"He (Colonel San Aung) is now under house arrest. But it is too early to say what kind of punishment would be meted out to him by the authorities", the source from inside Burma said.

Colonel San Aung will be tried by the army. He has been accused of giving an order to his soldiers to kill three villagers from Chin state suspicion of having links with the Chin National Army (CNA) on March 7 this year.  

The victims are Hung Ling from Cun Nam village in Mindat Township, Mang Khe from Lung Phunu village in Mindat and Tin Ceu from San Seh village in Matupi town in Chin state.

Regarding the killing of Tin Ceu , Pa Tung Lian from San Seh village wrote a letter to Senior General Than Shwe, head of Burmese junta on May 30 appealing that the killing be investigated. The copies were addressed to Lieutenant General Ye Myint, Major General Tha Aye, Northwestern commander and Major General Hueng Ngaih, the present tactical commander of Chin state.

On June 25, military authorities interrogated six villagers from San Seh village regarding the murders. Soon after the investigation in San Seh village, the northwestern commander transferred Colonel San Aung to Monywa and appointed Colonel Zaw Min Oo as the new second tactical commander stationed in Matupi town in July.    

"I was happy when he (Colonel San Aung) was transferred. It was terrible that he used violent means to rule the people", said a local from Matupi.

A critic from Chin state said, "If the authorities don't take severe action against him, it will mean that the central government is also involved by granting him license to kill innocent people".

Colonel San Aung was transferred to Matupi in 2003 after the military government officially announced Matupi as a second capital of Chin state. – Khonumthung.