No.03 - 05/2006
4 May 2006

Human Rights

Junta army looks at gift horses in the mouth

Reporter: Hawkeye

A homely girl, who was among the 7 women forced to "comfort" a 60-men patrol from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 514 based in Mongkerng, a township 148 miles northeast of the state capital of Taunggyi, was beaten to death by angry soldiers last month, according to sources coming to the border.

Sources, who were reluctant to identify the girl, a native of Look-kang village, Zonglao village tract, west of the Loizang range and near the headwaters of the Namteng, said the soldiers left her battered remains outside the village. The incident took place on 3 April 2006.

"The village headman is forced to select female members of his village to sleep with the soldiers every time they turn up there," a female source stated, while others named Infantry Battalion (IB) 64 (Laikha), LIB 515 (Laikha) and LIB 518 (Mongnai) as regular perpetrators.

In late March, 11 women, six from Hwe Hsem and five from Mark Khinok, both from Tonglao village tract, were raped by soldiers from IB 515. When the headman of Mark Khinok reported to Captain San Hlaing of Indaw-based IB 292 in Tonglao, he was said to have replied, "There's nothing I can do, as we are not from the same unit."

The girls from Mark Khinok were identified as Nang Noan, 25; Nang Zom, 18; Nang Pueng, 19; Nang Goi, 20; and Nang Awng, 22. All are married.

Elders of Tonglao later reported to the district peace and development council chairman Win Tint in Loilem, 81 miles east of Taunggyi, which was said to have angered the local military authorities much.

With regards to the excesses of the Burma Army soldiers, a visiting colonel at the IB 243 command post in Namlan, north of Mongkerng, was reported to have told the soldiers in mid-March: "Do anything you like whether it be stealing, robbing, raping or dealing in drugs. The only thing you have to be careful is it doesn't come out on one of the foreign radios."