On 4 June 2013, at approximately 15.30 hours police and military personnel came to Pa Rein village with some construction materials and workers for the construction of temporary long-houses. The village community had previously objected to the construction of the long-houses during several meetings with authorities, stating that they wished to construct their own houses on their original village location. The authorities arrived at the village in two boats together with about 30 workers from the neighbouring village of Led Mar. There were seven regular police and ten army personnel who accompanied the workers. A crowd of approximately 40 to 50 people gathered to protest against the construction, most of whom were women. Men did not join the protest due to fears of the police, though four to five men were present. Reportedly, some of the women may have become angry and verbally confronted the workers for some time at the scene. However, the protestors did not have weapons and did not resort to violence. When verbal arguments started, the security forces told the women to move back but they did not do so. The stand-off lasted for approximately one hour, after which shots were fired by the security forces in the air and allegedly directly into the crowd of protestors. It is not clear whether any order to fire had been given or any prior warning given that the security forces would open fire. When the shooting stopped, police and army personnel left the scene. When they had left, the villagers went forward to collect the injured and dead and took them to their houses. Three women were reportedly killed and five persons were reportedly injured (threemen and two women), all by gunfire. All the dead and injured had bullet wounds. In some cases, individuals were struck by bullets while they were in their house compounds and away from the immediate scene of the shooting and protest. Despite fatalities and serious injuries, the authorities, including the Township Administrator and Township Medical Officer, did not arrive in the village until 7.00 hours the following day (5 June). Two of the injured persons were taken to Sittwe hospital by an International Non-Governmental Organization. State medical staff reportedly saw the dead bodies and examined the wounds, but did not take the bodies for a post mortem examination. Furthermore, it is alleged that the authorities did not interview or ask any questions of the villagers. Access to the village was denied to some United Nations and other international actors by the authorities for some days following the incident. Among those reportedly injured are a boy of 15 years who suffered a gunshot wound to his knee when walking with his friends on the road to see what was happening, and a 25 year old woman, who was wounded in the lower left leg by a bullet when near a house close to the main road. 11 June 2013: A Joint Allegation Letter is sent by the Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, human rights defenders, Myanmar, summary executions, torture, and violence against women. 22 July 2013: the Burmese government responds to the allegations, alleging that the protestors were in fact a heavily armed mob that attacked police officers.