The Mon Forum
Issue No. 1/ 2003,
CONTENTS
News:
Award for new soldier
recruit
More porters for LIB No.
273 in
Civilian Guards along Kanbauk-Myaingkalay Gas Pipeline
Brief News:
Force Labour For the Helicopter Landing Pad Construction
Mon design and printing
center banned and arrested two people
Lands confiscated for
new battalions.
Armed Conflicts
A motor shell hit to a boy after fighting
Fire! If wear army colour shirts
Extorted lumber woods
for new battalion
Report:
Cruel and Degrading
Treatment against the Civilians in
I. Civil War and
Suffering of Ethnic Civilians
II. Armed Conflict after
1988 in Southern Part of
II. A. SPDC's military
deployment in Ye and
II. B.
Military operations and human rights violations in Kya-inn-seikyi
and
III. Burmese Army's
suspicion of rebel supporters against rural civilians
Abuses
against Buddhist Monks
Abuses
against Women
Shooting
into villages
Killing
during porter service
Sexual
Violations or Gang Rape against Mon Women
Sexual violations against Karen Women
Killing
and inhumane treatments
Torture
Conclusion
___________________________________________________________
News:
Award for new soldier
recruit
(January
2003,
The
local Burmese Army's No. 4 military training school in
In
early January 2003, the trainers of the school declared to the village headmen that
if one villager or village could bring them on new recruit of soldier, they
will give 20, 000 Kyat.
Similarly,
they also instructed the soldiers and commanders in the battalions that if
someone in the army could recruit new soldiers, they will get promotion. They said that if one ordinary soldier could
recruit four soldiers, they would give jump promotion, from ordinary soldier to
2nd Warrant Officer.
One
commander or trainer from No. 4 Military Training School, Captain Than Tun went around into Mon villages in Thanbyuzayat
Township and informed to the village headmen that if the villagers could
recruit new soldiers, they will offer award.
Additionally,
he also explained how the benefit in the army and how the soldiers had good
opportunity in many activities.
He
also said if someone joined as new soldier, he would receive 7000 Kyat salary,
milk, suger, rice and other food stuff. He also tried to attract the young unmarried
men to join into Burmese Army. He said
if they joined in Army and planned to marry, the commanders would spend for all
costs of wedding ceremony. He also
promised that if they have children, the battalion concerned will pay for them.
The
commanders always organized the people that if they joined the Burmese Army,
they could get more opportunity than other ordinary people. As the commanders from Southeast Command
ordered training school to have more recruits, therefore, even the school
trainer organized for new soldiers.
Currently,
the Burmese Army is planning to increase the number of troops up to 400, 000
soldiers and therefore, it suddenly needs to recruit more soldiers. Therefore, they set awards to give to those
who could recruit for them.
Normally,
in towns and cities, the soldiers also arrested some boys and bring them into
army. Many orphans in city streets are
also recruited into Army or some boys who traveled from villages to cities are
arrested and forced them into Army. In
many Training School, including No. 4 Training School,
the trainers accepted all ages of men including boys.
In
In
More porters for LIB No.
273 in Yebyu Township
In
January 2003, when the Burmese Army's LIB No. 273 planned to launch military
offensives against a Mon splinter group in the area, they also take 3 porters
from each village in
LIB
No. 273 troops are led by Maj. Kyaw Soe and he has about 60 men in launching the
offensives. He ordered the village
headmen from the villages, alongYe - Tavoy motor road to provide their troops with three porters
every 7 days.
Accordingly
to the a porter from Yapu village who returned from
the porter service said that, the soldiers forced them to carry about 6 motor
shells and an army bag with food supplies.
He added, most porters could not get sleep at
nighttime because of mosquito.
The
commander, Maj. Kyaw Soe
also instructed to the village headmen, the villagers must not flee during the
porter service. If they fled and then
are arrested at villages, they must be punished to pay 10000 Kyat, one sack
(about 66 kilogram) of rice, and face 20 times beating with gun-butts.
The
villagers from many villages such as Aleskan, Law-thaing, Kyaukadin, Kywetalin, Yapu
are serving for porters to the battalion.
They prepared for readiness when the soldiers came and took the
porters. The soldiers took 3 porters
every time they came into village and moved to another village. When they arrived to another village, they
also took another three porters.
On
the other hand, the troops from LIB No. 282 and LIB No. 273 ordered to not get
out from the village without permission letter from village headmen or army
commanders. They also ordered the
farmers not to take more food than one day meal. If they found the villagers
without permission, if the man he must be punished and if woman, she must have
to pay.
More
movement restriction have been taken place and more
villagers have faced difficulty to go to their farms and more problems to their
livelihood.
Civilian Guards along Kanbauk-Myaingkalay Gas
Pipeline
(January,
Mon State)
On
In
Additionally,
the authorities also ordered that if the villagers found some parts of the gas
pipeline was above the ground, they must have to inform to village headmen and
therefore, all villagers need to cover to get into underground.
The
authorities and army also instructed that if the pipeline is exploded by rebels
near or close to their farms or the plantations, the owner of the farm or
plantation must be punished.
One
village said, 'this pipeline is belonged to companies and the regime, and why
they force the civilians to guard it'.
Gas from Yadana gas field is brought from Kanbauk onshore gas station into a cement factory in Pa-an Township,
This
pipeline has exploded many times in the past because the quality of pipeline is
not good and all pipeline passes into salty area of
Brief News:
Force Labour For the Helicopter Landing Pad Construction
(Ye
Township, Mon State,
On
January 9 of 2003, the Burmese Army's IB No.62 and No.31 forced the local
villagers to build a helicopter landing pad in Kalae-gote
island, north-western part of Ye township,
In order to build and prepare the
landscape of the new landing pad, the Burmese Army's local battalions, IB
No.62, and IB No. 31, which base in Thanbyuzayat
town, have forced one person per house from the local villages to do daily work
in that island.
The landing pad is built in the
middle part of the
As most of the landscape
of the island are the hills, villagers are forced to dig and to create
the same level of landing ground, reported by a villager from Kalae- gote island. Burmese Army also confiscated some lands
belonged to villagers last and deployed the new bases.
According to another villager's
report, the main purpose of the building of this air force landing pad to keep
the helicopters for patrolling around the area with objective to protect the
fishing business between Thai companies and the Burmese authorities, which
involve in fishing in the
Since 1996,Thai
trading groups have been planning to build a high way road to this
Mon design and printing
center banned and arrested two people
December
2002,
A
Mon printing shop's manager and one staff were arrested and banned the shop
after printed poetry booklet for a student group without permission in
Nai Soe Aung was the manager of a biggest graphic design and
printing (Kaung-Mon printing and design) in Mon
community in
After arrest, all equipment in the
printing center, Kaung-Mon, were
confiscated and the center was totally banned.
The center is situating in
According
to a source close to the center said that the case happened after an
anti-regime student group printed their booklets, which they did not apply
permission from military government Censorship Board.
"Nai Soe Aung didn't know it was printed in his shop, because of
his staff did not inform him" said a source .
But later, the printing materials
and equipment have returned after the owner Nai Thet Lwin, an ex-candidate of
1990 election from MNDF in Moulmein, the capital of
Mon State, took responsibility that
would not going to open "Kaung-Mon Printing
center" in Kyauk-da-dar township, Rangoon
Division.
"Kaung-Mon"
is one of the most Mon popular graphic design center which can create
the good qualities of Mon entertainment Wall
sheets and several kinds of
graphic covers.
Lands confiscated for
new battalions.
(
On
December 26 of 2002, the Burmese Army's Artillery Regiment LIB No.315 have
confiscated over three hundred acres of land which grown rubber plantations to
deploy the new base in southern part of
According to the secret document of
AR No. 315 battalion, the confiscated lands is locating not so far from Thanbyuzayat town and it is a strategic place to have
strict control of Three Pagoda Pass - Thanbyuzayat
motor road and Thanbyuzayat - Ye motor road.
The
document added that that 303 acres of lands situated
near the
In order to build a huge compound of
battalion base, the battalion commander planned to negotiate with local
Township authorities, which meant they would some forced labour from the
villages' civilians nearby.
Most of the confiscated lands are
grown with rubber, which were owned by the local Mon villagers in the
area. They have grown these rubber
trees over 25-30 years ago. After the
lands were seized, some owner are hopeless and have
fled to
Armed Conflicts
A motor shell hit to a boy after fighting
(
On
A 10 years old boy who has been an orphan since he was a
childhood lived in neighbour village and came to Hangan village to buy rice. Unluckily he was hit by a motor shell during
fighting and got serious injury.
After
a serious injury, the boy was brought to Moulmein
hospital, the capital of Mon State and his left hand and left leg were cut in
that hospital.
The
fighting was between IB No.61 of Burmese Army led by Captain Tin Aung Khaing and the Mon splinter led by Nai
Sok Klein.
About 20 motor shells used from both side and as a result, one house was
totally destroyed but only a boy got serious injuries.
Due
to the fighting, the local people in that area have constantly facing serious
human rights violation committed by Burmese Army and they have to pay taxes to
both side of armed groups.
Fire! If wear army colour shirts
A IB No.61's Captain ordered to local people that anyone who
wear the Army color shirts or trousers must be shot to death in the southern Ye
township,
Before the order came out, because
of wearing army uniform colour shirts, two headmen, Nai Kyaw and Nai
Own Myint were suspected as rebal soldiers and
arrested by No.61's captain Tin Aung Khaing. The arrest happened in a tea shop in Sa-kom village.
According to a source from that
area, he said that the Burmese soldier closed the two men's faces and beat them
during interrogation in the village.
Then, the soldiers brought the men to Ye town and put them in
battalion's prison.
To release two men, the Capitain asked to pay Ks 100,000 each man. After released,
both men have checked their painful body in hospital again because of cruel
torture.
Extorted lumber woods
for new battalion
(
For
construction of a new Artillery Battalion No. 315, two villages from Thanbyuzayat at township were forced to give 280 tons of
lumbers woods to the Burmese Army and Township authorities.
After receiving the order from the
headman, Anin and Htin-yu
villagers cut down the trees in villages and in forests to get the full amount
of 280 tons that the new battalion wanted.
"We have to cut down our own
trees in villages. If not, we are
unable to fullfil the required amount. We also have to buy Kyat 260,000 per ton
from other area." said by a villager.
According to the Anin
and Htin-yu's villagers, they have never received like
this order and this was the first time to give lumber woods to the Burmese Army
and the local authorities with a huge amount.
But they did not know why they needed to provide such large amount of
lumbers.
Report:
Cruel and Degrading
Treatment against the Civilians in
I. Civil War and
Suffering of Ethnic Civilians
In
On
the other hand, the ethnic armed groups have also totally relied on supports by
the civilians in terms of food, information, recruits and shelter. Accordingly to their revolutionary slogan,
the rebels are like 'fishes' and the civilians are like 'water' in a pool. They must survive only with the supports of
the civilians.
Therefore,
during 1970s and 1980s BSPP rule, the Burmese Army (tatmadaw)
adopted a policy of 'Four Cuts Campaign' to cut off all assistance from the
same ethnic civilians to the rebel groups concerned. They planned to cut off food, information,
recruits and sheltering provided by civilians.
In the implementation of this policy, thousands of villages in the rural
areas were forcibly relocated close to the bases of Burmese Army or along the
main motor road or railway road.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians had displaced and thousands of them
had sought shelters in
The
new military regime, SLORC seized power by killing of thousands of civilians in
September 1988 and at the same time, the Burmese Army
has intensified the military offensives against all ethnic armed
organizations. They had new policy of
overrunning all border bases and taking permanent bases in the border
point.
Since
then, the armed activities of most ethnic armed groups have been restrained and
they also had to abandon many of their strong bases. Their force became weak and then some of
armed groups decided to have ceasefire with the regime. Many armed groups of Kachin,
Shan,
II. Armed Conflict after 1988 in Southern Part of
II. A. SPDC's military deployment in Ye
and
After
NMSP-SLORC/SPDC ceasefire, accordingly to the agreement, the MNLA (Mon National
Liberation Army) troops withdrew from many parts of southern part of Ye
Township and
Because
of dissatisfaction by the local people, one group of an armed Mon splinter
group was formed in late 1997 and they planned to fight against the Burmese
Army. Because of this new armed
rebellion occurred, the Burmese troops have intensified their military
offensives in many parts of rural area in Ye and
In
2001, the Burmese Army also deployed about 10 military battalions in Ye
Township under the command of MOMC (Military Operation Management Command) No.
19 and planned to suppress all the rebellious abilities in Ye Township. During the dry season, from January to March
2002, the Burmese Army also sent some 3 light infantry battalions from Arakan State and let these troops oppressed the rebellious
activities.
The
SPDC and Burmese Army could not absolutely control in area southern part of Ye
Township and they did not trust the Mon villagers in that area and though all
of them are the supporters to the Mon splinter army concerned. They could not organize the villagers or
village headmen to be their supporters and thus, could have not formed militia
force or paramilitary force to make against the rebel armies.
But
in
In
But
the number of militiamen in the area reduced down gradually even they received
salary from the villagers, because they were afraid of being killed by the
rebel soldiers and most of them did not interest to involve in war and
fighting. Many of them resigned. Initially, in 1999 and 2000, LIB No. 282 and
LIB No. 273 formed the military force in many villages and the big villages
with 200 households must have 20 militiamen and the villages about 100
households must have 10 militiamen at least accordingly to their instruction
and forcibly formed. But in early 2002,
the villages which has about 20 militiamen before remained about 5-7
militiamen.
So,
in February and March 2002, LIB No. 273 and No. 282 reformed the village
militia force again. Before the
reformation, the battalion collected the list of all men between 18 and 45
years old in the villages. Then when
they formed the militia force, they did not recruit the permanent
militiamen. Accordingly to the new
instruction, all village committee members became permanent militiamen while
the chairman of each village became the commander of village militia
force. Then, they instructed the
villagers that they must work as militiamen on a rotation basis and accordingly
to the instruction, every men in the village need to
be as militiamen for one week and the village chairman needed to teach how to
use rifle gun. If one villager failed
to be a militiaman for one week he must have to pay 4000-5000 Kyat to the military battalion.
Sometimes,
when the Burmese Army launched military operations in
II. B. Military
operations and human rights violations in Kya-inn-seikyi
and
In
these
After
HRP (Hongsawatoi Restoration Party) split from NMSP,
which agreed ceasefire with the regime, SPDC, and they established a political
party and planned for resuming of new military campaigns. SPDC and Burmese Army also had some concerns
that they could not manage well on the ceasefire. A few number of HRP's
armed force, MRA, also made military ally with KNLA troops and took some
military activities to raise their organization's fund in the area since the
early day of split.
Therefore,
since early 2002, the Burmese Army intensified its offensives to uproot the
bases and activities of Mon and Karen rebel soldiers. In dry season, the Burmese Army had used IB
No. 34, IB No. 301, IB No. 77 (under the command of LID No. 88), LIB No. 550, LIB No. 354 and LIB No. 538. Some battalions had their bases in
In
March and April, the Burmese Army troops tried to track down the MRA troops and
suspected the Mon villagers in
At the same time, other battalions of Burmese Army launched
their military activities along Zami river, along
III. Burmese Army's suspicion of rebel supporters against rural civilians
In
the general thinking of Burmese Army, they suspected all ethnic civilians in
the rural areas as 'rebel supporters', who regularly support the rebel soldiers
with food, sheltering, fund and information.
The commanders of Burmese Army believed that without support of food
assistance to the rebel soldiers, the soldiers could not survive. Similarly without providing sheltering in
their farms, plantations, or the forests nearby, the rebel soldiers could not
launch any activities.
Whenever
the troops of Burmese Army were attacked by rebel soldiers, the Burmese Army's
commanders always believed that the ethnic villagers in the area must support
them with information about the movement of their troops. The villagers in the nearer villages are
always accused as providing to information and sheltering to those rebel
soldiers who could attack them effectively.
In
most condition, the rebel armies always collected revolutionary fund from the
villagers in villages in conflict zone.
Fund collecting system is varied among rebel groups. The Burmese Army also clearly knew that the
civilians are supporting fund to rebel armies.
Because of this support, they tried to accuse all civilians in the whole
as the supporters of rebel armies.
Following
this accusation, the soldiers of Burmese Army have involved in gross human rights
violations such as killing, arbitrary arrest, rape, torture, forced
displacement and others. The following
accounts are the human violations especially inhumane, cruel and degrading
treatment against ethnic Mon and others in 2002 related to 'accusation of
rebel-supporters'.
Abuses against Buddhist
Monks
In
southern part of Mon State and nearly entire parts of Karen State, KNLA troops,
MRA troops and Mon splinter groups have operated their military activities in
most the rural areas of both States. Mostly, they operate their military activities
for disturbing the Burmese Army's operations and collecting revolutionary fund
as well.
The
majority of Mon people are Buddhism and therefore, the Buddhist monks are
always accused as rebel-supporters.
Normally, some Buddhist monks who live in the areas, where MRA troops
and KNLA troops have more military activities, are constantly accused as rebel
supporters and some of them are unknowably executed in jungle areas. As always, the Burmese Army believed not only
the people but also the Buddhist monks live in the MRA and KNLA troops operated
areas, as they have supported this rebel army.
One
case of inhumane treatment was happened in
On
January 28 of 2002, after armed conflict between Burmese Army's LIB No. 550 and
a Mon splinter group, MRA, the commander of Burmese Army disrobed a Mon monk in
Kyon-kwee village,
Lt.
Col. Tin Maung Lwin, the commander of LIB No. 550
angered and arrested the monks, Nai Galae ( 45 years old ). After arrest, the soldiers tortured him for
over one hour during interrogation until he told something. The Burmese soldiers accused he was involved
in the recent fighting and accused him as a rebel soldier.
Accordingly
to villagers who have known him said that he did not
involve in fighting against the Burmese Army in the recent fighting. But he was
afraid of being suspected as a rebel, he robed to be a monk by the help of Kyon-kwee Monastery. But he was unexpectedly arrested and
disrobed by soldiers. After disrobe,
they brought him along with Burmese Army's troops and until now nobody knew
that where he was killed or alive.
In
tradition, Buddhist monks are the most respected religious persons and almost
the members of Burmese Army are also Buddhism.
However, the Burmese Army does not give any respect to the monks in the
rural areas and sometimes, they also used monks as
porters. For the monks who believe in
passion, forgiveness and loveliness always treat everyone who came into his
monastery compound with love, providing sheltering and foods. So, the soldiers of Burmese Army always
accused the monks as supporters of rebel armies.
Abuses against Women
Similarly
to Buddhist monks, the commanders of Burmese Army always think women in the
rural community are supporting rebel soldiers in terms of foods and
shelters. They always the women traders
or sellers are helping the rebel soldiers in buying things for them.
In
recent 1997/1998 when the rebellion by a Mon splinter group rose up in the
southern part of Ye Township and in
The
Burmese Army commanders have noticed the girls or women who came from black
areas to town. If they found some
suspicion of buying things for the rebel soldiers, they always tried to arrest
these women or sometimes they also threatened to kill these women.
As
an instance,
On
July 15 of 2002, when LIB No.343's military column commander, Maj. Lin Oo met a
woman in Ye Town's busy market, and suddenly he tried to arrest her. He approached her and tried to kill her with
accusation that she was buying foods and materials for Mon rebel soldiers.
Mi
Nwee Yee ( about 40 years
old ) was from Khaw-za village, which is in the
southern part of Ye Township where Mon rebel groups launched their military
activities nearby.
When
the commander met her in the market, the commander grasped her arm and asked
about her shopping. The woman answered that she bought foods and home used
materials for her family, but the commander did not believe her and then drew a
knife and tried to kill her. But she suddenly ran into the crowd in the market
and could escape from his killing.
Most
of the Burmese Army's commanders and their troops are regularly launched the
offensives in southern part of Ye Township against a Mon armed group and they
could recognize some villagers from Mon villages and so they always suspected
the villagers as the supporters of the Mon armed group.
Especially
the Burmese Army's commanders think are the main supporters of the rebel
soldiers and some are wives of the rebels or some are the relatives of the
rebels. They also think women could be
less suspicious people in the villages and accused the rebels tried to use
women in buying thinks for them.
Therefore, even the ordinary women traders are also suspected as rebel-supporters.
Shooting into villages
Sometimes,
without strong evidence, some villages are receiving rebel soldiers in the
villages and providing foods and sheltering for them. In this case, the Burmese Army's troops just
target the civilian population and shoot into village. Another reason of shooting into village is to
create scare upon the civilians. In most
shooting, some villagers also received serious injuries. Sometimes, some villagers are also
killed.
As
an instance,
On
November 16, a joint force of Burmese Army (SPDC's
armed force) shot into a Mon village, Khaw-za, in the
southern part of Ye Township and three Mon villagers seriously injured.
A
joint force of Burmese Army consisted of LIB No. 273, LIB No. 282 and LIB No.
267, which mostly from Yebyu and
On
that day about
(1) Nai Dot, Male,
43 years;
(2) Nai Shwe Hman, Male, 67 years; and
(3) Mi Kun Prae,
Female, 55 years.
All
three patients were brought to Ye Town hospital on the same day to have medical
treatment in the hospital. But no one
died and no shell hit to any rebel soldiers.
One
Mon splinter group led by Nai Bin and Nai Hlein, has launched a
military activity against Burmese Army.
Initially, the Burmese Army's troops from Ye area LIB No. 343 and IB No.
61 launched military offensives against this rebel armed group, and they were
seriously suffered in an ambush attack in October. Therefore, Southeast Command that bases in
Khaw-za village was big village with over 500
households, and the Burmese Army always suspected that village as a base of
rebel soldiers. As the troops came from
Tenasserim Division, they did not have much knowledge about the activity of
rebel soldiers and believed their enemies were in the village.
Killing during porter service
When the Burmese Army's battalions have operated military operations along the
border areas with Thailand or even in the military patrol in one specific area
in Mon State or Karen State or in Tenasserim Division, the soldiers always
arrested some villagers along the road and in the villages whom they met and
brought them to carry ammunitions with food supplies.
As
Burmese Army does not have reliable logistic system, they normally forced the
local civilians in the rural areas to carry ammunition and food supplies along
the hard military operations. In some
cases, the Burmese army arrested the villagers and brought them as porters in
the areas where the rebels have military activities and sometimes they were
killed in serious fighting. Sometimes,
when the porters could not manage to walk because of sickness or other serious
injuries, the soldiers also killed those porters. But most porters were killed in
fighting. They are normally killed when
the soldiers used them to walk as 'human-shields' or to step on mine as
'mine-sweepers'.
As
an instance,
On
January 12 of 2002, IB No.201 and LIB No.550 have jointly operated their
military operations along Three Pagoda Pass-Thanbyuzayat
motor roads in launching their military offensives against MRA, the Mon
splinter group, and KNLA troops.
At
that time, about 60 troops of IB No. 201 led by Lt.Col.Myo
Aung arrested some villagers and brought them to carry food supplies and
ammunitions during this offensive. The
soldiers also arrested about 10 porters on January 11 after they went into
Lay-Poe village.
When
the troops moved to Taung zon
area on the road, the fighting broke out and two porters died after fighting
with badly injuries. Later, one of the escape porter said that the Burmese Army
used them to move in advance.
In
late April and May 2002, many Mon and Karen villagers were killed in the
fighting while they were used as porters.
The Burmese Army's troops sometimes also used women as porters when they
could not get men and at the same time, they used them as 'human shields' to
walk in advance of soldiers. As an
instance, the Burmese Army's IB No. 31 also arrested about 30 women from Khaw-za village, southern part of Ye Township and used them
as human shields when they walked to another village.
Sexual Violations or Gang Rape against Mon Women
In
the rural areas of the southern part of Ye Township,
Although
the villagers and the headmen knew these rape cases, they did not dare to
inform to the higher battalion commanders because they knew the battle-field
commanders could make them problems. So, the Burmese soldiers know that weak
point and have more opportunities to involve sexual rape. In most rape cases, the gang rape is the
common violations committed by the soldiers.
As
an instance,
On
July 8 of 2002, three soldiers from LIB No.587 arrested an 18 years old Mon
girl near Kun-doo village, the southern part of Ye
Township and committed a gang rape case.
They repeatedly raped Mi Khin Htwe who is the
daughter of Nai At, until she lost consciousness.
Mi
Khin Htwe is from Ayu Taung village and with her two friends (one boy and one
another girl) after returned form visiting Kun-doo
village, about
When
the group of villagers arrived at incident place, they found the unconscious
girl and injured Mi Khin Htwe as she laid down near a rubber tree. But the soldiers already left
from the incident place.
The
villagers, her parents and the headmen of Ayu Taung village knew that the Burmese soldiers did wrong but
the headman including her parents did not dare to inform the higher battalion
commanders. They thought that informing could create another problem to them
and so they kept a silence for the case.
LIB No.587 takes base near that
village since 2001 and it confiscated many hundred acres of lands from the Kun doo and Ayu Taung
villages. This battalion and other nine
military battalions took base in the southern and eastern parts of Ye Township
area under the command of MOMC No. 19.
Since the arrival of Burmese Army, the villagers in the areas first lose
their lands, later they were forced to be porters or labour in the deployment
of army bases. Additionally, their
daughters are gang raped at the end.
During the Burmese Army is launching military
offensives, not only the rural women who live in Burmese Army's control areas,
but also some female teachers from Mon national school faced rape abuse by
Burmese soldiers.
As an instance,
On
January 5 of 2002, a sergeant from LIB No.343 based in Pran-maw,
While
the Mon teacher, Mi Aie Chan was alone in her house,
the Sergeant of LIB No.343 sneaked into her room and tried to rape her. And
then she shouts for help and the villagers at nearby arrested the Sergeant,
immediately. Before that case, that
Sergeant tried to rape the teacher for some days already and the villagers were
quick to stop his attempt.
Sexual violations or rape also
happens the Burmese Army's arrest the women and bring them as porters for
several days and nights. In these cases,
the gang rape could possibly happen.
Some sexual violations also happen when the soldiers conscripted the rural
women as unpaid labour in the work sites set by the army.
Killing
villagers after rape
In
most cases, the rural women were rapes by Burmese soldiers when their parents
or their husbands are not in the houses. While only women and children remained
in the house in their villages, they were very unsafe when the troops of Burmese
Army came and based in their villages. The soldiers always climbed to some
houses and tried to rape women or girls.
Sometimes,
while the soldiers raped the women, someone saw or found that event and tried
to call help, and immediately the soldiers who committed the raping case always
opened fire to him or her or to group of helpers.
As
an instance,
On
When
four soldiers from IB No.62 arrived into village, they entered into village
secretary, Nai Kun Tit's house and met his grand
daughter, Mi Thu Zar (a school girl from Middle
school in a village nearby) while she was cooking rice to donate the monks in
early morning.
And
four soldiers including a soldier, Thein Naing (ID No. 176399) started to rape the girl. While they
were raping the girl, Nai Kun Tit waked up and run
down from his house to entrance garden and shout for
help. Suddenly, because of his shouting
for help, a soldier opened fire at him and died on spot. Some of the soldiers
in that group disagreed with shooting to the man and they shot each other
again.
After
shooting several time on the house, another four villagers including Mi Thu Zar was shot by the four soldiers.
In
that case, Nai Kun Tit (66 years old, the secretary
of the village), Mi Kun Bae (60 years old, wife of Nai Kun Tit), Mi Thu Zar (16
years old, rape victim and grand daughter of Nai Kun Tit ), Min Chit KO (20 years old, grand son of Nai Kun Tit) and Nai Wet Tae (42
years old, staff of Nai
Kun Tit's farm) were killed in the incident.
In
the shooting, Thein Naing, a IB No.62 soldier got serious injuries and lied down in the
kitchen of the house. But no soldier
died in the incident.
This
is the most terrible and cruel incident after NMSP-SPDC ceasefire. After these terribly case, in the morning,
the IB No.62's army officers from
Whenever
there are more SPDC soldiers in the rural area, there are
more possibility of sexual violations during their military activities. Sometimes after soldiers committed a gang
rape, they also killed girls or women to close all evident facts.
Sexual violations against Karen Women
In
Similarly
to the Mon villagers in southern part of Ye Township and many Karen in the
rural areas have been suffered from the sexual violations by the Burmese Army's
soldiers. In some sexual violations,
the commander of the Burmese Army also involved.
As
an instance,
On
June 7 of 2002, during a military operation of Burmese Army, the second
commander of IB No. 34, Captain Aung Myint raped Naw
Win Yee, ( 27 years old Karen married woman in a Karen
village of Kya-inn-seikyi Township).
During
their military operation against KNLA troops in that area, a company of 60
troops of IB No.34 went into Phar-Pya Karen village
and a captain from those IB No.34 named raped the
Karen woman while her husband was not stayed in the house about
After
rape, Naw Win Yee was too afraid and moved to her
neighbouring house suddenly and left her baby.
The baby cried loudly and the elder women from the neighbouring houses
came and brought the baby to her.
In
the next morning, her husband and the villagers told the headman about the rape
case in the night. But the village
headman did not dare to inform to the chief commander in the military and kept
quiet.
Many
rape cases have been silent, as the local people in the rural area are afraid
to talk about and kept quiet. Whenever
the soldiers of Burmese Army came into a village, they also inquired which
houses have no men. As the men were
always arrested and beaten by the soldiers, they always fled from the villages
and moved into forests, when they heard news about the coming of Burmese
Army. Only elder persons, women and
children remained in the village and that was a good opportunity for the
Burmese soldiers to rape women.
Killing and inhumane treatments
During
their military offensives in the southern part of
In
the black area, which is known as free fire zone, the soldiers of Burmese Army
have rights to shoot anyone they like.
Whenever the shooting agains the civilians
happened, they always said that they made complaint that they suspected rebel
soldiers and killed them.
As
an instance,
On
August 15 of 2002, a group of two soldiers and a sergeant from LIB No. 343 shot
at two villagers in Sone-na-tha village in the
northern part of Ye Township without any prior notice.
While
the two villagers from Sone-na-tha village were
fishing in a farm and the sergeant shot at them about 3:30 p.m
evening. As a result, the young man
about 20 years old Mehm Pha Lot was seriously injured by two bullets and his
friend was not hit by any bullet. The
shooting happened about 300 meters in distance.
The
friend of Mehm Pha
Lot said that the sergeant and his two soldiers were drunk. He shot three
bullets to them and a bullet hit the neck of the young man and another point
hit his leg. Before the shooting
occurred, the Sergeant and his company had a minor conflict with a car driver
who refused to give them money for passing the bridge, in where these three
soldiers took security and were drinking local made alcohol. During he was angry and drunk, he found two
villagers were fishing and he shot at them.
After
got serious injuries, the villagers brought Mehm Pha Lot to Ye Town hospital and
the headman of Sone-na-tha village also informed
about the shooting case to Military Intelligence No. 5 and Township
authorities.
Later,
in order to avoid or being afraid of news spreading, the officer from MI No.5
and Ye Township authorities forced the injured man, Mehm
Pha Lot to treat at home and provided 5,000 Kyat to
his parents to cover medication cost.
The
commders from LIB No. 343 and MI No. 5 officers
promised that they would punish their soldiers who involved in shooting. But
until now, nobody know how they punished their
soldiers or not.
During the military operation
activities in Kya-inn-seikyi Township, Karen State,
in dry season 2002 (from November to May), the Burmese Army also created
another shooting case and killed some Mon villagers even in a village in NMSP
cease-fire zone.
As
an instance,
On
May 12 of 2002, the Burmese Army's IB No. 77 including about 100 soldiers led
by Maj. Myint Lwin went into Taung-bauk
village which is a Mon village in
Nai Lone died on the spot after shooting and the remaining
villager, Nai Lao, died in
The
commander of IB No. 77 Maj. Myint Lwin gave the
reason that they committed shooting as they thought the group of the villagers
was the group of KNLA troops.
Although
Taung-Pauk village is included in
The
IB No. 77 was a new battalion, which was brought from Pegu
division and neither brought from
Finally,
they accept that the shooting against the villagers was a wrongdoing, but the
civilians and the headman did not know how the higher officers gave the
punishments to their soldiers. No
compensation to the dead villagers was provided by authorities or Burmese
Army.
As
the soldiers have opportunity to shoot anyone in the rural area, even they
shoot at civilians, they just reported to the higher commanders that they made
mistake and they suspected these villagers as rebels. With this reason, the soldiers or commanders
who involved in killing could not get much punishment by the higher
commanders. For sure, they are not put
in jail and but they moved to another area without reducing ranks.
Torture
Torture
is also the common human rights violation in the rural areas. Even in the normal situation, when the
soldiers of Burmese Army met a villager in forest or in farm or fruit
plantation alone, they also beat and slap by questioning about activities of
rebel soldiers.
Normally,
in the southern part of Mon State and some parts of Karen State where the Mon
and Karen rebel soldiers have military activities against the SPDC army troops,
the Burmese Army commanders ordered to the village headmen to give them
information about the activities of the rebel troops. When the village headmen failed to provide
them information, they also torture the headmen.
The
torture of the innocent civilians mostly occurred in the areas that KNLA and
MRA group active. If someone was
suspected rebel supporter, the soldiers made sudden arbitrary arrest and then
tortured him or her during interrogation about the activities of the rebel
soldiers.
On
the other hand, when the Burmese Army's troops launched their military offensive
against the rebel groups and then they committed several cases of torturing
against the rural civilians.
As
an instance,
On
July 17 of 2002, the Burmese Army troop from LIB No.343 led by Maj. Lin Oo
tortured a 40 years old Mon farmer, Nai Nyunt Maung,
in his plantation and beat him until he lost consciousness near Khaw-za village, the southern part of Ye Township, Mon
State.
To
launch the military offensive in the area against the Mon rebels, Maj. Lin Oo
and his troops arrived in Nai Nyunt Maung's plantation.
And then they asked him to give them information about the activities of
a rebel leader, Nai Bin. When the man said that he
did hot know the rebel leader, and they arrested the man accused him as the
rebel-supporter.
Then,
they brought him along with them and forcibly ordered to show the bases of the
Mon rebels. As the man had not really
known the place of rebel base, he could not show them the place that they
wanted to know. So, they started to get
anger and beat him for three days.
During those three days, he was also used to walk in advance as
human-shields by the soldiers.
In
the last day of the arrest, Maj. Lin Oo was too angry to him and ordered his
group to beat the man by group. About
five soldiers beat him in the face and in the part of his body. After cruel beating, some of his tooth broke
and lost consciousness.
And
then the Burmese Army left him alone and the farmers of the near area found him
and brought to his hut in Khawza village. As a
result, Nai Nyunt Maung's
arm was broken, useless and became a disable man.
In
the most southern part of Ye Township where Burmese Army launched the military
operations, the army commanders ordered to farmers to not stay in the farms at
nighttime. Therefore, most farmers tried
to go and work at their farms at daytime and returned to their homes in
hurry. Therefore, they get less time to
work at farms or at their fruit plantation.
Other
types of mental torturing always happened in the conflict area. Sometimes, when
the Burmese Army came into a village, which they suspected as rebel base, the
asked all villagers and put them under hot sun light for several hours without
giving foods. This is also one type of torture.
Conclusion
Cruel
and degrading treatment has also forced the local inhabitants to flee from
their homes and displaced. After all
men in the villages are always beaten by the soldiers, most men fled from
villages and stayed in the jungle. When
there was no man, the soldiers also arrested women for porter service or women
are raped. Then women also decided from
the native places.
There
are (unofficial number) one million displaced persons in