BURMA
Death Sentence for Arakan Rape-Murderers
Two men have been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of an ethnic Arakanese woman that sparked recent sectarian clashes in western Burma.
The Provincial Court of Kyaukphyu Township, in northern Ramree Island of Arakan State, convicted the pair on Monday morning. They were arrested along with a third man two days after the May 28 slaying of Thidar Htwe, the authorities reported.
Ba Shein, a lawyer and Lower House MP for the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party who attended the sentencing, told The Irrawaddy that, “the verdict was made before noon under section 302(1c) [of the Burmese Penal Code]”
One of the original three men arrested, Shaun Shou (aka Htet Htet or Phyo Zayyar Kyaw), committed suicide in prison on June 9, state-run media reported on June 11.
The rape and murder case enflamed sectarian tensions between Buddhist Arakanese and Rohingya Muslims in the region with 10 Muslims pilgrims killed by a lynch mob in Taunggok Township on June 3 in apparent retaliation.
On the first day of the case being heard on June 8, a riot broke out as a group of Muslims returned from Friday prayers and torched dozens of Arakanese houses in Maungdaw Township.
Fighting spread all over Arakan in subsequent days including the state capital Sittwe. Official figures reveal that 50 people were killed, 54 people injured and more than 2,500 houses burned down in the ensuing violence. More than 30,000 people in the region have been forced from their homes as a result.
A 6 pm to 6 am curfew was imposed immediately after violence broke out in Maungdaw and a state of emergency was also declared in Sittwe.
The trial was heard in public with the victim’s family and other local residents present in the courtroom. The accused pleaded guilty on June 15.
Ba Shein said the case was concluded within a couple of weeks because there were plenty of witnesses. He also paid tribute to the local police force for their efforts in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
The accused were charged under Burmese Penal Code section 376 for rape, section 302 (1c) for murder and section 392 for looting properties.
The two convicted on June 18, Hla Win (aka Marme or Yaw Pi) and Lu Lu (aka Myint Swe or Wushee), were sent back to Kyaukphyu Prison after the sentencing hearing.
They both have the right of appeal to the Union Supreme Court in Naypyidaw, added Ba Shein.
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Did the arrested persons receive a fair trial? I feel like, for capital punishment, trial seems too short. Legal representation and testifying from witnesses or expert need to be there for the accused too. And also I have one more question. Did the third person die in the hands of the police custody? If the answer is “YES”, autopsy result must be presented in the courts by medical examiners or Doctors. If needed, policemen need to answer a lot or to be on trial too.
I do not condone rape or any kinds of violence but we still need justice for the accused too.
Welcome to Burma, painted and polished.
See so long as there is business and resources opened, no one would bat an eyelid!
Justice?
Why they killed 9 Mulsims religious men and 1 religious woman at Taung-gup township like a terrorist way which leading to genocide of mordern Arakan History? These peoples are on way back to Main land Burma upon completion of their religious duty. Why up till now no body has taken any action for their therror deeds.
Too first, How about those who killed Muslim pligrams in Tonggoke?
I agree with that sentenced. May I ask u is this the justice of our country, that they mentioned day by day about that rape case. What about that ten persons murder case? nobody talk or mention in any magazines or newspaper. Just one sided justice. These three rapist ought to dead..But those ten people are innocent. Their murderers also ought to dead. And u and other writers must also ought to claim that fact. What u want to say about that?
Mualcin is right not enough coverage when Thet Thet the third accused rapist and murder, where many people in Myanmar say he was a buddhist in this muslim group and he was the leader. Just lets guess he was a paid for leader,- all of a sudden dead – gone and no funeral, – Drs statements alone does not count in Myanmar, there must be and should have long already a good picture of Thet Thet which they said committed suicide in Jail. – easy otherwise easy to have him living anywhere with new identity after he as a buddhist pulled in 2 muslimes to teh crime his job done….. CIA style.
Death penalty was last in 1974 executed in Myanmar, as International Standard.
Taunguk case the commission will give their report on 30.6.2012 to the President,– it would be good to balance and question it, – if all eye whitness, as also the still alive Driver of the bus would send their version also to the President just to compare diferent views and efforts to reach the truth.
Taunguk top politicians and business men were there and could only stop the mob not to set the dead even on fire with cooking oil,— These top Rakhine Politcians and Taunguk Bisiness men know the morder one by one. How came that Sayapa let the hate leafelets be printed and distributed in Taunguk and let gather 300 mob to kill innocent Myanmar from upper Myanmar. What ever religion they were , does not matter.
At last, justice has been done for the late poor Thida.
Now is time to call the justice for the ten innocent live.
Death sentence for those people who murdered the ten muslim pilgrims from upper Myanmar. And the victims were surly not Rohingya.
May Justice be done!
I support the sentencing if these two muslim men really commit the crime. Aside from the tortured murder of the 10 Muslims, where is the justice for all the Rohingy female rape victims including girls as young as 3 year old?
Role of low must be enforched without any bias. Arrest and put on trial the killer of 10 innocent muslim pligrims (possibly ‘tabligue’ men, out of home in a mission of learing&teaching of becoming considerate and reponsible human beings in a very humble way. Globaly they are identified/proven as innonent and humble).
If attempted, it would not be very difficult to identify the 300 people in the killer-mob.