No.04 - 05/2006
5 May 2006

Politics/Human Rights

Junta army takes credit for not killing victims

Reporter: Sein Kyi

A Burma Army column, after subjecting 6 villagers to hours of physical torture, had released them saying they were lucky they were not Shans, according to new refugee arrivals at the border:

The six, all from Nawng Hoi village tract, Mongkerng township, Loilem district, were

• Pu Ki, 45, headman, Kawng Hpay village
• Pu Baw, 46, headman, Nawng Hoi village
• Hsra Hsing, 36, headman, Nawng Hoi village tract
• Loong Kawn, 55, tea trader, Mongkerng
• Ai Lone, 30, Loong Kawn's son-in-law, Kawng Hpay village
• Sai Hsa, 34, villager, Kawng Hpe village

The first three, summoned by the unidentified column commander from Mongnai-based Light Infantry Battalion 518, who had stopped over for the night at the Nawng Hoi village school, were tied and beaten by 6 soldiers after accusing them of assisting the Shan State Army (SSA) South of Col Yawdserk. The event took place on 8 March 2006.

Meanwhile, Loong Kawn, who was at Nawng Hoi to purchase tea, was found with 500,000 kyat ($360) on his person and was taken into custody on suspicion that the money was for the SSA-South.

Ai Lone and his friend Sai Hsa, who later came to the column commander to seek the release of his father-in-law, were also tied up and interrogated. The methods employed included rolling a stick along the shinbones, aside from the usual punching and lashing, said sources.

Upon their release on the next day, the column commander was said to have told them, "Only two things have saved you from death:

• One, you speak Burmese
• Two, you are PaO, not Shans. Had you been Shans, you wouldn't have come out of this alive."

"I don’t know whether I should be angry with the Burmese (army) for abusing us," a bloody survivor was overheard saying, "or be grateful to them they didn't kill us."

Critics say the Burma Army is deliberately applying a divide-and-rule policy between the Shans and the non-Shans of Shan State.

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