INTERVIEWS 120-144

INTERVIEWS 120-144

Interview:120 HRV: Child, Women

[This is the true story of a young Burmese woman who was sold by two Thai soldiers to a brothel in Thailand when she was only fourteen years of age. She is now 20 and living in the Thai border town of Mae Sod. Her name has been changed to protect her. This interview was made in late 1994.]

Though I would like to tell my story to other women, I can not tell the exact date and month of the events based on the English calendar. When I was sold, I had very little education so that I do not know how to read the English calendar and I also can not recall the dates in my memory.

My name is Thwe and I was born in 1974 in Moulmein which is a coastal town of the Tenasserim Division of Burma. Thirteen days after I was born, my mother passed away and left my older sister and me behind. My father married another woman within a few days and he is, indeed, a womaniser. My grandparents from my mother's side looked after me and my sister, but they were also very old. We were dependent on our grandfather who was a carpenter and could earn a little money for us to live on. My grandmother was a retired government servant. I was able to study only up to primary level education. When I was 5 years old, my grandmother passed away which is one of the greatest losses in my life as she was very kind to me. When I was 11 years old, my sister was 16 and she married and followed her husband to his home in Myawaddy which is a Burmese border town on the Thai-Burmese border.

When I was 12 years old, my grandfather passed away and my aunt from my mother's side took me to Rangoon. I was able to live with my aunt only for a few months because she forced me to do housework the whole day which made me extremely tired. Her children also usually bullied me. Sometimes when I was extremely tired I was not allowed to take a rest. Finally I ran away from my aunt's home and headed for Moulmein by train but unfortunately I took the wrong train and instead ended up in Mandalay, which is the capital of northern Burma. I had never been there before so I did not know where to go. I sat at the train station and was thinking what I should do. A few hours later I met a Chinese-Burmese woman and she took me to her home to stay. A few days later she gave some money and put me on the train to Rangoon. I returned to my aunt's home in Rangoon. Several weeks later, some of my relatives in Moulmein knew that I was unhappy living with my aunt, and so they took me back to Moulmein.

I then moved in with my sister's family in Myawaddy where I worked as a hard labourer, carrying heavy goods at the border immigration gate. I could barely earn enough from my hard labour for my living. At that time I was 13 years old and sometimes the loads were very heavy and much bigger than my body. Some traders in Myawaddy told me about job vacancies in Mae Sod, a Thai border town opposite Myawaddy. They said I could earn more there. After about a year in Myawaddy, I moved to Mae Sod and worked at a bamboo shoots canning factory. I was then 14 years old. A few months later I met two Thai soldiers in a Buddhist monastery which is near the canning factory. They urged me to work for better wages as a maid at their friend's house in Pichi of Amphoe Pathan Hin.

After I agreed with them, they took me to their home at Mae Taw in Mae Sod where I slept one night. They were very friendly and tread me very hospitably in their home. The next day, they took me to their friend' s house. We entered the three-story house which is surrounded by a brick wall and met a big, tall man and his wife sitting in a private room. I immediately assumed they were the house owners. They looked very rich. About half an hour later, after the two Thai soldiers had talked to the man and his wife, they left me in the house. Then the woman showed me a room to stay in. I met about 16 girls there who did not look like house maids and I became suspicious that this was a brothel. I asked them about the house in Burmese, but all of them only spoke Thai which I barely understood at that time. However, the house owner fed me well and asked me to do only a few cleaning jobs in the house.

One day, after about two months, the couple told me to go along with them to visit a hotel. When we entered a room in the hotel, I met a man of about 40, sitting in a chair with a pistol on the table next to him. The couple stayed for a few minutes and then left the room. I thought that they went out to buy some food for dinner. A few minutes later, the man grabbed my arms and try to take me to the bedroom. Then I realised he was planing to rape me and I started struggling, pulling my arms back and yelling at him, but I was also afraid of his gun. He then pushed me down on the bed. Though I was struggling he was very strong and I became tired. He raped me for a long time and finally I was unconscious.

When I regained consciousness, I was again in the couple's house. Afterwards, they did not ask me to do any thing for about two months. By that time, my Thai was better and I started asking the other girls about the couple and the house situation. I found out that they were all prostitutes and the man in the hotel paid 10,000 baht to the couple to have sex with me. I was given nothing but sorrow. The price was very high because I was a virgin. Furthermore, one of the Thai girls told me that the two Thai soldiers had sold me to the couple but she did not know how much the couple had paid. This news frightened me, but I felt totally helpless.

About two months after being raped, the brothel owner told me to accept having sex with men who came to the brothel. He threatened to kill me if I refused or was impolite to the customers. So I was forced into prostitution. Now every day I have to accept about ten customers.

About three months after I was brought to the brothel, four new Burmese girls were also brought by somebody to the brothel. This was the first time I had seen Burmese girls in the brothel. They all were also lured into prostitution. When I explained about the situation, they were all shocked and started talking with me about escaping. I told them there was no good way to escape at the moment. However, we all tried several times to escape, but always failed.

A year after being sold to the brothel, we Burmese girls planned that me and another girl would run away and inform the police since it was very difficult for all the Burmese girls to run away simultaneously. One evening, two of us climbed up the fence and jumped down behind the brothel. Immediately the brothel owner heard the sounds and followed us. We were hiding among the tall grass. The man could not find us but he knew that we were hiding somewhere among the tall grass. He finally shouted that if we did not come out, he would torch the grass. We panicked and decided to come out of our hiding place. He then took us back into the brothel and started slapping, kicking, and punching me in the face and all over our bodies. I was rolling on the floor in terror and pain. He kept yelling if I would try to escape again. It lasted for about half an hour. By the end, my face was swollen and my entire body was painful. I even could not walk. Someone took me to my room. He did not hurt my friend because he assumed that I was the mastermind of the escape attempt.

I continued to think of some way to escape from the brothel even though the man and his wife were always watching us carefully. We all decided to save our tip money from customers to be used for an escape. After about four years working in the brothel, we got our chance. One night in December 1992, the man was out of the brothel. Only his wife remained in the house. We all were staying on the second floor. The brothel owner's wife thought we could not run away without going through the front door but we all climbed down the drain pipe to the ground and immediately rushed to the main road. A tuk tuk (three-wheeled taxi) driver helped us by taking us to the bus terminal. That night we escaped to Mae Sod.

After a few days in Mae Sod, the other four Burmese girls returned to Burma. I remained in Mae Sod. I do not wanted to go back to Burma because I do not want to tell my story to any of my relatives. I have decided to live in Mae Sod.

One time I married a Thai man in Mae Sod, but our marriage could last only a few months. I am so discouraged about living with men. Generally, I think the Thai and Burmese men are only interested in sex, and not in women as human beings.

I am now working as a waitress in a restaurant in Mae Sod [on the Thai-Burmese border].

Interview:121 HRV: Forced Labour, Livelihood

In my village 50 villagers are sent since October 1994 to the concentration camp for every 15 days to contribute corvee labour, covering their own expenses. If one cannot go, he/she has to hire somebody else at the rate of 2,500 Ks. Villagers from my village have to contribute labour at the worksite near Nat Kyi Zin Village and LIB 406 is under control of that section. Troops from LIB 406 forced the labourers to build halls to show video and shops to sell goods, including liquor, rum and beer, to the labourers. Labourers who take a rest without permission were beaten with baton by SLORC soldiers. All the labourers were forced to lie up at 5:00 a.m. and started working at 6:00 a.m. In the afternoon, before they resumed their work, the labourers were forced to stand about 30 minutes under scorching sun. They were allowed to go to the worksite, after SLORC troops checked them to make sure that all of them were present. U Than Pe, age 50, from my village, was arrested by SLORC troops from LIB 406 without reason in October 1994 soon after he came back to the village from the worksite and after he finished his assignment. In the first week of October, four elderly people who were over 60, from Lae Shaung Village, were forced to contribute labour for the rail line construction.

4 villagers from my village were summoned by SLORC troops to build new military base at Heinze (aka Boke) Island, covering their own expenses. That island is located west of Phaungdaw Village, where the proposed gas pipeline will come ashore and pass through. Rice and other food items brought for them were also confiscated by SLORC troops. SLORC troops gave them only 2 condensed milk tins of rice, causing the villagers to face a shortage of food. According to them, SLORC IB 25 forced many people in Ye Phyu Township to contribute labour for the construction of the military base and landing pad for the helicopters. All the labourers were forced to work on a full-time basis and those who took a rest without permission from were subjected to scold, beatings and kicking. They have to contribute unpaid labour at least for one month and cover their own expenses for transportation. Each household in my village has been forced to pay a monthly “porter fee” of 100 Ks to the local SLORC.

Interview:126 HRV: Forced Labour, Torture

In my village 35 villagers are sent to the concentration camp for every 15 days to contribute corvee labour, covering their own expenses. If one cannot go, he/she has to hire somebody else at the rate of 1,500 Ks. Although SLORC said that labourers would be paid, it was just the matter of lip service. Villagers from my village have to contribute labour at the worksite between Zahar and Zalun villages and LIB 401 is under control of that section. SLORC troops forced the labourers to pave a new rail line which passes near Taw Bae Zatar, Tha Pyay Chaung and Za Lun villages, causing many people farmland and houses destroyed. But no body dared ask for compensation from SLORC. SLORC troops under the command of LIB 401 ordered the villagers to clear their farmlands and destroy their houses which are along the railway line passing

Each household in my village have been forced to pay a monthly “porter fee” of Ks 50 to local LORC Chairman U Tun Aye and group forced every household to pay 40 Ks festival in Myae Khanti Village. As a villager, Daw Khin Yu, age 39, could not afford for the money, she was ordered to go to the concentration camp to contribute labour for the construction of railway line in October for the first time. Seven days after coming back from the concentration camp where she finished her assignment, she was sent for the second time as she could not afford to contribute 40 Ks of donation for the concentration camps. Before she went to contribute labour, Daw Khin Yu met with U Moe Hein, a member of local LORC and explained that she could not go to the concentration camp as she came back recently from contribute labour. Daw Khin Yu was beaten and punched by U Moe Hein by screaming that she was failure to abide by SLORC’s order. As a result, Daw Khin Yu got injuries at the whole part of her body and told an officer from IB 25 in Khan Ti Village while tears shed from her eyes. That officer not only took any action against U Moe Hein, instead she was told to abide by order of Township LORC and forced to contribute labour for the second time.

Interview:127 HRV: Detention, Forced Labour, Livelihood, Torture

In October-November 1994, 25 villagers from my village were sent to the concentration camp for every 15 days to contribute corvee labour, covering their own expenses. If one cannot go, he/she has to hire somebody else at the rate of 3,000 Ks. Those who refused were threatened by lawsuit and sentence to four years’ imprisonment. Because of that harassment, villagers dared not stay away from working, bring their own food covering their own expenses. Villagers from my village have to contribute labour at the worksite near Nat Kyi Zin Village. Each labourer is forced to complete his/her assignment of 10 sq. feet wide and 1 foot deep every day. Each household in my village have been forced to pay a monthly “porter fee” of 150 Ks to 1st MSC, 100 Ks to township LORC and another 100 Ks for “runner fees”. The total amount for each household per month is 265 Ks.

They have to work from 6 a.m. and can take a rest only when they finish their daily assignment. In October 1994 a SLORC platoon from LIB 401 led by a sergeant reached the War Laung Chang area in Ka Lone Htar Village, Ye Phyu Township, took away money and other property from U Su Aye’s (50) house and beat him. In the same month, the troops came to U Su Aye’s house again, forced the victim to get down from his house and shot him to death. U Su Aye died on the spot. LORC in Ka Lone Htar Village went to the nearest LIB 407 and reported about the death of U Su Aye. LIB 407 said that to report to LIB 401 as it was not concerned with their battalion. When the village LORC went to LIB 401, they were told to come and get the body of the victim in Ye Phyu Township. Officials from LIB 401 told the village LORC that the victim died of an accidental gunshot and they did not take any action against the platoon which killed U Su Aye.

Interview:128 HRV: Displacement, Forced Labour, Livelihood

[The following comments were made recently in independent interviews with defectors from the SLORC army in Mergui/Tavoy District, in the Tenasserim Division of southern Burma. Some of them defected earlier this year, while others defected over a year ago. However, all of their comments still apply because as the SLORC army continues to rapidly expand, conditions continue to deteriorate for both civilians and rank-and-file soldiers. In fact, as the comments of these former soldiers make clear, it seems that only the senior officers are deriving any benefit at all from the systematic oppression of the civilian population. The monthly salary before deductions of a private soldier, 450 Ks, is not even enough to buy milled rice for two people for a month at current prices, not to mention that people also need other food to eat with their rice. Meanwhile, inflation continues to rage throughout the country as the kyat becomes increasingly worthless.

All of the defectors in this report have now joined the KNLA, but many other defectors choose instead to try to get home to their families or to settle down as civilians in Karen-controlled areas. If deserters are ever caught by SLORC they will be executed without trial, and their families also face possible retribution. Therefore, their names have been changed and some details, such as their army serial numbers, omitted to protect their families.]

I joined the SLORC army in October 1990. I joined because I was so scared of SLORC. People in my village and my family were all beaten by SLORC, and they forced my father to be a porter. SLORC sent orders to their appointed headman in the village, and he came and called my father to be a porter. My father was 45 years old then. They also arrested my older brother. So I joined to be safe from them.

In 1992 we went to the frontline in Thayetchaung Township, and our commander forced all the villagers into portering – not only the old men, but children too. Some porters couldn't carry rice sacks so the soldiers forced the porters to keep going by kicking them. They also called women to be porters. I remember one woman who was carrying a child as well as her load. The child still needed to be breastfed. Then when we went through another village we saw another woman together with two men, so we arrested all of them and then the woman cried, so Maj Myint Swe beat them and swore at them, and at me too. Major Myint Swe was the battalion commander. [Note: this is the same Maj Myint Swe who was responsible for the brutal murders of 11 villagers from Thay Nyaw Chee Village in September 1993 – see the KHRG report "SLORC Murders in Mergui/Tavoy District", 17/12/93.] Maj Myint Swe used to tell men not to beat or swear at the porters by beating and swearing at me.

Third in command of the column was Thura Swe Paw Soe, and he ordered that whenever we were in a village none of the villagers were not allowed to go to their farms – they all had to stay at home. Most of the time when we passed huts in the farms or on the fields, if there was a man around we took him as a porter. All the villagers were also ordered to come to our base, to build roads, etc. The villagers who called to our base were ordered to build a mass hall and offices on the base. If they didn't come we asked for money, and if they didn't give us money we arrested them and put them in jail.

At the base there was not always enough room for all the soldiers to live, and we had to live in very cramped and crowded conditions. There were often fights between soldiers and our personal things were often stolen. The wives of some soldiers lived at the base, and sometimes when their husbands had to go to the frontline the officers gave the wives money, condensed milk and rice to sleep with them.

Before I joined the army I'd seen books and things by the students [the Burmese students fighting for democracy] but when I was in the army the officers had rules that we were not allowed to read things like that. I came and joined the Karen army in April 1993 because SLORC is a dictatorship and they forced us to obey every order of theirs.

Interview:130 HRV: Execution, Slavery, Torture, Women

In 1988 I joined the uprising, so after SLORC took power I was afraid of being arrested. First I went home to my village, but then I left it again and had no aim in life for a while. Then my parents called me to come home, but I was still afraid I would be arrested so I joined the army thinking that it would make me safe from arrest. I joined in October 1989. Burmese troops don't come to our village very often, so I didn't know much about what they do to the people.

After I joined the army, I was in the Ywa Hee Lu Battle and I saw many porters died because the soldiers killed any of them who were sick or who couldn't carry their loads. I saw they killed four porters for this, and I saw they shot dead two others just because they couldn't feed them anymore. Other porters were just sent away on their own, very weak after getting extremely little rice to eat.

Whenever we arrived at villages in Palauk and Pa Law townships and people tried to run away, we caught, beat them and asked why they tried to run. Then we called village leaders and beat them too. Another time I heard that the commander and second-in-command of Column 3 raped a girl.

At the base, when the soldiers went to the frontline the officers didn't care about our families. Some of the officers slept with wives of soldiers who were at the frontline. Some prostitutes from Mergui came and called the soldiers' wives to become prostitutes like them. All of these things happened in IB 17. The soldiers' wives and children faced a lot of trouble whenever their husbands were away, and their husbands knew nothing about it. After seeing so much oppression by the Burmese army, I came and joined the Karen army in February 1994.

Interview:131 HRV: Slavery, Torture

I joined the SLORC army in October 1990. My father was beaten by SLORC soldiers, so I joined the army so my father could feel safe from more beatings. In the army I saw many porters being beaten by the soldiers as well. Later I was beaten because the officer suspected me of being a Karen collaborator, so I fled the army and lived in a village as a farmer for a year. Then I joined the Karen army in January 1994.

Interview:134 HRV: Detention, Livelihood, Slavery, Torture

[The rank and file, despite committing atrocities to the people, are trapped and abused in their own army, subjected to both physical and mental torture. Being members of the armed forces is no protection from the horrors. Their eyes and ears are the witnesses to the "reality according to SLORC". Information and opinions they form come from inside themselves, influenced by the pressures of officers and the SLORC system of insanity.

They know the truth even while being prohibited from reading leaflets and magazines issued from democratic opposition groups. They know what goes on around them is not right, but are forced by a fear and a lack of freedom into such circumstances as pawns of a higher perverted power. Listening to the radio will elicit sure punishment. Freedom of thought and actions are not tolerated, threats are common, all contact with the outside world forbidden, including to one's family. If they try to escape, army officers promise the soldier's parents, children and relatives will be killed. They dare not escape, instead silently suffering the misery each day with beatings, a lack of food and even living materials.

Despite the tales of horror by these soldiers, however, are the scapegoats for the brutal SLORC policy of lawlessness and disorder, even as the regime attempts to gain international recognition for their rule a legitimacy which Burma's own citizens refuse to give the illegal government. Many boys and men are held prisoners of their own army, and army once founded on protection and serving the people, now turned into an institution of terror and destruction of the SLORC.

Under such situation, 11 of the conscripted rank and file of SLORC IB 434 could no longer bear the barbaric ill-treatment of their officials. They shot dead Warrant Officer (II) Han Htun from Myan Aung, who was at that time in charge of the military outpost, Lance Corporal Than Tun and Lance Corporal Thein Win at Ne Pu Khan outpost (Point 1653), located near Yun Salin River, in the eastern part of Papun in Karen State, in an effort to escape the injustices. They then joined the revolutionary forces on 4 June 1994. Most of them are of student ages, 16-17 years old. The following stories was were told by them. source: Dawn]

I left school after I passed the 4th standard examination as my parents were very poor. I had to sell goods in the markets to earn some money to help provide for my family's living. In 1992, on my way home from the market, SLORC soldiers forced me to get into a military truck. It was about 3 o'clock in the evening. I was 15 at that time. I have been very depressed since the time of the training. During the training, many recruiters suffered from malnutrition and lack of sanitation because they had to learn everything within 4 months and had insufficient nutrition. During the training some recruits died of cholera. Anyone's failure in the medical check-up was neglected by SLORC as the military wants the increasing numbers.

After the training, I was transferred to Ne Pu Khan Gone. No rank and file was provided with sufficient rations. I did not see any tins of condensed milk or sugar. When there was no curry and when we were about to take salt [i.e. eat rice], we were forced to stand in the rains or in the scorching sun, and kicked with combat boots.

Local people from Wai Mon, Koo Seik and Thakun Daing, living nearby Papun military area, were getting trouble from and were horrified by SLORC troops. Every farm owner was forced to pay 5 baskets of paddy to SLORC. Very often, the troops took away everything that the villagers grew and forced the owners of labourers to carry these crops without any payment. When these people refused or could not carry it, they were kicked or beaten by the troops. I saw many elderly people pulling the legs of soldiers and begging with their tears shedding.

Most of the villagers love those of us who are in our childhood. When we went into the village, the villagers provided whatever they had. We, therefore, shared our rations with them whenever they came to the outpost. But when the officials knew what we did, we were beaten or put into confinement.

Moreover, the villagers and their cattle were forced to drag cut logs. Cattle which could no longer pull the logs because of foot disease, were killed. The owners were never compensated. My parents taught me not to insult any elders. But if my parents knew what I did, I'm sure that they would be very disappointed with me.

The officials ordered us to bake bricks, saying that we would be paid. In reality, we were not paid. Rations of army rum for the rank and file were sold on the way to the outpost. We did not get anything from that ratio. Sometimes, they forced 2 soldiers to conduct sentry duty for the whole night. Because the officials forced one soldier, who was admitted at Papun Battalion Clinic as he was suffering from sickness, he committed suicide. His name is Tin Hmwe. Many soldiers committed suicide because of misery, disappointment and depression.

We were not allowed to read nay leaflets or magazines issued or distributed from the revolutionary organisations, and did not listen to the BBC. If the officials knew that we were listening to the BBC, we were beaten or put into confinement.

Interview:135 HRV: Detention, Livelihood, Slavery, Torture

In 1993, my family had to draw ballots under SLORC's recruitment programme and send one family member. If we could not send somebody in the family, we must pay 5,000 Kyats for hiring somebody else, plus 3 baskets of paddy and 3 baskets of rice to the military. Although I was the youngest in my family, I had to join the military as my brothers were away and others are female. At that time i was in my 15th year.

I was sent to No. 6 Division Training Corps in Taungoo for about 5-months' military training. During this time, I experienced much maltreatment. An old man, 60, called "Mars" by the soldiers, were also at the training. As there was nobody else for him to hire or no money for the hiring price, he himself had to join the military. This man was blamed and beaten during the training period. He was not given any medical treatment. When we suffered from a malaria attack, each person was given only half a Quinine tablet.

After the training, I was sent to IB 434. There, no rank and file was given enough food. We were given very little watery worm-holed bean curry. When we were sick, we were never given any medicine nor treatment, instead we were told by the officials, "Cover the charges with your salary." The monthly salary of 700 Ks was on paper. We got no more than 300 Ks. We were not spared from sentry even though we were sick. Warrant officers and sergeants forced us to massage them and buy liquor for them.

Now, I am occupied with a willingness to go to school again as I had no alternative than to join the military while I was preparing to attend my 8th standard class.

Interview:136 HRV: Slavery, Torture

I joined the military service on 19 June 1991. Before that I was a farmer. One day, one of my friends in the army came and asked me to go along with him by saying that he would buy some dried fish for me. Later on, I knew that my friend was assigned for recruitment. I had no choice because my friend would be beaten in case of my refusal. While I was attending the military training at No. 3 Training Corps in Yamethin, my parents and wife asked me to come back many times. I could not run away.

Lance Cpl Than Tun gave a "salary" to a married woman in Wai Mon Village, Papun Township and took her as his wife/mistress (against her will). The woman's husband dared not say anything. 2nd Lt Thein Oo mentioned himself as a bachelor and committed sexual abuses. They always beat and kicked anybody near them whenever they were drunk. Most of the underage soldiers were forced to bear hardships. When they refused, they were inhumanely punished.

In the barracks, family of the soldiers were faced with insufficiency of food and a lack of medicines which led them to death. Most of their family members had to work outside as low-paid labourers at the construction site. The family members were forever being found at fault as they could not perform their assigned duties inside the battalion [which is also expected of family members by army officials].

Due to this situation, most of the soldiers were suffering from misery and were no longer eager to serve in the military. It is not the only problem in IB 434. We have no guarantee for our lives. It's like we are walking in the darkness without knowing our future. We did not know for what we were working for. We were not allowed to listen to the BBC. Nobody dared listen to the BBC as they could be confined. Our maximum salary of 750 Ks was merely on paper. Our monthly deposits of 100 Ks was also meaningless as we were never given account.

Interview:138 HRV: Child, Slavery, Torture

I joined the military service in June 1990. At that time, my brother who was in his 10th standard was living with my aunts in Lepadan Township in Pegu Division. When my brother was assigned to join the military by SLORC, he came back with tears in his eyes. My brother was very clever and should receive an education. I, therefore, joined the military in place of my brother. At that time, I was in 7th standard.

After attending training at No. 3 Training Corps in Yamethin, I forced the local people into portering. I forced even unhealthy persons, elderly and women. Most of the women were forced to stay near the officials. I saw with my own eyes what the officials pressed them to do.

Chit Ko Ko, a 12-year-old boy from Theinzayat, was also along with us. Whenever he could not walk along with the troops, he was beaten and kicked. The company quartermaster beat him all the time. At least the child became depressed. he was beaten with a bottle in the head and was in coma for a week. When he regained consciousness, he did not speak to anyone nor eat anything. The lower part of his body nearly became paralysed and one of his eyes was affected. He was transferred to Mingaladon Military Hospital. The official in-charge was put on trial as the chief’s uncle was Maj Win Bo Shwe from Kya Sa Khan in Thaton, and he complained to headquarters [about the maltreatment of his nephew]. Any child not having relatives in the military or anybody with no family background will definitely receive more ill-treatment than Chit Ko Ko.

Most of the soldiers in our battalion want to come to the revolutionary area if they van get proper contact. Because they are miserable and ill-treated in the military all the time. We were threatened by the officials that we would be killed by the KNU. We did not care about our deaths compared continuing to stay with the SLORC troops, receiving ill-treatment all the time, insulting the elderly people and doing unjust things to the villagers everyday.

When I arrived to the liberated area, I found out that the situation is very different from what we were told. The KNU and other organisations welcomed us warmly. All of us have equal rights with them. There is no discrimination between the officials and the rank and file. We have the right to discuss openly with them. But in the SLORC troops, no soldiers is allowed to eat on the same table as their officers.

Interview:139 HRV: Child, Detention, Slavery

Even the elderly people were forced into porterage. When they could no longer carry the heavy loads, they were beaten and tortured. The girls who could no longer carry were reproved and taken behind the bushes and raped. Even 11-12 year old girls, the age of wearing a gown, were not spared.

We are not allowed to write to our family nor relatives. Any kind of contacts with the family is prohibited. “We are soldiers.” But we were tortured and left without any medical treatment as porters. Many soldiers committed suicide as they could no longer bear the hardships. Even the sergeants did it.

Nobody wants to bear arms. We were forced to work at odd-jobs, agricultural work and baking charcoal. We were fed not in time or with enough food. We were fed only 2 meals per day. Lunch was fed at 3:00 p.m. We couldn't bear it any longer because of hard work and insufficent food. Some villagers came and gave us food. They were very friendly with the rank and file in the army. But the officials did not like this.

Most of the rank and file, except for serial numbers 300000-500000 who are sergeants, are always trying to flee from serving the military. Therefore every soldier is under watch. They threaten us that our familiy members will get into trouble or killed in case we flee. Some soldiers dared not flee because of this threat and continued to bear all the suffering.

Most of the soldiers could not take care of their families who were left behind. Some of their wives had to find odd-jobs in order to earn their household living. Some of the had to sell their bodies to get the money.

Soldiers who joined the miltary after 1988 were not allowed to go very far from the outpost. These soldiers were accompanied by somebody else. Most of the newcomers are not acquainted with the areas very well. They threatened us that our throats would be cut by the Karens. It is also one of the reasons for some soldiers to be hesitant to flee. A certain number of soldiers committed suicide when they found that there is no exit for them.

Most of the soldiers who joined the military after 1988 gave respect to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Nobody dared to mention her name openly. We had to listen to BBC secretly. If the officers know, we are scolded and punished.

Interview:142 HRV: Detention, Slavery, Torture