Burmese justice

I can’t recall ever seeing the Burmese junta taking legal action against one of its own soldiers in order to punish high-profile human-rights abuses. Yet, that’s what it appears might just happen in response to a shooting in Pegu. According to the government-run New Light of Myanmar, a lawsuit will be filed against the soldiers who shot two residents dead after a dispute. The junta still blames pro-democracy elements for inciting the incident, but is suggesting that the soldiers deserve to be subjected to legal scrutiny (of course, whether it results in conviction is another story). This type of response is very rare – indeed, I can’t recall seeing anything like it before. I’ll make sure to follow the case, and what it might imply about the military courts under the new constitution. (Irrawaddy has more details on the story).