SHAN STATE, MYANMAR (BURMA) Man in northern Myanmar faced a brutal public punishment after allegedly attacking two elderly people and robbing them of gold. According to available reports, the man struck both seniors in the head and stole several pieces of gold from them. He was detained by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) following the robbery.
MNDAA members subsequently hung him by his arms at a local basketball court and repeatedly beat him with a stick for several minutes. The punishment took place publicly in front of onlookers. The case illustrates the way punishment is carried out in areas of northern Myanmar controlled by the MNDAA, where armed groups enforce their own systems of law outside the regular state institutions.
