Burma Army beheads woman

Burma Army beheads woman
Thursday, 06 August 2009 17:18 Hseng Khio Fah

A local woman in Mongkeung Township, southern Shan State was beheaded by the Burma Army troops that have been launching a four-cut campaign since 27 July , according to villagers who recently fled to Thailand.

In the morning of 3 August, Nang Hsoi, 29, from Wan Kart village, Ho Khai village tract was arrested in her village by soldiers from Mongkeung based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)#514 after falsely accusing her as the wife of a Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ fighter and collaboration with the SSA, said a local villager who asked not to be named. nbsp;
“In the evening they [soldiers] took her to a bridge nearby the village, cut her head down and threw it into the creek,” he said.

Two days before her death, over 10 villagers from Wan Kart, Wan Kawng and Wan Long village were detained on suspicion of being SSA spies at the army base.

The Burma Army that has been the four-cut campaign (cutting food, funds, intelligence and recruits to the armed resistance by local populace) had ordered villagers in Mongkeung, Kehsi and Laikha townships to leave their homes within 5 days, from 1 to 5 August.

Since then, at least 300 houses in the three townships were razed to the ground and more than 300 villagers were forcibly relocated to the town, said a source.

The campaign drive was led by the Mongnawng – based Military Operations Command (MOC) #2 command: Loilem based IB#9, and #12, Laikha based IB#64 and LIB#515, Namzang based IB#66 , #247 and LIB#516, Mongnai based IB#248 and LIB#518, Panglong based LIB#513, Mongkeung based LIB#514 and Mongpawn based LIB#517.

To date, 21 villages from Panghsang village tract and 9 villages from Wan Htee village tract in Laikha township alone were forced to resettle in Marklang quarter of the town.

During the drive some were beaten and some were reportedly killed, forcing many others to hide in the jungle, said another villager who is seeking asylum on the Thai-Burma border.

“There were some people who are hiding in the jungle preparing to seek refuge in Thailand,” she said, “Many people will be coming soon.”

Currently, about 10 people are seeking asylum in areas near Thailand.

During the last engagement on 15 July, the Burma Army’s LIB 515 suffered 11 killed, 1 captured and 5 assorted weapons lost.

During the 1996-98 campaign against the SSA, 1,500 villages were destroyed and more than 300,000 in southern and eastern Shan State were forcibly relocated, a third of which had escaped into Thailand.

Gang-rape follows Four-Cuts
Friday, 07 August 2009 17:37 Hseng Khio Fah

Latest reports of the Burma Army’s four-cut campaign said that a Shan woman from Shan State South’s Laikha township was gang raped in front of her husband by the Burma Army that has been waging a four-cut campaign since late July.

The couple was identified as Sai Awta, 23, and her wife Nang Noom, 20 (not their real names), from the 31 household Wan Nawngpoke village, Tarkmawk village tract, Laikha Township, said a source.

The incident occurred only a half of mile south of the village on August 2 at 5 pm, when three privates led by Sergeant Tin Aye from Mongkeung based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #514 was on patrol and found the said couple while they were working in their farm. The group detained them after accusing of being members of the SSA-South.

Some soldiers separated Sai Awta from his wife, tied him with a rope to a post of the hut and beaten him while others raped her wife in front of him in turn including the Sergeant until midnight. After that, the couple was warned not to spread news of the rape, said Sai Awta’s friend who declined to be named.

“They [soldiers] threatened them not to tell anybody; otherwise their family and both of them would be killed,” he said.

On that day, a 25 strong patrol from the battalion together with 14 men of pro-junta Mongzeun militia group (formally Brigade 758 of the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ that surrendered in July 2006) arrived at the village.

It was led by Lt Myint Than and the militia group was led by Sai Yoong whose leader Mongzeun was killed in an attack by the SSA on 25 May.

“Villagers were given a deadline to leave their houses, if not all houses would be burnt down,” said a local source who wishes to remain in anonymity.

A clash between LIB#515 and SSA fighters on 15 July in Laikha township has led hundreds of villagers in Laikha, Kehsi and Mongkeung townships suffer from several human rights violations.

“License to Rape,” a report by the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN), which was published in 2002, detailing 173 incidents of rape and involving 625 women and girls, had shaken the international community.

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Teenage girl gang raped
Tuesday, 11 August 2009 16:09 Hseng Khio Fah

A 15 year old girl in southern Shan State’s Kehsi Township, was gang raped by a local based Burma Army patrol, during she and her 8 year old younger sister were on their way to look for their livestock.

At about 10:00 am on 5 August, the elder one named Nang Nang, daughter of Long Herng and Pa Hsai (not their real names) hailing from Wan Keng village, Kehsi village tract, was gang raped by some 6 soldiers from the Kehsi based Infantry Battalion (IB) # 132, while she and her sister Nawng Nawng were looking for their cows.

On that day, a 30 strong patrol from IB #132 led by Captain San Aye were patrolling around the areas in search of the rebels, and found the two girls half a mile from the village.

The captain stopped the two girls and ordered them to follow him for a while after he ordered most of his unit to go ahead, said a local villager who wishes not to be named.

“He [Captain] and his men then raped Nang Nang in turns,” she said.

The two were released after their [soldiers]’s desire were fulfilled and reached home in fear and frustration as they were threatened that they both and their family would be killed if they were to disclose the matter to anyone, the source further added.

“Even if you tell others, no one can punish us because all of you are living under the Burma Army’s rule,” she quoted the captain as saying.

However, the youngest one could not bear it any longer and told her family and other villagers about the incident happened to her elder sister, but the family and the village headman did not dare to complain for fear of further punishment by the army, she said.

On 2 August, a 20 year old woman from Shan State South’s Laikha township was also gang raped in front of her husband by the Mongkeung based Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)#514 that has been waging a four-cut campaign in areas where the Burma Army and the Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’ fought in the mid July.

After the clash, battalions under the Mongnawng based Military Operation Command (MOC) #2 started waging a four-cut campaign ((cutting food, funds, intelligence and recruits to the armed resistance by local populace) in Kehsi, Mongkeung and Laikha townships, Shan State South.

Since then, hundreds of villagers from the areas have been suffered several human rights abuses such as sexual violence and killing.

On 3 August, a 29 year old woman in Mongkeung Township, was beheaded by the same LIB#514 after she was falsely accused of being a wife of SSA fighter.
Rights groups to regime: Stop atrocities
Thursday, 13 August 2009 17:30 Hseng Khio Fah

Again, overseas Shan rights groups are on calling the Burmese military immediately stop its atrocities and also on the international and regional communities to end their silence and set up an investation team on the regime’s crimes against humanity.

Since 27 July, Burma Army units under the command of the Mongnawng based Military Operations Command (MOC) #2, Shan State South, have burned down over 500 houses, more than 200 granaries, and forcibly relocated an estimated 10,000 villagers from almost 40 villages in Mongkeung, Laikha and Kehsi townships, according to the rights groups.

“We are therefore demanding the regime immediately stop their atrocities against people the and allow all relocated villagers to return to their homes,” said Nang Charm Tong from Shan Women Action’s Network (SWAN) at a press conference held today on the Thai-Burma border.

“On the other hand, we would like to call on the international communities such as the United Nations Security Council, ASEAN and Burma’s neighbors to pressure Burma to stop its oppression on the people. They should not let Burma continue abusing the people,” she added.

According to her, the current forced relocation campaign is the largest forced relocation since 1996-1998, when over 300,000 villagers were uprooted in southern and central Shan State, most of whom have since fled to Thailand.
“This is another attempt to uproot the ethnic people,” she said.

During the 1996-98 campaign against the SSA, almost 1,500 villages were destroyed and more than 300,000 in southern and eastern Shan State were forcibly relocated, a third of which had escaped into Thailand.

“The troops were ordered by their headquarters to burn down the houses, as they repeatedly radioed to their headquarters as the buildings went up in flames,” said Shan Human Rights Foundation’s Director Kham Harn Fah.
"This campaign has been carried out cold-bloodedly and systematically,” he added.

The Burma Army earlier retaliated the Pa-O National Liberation Organization (PNLO) that had wiped out a 12-men patrol on 3 May by killing two village headmen, torturing more than 80 villagers and gangraped a 15-year old girl in Hsihseng, another southern Shan State township, according to several exile news groups.
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