An extortion gang attacked and opened fired on a vigilante militia group wounding two militia members in Southern Ye Township, Mon State on 25 August.
In the early hours of 25 August, near Hta-nee Tha-kyar Village in Southern Ye Township, the extortion gang, led by Nai Mon Chan opened fire on on the militia. The two groups exchanged fire for a few minutes and two militia men were shot and wounded.
The militia group is led by Nai Bin and Nai Lin Oo and it was formed to fight crime in the area.
A member of the militia group said: "It was after midnight that the group came and opened fire [on us]. This side [the militia group] were not aware of them coming and we suffered. Two men were wounded, one of them seriously."
Nai Ah-dut was hit in the ribs by a bullet that exited through his back and is in a serious condition, whilst Nai Ahkar Rot was hit in his left arm.
At first the two wounded men were sent to the Military Operations Command (MOC-19) hospital in Ye Town, later they were sent to Moulmein City to receive better medical treatment
A person close to MOC-19 said: Because their wounds were severe they were sent to the Southeast Command's hospital to receive treatment, they were then sent to Mawlamyine (Moulmein).
Nai Bin, the current leader of the vigilante group is also notorious for previously extorting locals in Ye Township and Northern Yebyu Township, but in 2012 he and his men surrendered their arms to Infantry Batallion (IB) 31 based in Kawzar Town.
The Tatmadaw (Burma Army) then ordered that the group base themselves in Ma-Kyee Village and operate as a militia to subdue extortion gangs.
Nai Mon Chan, the leader of the group which attacked the militia was previously, in 2014, the second-in-command of the militia group.
After the New Mon State Party (NMSP) signed a ceasefire with the the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) in 1995 the NMSP was forbidden from operating along the highway from Southern Ye Township to Yebyu Township.
Because the NMSP could not operate in the area it was commandeered by several small armed groups that commit robberies and extort locals. All these groups have at some time fought with each other and some have surrendered their arms to the government only to resume their criminal activities at a later date. These groups have been active in the area for about the last twenty years.
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI.
