Statement on Death of 7 SPDC Offici

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Subject: Statement on Death of 7 SPDC Officials

<center><bold>OFFICE OF THE SUPREME HEADQUARTERS

KAREN NATIONAL UNION

KAWTHOOLEI


Statement on Death of 7 SPDC Officials



</bold></center><bold><flushright>April 30,1999

</flushright><center>

</center></bold>* On February 23, 199, troops from Column 2 of the KNLA
6th    Brigade found 13 SPDC officials on Three Pagoda-Thanbyzayat =20
motor road, between Thanbyaywa and Khunnaywa villages. As they   were
carrying 28 trunks of the SPDC IB 97 Commander, the KNLA   troops took
them for temporay detention and questioning. The   place where the
incident took place was a bout 15 miles from   Thanbyuzayat and amid a
number of SPDC army out-posts.


* Subsequent to the incident, the SPDC local commanders informed Column 2
to release the officials. Similarly, leaders of the SPDC higher echelon
also informed the KNU Central Headquarters. The KNU Central Headquarters
as well as Column 2 informed the SPDC leaders that the officials were
taken temporarily for questioning and that it was necessary for the SPDC
troops not to intervene by military means, in the matter. However, the
SPDC military leaders, using 8 military columns involving troops from
SPDC LIB 343,IB 97, IB 62, IB 24, IB 81,LIB 202, IB 284 and IB 310
launched the operations of encirclement and annihilation, relentlessly,
from 24-2-99 to 28-2-99. In the six clashes that took place between the
KNLA and the SPDC troops, seven of the SPDC officials and three KNLA
troops were killed. After that, the remaining 6 SPDC officials were
released, in good order. The SPDC officials killed in action were (1) U
Aung Min, officer, SR# Ka/2758, (2)Ko Kyaw Naing, officer, SR# Ka/6679,
(3) Ko Tun Tin, sergeant, SR# Ka/4727, (4) Kyaw Myo Aung, Sergeant, SR#
Ka/13232, (5) Win Myint Aung, sergeant, SR# Ka/2058, (6) Naing Win Htet,
sergeant, SR# Ka/13647 and (7) Win Kyaw Aung, sergeant, SR# Ka/7352.


* With regard to the death of the officials, the SPDC has been spreading
arduously its propaganda, at home and abroad, that the KNU is an
organization holding the policy of homicide. This effort at propaganda by
the SPDC was merely an attempt by it to cover up its true character and
image of homicide. The KNU is a nationality resistance organization
engaged in a resistance war, for nationality rights and democracy,
against the SPDC military junta, which has imposed a tyrannical rule of

militarism on the country. The KNLA troops come into contact regularly
with the SPDC officials and relatives. They detain them for questioning,
only when necessary, and release them invariably. In the 50 years of
struggle, there have been countless examples of the detainees being
released, after questioning.


* In conclusion, we the KNU, would like to affirm that we are much
saddened by the death of the seven, unnecessarily, and that the SPDC
leaders are capable only of using force in their attempts to resolve
problems. This also shows that the SPDC leaders do not hold any
affection, value or responsibility for their officials, and that they
would not hesitate to wantonly sacrifice them on the battlefields, for
the sake of vanity, This is one of the evil results of the rule of the
military dictatorship, which has brought vast trouble upon the country.
For this reason, the SPDC military dictatorship must bear all the
responsibility for the matter.