A self-employed miner was fatally shot by a police officer on Sunday after the latter refused to let the man and a group of fellow yemases — miners who pick through rubble left behind by the large mining firms — into a private quarry. The incident took place at about 5pm on Sunday evening at a Hpakant site owned by Yadanar Star.
According to 7Day, a group of five miners who had permission to enter the private compound attempted to do so, but a police officer on duty refused to let them in.
One of the yemases at the scene confirmed to 7Day: “We went to scavenge during our permitted hours, but an officer inside kept telling us that we couldn’t go in. He fired a bullet that killed a miner on the spot.”
The deceased has been identified as 23-year-old Zaw Wai.
Once word got around about what had happened, a mob of about 500 miners congregated at the spot where the argument took place and set fire to four company-owned backhoes. They then allegedly beat up the officer who fired the shot, before bringing him to the authorities.
One official confirmed that the officer was released later that same night because he had been seriously injured and needed to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
A few locals told 7Day that although the miners are allowed in the quarries between 4:30 and 6pm, some try to enter early. However, the miners argue that they were going in during their permitted hours, and demand that officials launch a proper investigation and take the necessary actions against the officer in question.
The deceased’s body was brought to the Hpakant General Hospital and cremated yesterday evening.
While the work that yemases do is technically illegal, some have a loose agreement with the firms who let them mine during a certain timeframe at the end of the work day. Nonetheless, scuffles between yemases, and the companies and security forces who overlook the quarries frequently take place.
Last month, Myanmar soldiers shot dead four yemases at a mine in Sagaing. Following the incident, yemases living in the mining areas of Nansipon were ordered to leave by the end of the month.
