Burmese soldiers kill Kachin civilian in Loije on Christmas Day

KACHIN BAPTIST CHURCH IN LOIJE, THE BURMESE BORDER TOWN ON CHINA BORDER.

oldiers from the Burmese army shot and killed an unarmed Kachin villager on Christmas Day in Loije, Kachin State, local villagers report.

According to the man's relatives, about 6 p.m. Maran Zau Ja and a friend were walking home from a sugar cane farm when government soldiers opened fire.  Zau Ja, 47 years old, died from his wounds.  His friend survived the attack.

Local residents say that neither of the two men were members of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) or its armed wing the Kachin Independence Army.  The KIA has been in open conflict with the Burmese government since June of this year when a 17 year cease fire between Burma's second largest armed rebel group and the central government ended.

Zau Ja was killed by soldiers stationed in the Loije area from the Burmese army's Light Infantry Battalion No. 321, according to local residents.

On December 27 morning, Zau Ja was buried in Loije by a local church.  He is survived by his wife and three children.

Responding to the death of Zau Ja, a village elder told the Kachin News Group, “the soldiers now consider all Kachin civilians as the enemy.  Unarmed and plain clothed civilians are now a target”.