Type of Incident

Arbitrary arrest and forced disappearance of villagers

Date of Incident(s)

August 2022

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

A--- village, Kone Ni village tract,[2] Moo (Mone) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District

Victim Information

Name

Saw[3] Mee Htoo

Saw Maw Kyay Ngay

Saw Maw Kaw Kyaw

Age

50

45

29

Sex

Male

Male

Male

Nationality

Karen

Karen

Karen

Family   

Unmarried

Unmarried

Unmarried

Occupation

Farmer

Farmer

Farmer

Religion

Christian (Baptist)

Animist

Christian (Baptist)

Position

Villager

Villager

Villager

Village

A--- village, Kone Ni village tract, Moo Township

B--- village, Noh Nya Lah village tract, Moo Township

C--- village, Way Sweh village tract, Moo Township

Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors)

Name(s)           

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Unknown

Unknown

SAC Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #603 and #439

Kyoh Pin Seik army camp

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Junta-backed militia (‘pyithu sit’)

Kyoh Pin Seik army camp

Unknown

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

The KHRG researcher heard about the arrest, detention, and killing of several villagers and then went to the local villages to collect information. [The researcher discovered during the interviews that the death of the villagers had not been confirmed.]

The researcher heard about the [likely] killing of Saw Mee Htoo from several villagers and interviewed the victim’s uncle, Saw D---, and his younger brother, Saw E---, on September 9th 2022 in order to get detailed information about the incident.

The researcher heard about the [likely] killing of Saw Maw Kyay Ngay from villagers from B--- and neighbouring villages. The researcher was later able to speak with the victim’s brother-in-law, Saw F---, and the husband of the victim’s younger sister, Naw[4] G---, on September 9th  2022.

On September 9th 2022, the KHRG researcher interviewed Saw Maw Kaw Kyaw’s cousin, Saw H---, about his arrest and disappearance. Way Sweh village tract administrator, Saw I---, was also interviewed regarding this case.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The family members of the victims heard about the arrests from other villagers who witnessed these incidents. The Way Sweh village tract administrator also received information from other villagers.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed.

Incident #1

On August 13th 2022, State Administration Council (SAC)[5] soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)[6] #439 and #603 and a junta-backed militia (‘pyithu sit’)[7] from Kyoh Pin Seik army camp arrested Saw Mee Htoo [the reason for his arrest is unclear]. The villager, residing in N--- section [section of A--- village, Kone Ni village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District], was on his way to buy some goods from the market. The soldiers regularly patrolled the area near the market, as it is located near the army camp. According to his family, Saw Mee Htoo was an ordinary villager and he did not get involved in the work of any organisation in the village [he was not part of an ethnic armed group (EAG)]. He was just an ordinary farmer. Many villagers and almost all ‘pyithu sit’ from Kyoh Pin Seik army camp knew him. 

Although the victim’s younger brother, Saw E---, himself did not see the arrest of his brother by SAC soldiers, villagers from his neighbourhood saw it and told him about what happened. Saw E--- then told his uncle about the incident, but did not dare to go after the SAC soldiers who arrested his brother on the same day. The day after the arrest took place, the uncle [Saw D---] and other relatives of Saw Mee Htoo asked Saw E--- to go and look for his brother. On August 14th 2022, the day after Saw Mee Htoo was arrested, his younger brother went to the army camp to ask about his brother. The younger brother was afraid of SAC soldiers’ cruel treatment before going and he took an elderly man with him thinking that the elderly man would make SAC soldiers show more respect to them. When they arrived and asked about his brother, they were told that his brother had already been released. However, when they got home, they could not find his brother. On August 17th 2022, some villagers saw SAC soldiers take two people to Kyoh Pin Seik cemetery and heard some gunshots afterward. As a result, villagers believe that Saw Mee Htoo was killed by SAC soldiers. No one knows why Saw Mee Htoo was arrested and killed. The victim’s uncle [Saw D---] does not understand why a person like Saw Mee Htoo, who did not do anything wrong, was killed and he is very dissatisfied by what happened.

Incident #2

On August 14th 2022, Saw Maw Kyay Nyay, a villager with an intellectual disability from B--- village, Noh Nya Lah village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District was also arbitrarily arrested by the same SAC troops from Kyoh Pin Seik army camp that arrested Saw Mee Htoo. The villager had been on his bicycle on his way to A--- village to buy a torch when he was arrested. He has not been seen again since then, which is unusual as he typically returns home shortly after running his errands, according to his family members. Since he has disappeared for a long period of time, it can be certain that he has already been killed, villagers claim. Two villagers, J---’s mother and Naw K---, saw that SAC soldiers tied up and tortured a person when they were on their way back home from their farm. The person who was tied up and tortured by SAC soldiers looked like Saw Maw Kyay Nyay to them but they were afraid and did not dare to look at the person carefully. They came back to the village and told other people about what they saw. [Villagers believe that] he was killed at Kyoh Pin Seik’s cemetery that day [August 14th]. Saw Maw Kyay Ngay’s brother-in-law reported the incident to the KHRG researcher.

Incident #3

On August 12th 2022, Saw Maw Kaw Kyaw, a villager from C--- village, Way Sweh village tract, Moo Township, Kler Lwee Htoo District, went to visit A--- village. Villagers believe that he was arrested that day. [At the time of the interview], it had been more than a month since he disappeared. Saw Maw Kaw Kyaw, who also has an intellectual disability, went to A--- village to buy items from the market and has not returned since. Local villagers believe that he has been killed already. The Way Sweh village tract administrator, Saw I---, also believes that he [Saw Maw Kaw Kyaw] might have been killed already because it has been over one month since he disappeared. Saw H---, the victim’s cousin, reported on the incident based on information he had received from other people in his neighbourhood. [Some villagers suspect that Saw Maw Mae Kyaw was killed on August 17th in the Kyoh Pin Seik cemetery with Saw Mee Htoo].

As a result of these incidents, fear has increased among villagers. Villagers were afraid to stay in the villages [the villages surrounding A--- village], and therefore they all have fled to other places. The villagers have been repeatedly displaced since early July 2022 when fighting took place, including the attack of five of the SAC army camps in Moo Township. Most villagers fled to their plantations outside of their village, however, some fled either to L--- Town or M--- Town in Taw Oo (Toungoo) District, or to refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Some local villagers said that they are afraid to see SAC soldiers because SAC soldiers could arrest and kill anyone, including people with intellectual disabilities. After villagers fled from their village, SAC soldiers entered their village and took their belongings, including food. Villagers are now worried about facing food shortages in the coming year because they can now no longer carry out their farming activities during displacement. [At the time of reporting in September 2022, villagers were still displaced.]

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The victims’ family members, along with the other interviewees, allowed KHRG to use the information they provided for publication. However, they wanted their names to be censored for their safety.