Young Boys Threatened with Knife

August 19, 2008

By WCRP:

Three boys were hunting small birds outside their village when they were confronted by local patrolling SPDC Light Infantry Battalion Number 31 (LIB No. 31), who had been hiding in bushes as they boys went past. One boy, Taw Chan, had a small but sharp military knife pointed at his neck and was questioned in broken Mon about whether they had seen any Mon rebels. He was too fearful to respond so his brother Mon Chai, 15 years old, answered that they had not seen any. Although Mon Chai is very thin and looks young, the soldiers hit him twice. Their cousin Nyi Chan was given 1000 Kyat for answering that they had seen one man. The man he spoke of, a local farmer, was later tortured as a suspected Mon rebel supporter.

The three young boys were taken into military custody where they spent one night and half a day. Upon their release they fled their village, after Mon village authorities told them they were still suspected by the SPDC. Five family members fled to a small, remote village where they have relatives, and will spend about one month there before heading to the border. The boys’ father explained that he could be arrested if he did not leave as early as possible as he is on the LIB blacklist.

He said he has grown corn and other kinds of plants and rice field outside the village where his boys were hunting birds for fun during the weekend. The time was the fourth week of June, 2008. The boys’ father was detained for two days when he attempted to visit his children in the military detention centre. The Burmese soldiers have learned Mon language to use as tool against Mon rebels.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News