MOENYIN, MYANMAR : Over 700 surface-to-air missiles were unearthed in a town in Myanmar’s northern Kachin State on 19, October, 2011, a local weekly journal reported.
The SAMs are believed to hidden by Japanese troops during the WW-II when they withdrew from Myanmar, a military expert said,
"Some Japanese arrived here to find the ammunition about eight years ago. They tried to find the ammunition with the aid of a map. But, they discovered only a watch," a resident said.
A villager discovered the missiles under the roots of a tree when he was digging to remove the roots, and still, some missiles are in the earth.
The news shocked the residents as the missiles were discovered while security has been tightened in the restive Kachin ethnic people-dominated region, and 36 live mines were discovered recently in the region.
The Kachin Independence Army of the Kachin national race was still fighting against the Myanmar government toops over the China-back controversial dam in the region though the dam project was suspended by Myanmar’s president Thein Sein.