A shooting incident in Wae Long village, Thaung Tha Township, Mandalay Region, resulted in the death of two soldiers who were guarding a Chinese gas pipeline. The incident occurred around 11 AM on August 11, when two soldiers in civilian clothes carrying weapons visited the Shwe Mandalay Tea Shop in Wae Long village. The soldiers, who were stationed at the Chinese gas pipeline security post west of Aye Village, were having tea when they were confronted by a police team.
Police Station Officer Raza Min and his team from the Wae Long Village Police Station, acting on information about the presence of People’s Defense Force (PDF) members, conducted a raid on the tea shop. Mistaking the two soldiers for PDF members, the police opened fire, resulting in both soldiers being fatally shot in the head. A representative from the Thaung Tha Township People’s Defense Organization confirmed the incident to Yangon Modern News Agency.
Providing more details about the incident, the official from the Thaung Tha Township People’s Defense Organization explained that the deceased soldiers were part of the Chinese pipeline security detail. They had arrived at the tea shop in civilian clothes while carrying weapons, which led to the police mistaking them for PDF members. After the shooting, the Chinese pipeline security forces retrieved the bodies and conducted a burial. The incident has created tension between military officers and Wae Long Station Officer Raza Min, with attempts being made to suppress news of the soldiers’ deaths.
This case of mistaken identity and subsequent shooting has highlighted the complex security situation in the region and revealed coordination weaknesses between military and police forces. Local residents of Thaung Tha have noted that such incidents of friendly fire demonstrate the challenges in maintaining security operations in the area. The military’s attempt to cover up the incident has also raised questions about transparency in reporting such incidents. The situation continues to create tension between local security forces, while the military authorities work to contain information about the fatal shooting of their personnel.
