ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 56935
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| Date: | Friday 29 August 1997 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Bell 206B-3 JetRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Thai Army |
| Registration: | 4371 |
| MSN: | 4371 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | S of Mae Sot -
 Myanmar
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On Aug. 28, 1997, there was an incident of a Thai Army Jet Ranger helicopter which was apparently shot down by Burmese government troops, according to Burmese dissidents and news agencies.
The helicopter was flying during bad weather over a small piece of Burma which juts into Thailand, south of Mae Sot, which was a former headquarters of the Karen National Union. Four Thai soldiers including two pilots died in the crash. Thai military sources only confirmed that the plane went down in bad weather.
However, Burmese rebels claimed that the plane was shot down by troops from the Burmese government under Light Infantry Division 32, led by captains Thein Lwin and Kyaw San at that time. Automatic rifles and machine guns were apparently used.
However, Thai officers denied the helicopter was shot down because it was flying beyond the range of ground fire.
The Burmese government did not cooperate with the Thai Army in trying to recover the helicopter and victims' bodies. Thai military personnel were only allowed to conduct a land search for the helicopter after Sept. 15, 1997, and some sources suspect that Burmese troops had already destroyed the helicopter and disposed of the dead soldiers by this time.
It was reported that rebel units at the border had intercepted this information via Burmese Army radio transmissions.
However, Thai authorities, particularly the Defence and Foreign Affairs ministries and security agencies, have not confirmed nor denied the dissidents' statements at that time.
Sources:
Scramble 276
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=21726
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Jan-2009 11:55 | ASN archive | Added |
| 20-Jul-2011 06:57 | gerard57 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Source, Narrative] |
| 30-Aug-2021 15:25 | TB | Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
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