Five women National League for Democracy members from Zee Gone township were pelted with slingshot fire by three men on motorcycles yesterday after holding a prayer vigil at the Mya Thein Tan pagoda.

Daw Khin Wine, a central committee member of the Zee Gone NLD, told DVB she and the other women had been praying for the release of detained democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi before the were targetted.

“Local special police Ko Zaw Linn Htun was at the scene on a motorbike when the attack took place. There were three of them . . . They suddenly took aim at us with their slingshots,” Daw Khin Wine said.

“One of us, Ma Thiri Zin, wounded her leg quite bad. Ma Hla Than took a hit on her chest and was bruised while Ma Mar Mar Aye had her thigh hit till it was black and blue.”

Daw Khin Wine said that a number of people were seen waiting outside the pagoda while the women prayed. She said that local USDA committee members and a police chief were also seen inside the pagoda compounds at the time.

“Police chief U Khin Nyo told us that we should not go to the pagoda again. He advised us to just pray from our homes as the next attack would be life threatening for us,” she said.

The NLD headquarters denounced the attack saying that it was the job of policemen to protect civilians in Burma.

“We have heard that there was a special policeman at the scene . . . He is responsible for stopping this like this from happening. If he lets attacks happen in front of his eyes, he should be accused of encouraging a crime,” NLD spokesman U Nyan Win said.