Exclusive: 'Shoot till they are dead' - Some Myanmar police say fled to India after refusing orders

REUTERS

Devjyot Ghoshal
APAC
MARCH 9, 2021

CHAMPHAI, India (Reuters) - When Tha Peng was ordered to shoot at protesters with his submachine gun to disperse them in the Myanmar town of Khampat on Feb. 27, the police lance corporal said he refused.

“The next day, an officer called to ask me if I will shoot,” he said. The 27-year-old refused again, and then resigned from the force.

On March 1, he said he left his home and family behind in Khampat and travelled for three days, mostly at night to avoid detection, before crossing into India’s northeastern Mizoram state.

“I had no choice,” Tha Peng told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday, speaking via a translator. He gave only part of his name to protect his identity. Reuters saw his police and national ID cards which confirmed the name.