Riot Latpadaung - “No chemical weapons used”, says President Office

7/30/2019 Riot Latpadaung - No chemical weapons used, says President Office

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Updated news on police raid at protest aginst China-backedcopper mine

Several protesters have been injured when riot police fired tear gas and water cannon

this morning at the China-backed Lapadaungtaung copper mine project in central

Myanmar.

Latest updates

Update 10:20 AM

The officer of Sagaing Region Police Station also replied that they cannot mention the

kind of weapons and number of forces in the raid.

Update 10:00 AM

The EMG has contacted to the head office of the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) toverify what kind of weapons were being used in this recent situation of the

Lapadaungtaung copper mine project earlier this morning. The official of the head

office of the MPF said The chief police and government officials were holding a

meeting at the Presidential Office.

When EMG reporter asked the Monywa district police station about the use of

weapons and the number of police forces, the police-in-charge replied, "Have you

witnessed the incident, haven't you? We are not responsible to answer your

question."


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Update 8:10 AM

Around 50 persons injured due to the police violent raid, the burnt have been

hospitalized at Monywa hospital.A total of ten monks have been detained by authority at the site, according to

unofficial sources.

Update 8:00 AM

Injured persons in the clash included many Buddhist monks, and some of them were

taken to Monywa township hospital. One seriously injured monk was taken to

Mandalay hospital. The dispersed and injured protesters were being taken care at

nearby houses and monasteries.


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A monk injured during to the police raid (Photo - EMG)

A monk injured during to the police raid (Photo - EMG)

Update 5:50 AM


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Out of the six protest camps, three were burnt down. Protesters from two more

camps were forcibly dispersed. Riot police forces have controlled Buddhist

ordination Hall of Ledi Sayadaw after dispersing demonstrators there.

Update 5:30 AM

Many cars and motorcycles belonging to the media and the public have been

destroyed in the fire which started around the same time the tear gas were fired to

disperse the protesters. Seven seriously injured people six monks and one local

are now at a monastery at Phaungkartaung Village and protesters who were trapped

during the raid have regrouped at the monastery. There has been no contact to the

camp set up at Ledi Sayardaw's Buddhist ordination hall up until 5 am. The riot

police have left after threatening the two other camps at Taungkyar and Saetae.

Police raiding the protestors' camps (Photo - EMG)


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Fire burning at the site of the Lapadaungtaung copper mine project (Photo - EMG)



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Update 4:30 AM


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Several monks are included among the injured people and there are many fires due

to the use of tear gas at the copper mine site.



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Update 4:09 AM

Another camp has been vacated so a total of three camps have been vacated.

Update 3:50 AM

Monks and local residents had to vacate two camps out of six camps after the riot

police fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse the protesters and the riot police

have taken control of the camps.

Update 3:15 AM

At 3 am, the riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at the monks and local

residents who have set up camps in the area of the copper mine site, injuring several

people.

Update : 3:00 AM

Six camps set up by protesters at the Lapadaungtaung copper mine project still have

not been cleared at 2 am. The riot police have warned the protesters that actions will

be taken according to police procedure and law if the camps were not vacated by

midnight. Although the police have reiterated their warnings three times at 7:30 pm,

8:10 pm, and 8:50 pm yesterday, they still have not taken any actions till 2am this

morning.


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No chemical weapons used, says President Office

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

What ex-major Sai Thein Win has posted to his Facebook page is not specific and

clear, he added.

Two fire engines went there and dispersed the crowd with the use of water cannonsfor four or five times. The crowd cannot be dispersed. The bombs maybe fire baton

rounds or fire bombs and they are thrown over the crowd. When these bombs are

fired in the air, they blast in the air and pieces of fires fall down over the crowd.

These pieces of fires injure people with burnt and skin is torn. It is not tear gas. Tears

are not found on the faces of the victims. As soon as pieces of fires touch the

protestors, the skins are torn. Some people suffer with small hollowed in the flesh.

The protest camps are roofed with tarpaulin, EMG reporter Aung Thu said.

As far as I know, their injuries and burns seem abnormal. It seems to be a kind of

chemical burns. The government should investigate the matter seriously as the


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weapons used by the police are not that kind of devices generally applied to disperse

the protesters. The government should expose the details of the incident after formal

investigation. If the investigation is not fair enough as necessary, we will ask the

international community to help in probing the incident, said Dr. Than Htut Aung,

the chairman and CEO of Eleven Media Group.

The observation on the differences between normal devices to dispense

demonstrators and inhuman weapon

Smoke Bomb:

It is a kind of bomb to shoot out smoke when exploded. There are three types of

them; (1) Smoke Ball, (2) Smoke Candle, (3) Smoke Canister or Smoke Grenade.

Smoke ball is used during games and ceremonies to projectile colorful smoke which

lasted 10 to 15 seconds.

Smoke candle is cylinder-type and very much like fireworks used during festivals.

Its used to shoot out a cloud of smoke to disable the vision.

Smoke canister or smoke grenade is a kind of tin box and when switching the button

and throw it, it can emit smoke. The army used them to show signal and to cover themovement of army from the enemy.

Tear gas has been used in international riots situation and it only emits smoke.

The remark of Sai Thein Win, former colonel from Myanmar army, from No.2 arms

and ammunitions factory, now in exile, wrote in his Facebook page

Flame thrower is among the weapons. It can shot the flame to 20 feet at most. But thatkind of weapons didnt allow using on the enemy who matched on open field except

to kill the enemy who are inside of Bunkers, strong holes or buildings). It is an

inhuman weapon and Geneva Convention prevented to use.

Another one that can burn fire the target is incendiary rounds, also known as

napalm. There are chemical liquids or powders inside them, which glue to the target

and burn until it runs out. Nothing can extinguish it. It is hoped everyone remembers

that the Yankees faced their failure because the journalist managed to record thevideo of a Vietnamese girl running and shedding tears with fire burning her whole

body. Now it is heard the protesting monks were hurt and burnt when the


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authorities claimed they fought them with tear gas. Actually, tear gas is not a

firebomb. Tear gas is a kind of bomb that is designed not to hurt the protestors but to

disperse the crowd. If it is true that the police used the chemical weapons, it can be

said they committed an international crime.

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Riot Latpadaung - “No chemical weapons used”, says President Office