Victims Demand Changes Before Returning to Native Villages

March 22, 2014

Years after fleeing their homes, victims who have been tortured and abused by the Burmese military raise their voices to demand the removal of all military bases in their native villages. The victims say they will never forget all they have lost and what they have experienced, and vow that Burmese military troops will be withdrawn from their areas before they ever move back to Burma.

In 1997 Mi Khin May Win, 47, lost her home and plantation, and was forced to flee her life in Ah Mae Village, Yebyu Township. Mi Khin May Win, her family, and many other villagers were forced to flee their hometown when the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 273, No 282, and Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 31, which are all under the control of the Military Operation and Management Command No. 18, applied various methods of abuse on the community.

Many from the Ah Mae community are now living in an area controlled by the New Mon State Party; they have no native home, and land that was once theirs is no longer in their possession. Villagers find that the area they have relocated to is better in some respects than their native Ah Mae village, because they can speak and work freely, and enjoy safe surroundings, but many have found it difficult to find work in their new location.

Ah Mae Village was established by people in opposition to the government, in an effort to eliminate injustice. When Ne Win came to power, the government designated Ah Mae a black area. This designation, along with the expansion of military bases in the area, Yebyu Township found itself in a dangerous situation.

Although many villagers owned plantations, the Burmese military banned them from working their land. Further, in attempts to sever connections between villagers and Mon armed groups, the Burmese military implemented the ‘four-cuts’ program. Ah Mae residents faced hardships from the ‘four-cuts’ campaign for several months. There was almost no food for the children, as parents did not have enough money to feed them. Villagers could not even provide rice juice to their children, because they could not afford to by the rice to cook.

“I think that my village experienced the highest rates of innocent villagers to be killed by the military”, says Mi Khin May Win, “My uncle, Nai Phoe Lay, 56, and his friend, Nai Myint Naing, also 56, were beaten to death by soldiers from LIB No. 273. My husband was also beaten many times; due to such suffering, he lived a short life. My husband used to tell me that while he was forced to porter for the military, the military would abuse him and other porters, and treat them like animals. The military also used social harassment; if the soldiers saw or heard them using Mon language, they would beat and kick the porters, and insult the Mons by saying they were a rebel generation who destroyed the country”.

Many villagers find it difficult to express in words the hardship of their situation, and the torture they experienced. Some villagers, including Mi Khin May Win, were lucky because they managed to relocate in time; others were not so lucky. According to Mi Khin May Win, about 17 women from her village, between the ages of 15 and 40, were victims of rape by military soldiers. After suffering sexual harassment and assault many victims fled to Thailand, where they try to hide their past lives, and remain terrified of returning to Burma.

Victims who have been raped say they cannot forget what happened to them in Burma. Although they cannot live in their native villages, they manage to survive in relocation. They work their hardest and find life in relocation to be a better alternative than living under control of the Burmese government.

“We heard that there have been transitions”, says Mi Khin May Win, “but LIB No. 273 and IB No. 31 are still located in our villages. We will not move back to our villages as long as the military bases are in our area, because they are the ones that completely changed our lives. We did not face hardship because it was our destiny, but because the military unavoidably created this nightmare for us. If we are asked to forgive them, we don’t think we can do it. Whatever is replaced or substituted for us, we cannot forget what we’ve lost. Whichever government is in power, we will not return unless the military bases are withdrawn from our areas”.

In the past, residents have reported many human rights abuses committed against them in southern Ye Township and northern Yebyu Township in Tenasserim Region, including incidents of Burmese troops burning homes and demanding arbitrary fees, extortion, violations of rights, sexual violence, and torture.

According to HURFOM’s reports, there have been 127 sexual rape cases in the past 10 years committed by (Light Infantry Battalion) LIB No.343, No.586, No.587, No.591, No.282, and No.273 and (Infantry Battalion) IB No.31 and No.61 which are under control of Military Operation Management Command No.19.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News