The secret military documents obtained by the Mainichi.
The secret military documents obtained by the Mainichi.
Myanmarese troops who gunned down Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai at an anti-government rally in Yangon last year were explicitly ordered to shoot anyone carrying a camera or video camera, according to secret military documents obtained by the Mainichi Shimbun on Saturday. Local officials had claimed he was shot accidentally.
Hundreds of thousands of monks took part in a string of demonstrations during September 2007, which were brutally put down by the military. The orders appear to be an attempt by the military to prevent evidence of the uprising and consequent military attacks being circulated at home and abroad.
The documents claim that most of those dressed as monks were actually linked to armed underground organizations that were trying to overturn the government, and called for "resolute measures" against them. The orders themselves instructed troops to shoot anyone holding a placard or flag, and those at the head of any demonstrations.
Troops were also told that "those carrying cameras, video cameras or tape recorders were primary targets," and were instructed to shoot if they couldn't make an arrest.
According to military sources, when the demonstrations intensified in mid-September, the military headquarters appointed 15 people to head a new "public order" department, ostensibly to quell the protests. The department -- which was dissolved at the end of the month -- comprised mostly of army personnel, and included both security and secret police forces.
The Mainichi Shimbun has also obtained a new video, showing 50-year-old Nagai immediately after he was shot. In the video, soldiers try and drag a collapsed Nagai up by the hand, with Nagai trying to prop himself up with the other before collapsing again, showing that he was apparently conscious for a period after the attack.
