SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

COMMENTARY
Being Shan has been one of the reasons to be afraid of the Burmese army troops in Shan State over the last 3-4 decades, especially where armed clashes between Burmese troops and Shan rebel troops have taken place.

Almost every time after they clash with Shan soldiers, the Burmese soldiers take revenge on the Shan civilian populations in the conflict areas by arresting, killing, torturing, raping, robbing and displacing them. It does not matter whether or not the Shan civilians are involved in the conflict.

Over the last 3-4 months, Shan populations in the border areas, where several armed clashes between SPDC troops and Shan State Army - South (SSA-S) troops had recently taken place, have become one of their main targets.

More restrictions have been imposed on the local populations, including dusk-to-dawn curfews in several village tracts close to the border. Many Shan village and community leaders have been arrested and tortured, and some have disappeared after arrest. Many women have also been raped.

In this report, SHRF has reported some cases of rape and arbitrary arrest, torture and disappearance of Shan community leaders in connection with the fighting between SPDC and SSA-S troops in Murng-Ton township, opposite Chiangmai province of Thailand.

At the moment, many other Shan villagers and leaders are still being arrested, interrogated and tortured, or harassed in many ways, causing many to flee to Thailand.

5 DISPLACED SHAN FARMERS LINED UP AND SHOT DEAD IN KUN-HING
On 4.5.01, 5 displaced Shan farmers who were building a dam on Nam Khaam stream for diverting water to a field to grow rice were forced to stand in a row and shot dead by SPDC troops from IB246 in Ka Li village tract, Kun-Hing township.

These farmers were among the displaced villagers who had been forcibly relocated to Ka Li village relocation site from the surrounding villages in Kun-Hing township in 1997 by the troops of the Burmese military regime, then known as SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council).

On the day of the incident, 15 farmers from Ka Li village had gone to build a dam on the stream in the area in order to divert water to a field to grow rice, taking with them packets of cooked rice to eat during the day so that they did not have to return home to eat. 

The dam was a small one and was to be built with wood, bamboo and mud. Some farmers had to go up into the surrounding hills to get wood and bamboo while others stayed and worked at the stream. When a patrol of SPDC troops came, there were 5 farmers working at the stream.

The patrol comprised about 35 SPDC troops from Kun-Hing-based IB246 and when they saw the farmers, of which some were working in the water hammering bamboo and wooden stakes into the stream bed and some on the bank making stakes, they stopped to inspect the site.

When the troops saw about 15 rice packets while there were only 5 farmers around, they started to ask questions and accused the farmers of being rebels or providing rice for the Shan rebels. The troops then forced the farmers to stand in a row on the bank of the stream and interrogated them, and eventually shot all of them dead.

The 5 displaced farmers shot dead were:

KILLING OF INNOCENT VILLAGER IN MURNG-SART 
Sometime in mid-April 2001, a villager of Wan Laao village in Murng Kok tract, Murng-Sart township, was shot dead by a patrol of SPDC troops from Murng-Sart-based LIB527 at the head of Wan Laao village without any apparent reason.

On the day of the incident, 2 villagers of Wan Laao had gone hunting and were returning home, each carrying a musket, when they saw a group of soldiers at some distance, coming towards their village, as they reached the head of the village. The villagers were startled at the sudden sight of the SPDC troops and they both ran towards their village.

Without warning, the troops shot at them, killing one of them instantly while the other ran and escaped into the village. The 2 villagers were:

After the shooting, the SPDC troops came into the village and told the village headman that they had shot a Shan rebel dead at the head of the village and another one had escaped into the village, and ordered the villagers to catch him immediately.

When the villagers found out that there was no rebel in the village but one of their fellow villagers who was returning from hunting had been shot dead, they complained about it to the SPDC troops. 

The troops, however, made no comment on the unfortunate event or offered any compensation for the dead. They simply told the villagers to take care of the dead if that was the case, and left.

RAPE IN MURNG-TON
On 4.5.01, a villager of Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng-Ton township was raped by Capt. Thaung Sein, Commander of No.4 Company from Murng-Phyak-based LIB503 of SPDC, in her house in Naa Kawng Mu village.

On that day, a column of about 65 SPDC troops from Co. No.4 of Murng-Phyak-based LIB503, led by Capt. Thaung Sein, came to Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng-Ton township, on their way back from an attempt to recapture Pa Khee camp which had been seized by Shan resistance soldiers who claimed to have captured hundreds of thousands of amphetamine tablets, and stopped for a rest at the village school.

In the evening, Capt. Thaung Sein went into the village and entered a house where a young woman was staying alone. The young woman, Nakhaa (not her real name), aged 18, was a Lahu woman and was the wife of Zaai Kaw (not his real name), aged 24, a Shan man, who was a member of the village people’s militia.

Zaai Kaw was out on security duty somewhere outside the village, leaving Nakhaa alone when Capt. Thaung Sein came to the house. When he was sure there was no one except Nakhaa in the house, Capt. Thaung Sein ordered her to go into the bedroom. When Nakhaa shouted in protest, he slapped her, dragged her into the bedroom and raped her, threatening to shoot her with his pistol if she did not comply.

Although Nakhaa managed to shout 2-3 times in protest and for help loud enough for some neighbouring villagers to hear when she was forced by Capt. Thaung Sein to go into the bedroom, no one dared to come near her house.

Soon after the incident, the SPDC troops left Naa Kawng Mu village and Nakhaa could do nothing about her plight.

GANG-RAPING IN MURNG-TON
On 8.6.01, a villager of Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng-Ton township was gang-raped by SPDC troops from Co. No.4 of LIB333, led by Capt. Win Zaw, at her house in Naa Kawng Mu village.

These SPDC troops from LIB333 were temporarily stationed at Naa Kawng Mu and were scheduled to leave on 9.6.01. At about 22:00 hrs. on the night of 8.6.01, Capt. Win Zaw and 5 of his troops went on an inspection round for unreported guests in the village. 

When they came to the house of Naang Seng Num (not her real name), whose husband had been conscripted to provide forced labour at the local military camp, the troops saw her alone and Capt. Win Zaw forcibly raped her, threatening her with his pistol, while the other soldiers stood guard around the house.

When he had finished raping her, Capt. Win Zaw let the 5 other soldiers into the house and they gang-raped Naang Seng Num to their satisfaction and left.

When her husband returned from his forced labour duty, Naang Seng Num related her plight to him and they both went to discuss it with the village elders and community leaders, and they all went to lodge a complaint with the SPDC local military camp commander, Capt. Myint Lwin, Commander of Co. No.4 of IB65.

Capt. Myint Lwin listened to the case and said that he would report it to the superiors of the troops who had committed it. But no action relating to this case has been heard of up to the time of this report. 

ANOTHER RAPE CASE IN MURNG-TON
On 7.6.01, a 62-year-old woman of Paang Ken village in Pha Khe village tract, Murng-Ton township, was raped by Capt. Htun Myint, commander of Co. No.4 of IB225, at her house in Paang Ken village.

On that day, a column of the said SPDC troops from IB225 was going to replace the troops from IB65 stationed in Loi Laang and Murng Yawn areas and on the way stopped at Paang Ken village for a night rest.

Capt. Htun Myint chose a house for himself to spend the night and told his troops to find some food for dinner and put up where they liked. The house belonged to Zaai Pan-Ta (not his real name), aged 36, and his family, but they had all gone to work overnight at their rice farm, leaving only their 62-year-old widowed mother, Me Thao Mung (not her real name), to look after the house.

When he was alone with Me Thao Mung, Capt. Htun Myint asked her if they had any guest in the house and, when she said there was no one, went into it, taking her with him into the house.

Once in the house, Capt. Htun Myint raped Me Thao Mung and when she tried to shout he closed her mouth firmly with one of his hands until he finished raping her. Me Thao Mung did not dare to tell anyone until the troops left the village.

ARREST, BEATING, TORTURE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF COMMUNITY LEADERS IN MURNG-TON
In early May 2001, the headman of Murng Haang village tract and his deputy, and the headman of Me Ken village tract and his deputy, in Murng-Ton township, were arrested, tortured and severely beaten until they lost consciousness several times by SPDC troops in the IB65 base in Murng-Ton. A few days later, these 4 villagers disappeared and their fate is not known up to the present.

On 9.5.01, a patrol of 25 SPDC troops from IB65 led by Capt. Han Sein came to Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng Haang tract on 2 civilian trucks, forcibly conscripted for military use, and arrested the village tract headman, Zaai Nyaeng, and his deputy. After that, they continued to Me Ken village in Me Ken tract and arrested the village tract headman, Zaai Thun Ne, and his deputy, Zaai Nan-Taw.

The 4 villagers were taken to the base of IB65, commanded by Lt Col Myint Swe, and interrogated. They were tied up and beaten, and tortured with electric shocks during the interrogations, until they lost consciousness several times.

It was later learned that the headman of Murng Haang tract and his deputy were arrested on a charge of providing intelligence about the location of a 105mm mortar of the SPDC troops to the Shan resistance. That 105mm mortar had been destroyed by an RPG attack by Shan resistance troops, in which 16 SPDC troops were also killed.

The headman of Me Ken tract and his deputy were arrested under the accusation of providing intelligence for the Shan soldiers which had enabled them to choose and attack the particular vehicle which carried SPDC military commanders in an ambush on a military convoy, in which many SPDC officers were killed and the vehicle destroyed.

After a few days in the IB65 base, all 4 villagers have disappeared and have not been heard of up to the time of this report. Their relatives have tried several times in vain to find out whether they are still in detention or are dead.

A SICK MAN SEVERELY BEATEN AND DETAINED IN MURNG-PAENG
Sometime in April 2001, a sick man who was travelling to Kaeng-Tung was severely beaten until he lost consciousness and detained by members of the SPDC police and No.22 Military Intelligence Service at the checkpoint at Mai Khai village in Murng-Paeng township.

The victim, Zaai Tu, aged 24, was from Keang-Tung who, together with 3 of his colleagues, had gone to teach Shan literature in Kun-Hing township on the invitation of a Shan ceasefire group SSA-N (Shan State Army - North). He became so sick with malaria while he was teaching in Kun-Hing that members of the SSA-N had to hire a car to take him back to Kaeng-Tung to get proper treatment for his illness.

When the car that was taking Zaai Tu to Kaeng-Tung reached a checkpoint, manned by police and members of military intelligence of the SPDC, at Mai Khai village in Murng-Paeng township, it was stopped and questioned by officers manning the checkpoint.

Zaai Tu was so sick and fainting with high fever that he could not answer the questions asked by the SPDC authorities at the checkpoint, and he was dragged out of the car and kicked and beaten by them many times so severely that he lost consciousness right there. The police then accused him of being high on amphetamine and locked him up in Murng-Paeng.

Zaai Tu was later bailed out by his relatives, who had heard the news and came to Murng-Paeng in a hired car, and taken to the township hospital in Kaeng-Tung where he had to be treated for 10 days to recover from his illness.

Although Zaai Tu’s colleagues have urged leaders of SSA-N to file a complaint with the SPDC authorities in Murng-Paeng, so far no action has been taken in relation to this case.

LAND CONFISCATION, BEATING AND EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK
Since May 2001, SPDC troops of LIB316 have been confiscating lands, mostly woodlands with trees and bamboo planted for building materials and firewood, from the local people in Ta-Khi-Laek township for building more military camps and for other military use, without paying any compensation whatsoever to the owners.

In the areas of Ta Lur, East Murng Laen, West Murng Lane, Nam Kherm, Pa Leo and Kaeng Laab village tracts in Ta-Khi-Laek township, where there are mostly flat and fertile lands, many pieces of land have been confiscated.

The SPDC troops simply marked out or deployed a small group of troops on the piece of land they wanted and declared that it had been confiscated and no longer belonged to the original owner. The owners were not allowed to cut any wood or bamboo or even go into the marked or guarded lands. Original owners who tried to secretly cut wood or bamboo because they did not have other places to get them, were seized and extorted of money and sometimes even beaten.

On 18.5.01, Kyu Ta, aged 36, a Lahu villager of Waeng Manaw in West Murng Laen tract, and his son Kya Ha, aged 18, were arrested by some SPDC troops while they were secretly cutting some firewood in their woodland that had been confiscated by the troops.

The soldiers kicked and beat Kyu Ta and his son several times and tied them up to a tree for 2 hours and only released them when their relatives provided 300 Baht of Thai money for each of them as a fine.

On 26.5.01, 3 Lahu villagers from Musur Lam village in Nam Kherm village tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township, who were returning from gathering firewood in the forest were arrested and beaten, and their firewood taken by SPDC troops from LIB316.

On that day, the 3 Lahu men, Ja Mu, aged 31, Ja Wi, aged 29 and Ja Ma, aged 19, went together to collect firewood in the forest about 5-6 miles away from their village. They had to go quite far because the woodlands near their village from which they used to get firewood and building materials had been confiscated by SPDC troops.

When they returned with bundles of firewood and got near their village, they were stopped by a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from LIB316 who accused them of stealing wood from the military woodland which had been declared military property.

The SPDC soldiers ordered the villagers to kneel down in a row and slapped, kicked and beat them, forcing them to confess they had stolen wood from the military woodland. But the villagers kept trying to explain and deny the charge.

After some time of beating and kicking, the soldiers ordered the villagers to leave their bundles of firewood and go home, warning them not to tell anyone about the incident or else they would come after them and take they lives.

Musur Lam village is a remote village nearly 30 miles from Ta-Khi-Laek town and it is difficult for the villagers to go to the town and lodge a complaint with the authorities. The villagers in the area have no choice but to bear the abuses of the SPDC troops in silence. 

FORCED PORTERING, CAUSING SEVERE INJURIES, IN MURNG-SART
In April 2001, 2 civilian porters were severely injured in an accident while being forced to serve the military by SPDC troops LIB526 at Amutae village in Amutae tract, Murng-Sart township.

The 2 civilian porters, Zaai In Ai (m), aged 36 and Zaai Yi Nung (m), aged 34, were from Paang Mu village in Murng Kok tract, Murng-Sart township, and were seized by a patrol of about 25 SPDC troops from Ta-Khi-Laek-based LIB526, led by Capt. Sein Htun, when they were returning from Nam Naang village market in the same tract.

Zaai In Ai and Zaai Yi Nung were tied with a rope together and forced to carry heavy loads of military things. After 3 days, they came to Amutae village tract and stopped at Amutae village for a rest.

The civilian porters were forced to go up into a house and since they were tied together in a row in addition to their heavy loads, it was very difficult for them to climb the steps of the house built on high stilts.

When they almost reached the top of the steps, one of Zaai In Ai’s feet slipped and he fell down the steps with his heavy load upon him. Being pulled by the rope that was tied between them, Zaai Yi Nung had to quickly throw down his load and rolled down with Zaai In Ai.

Zaai In Ai broke his left leg in the fall and Zaai Yi Nung suffered from a severely sprained waist and broken ribs, and both of them had many wounds, bruises and sprains all over.

Since both of them could not walk or even stand up because of their injuries, the SPDC troops ordered the villagers of Amutae village to make makeshift stretchers and carry Zaai In Ai and Zaai Yi Nung back to their village, Paang Mu, in Murng Kok tract. Neither the 2 injured porters nor the villagers of Amutae received anything from the troops for their service and injuries.

BEATING AND ROBBERY IN MURNG-PAENG
In May 2001, 2 villagers who were returning home from the town market after selling a pig were stopped, tied up with ropes and robbed of their money by a patrol of about 25 SPDC troops from LIB360 on the way about 3 miles from their village, Ka Leng, in Sen Mawng village tract, Murng-Paeng township.

After selling their pig for 9,300 Kyat at the market in Murng-Paeng town, the said 2 villagers bought some food stuff, cooking oil and seasoning powder and returned to their village. When they got to a place about 3 miles before they reached their village, they ran into a group of SPDC soldiers from LIB360.

Without any warning or explanation, the troops seized the 2 villagers, tied their hands up behind them and searched their bodies. The troops took away all the money they found and all the food stuff the 2 villagers had bought from the town market. 

After that, the troops slapped, beat and kicked the 2 villagers for some time and let them go without untying the ropes that tied their hands. They could untie the ropes with the help of their fellow villagers only when they got back to their village.

The 2 victims were:

ARREST AND DETENTION OF PREGNANT AKHA WOMAN IN TA-KHI-LAEK
On 28.5.01, a pregnant Akha woman was arrested by SPDC troops of LIB331 for buying consumer goods from Thailand and locked up for 7 days at a police station in Ta-Khi-Laek town.

A-Pe, aged 19, who was 6 months pregnant, lived with her husband, A-Li-Lo, a construction worker, in one of the town quarters in Ta-Khi-Laek. Since prices of consumer goods were very high in Ta-Khi-Laek town, every now and then when there was a chance A-Pe sneaked across the Mae Sai river, the border, to buy food stuff in Thailand for her family.

On the day of the incident, A-Pe had gone to the Thai side to buy some consumer goods for her family. Although there was no one at the point where she crossed the river on her way out, on her return she ran into a group of Burmese soldiers from LIB331 on the bank of the river.

The soldiers, stating that they were working under orders, arrested A-Pe and put her in a lockup in the police station in Ta-Khi-Laek town. She was detained in the lockup for 7 days without trial or any kind of legal protection before she was released.

CONSCRIPTION AND EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK
Since May 2001, SPDC authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek have issued an order requiring 3 persons in each village tract in the township to be recruited to serve in the Burmese army.

But the authorities did not take any non-Burman and demanded money instead, 100,000 Kyat for each required person.

There were about 13-14 village tracts in Ta-Khi-Laek township and a quota of about 42 recruits was needed, which meant 2,200,000 Kyat of money at the rate of 100,000 Kyat per person.