the authorities said that an arson attack would be carried out against them, so locals fled, according to local people.

“While we were trying to stop the fencing, the police fired their guns. I knew later I was shot. I was shot while I was standing in front of the women to protect them from being shot. The police shot from a distance. I thought there might have been 10 or 15 shots," said a local farmer who sustained a gunshot wound in the scuffle. 

After 56-year-old Khin Win was killed, Wanbao employees were barred from returning to the project site. 

Wanbao administrative manager Dong Yunfei said on December 23 that the company wished to present Khin Win’s family some assistance. He added that the fencing was approved by 71 per cent of local people and it would continue anyhow.

 “Despite conflicts still going on in Letpadaungtaung copper mine area, the construction tasks are expected to be finalised in 2015. Fencing tasks will continue to be carried out because the company will start producing copper in 2016,” he said.

Chinese guards were also told not to join the police crackdown on both days.

“The local police are taking security measures for us. Our workers wear security uniforms and carry shields for security reasons while we are carrying out the fencing. Our workers did not start the fight, nor did a Chinese sniper shoot the protesters,” said Dong.