Funeral of two youths in Pegu

Tuesday, 07 September 2010 13:43 Mizzima News

Chiang Mai/New Delhi (Mizzima) - In a violent clash between officers from Infantry Battalion 59 and a group of youths, Aung Thu Hein (23) and Soe Paing Zaw (18) were shot dead by military officers in Pegu (Bago) on September 4. Their corpses were cremated this afternoon.

With angry local residents attending the funeral, security was heightened.

“Nothing is different except that authorities have tightened security. There are around 50 reserve firefighters and police near the mortuary. Thein Htay from the Union Democratic Party (UDP) has also arrived. But, he said he came here on personal business,” noted one local resident at approximately 11 a.m. (local time).

San Yi, 65, a grandmother of Aung Thu Hein, told Mizzima more of the details surrounding her grandson’s funeral rites.

We heard that your grandson would be cremated at 12 o’clock today.

Yes, he will be cremated at 12 in accordance with arrangements made by the army. We didn’t have any right to arrange it. But, we requested the right to arrange the transportation. And we bought the coffin by ourselves.

Is the corpse of Aung Thu Hein in the hospital’s mortuary?

I have six children. But just four of them were able to see the corpse. Aung Thu Hein’s father is in Korea or somewhere. I’m not sure. He could not return to Burma because he did not have enough money to buy an air ticket. His mother has been shocked by the incident.

I want to make a special request of you. I am his grandmother. But, I worry that the authorities will be angry with us if something’s wrong. I’m 65 years old. We are poor and we cannot do anything. I’m a peddler. I worry that my business will be disturbed. So, I cannot answer all of your questions. Please, don’t be angry.

Though people do sympathize with us, we need to control our feelings because we are different from them (the authorities).

Another thing is that there are many opportunists who want to exploit this case. So, I have to control the situation. That’s why I cannot disclose all. Please, understand me.

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Crowded funeral

11:30 a.m. local time

“Queues of vehicles are moving to the cemetery. I have heard many rumours. Some say people from Rangoon will attend the funeral and that some unexpected events may also transpire. People are very interested in the case. Many people are on the road to watch the event. Currently, the number of people is much greater than one hour ago. At first, there were some 300 to 400 people. They could not approach near to the corpses. Now, about 10 buses have arrived. Moreover, there are many cars and motorcycles. It’s a crowded funeral. A bus can carry about 30 to 40 people, so there are about 400 people on the buses. If the people from cars and motorcycles are taken into account, there will be about 500 to 1,000 people. Along the road to the cemetery, members from the Red Cross Society, firefighters, authorities from the Quarter Peace and Development Council, intelligence agents and police are camped. Security is very tight.”

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People are not allowed to approach the coffins

“Everything has been finished. Authorities assisted in transportation. At noon, people took refuge in the three Gems (Buddha, Buddhist teaching and Monks) accompanied by five monks. Even the families of the victims were not allowed to approach the coffins. Members of the Red Cross Society and firefighters did everything. Anyway, I think the corpses were in the coffins. Although we could not see the dead bodies, according to the way they carried the coffins and the way the fire burned the coffins, I thought the coffins contained the corpses.”

About 2,000 attendees

“There were about 2,000 attendees. It was a very crowded funeral in Pegu. Authorities tightened security. Police, intelligence agents, Quarter Peace and Development Council officials and firefighters were camped across the area. But, only plainclothes police, firefighters and members from the Red Cross Society were in the cemetery.”

Victims’ families silenced

“As far as I know, the attendees were from Pegu. It was an unusual funeral, so people were very interested in it. Many people were on the road to watch the event. They seemed very sad. Some of the attendees were strangers to the victims’ families. Some attendees cried. But, they did not show anger on their faces. People dared not criticize the authorities because of the strict security. I think even the victims’ families had to be silent, though they feel extremely sad.”