*
* Army used young women and girls for model show to
entertain commander
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Politics
the two-day Asia-Europe summit that
begins today, but its top
diplomat, who has been in the field
for 37 years, was able to devote
more than one hour entertaining two
of
his office yesterday, reports Saw Sarky, Karen representative, from
"Audiences with such people are normally no more than
15-30 minutes,"
said the 52-year-old Karen National
Union's Central Committee member
matter-of-factly on the meeting
with Dr Antonio Monteiro, foreign
minister since July, "but we
were there from
discussing
Sarky and his Shan sidekick, Sai Wansai, 54, of the Shan
Democratic
last month.
The two made an appeal through
Termination of the "national convention" and
commencement of the
Tripartite Dialogue.
A Nationwide ceasefire,
Freedom of movement for all stakeholders.
Conference participation by all main
non-Burman groups.
Reinstatement of all banned political parties.
Release of all political prisoners .
Independent investigation of the Depayin
massacre (May 39, 2003)
The pair also urged consideration of the following options
if and when
its demands are not met:
Heightened sanctions.
Putting
Full recognition of representatives elected in 1990.
Diplomatic pressures including coercive diplomacy.
A benchmark policy.
Empowering civil societies in
"The main achievement," Sarky
summed up, "was the full understanding
conveyed to us by the foreign
minister with regards to the role of the
non-Burman ethnic nationalities in
the triangular configuration of
"We are therefore highly confident that Dr. Monteiro will highlight
not only the struggle for democracy
in
equality by the ethnic
nationalities in future meetings with his
European counterparts," he concluded.
The twosome have since 2001 made
eight trips together since 2001
lobbying European governments
"in our struggle for the restoration of
democracy, right of self
determination, equality and universal human
rights in
For text of the letter to Foreign Minister Antonio Monteiro, please
consult the attachment.
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Human Rights Violations
Army used young women and girls for model show to
entertain commander
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Independent Mon News Agency (
The Burmese army base in Khaw-zar
village, in southern Ye Township,
Mon State, have forced girls and young women 13-20-years-old
as models
in fashion shows to entertain their
commander in the army camp during
the night everyday, according to a
villager who arrived at the border,
and confirmed by the IMNA source in
the area.
“Every day seven young girls from a village quarter were
collected by
the soldiers under Tactical
Commander No.3, to entertain their
commander Colonel Nyi Nyi from 7 till
the army camp although their
parents wouldn’t like (it),” Mr. Nai Min
Tin and the IMNA source said.
“Nobody was allowed by the army to see it. The army did not
allow even
the girls’ parents to see it and
pick up and take their daughters home
after the show,” Mr. Nai Min added.
“During the soldiers coming to collect the girls, they came
with guns,
just pointed them at the girls and
did not ask their parents’
permission or not. But they took
the girls to the camp anyway,” he
added.
Many sexual harassment acts were done to the girls,
according to Mr.
Nai Min and the source. Some woman used to massage the
commander and
other army officers. But
nobody speak out about the rape case
happening in the fashion show at
the moment,”
The fashion show restarted since Sept. 20, and the
army used seven
girls from a village quarter. The
Army collected the girls on a
rotation basis from three quarters
in the village.
“Some women were repeatedly used in the show and the
commander also
ordered the girls to practice
singing the “Ma Ni Sandar” song to sing
during the next show,” the source
said.
“The song was becoming popular in the villager,” the source
added.
“Because the soldiers did not allow villagers to watch, and
did not
allow the girls’ parents to see
what their daughters were doing, some
parents sent their daughters to
that,” said to the source.
Such as Ms. Khaing Oo, 16, Ms. Kyae Lai, 18, Ms.Kaydar Oo and Ms
Khin
Mar Myit who were used repeatedly
for fashion shows and their parents
tried to take them away to free
from the show, according to the source.
“That army did violations against our Mon women. Even
the Burmese
government has formed many women’s
organizations in
women. But practically, there is no
action for girls such as these
young girls,” said Mrs. Mi Khamon Htaw, coordinator of the
Women and
Child Rights Project in
Young girls in this village and villages nearby were used as
models to
show their fashions in the army
camp from last December until
February. During that time, army
Tactical Commander Colonel Myo Win of
the Southeast Command used the
girls. Some girls were raped during
that time.
In Southern Mon State and Tavoy
district, many village girls were
raped while the army was based in
the village.
In September 2004, Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry
battalion No.
282 raped two girls, Ms. Ma Yu, 18,and
Mrs. Kyan Yit, 24, in Kyauk-
kadin
village,
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