MYANMAR: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR NEAR BEHEADING CASE

July 22, 2014: A man who murdered another man by nearly beheading him for bumping his shoulder has been sentenced to death in Myanmar by East District Court.
Although the defendant Chit Po (age 22) testified that he did not kill the man with intention, the testimonies given by plaintiff's witnesses, the dead man's injuries, and the knife confiscated for evidence clearly show that the crime has been committed. Currently, the country is moving towards a democracy path so rule of law is important. As the local residents felt distressed over this incident, this ruling has been made, the judge said during the ruling.
The death penalty needs to be confirmed by the Supreme Court and the defendant can file for appeal to the Supreme Court within seven days, according to the judge.
On March 15, Chit Po, who resided in 12th Ward in Yankin Township, bumped his shoulder with Myo Min Oo on Myittar Yeikthar Road and got into a fight with him. He hit Myo Min Oo with an alcohol glass bottle and stabbed him in the chest with the broken glass. Then, he hacked the man's head several times until he was nearly beheaded, according to testimonies given at the trial. (Sources: elevenmyanmar.com, 22/07/2014)