Forced portering

Forced portering

One of the main factors that have increased women's vulnerability to rape is the Burmese army practice of forcibly recruiting porters. Particularly in rural areas, the army forcibly conscripts villagers to carry supplies for their troops, either during routine patrols, or during military offensives. Generally the army conscripts men. This means that when troops arrive at a village, men often run away from a village in case they will be conscripted, leaving the womenfolk alone and vulnerable to the visiting troops. 

When the troops of SPDC Co. 5, LIB 154 entered the village of Nar Lein, the men of the village ran away in fear of being forced to be porters, leaving only women in the village. When Captain Kyaw Myint saw the 14-year-old girl alone in her house, he ordered his troops to stand guard outside the house. He then dragged her into the bedroom, slapped her and raped her. (case 171)

Once porters are conscripted, often for periods of months or even years, women are also left alone and more vulnerable to rape. 6% of the rape incidents took place when the husbands of the women raped were away being forced to work, mostly as porters, for the Burmese military.

The troops came to the three women working in the fields and asked them where all their men were. The women explained that their men had not come with them and were not at home either, as they had been taken by SPDC troops to serve as porters 3-4 days ago and had not yet returned. A commander took one girl into a nearby farm hut and raped her and slapped her until there were bruises all over her face. The other 2 women were raped by other officers and later handed over to all the troops. At one point, during a short respite, one girl ran away. However, she had only managed to get to the edge of the farm when soldiers who were standing guard outside the farm saw her and shot her dead on the spot. (case 82)

In one of the incidents documented, the woman raped had been widowed when her husband was beaten to death while being a porter for SPDC troops. 

Two years prior to being raped, Ar Phue's (not her real name) husband, 30-year-old Ah Kho, had been beaten to death by SPDC soldiers when he was taken to be a porter. She was left to work on their farm alone. In February 2001, seven soldiers from LIN 359 base in Takhilek approached her and threatened to shoot her with their guns. Not able to speak Burmese, she couldn't understand what the soldiers were saying, and could not run away on her bad leg (she was crippled). The soldiers proceeded to gang-rape her for an hour. (She later became pregnant). (case 135)

In another of the incidents documented, an SPDC officer deliberately ordered the husband of one woman to go and accompany his troops elsewhere so that he could rape his wife.

Capt. Tun Oo of LIB 524 saw Naang Aye (not her real name) in the relocation site of Ton Hoong. After that Capt. Tun Oo ordered 30 SPDC troops led by Capt Tan Aung to patrol the area and also ordered village headman Lung Min to call Zaai Maung Hla, husband of Naang Aye to him. Capt Tun Oo said: "Today, I want you to be a guide for my troops for 2 days." When Naang Aye's husband was not at home, Capt. Tun Oo came to her house and called her inside, saying: "What do you have in your bedroom? Let's go and see." After that the captain pointed his pistol at her forehead and threatened her and dragged her into the bedroom and raped her from 10 am to 3 pm. (case 152)

Women are also forced to work as porters, as well as being used to accompany patrolling troops as "guides," during which time, they are routinely used as "comfort women" by the troops. Nine of the rape incidents documented in this report took place when the women were being forced to porter or act as guides for the regime's troops. 

When she and her brother got to a place about 2 miles from town and 1 mile from their farm, they ran into some SPDC troops. The commander asked them some questions and said that he needed a guide and he would take her and told her brother go to back home and tell their family about it. The troops continued searching deserted villages in the outlying areas. At night, when they rested at a deserted village, Captain Aung Khin forced her to stay in the same deserted house with him and tried to rape her. When she tried to resist, he threatened to shoot her with his pistol, and slapped her so hard she almost fainted. He then dragged her by the hair into the inner room. He forced her to take off all her clothes before he counted 3, or he would shoot her dead. She had no choice, but to yield, and he raped her. During the four days that the troops patrolled the countryside until they returned to Kun Hing she was raped every night. (case 65)