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Burma Army persecution of civilians continues in Kawng Kha, six years after the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers

January 19, 2021/in Member statements

Burma Army persecution of civilians continues in Kawng Kha, six years after the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers On the six-year anniversary of the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers in Kawng Kha village, Muse District, KWAT reiterates our calls for justice and an end to ongoing Burma Army aggression and persecution of civilians in northern […]

A villager killed and two houses burnt due to artillery shelling

January 8, 2021/in News

January 8, 2021 Ta’ang Women’s Organization Large artillery shells from the fighting between Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA), fell in Nyaung Sui and Mai Hon villages in Namtu Township on 5 January, burning down two houses. A villager was killed on the spot due to a gunshot wound. […]

Burma Army persecution of civilians continues in Kawng Kha, six years after the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers

January 19, 2021/in Member statements

A villager killed and two houses burnt due to artillery shelling

January 8, 2021/in News

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Burma Army persecution of civilians continues in Kawng Kha, six years after the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers

January 19, 2021/in Member statements

Burma Army persecution of civilians continues in Kawng Kha, six years after the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers

On the six-year anniversary of the rape-murder of two Kachin teachers in Kawng Kha village, Muse District, KWAT reiterates our calls for justice and an end to ongoing Burma Army aggression and persecution of civilians in northern Burma.

Early in the morning of January 20, 2015, the bodies of the two volunteer teachers were found in their house in Kawng Kha, with marks of brutal torture and rape. All evidence pointed to Burma Army troops of LIB 503 who had arrived in the village the night before, but military authorities blocked all attempts to seek justice and instead tried to scapegoat two local youth. Commander in Chief Min Aung Hlaing himself threatened to prosecute anyone alleging military involvement in the incident – exercising his ultimate power under Burma’s 2008 Constitution.

The perpetrators of this heinous crime therefore remain free to this day, and the Burma Army continues to enjoy its license to rape, torture and kill with impunity.

Six years on, the nightmare of military repression also continues in Kawng Kha. The village lies in an active conflict zone, where the Burma Army has deployed thousands of elite combat troops to try and annihilate the Kachin Independence Army and other ethnic resistance forces in northern Shan State. Twice last month, the Burma Army fired barrages of long-range artillery shells into the area from their hilltop base near the 105-mile trade zone, east of Muse.

Burma Army troops of Infantry Divisions 88 and 99 constantly patrol through the area, camping in local villages and extorting food. They frequently pass through Kawng Kha, camping in villagers’ houses, exactly as on that fateful night in 2015, rekindling terror among local residents. ID 99 is notorious for torturing and killing civilians in northern Burma, as well as for mass rape and slaughter of Rohingya women and girls in 2017.

The two Kawng Kha youth falsely scapegoated for the rape-murders no longer dare live in their village, due to fear of further torture and harassment. They and their families thus continue to suffer for a crime they did not commit.

Exactly five years ago, KWAT appealed to the newly elected NLD government to bring the perpetrators of the Kawng Kha rape-murders to justice and to end military impunity for sexual violence. Not only did the government ignore our appeals, but State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi chose to publicly side with the Burma Army in denying allegations of military rape.

“I trusted the government to do something about this (case) but there was no action from them. It makes me feel so upset,” said a close relative of one of the murdered teachers.

Governments all over the world have pledged commitment to ending sexual violence in armed conflict. Yet, these same governments are now pumping billions of dollars of investment and aid into Burma, ignoring the suffering of women in ethnic conflict areas who live in daily fear of rape by government troops.

International pressure is urgently needed to end military impunity for rape in Burma. We call for an immediate end to “business as usual” and the imposition of broad economic sanctions to pressure the Burmese government to stop protecting military rapists, and to end Burma Army offensives throughout the country and withdraw troops so that inclusive political negotiations towards a new federal constitution can begin.

For More Information:

Moon Nay Li (+66 855 233 791)

San Htoi (+95 995 9880 580)

kwat.office@gmail.com

www.kachinwomen.com

A villager killed and two houses burnt due to artillery shelling

January 8, 2021/in News

January 8, 2021

Ta’ang Women’s Organization

Large artillery shells from the fighting between Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS/SSA), fell in Nyaung Sui and Mai Hon villages in Namtu Township on 5 January, burning down two houses. A villager was killed on the spot due to a gunshot wound.

Tensions between the two armies have been rising since the end of December and 268 local villagers from Nyaung Sui, Mai Hon and Luk Lay villages have fled to Mangyan Monastery in Man Hon in Mangyan village tract.

Abbot from Nyaung Sui village monastery said, “Fighting started since 7 in the moring. Palaung (Ta’ang) soldiers were in the village. Shan army shot from Mai Hon and an artillery shell hit a house. Cars from Mansan war refugee association arrived after the fighting to pick up the villagers.”

A 50 years old man, Ta Aik Ngo who was watching the fighting in front of his house, was killed on the spot by a stray bullet. The abbot said the body of him was left in the village and until the time of reporting the body has not been burnt and burried.

The owner of the burnt house said, “Currently we are staying at the monastery. House of grandma was wholly burnt. We didn’t get anything except a blanket. Now, we lost everything and we don’t know what to do for future.”

Furthermore, 612 locals from Hway Hon, Mai Hon and Narmat villages had fled to Narsai village. The fighting between two armies continues.

Photo-We Zay Ya

TWO

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ND Burma

ND-Burma formed in 2004 in order to provide a way for Burma human rights organizations to collaborate on the human rights documentation process. The 13 ND-Burma member organizations seek to collectively use the truth of what communities in Burma have endured to advocate for justice for victims. ND-Burma trains local organizations in human rights documentation; coordinates members’ input into a common database using Martus, a secure open-source software; and engages in joint-advocacy campaigns.

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