Myanmar soldier shoved, shot journalist point-blank

Myanmar troops shoved down a Japanese journalist and shot him dead at close range,

Myanmar troops shoved down a Japanese journalist and shot him dead at close range, television footage broadcast today appeared to show.

Japan, which has cordial relations with Myanmar, has said it will lodge a protest with Myanmar over the death of the video-journalist, identified as Kenji Nagai, 50, working with AFP News. He had been covering the protests in Yangon since Tuesday.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said Japan will lodge its protest with Myanmar’s military junta. However, he said Japan wouldn’t cut off aid to Myanmar.

The Japanese embassy says Nagai’s father and employers identified him in photos and videos taken at the scene of his death by other journalists. It also said its doctor had confirmed that a bullet entered Nagai’s body from the lower right side of his chest, pierced his heart and exited from his back.

The Myanmar government said soldiers had fired automatic weapons into a crowd of anti-government demonstrators yesterday during clashes that killed at least nine people including the Japanese national, and wounded 11 others.

Japan’s Fuji Television showed footage of soldiers charging after demonstrators yesterday as they clamped down in protests in Yangon. A helmeted soldier appeared to push to the ground a man identified as video-journalist Kenji Nagai, who was wearing knee-length shorts and sandals.

As the man lies sprawled on his back, clutching his video camera in his right hand, a loud bang is heard, with a soldier pointing a rifle right in front of him.

Story continues below this ad

“This soldier probably pushed Nagai first. This soldier then seemed to shoot him, judging from the angle of his gun,” Koichi Ito, a police expert said.

Junta cuts Internet, crackdown continues

YANGON: Soldiers broke up demonstrations and the government cut access to the Internet on Friday, raising fears of an intensification of the military junta’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

• Monasteries have been sealed or occupied by troops to keep a check on the Buddhist monks who are spearheading the agitation

• The United States imposed new sanctions on the junta’s leaders, and the United Nations dispatched a special envoy, who is expected to arrive Saturday

Story continues below this ad

• Other nations have also expressed shock at the crackdown. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he believed the loss of life in Myanmar was “far greater” than was being reported.