Sept 21, 2009 (DVB), A young woman hit by a stray army bullet last week whilst working on her farm in central Burma has reportedly been forced to claim responsibility, according to locals in her town.

The lady, identified as 24-year-old Tin Nay Zar Linn, was shot in the knee by army troops training at a nearby field east of Bago division's Thayawaddy town on 18 September.

"There were a lot of people shooting at the same time in the training so we can't tell whose bullet it actually was," said an army official, adding that "the situation has now been taken care of".

A local man who was denied access to the hospital said that the bullet had pierced straight through her knee.

"Apparently the battalion's commander accompanied by other officials came to see the girl in hospital and made her sign a statement claiming it was her own fault," he said.

The army officer told DVB that he was unaware of whether any compensation was granted to the woman.

"I don't know anything about the compensation as it was handled by the battalion commander and other officials," he said.

Security has been tightened around Thayawaddy General Hospital, with officials reportedly seeking to block any information about the incident getting out.

The army infantry has since issued a warning to locals not to go within a five-mile radius of where the training is taking place.

Reporting by Naw Noreen