Personal Account: Meeting with group of young victims of torture

September 1, 2008

During the end of July, 2008, a HURFOM reporter, met with a group of young victims who escaped from Khaw-Zar Subtown in a refugee camp at Thai-Burma border.

HURFOM
While the Khaw-Zar based SPDC’s Infantry battalion No.31 led by Army Chief Col. Win Then and his troops launched their military operation against the small number of Mon rebel armed force near Khaw Zar area, they discovered a group of Mon kids and arrested them with the suspicion of connecting with rebel group. While the Burmese troops discovered and captured them, these boys were on their way to hunt the birds near the stream in the forest, which situated in the eastern part of Khaw Zar sub town. Four under age kids were too hesitant to respond the questions of the Army Chief.

“All questions that he asked me are dealing with the rebel group. I felt very uncomfortable in his questions and couldn’t respond well. He (Col. Win Thien) though I hide the information but I have nothing to give him what he wanted to know from me,” said a 11 year old victim, Mon Chai.

While conversation with Mon Chai, he tried to show the evident of ill-treatment that the Army Chief committed to him. “I’ll show you how the army commander tortured me.” Then, he fingered his remained scar on his left chin, between the lower jaw and above the throat and started to explain about his painful experiences during the army interrogation.

“As soon as they arrested us, they asked four of us whether we saw rebel member in this forest or not. As my Burmese is better that other three of my brothers, he (Col. Win Thien) targeted me with his questions. At first, he said we were sons of rebel soldier. But I quickly denied and explained that our family currently lived in Khaw-Zar town. But he did not like my answer and continued asking me about the activities of rebel. Honestly we all answered “No”. Then, he (Col. Win Thien) said “how dare you lie me” and pulled a knife out of his belt, intended to screw into my left chin, above my throat. I scared, felt seriously pain and all of us started to cry out. Then, he bullied the same thing to my brother, Mehm Htaw Chan, 13, as well. We got shocked each other when we saw bloody chin.”

According to another young victim, Mehm Pai Mon, 10, a cousin of Mehm Htaw Chan, the Commander tried to approach him by persuading with 5,000 kyat of cash if he gave information of the rebel. At that time, he was too fear to answer and then decided to avoid the up coming questions by answering in the positive way.

“I lied “Yes,” I saw a group of ten people in this forest. And then, the soldier pulled me and put me in the ground hole which especially designs for torturing the suspicion people like us. At that time, I shouldn’t lie and I was very regard after I was tortured painfully with knife like my brother experienced during their inquiry about the Mon rebel.”

Mehm Pai Mon explained that the soldier took him out of the whole and asked him again about the rebel information and beat him repeatedly. He denied every time and finally, the Col. Win Thein ordered to kill them all if continue to refuse the answers.

“I will kill all of you now if you guys are continuing to lie us,” Mehm Pai Mon repeated the ordered of army chief Col. Thein Win.

Finally, the soldiers took young boys along with them and asked the boys to show the possible places of the rebel base in the forest without feeding food and water. The soldier took them the whole day. When getting dark, Nai Plai Monk and Mi Win the parents of four children was worry about their children and went out side of the village tried to find their children. When they found their kid was captured by Burmese soldiers they were suddenly shocked.

“As soon as the commander saw my wife and I, they called us and kicked with their army walking boot three, four times. Then they asked me the relation between my kids and me. When they know I was a father of the boys they released all of us at mid-night. Two of my kids’ jaws were bleeding because of seriously torture by knife,” said Nai Plai Mouk, 45, a father of four victims who temporarily survive in Baan Tom Yam refugge campe, about 400 meters far from former Halockha Mon refugee resettlement camp, on Thai-Burma border.

In the next morning, the IB No. 31 army commander Win Thein called Nai Plai Mouk and ordered him to not spread the information of torturing their family as well as traveling out side of the town.

“If they discovered me outside village again, they will shoot me to dead”, added by Nai Plai Monk.

Nai Plai Mouk and his spouse though that their life is too hard to survive as an ordinary family under the control of the evil army, Infantry Battalion No. 31 and finally they decided to flee to the Thai-Burma border, the place where their old friends and neighbors already built their new-life in their own ways.

“Here is better than our native place. We don’t need to worry any fear. We all have been screamed in terror. That is enough. Now, we are going to build our life from the beginning like others who live in this camp. I am happy to see my kids are giving a change to study here,” a father of four young victims continues.