Fire in Indo-Burma border town kills one

by Nem Davies
Monday, 08 June 2009 21:50

New Delhi (Mizzima) - At least one person was killed following severe injuries when a fire broke out on Sunday morning in a house on the Indo-Burma border town of Tamu, local residents said.

The fire gutted at least three houses including a small-scale candle factory. A man named Kyaw Soe was taken to hospital with severe burn injuries. He later died, local residents said.

While the local police station refused to explain the cause of the fire, local residents said, the fire was followed by loud explosions, believed to be that from exploding mortar shells and ammunition. The fire then spread to at least three nearby houses.

“The sound of the explosions was very loud,” said another local resident. He added that authorities have cordoned-off the area and no one can see the site.

Local residents said one of the houses razed belonged to a Manipuri insurgent group known as the United Nationalities Liberation Front (UNLF). At least three mortar shells along with several rounds of ammunition, which were in the house exploded in the fire.

“It has been raining since Saturday and it continued till Sunday morning. But the fire broke out despite the downpour. And since there were big explosions, people believe it is from mortar shells,” a resident added.

At least 20 security officials including 10 policemen and soldiers arrived on the scene immediately after the fire. They reportedly arrested two men, believed to be members of the UNLF, a coalition group of Manipuri rebels fighting against India’s central government.

According to residents, the fire broke out in the house located behind the township labour office, and north of the town’s football ground in Zaydan-7 Ward in Tamu Town.

While police denied giving details of the incident, sources on the Indo-Burma border said, at least 30 weapons including two mortars and 15 AK-47 rifles were seized from the house, which is reportedly owned by member of the Manipuri rebel group.

Though Burma’s military regime has persistently denied providing safe haven to Indian insurgent groups including the UNLF, sources on the border said, members of Manipuri rebel group have a good rapport with Burmese junta authorities. They move around freely in North Western Sagaing division, bordering Manipur state in India’s northeast.

Local residents said the number of Manipuri insurgents owning or renting houses in Tamu town of Sagaing has increased over the year.

Reportedly, sources said one of the houses gutted by the fire was owned by a member of the UNLF and was used for storing weapons, which are occasionally sent to India through the Tamu-Moreh border.

Tamu in Burma and Moreh in India are contiguous and share a border of three miles. Both India and Burma opened an international trade centre at Nanphalong, a mini-town located between Tamu and Moreh.