January - 2011 SHRF Monthly Newsletter

- Commentary: Genocide, War Crimes or Crimes Against Humanity

- Arbitrary killing, severe beating and forced disappearance of villagers in Murng Gerng
- Rape in Murng-Nai
- Rape in Kun-Hing
- Severe beating in Murng-Kerng
- Villagers Beaten and robbed of their chickens in Murng-Kerng
- Villagers threatened with death, money extorted, in Murng-Kerng
- Passenger car conscripted, passengers forced to get down and wait, in Nam-Zarng and
Murng- Nai
- Restrictions imposed on farmers, rice fields confiscated, in Murng-Nai
- Restrictions imposed on private car owners in Kaeng-Tung
- People forced to keep watch and report to military, threatened with severe punishment,
Kun-Hing

COMMENTARY
Genocide, War Crimes or Crimes Against Humanity
        Gross human rights violations such as extrajudicial killing, rape, beating and torture,
arbitrary arrest and detention, and forced disappearance, etc., have been a continuing process
since the troops of the Burmese military set foot in Shan State in late 1950s. The situation got
worse after the Burmese military seized power in 1962 and started sending more and more
troops to occupy many strategic areas in Shan State and subjugate the people.
        However, the situation has become increasingly worse since after the 1988 people’s
democracy uprising as the Burmese military have drastically and continuously increased the
numbers of troops in an attempt to occupy the whole Shan State in accordance with their policy
of militarization. In doing so, the Burmese military have used various brutal means to suppress
the people, including mass forced relocations of the civilian populations.
        In 1996-1997, in central Shan State alone, nearly 1,500 villages in 11 townships were
forcibly relocated at gun point by the Burmese military troops, displacing around 300,000
people.
        During these mass forced relocations, gross human rights violations have been committed
by the Burmese military troops against the people so rampant that many observers concluded
that those atrocities were tantamount to genocide or war crimes or crime against humanity.
        Since then up to the present, such gross human rights violations as mentioned above have
been continually occurring, as reported in this month’s newsletter issue.

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ARBITRARY KILLING, SEVERE BEATING AND FORCED DISAPPEARANCE OF
VILLAGERS IN MURNG-GERNG

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        In April 2010, a villager and his 12-year-old son were shot dead by a patrol of SPDC troops
from Division-55, in front of their house at Loi Phaa Khe village in Nawng Leo village tract,
Murng-Kerng township.
        On 11 April 2010, a patrol of SPDC troops from 55th Division, based in Kalaw township,
came by military trucks to Paang Ketu village in Paang Ketu village tract in Murng-Kerng
township. They parked their trucks at Paang Ketu village and set out on foot to patrol the areas
in the south.
        At about 8 o’clock in the evening, the SPDC troops came to Loi Phaa Khe village in Nawng
Leo village tract in Murng-Kerng township. The troops surrounded the village and quietly
entered it, without letting the villagers know of their arrival.
        At one point in the village, the SPDC troops saw 2 villagers in a street and shot at them
without knowing who they were and without asking them any questions. Within seconds, the
villagers were riddled with bullets and died instantly on the spot.
        The victims were villagers of Loi Phaa Khe village, Lung Loi, aged 51 and his son, Zaai
Seng, aged 12. They were standing in the street just in front of their house when they were shot
dead by the SPDC troops who did not give them a chance even to explain who they were.
        After randomly shooting dead the villagers, the SPDC troops said that they did it because
they thought the villagers were Shan soldiers. But as they were only ordinary villagers, it was up
to the other villagers to take care of them according to their traditions, they said.
        After staying in the village for a short while, the commander of the SPDC troops gave
30,000 kyat of money to the wife and mother of the dead as a gesture of condolence, and left
the village to continue to patrol the area.
        On the morning of the next day, 12 April 2010, at about 8:00 a.m., the said patrol of about
80 SPDC troops came into Huay Sim village in the same village tract, Nawng Leo, and on
seeing 2 men sitting in a house ordered them to come out to them.
        The 2 men were Paan Laai, aged 45 and Zaai Pan, aged 35. Both men were villagers of
Huay Sim village and they were sitting and drinking tea in Paan Laai’s house when some SPDC
troops came near the house and ordered them to come out.
        The SPDC troops said they had seen very few men in the village and asked the 2 villagers
where they had all gone. When the villagers said that most men had gone to work their farms
outside the village, the SPDC troops then asked them whether they had seen Shan soldiers
came to their village.
        The villagers said they had never seen any Shan soldiers came to their village and the
SPDC troops asked them whether they had any information about their whereabouts in the
area, and the villagers said they had no information about the Shan soldiers whatsoever.
        The SPDC troops then became angry and accused the 2 villagers of either being Shan
soldiers or their informers, and 3 of the SPDC troops beat them with sticks. The troops
surrounded the 2 villagers and beat them severely and repeatedly until they fell down and
continued to beat them until they were near dead.
        The SPDC troops then left Huay Sim village and headed towards Paang Leng village in the
same village tract. They reached Paang Leng village at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon and
arrested 2 villagers in the village.
        The arrested were Nan-Da (m), aged 35 and Zaai Su (m), aged 36, both were villagers of
Paang Leng village in Nawng Leo village tract. The 2 villagers were forced to go with the patrol
of the SPDC troops when they left the village.
        Since then the 2 villagers have disappeared. Several months after the incident, up until late

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2010 at the time this report was received, the 2 villagers had not yet returned to their village. No
one in their village knew where they were, and if they were still alive or dead.
[Top]
RAPE IN MURNG-NAI
        In July 2010, a soldier from a patrol of SPDC troops from LIB574 raped a villager of Kawng
Yaao village in Naa Khaan village tract in Murng-Nai township, and ordered her to wait until he
came back to arrange a traditional marriage between them.
        On 15 July 2010, a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops from LIB574 came to patrol and guard
the main road between Murng-Nai town and Kaeng Tawng sub-township. The SPDC troops
made Kawng Yaao village in Naa Khaan village tract, Murng-Nai township, their temporary
camp and stayed in the village for some days.
        While staying in Kawng Yaao village, SPDC troops who were not on patrolling duty used to
go around in the village, visiting houses and flirting with young women. After some days, one of
the SPDC troops raped a young single woman in her house while she was alone.
        On 15 July 2010, after her parents had gone to work at their farm outside their village,
Naang Naang (not her real name) was left alone to do some household chores at their house.
At that time one of the SPDC troops came into the house and flirted with Naang Naang.
        After a while, when the SPDC soldier learned that there was no one except Naang Naang
in the house, he threatened her with his gun and forced her into her bed room, and raped her
until he was satisfied.
        After she had been raped, Naang Naang cried and prepared to go out of the house, saying
she would go and complain about the incident to the commander of the SPDC troops in the
village. But the soldier blocked her way and said he would shoot her if she dared go out of the
house.
        When Naang Naang’s parents returned from their farm, they saw their daughter crying in
the house and the SPDC soldier was still in the house. When the soldier saw Naang Naang’s
parents, he quickly brought a plate with some flowers and apologized them for his fault, putting
10,000 kyat of money on the plate.
        The soldier told Naang Naang’s parents that he wanted her for a wife and he would tell his
superiors to come and ask for her, and he would marry her properly to save face and dignity for
their family. Meanwhile, they were not to tell anyone about the incident, or he would come back
and kill them all.
        The whole patrol of SPDC troops left Kawng Yaao village on the same evening and Naang
Naang’s rapist also went with them. In early September 2010, when this report was received,
the SPDC troops were said to be stationed at Loi Aai village, but Naang Naang was yet to hear
from him.

RAPE IN KUN-HING
        In late July 2010, a villager of Wan Lao village in Wan Lao village tract in Kun-Hing
township was raped by an SPDC military officer at her house and was threatened to be shot
dead if she told other people about it.
        On 24 July 2010, a patrol of over 30 SPDC troops from a locally known ‘Commando Unit’,
based in Kun-Hing, came to Wan Lao village in Wan Lao village tract, Kun-Hing township, and
stayed in the village for 2 nights.
        During the second night, an officer from the military patrol, Lt. Thein Aung, entered the
house of a woman villager named Naang Lu (not her real name) and raped her all night. After

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raping the woman, the SPDC military officer warned her not to tell any one about it or he would
come back and kill her.
        Naang Lu, aged 30, was a single woman who lived alone in a house in Wan Lao main
village after both of her parents died some years ago. Not very long after the incident, however,
Naang Lu told her fellow village women about her plight.
        Naang Lu told her friends when they met at the village Buddhist temple on a religious
occasion, who in turn told the village leaders about it. However, no one dared to do anything
about it for fear of the SPDC soldiers.
[Top]
SEVERE BEATING IN MURNG-KERNG
        In July 2010, a villager was severely beaten up by SPDC troops from LIB514 at Phraa Loi
Khe village in Yaang Loi village tract in Murng-Kerng township.
        On 3 July 2010, a patrol of about 40-50 SPDC troops from LIB514 came into Phraa Loi
Khe village in Yaang Loi village tract, Murng-Kerng township, and stopped a man they found in
a street and interrogated him.
        The man, Aai Thun (not his real name), aged about 28, was a villager of that village, Phraa
Loi Khe. He was in the street in front of his house when the SPDC troops suddenly came and
ordered him to stop.
        The SPDC troops interrogated Aai Thun in the street right where they had found him. After
about 30 minutes, because Aai Thun could not answer their questions, one of the troops
interrogating him became angry and accused him of being a Shan soldier, scolding and verbally
abusing him.
        At about the same time as one SPDC soldier was verbally abusing Aai Thun, another
soldier who had been standing nearby holding a stick and watching the interrogation, moved in
and beat him on the back with the stick severely several times.
        Aai Thun fell to the ground from the beating, holding his breath because of the pains, and
could not stand up or utter a word for some time. The SPDC troops then left Aai Thun in that
state and continued their patrol out of the village.

VILLAGERS BEATEN AND ROBBED OF THEIR CHICKENS IN MURNG-KERNG

        In April 2010, 2 villagers were beaten and robbed of their chickens by a patrol of SPDC
troops from Kae-See-based IB131 at a place between Mawk Zali and Kung Yom villages in
Ham Ngaai village tract in Murng-Kerng township.
        On 15 April 2010, Lung Mart, aged 60 and his nephew, Zaai Zoi, aged 21, from Kung Yom
village in Ham Ngaai village tract in Murng-Kerng township, went by ox-cart to Mawk Zali village
in the same village tract to buy some chickens to keep and breed them at their village.
        On their way back the 2 villagers were stopped by a patrol of about 45 SPDC troops from
IB131, based in Kae-See township, before they reached their village. When they saw a bamboo
basket full of chickens on the cart, the SPDC troops took it down and asked the villagers about
Shan soldiers in the area.
        When the villagers said they did not know about the Shan soldiers, the SPDC troops
ordered them to get down from the cart and interrogated them. After a short while the troops
accused the villagers of having bought the chickens for the Shan soldiers.
        As a punishment, the villagers were beaten 3 times each on the back with a stick by an
officer who had a stripe on each of his arms. After that, the SPDC troops ordered the villagers to
get on their cart and drive away, without giving back their chickens.

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        There were 20 viss (1 viss = 1.6 kg) of chickens in the basket that was stolen by the SPDC
troops. The villagers had to buy them at the rate of 4,000 kyat per viss. In addition to being
brutally beaten, the villagers also lost 80,000 kyat worth of chickens, with nowhere to complain
about them.
[Top]
VILLAGERS THREATENED WITH DEATH, MONEY EXTORTED, IN MURNG-KERNG
        In July 2010, 2 villagers of Wan Huay village in Murng Khun village tract in Murng-Kerng
township were arrested, tied up and interrogated by SPDC troops from Lai-Kha-based LIB515,
who later threatened to kill them and extorted money from other villagers for their release.
        On 8 July 2010, a patrol of SPDC troops from LIB515, based in Lai-Kha township, came by
a conscripted mini-tractor to Murng-Kerng township and continued to walk and patrol the area of
Yaang Loi village tract.
        On 9 July 2010, at about 9 o’clock in the morning, the said military patrol walked into Wan
Huay village in Murng Khun village tract in Murng-Kerng township and arrested 2 Palaung
villagers they found in the street, and interrogated them.
        Paw Naam Seng (m), aged 40 and Zaai Khawng, aged 30, were going to gather thatches
to make roofing for their houses when they ran into the SPDC troops as they came into Wan
Huay village. They were immediately arrested, their hands tied up behind their backs and
interrogated by the troops.
        The SPDC troops accused the 2 villagers of being informers, trying to sneak out of the
village to inform the Shan soldiers about their arrival, and interrogated them for about an hour
without getting any satisfactory answers from them.
        Finally, the SPDC troops called up the village leaders and elders and told them to bring
300,000 kyat of money as guarantee for the release of the 2 villagers within an hour, or the 2
villagers would surely be dead, they threatened.
        Fearing for the lives of their fellow villagers, the villagers managed to pool up enough
money before the time was up and, after getting the money and releasing the 2 villagers, the
troops left Wan Huay village to continue to patrol other parts of the area.
        Later, villagers of Wan Huay had to equally share the burden. There were about 20
households in their village and each household had to provide about 15,000 kyat to make up
the whole amount, which was quite considerable for the villagers.

PASSENGER CAR CONSCRIPTED, PASSENGERS FORCED TO GET DOWN AND WAIT,

IN NAM-ZARNG AND MURNG-NAI
        In April 2010, passengers on a car were forced to get down and the car was conscripted by
the SPDC troops at a place between Nam-Zarng and Murng-Nai townships, forcing the
passengers to wait at the roadside for 1 day and 1 night without food and lodging.
        On 19 April 2010, the SPDC troops manning an outpost camp at a place called 17-mile,
between Kho Lam village tract in Nam-Zarng township and Kaeng Tawng sub-township in
Murng-Nai township, stopped a car, forced the passengers down and conscripted it.
        The SPDC troops forced the car to take them to their base in Kaeng Tawng area in
Murng-Nai township, leaving the passengers stranded at the side of the road near the military
camp where they had to wait 1 day and 1 night for their car to come back and pick them up.
        The passengers had to stay and sleep at the side of the road without food and shelter
during the time they waited for their car. The military camp, though it was near by, provided
them with nothing, not even some food.

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[Top] RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON FARMERS, RICE FIELDS CONFISCATED, IN

MURNG-NAI
        In mid 2010, villagers in Kaeng Tawng sub-township in Murng-Nai township were restricted
from going to work at their remote rice farms by the SPDC troops of LIB517 who also refused to
hand back rice fields to their owners after having used them to grow dry season rice for the
military.
        In July 2010, the SPDC troops from LIB517 went out to patrol the areas west of the main
rice fields in Kaeng Tawng sub-township. The troops patrolled the areas where there were
many old villages that had been relocated many years ago and where many villagers still came
to work their farms.
        Many areas were still locally called by the names of the villages which had once located in
them, e.g., Nam Un, Nam Tawng, Huay Keng, Ter Hung and Paang Phit villages, etc.,.
Although they have been relocated to other areas, many villagers still came back to work their
original farms to grow rice and sesame virtually every year when they had a chance.
        The said patrol of SPDC troops searched the said areas and told the villagers they found
working in their farms that they should stop coming to their farms because they would need to
ask for permission and get a pass from the military to be able to come out to their farms in the
future.
        Also during July 2010, when some farmers in Kaeng Tawng area, whose rice fields had
been temporarily taken by the military to grow dry season rice, asked the SPDC troops to give
back their rice fields for them to grow rice during the rainy season, the military refused to give
them back.
        The SPDC troops said to the farmers that they intended to continue to use those rice fields
all year round for some more years because they had good irrigation systems and yielded good
harvests, which was good for the military. The farmers dared not do anything about it, and had
to give up their rice fields.

RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON PRIVATE CAR OWNERS IN KAENG-TUNG AND

TA-KHI-LAEK
        Since around mid July 2010, owners of cars, that were registered for private use, were
restricted from carrying passengers when they traveled on the main road between Kaeng-Tung
and Ta-Khi-Laek townships.
        In mid July 2010, an order was issued by the SPDC military authorities banning private car
owners from carrying passengers in their cars and travel on the Kaeng-Tung - Ta-Khi-Laek
main road, causing a lot of complains among the private car owners throughout the areas.
        The most upsetting thing, they said, was that they were not allowed even to carry their own
relatives. Some car owners from Kaeng-Tung had already had some such experiences. One car
owner was forced to pay a fine of 30,000 kyat for carrying a relative on the main road.
        When the car owner explained that he was only carrying his relative without taking any
money, the authorities said that he needed to get a written permission, with a photocopy of their
ID attached, from the authorities before he could carry any passenger, and fined him anyway.
[Top]
PEOPLE FORCED TO KEEP WATCH AND REPORT TO MILITARY, THREATENED WITH
SEVERE PUNISHMENT, IN KUN-HING
        In April 2010, SPDC military authorities in Kun-Hing township issued orders to villagers of
several village tracts in the township to report unusual activities, especially the movements of

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Shan soldiers, in their areas to the military accurately, or face severe punishment.
        On 8 April 2010, a combined force of about 80 SPDC troops from IB246, LIB528 and those
taking security at Ta Kaw bridge called a meeting of village and community leaders of 5 village
tracts east of the Nam Pang river.
        The 5 village tracts were Wan Phaai, Saai Murng, Wan Tong, Kaeng Lom and Waeng
Phui, and there were about 80 villages in those village tracts. At the meeting, the SPDC troops
told the village and community leaders to warn their respective villagers who were on sentry
duty, or messengers sent by them, to report accurately to the military.
        The villagers were to be more vigilant and accurate especially in collecting information
about the movements of the Shan soldiers. They were to report to the nearest SPDC troops as
soon as possible and accurately where the Shan soldiers were at a particular time and where
they were going, etc..
        If, because of inaccurate information, the SPDC troops’ patrols were attacked or
unexpectedly ran into the Shan soldiers and fighting broke out, the nearest villages and the
village tract in which they located would be held responsible and severely punished.

[Top]

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