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Print:This Incident Report describes an incident that happened in L--- village and K--- village, Special Area [Yay Leh village tract], Moo (Mone) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglegin) District. On August 30th 2021, about 70 State Administration Council (SAC) soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) #60 in Tha Bo army camp, Kyaukkyi [Ler Doh] Town led by Captain Aung Yar Lin arrested five local villagers without a warrant or explanation for the arrest. The villagers were taken to the LIB #351 army camp at Kyaukkyi Town and placed in detention. Later that day, the five villagers were released after the Ler Doh (Kyaukkyi) Township administrator went to the detention place and offered testimony for those villagers. One of the SAC village administrators had also gone to the detention place to request their release. However, the village administrator was detained one night for questioning about his connection with the KNLA and the location KLNA training camps and of participants in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Since he did not know anything about these issues, he was released the next day.[1]
Part 1 – Incident Details
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Type of Incident |
Arbitrary arrest |
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Date of Incident(s) |
August 30th 2021 |
|
Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
L--- village and K--- village, Special Area [Yay Leh village tract[2]], Moo (Mone) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglegin) District |
|
Victim Information |
||||||
|
Name |
Maung[3] I--- |
Saw[4] H--- |
Saw S--- |
Saw U--- |
Saw Y--- |
U[5] N--- |
|
Age |
41 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Sex |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Male |
Male |
|
Nationality |
Burmese |
Karen |
Karen |
Karen |
Karen |
Burmese |
|
Family |
Married |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Religion |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
Buddhist |
|
Village |
L--- |
L--- |
L--- |
L--- |
L--- |
L--- |
|
Perpetrator Information (Armed Actors) |
||||
|
Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
|
SAC soldiers |
Unknown |
IB #60 |
Than Bo Army Camp, Kyaukkyi Town |
Captain Aung Yar Lin |
Part 2 - Information Quality
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1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
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After KHRG heard about the SAC arresting villagers, KHRG researchers conducted interviews with three local villagers to gather details about the incident. |
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2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
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KHRG researchers talked with three local villagers, including one of the victims and one eyewitness (the wife of one of the victims). |
Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident
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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. |
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On August 30th 2021, about 70 State Administration Council (SAC)[6] soldiers[7] from Infantry Battalion (IB)[8] #60 entered into L--- and K--- villages, Special Area [Yay Leh village tract], Moo (Mone) Township, Kler Lwee Htoo (Nyaunglebin) District with three trucks. IB #60 is led by Captain Aung Yar Lin and is based in Than Bo Army Camp, Kyaukkyi Town [local villagers refer to it as Ler Doh Town]. Of the 70 SAC soldiers, about 20 of them entered into K--- village, while about 20 entered into L--- village (Karen part of the village) and the remaining 30 entered into L--- village (Burmese part of the village). They [the SAC soldiers] had a list with the names of five villagers in their notebook, so they surrounded and entered into the houses of [these five people]: Maw I---, Saw H---, Saw S--, Saw U--- and Saw Y---. They ordered these villagers to show their household registration, called out the name list of the household members and then took these five villagers with them, without any warrant or providing any information [about why they were being arrested].
When one of the victims’ family members asked an SAC soldier where they were taking him, he [the soldier] responded: “I will take him to Nant Thar Kwin [army camp] for a while and then let him come back.” Then [the victim’s family member] said: “Does he have to come back by foot?” Then he [the soldier] responded: “No. He will be sent back by this white car.”
Later, the victims’ family members learned that these five people were sent to the LIB #351 army camp at Kyaukkyi Town, instead of the Nant Thar Kwin army camp. Right after the incident, the L--- village (SAC) administrator U N--- immediately went to the Kyaukkyi army camp detention centre in order to help with the release of the five villagers and refused to return home even though the SAC soldiers asked him to go back.
The SAC soldiers did not explain anything to the five villagers during their detention, nor did they investigate anything [interrogate the villagers]. However, they were kept in a detention room which was locked by the SAC soldiers. They did receive water and food while they were held in detention. The five villagers were released in the afternoon, after the Ler Doh (Kyaukkyi) Township administrator went to the detention place and gave the recommendation [offered testimony] that those villagers are innocent [however, it is still unclear why they were being detained]. One of the victims, Saw U--- stated: “Since people [the SAC] told us nothing about why we were arrested, I don’t [even] know the reason [for the arrest].” None of the local villagers knew why the SAC arrested these five villagers. Moreover, they [the detainees] had to arrange their own transportation back home from the [Ler Doh] township administrator’s village to their own villages.
The Myanmar government administrator U N--- [who went to request the release of the detainees] was detained one night for further investigation. He was questioned by the SAC soldiers because they suspected him of having a connection with the Karen National Union (KNU)[9] and of holding a KNU meeting in his house. The SAC soldiers asked him questions such as: “Did you welcome the KNU to hold a meeting in your house?”, “Where is the [Karen National Liberation (KNLA)[10]] basic military training place?” and “Do you know where the CDM [participants in the Civil Disobedience Movement] live?” Since he does not know anything regarding those questions, he told the SAC soldiers that he does not know anything. He was released the next day.
As a consequence of these arbitrary arrests, local villagers are now concerned about their security and that the SAC will come and arrest people in their villages. |
Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details
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Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
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Interviewees gave permission to KHRG to use the information. |
Further background reading on the security situation in Kler Lwee Htoo District in Southeast Myanmar can be found in the following KHRG reports:
- “Kler Lwee Htoo District Short Update: SAC troops fired mortars into a village, injuring three villagers, December 2021”, January 2022.
- “Kler Lwee Htoo Short Update: Arbitrary arrest and killing, July 2021”, August 2021.
- “Kler Lwee Htoo District Incident Report: One villager injured, another one missing after being shot at by the Tatmadaw in Moo Township, May 2021”, June 2021.
- “Kler Lwee Htoo District Short Update: Increased militarisation and fighting between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA prevent IDPs from returning home in Ler Doh Township, March to May 2021”, May 2021.
Footnotes:
[1] The present document is based on information received in September 2021. It was provided by a community member in Kler Lwee Htoo District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions on the ground. The names of the victims, their photos and the exact locations are censored for security reasons. The parts in square brackets are explanations added by KHRG.
[2] A village tract is an administrative unit of between five and 20 villages in a local area, often centred on a large village.
[3] Maung is a Burmese male honorific title used before a person’s name.
[4] Saw is a S'gaw Karen male honorific title used before a person's name.
[5] U is a Burmese title used for elder men, used before their name.
[6] The State Administration Council (SAC) is the executive governing body created in the aftermath of the February 1st 2021 military coup. It was established by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on February 2nd 2021, and is composed of eight military officers and eight civilians. The chairperson serves as the de facto head of government of Myanmar and leads the Military Cabinet of Myanmar, the executive branch of the government. Min Aung Hlaing assumed the role of SAC chairperson following the coup.
[7] The term most commonly used in referring to Myanmar’s armed forces is Tatmadaw. The term has been used by KHRG throughout its reporting history, and most consistently during periods of civilian government. Since the February 1st 2021 coup and the military’s establishment of the State Administration Council (SAC) as the executive governing body of Myanmar, Myanmar’s armed forces have also come to be referred to as the SAC military. KHRG uses the term SAC military in specific reference to the Myanmar military since the February 1st 2021 coup. During previous periods of military rule, KHRG also used the names adopted by the military government in referring to the Tatmadaw (i.e. SLORC [State Law and Order Restoration Council] between 1988 to 1997, and SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] from 1998 to 2011), because these were the terms commonly used by villagers in KHRG research areas.
[8] An Infantry Battalion (Tatmadaw) comprises 500 soldiers. However, most Infantry Battalions in the Tatmadaw are under-strength with less than 200 soldiers. Yet up to date information regarding the size of battalions is hard to come by, particularly following the signing of the NCA. They are primarily used for garrison duty but are sometimes used in offensive operations.
[9] The Karen National Union (KNU) is the main Karen political organisation. It was established in 1947 and has been in conflict with the Burma/Myanmar government since 1949. The KNU wields power across large areas of Southeast Myanmar and has been calling for the creation of a democratic federal system since 1976. Although it signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, relations with the government remain tense.
[10] The Karen National Liberation Army is the armed wing of the Karen National Union.
