Toungoo Incident Report: Arbitrary arrest and detention, and violent abuse in Thandaunggyi Township, December 2005

This Incident Report describes the beating and arrest of two villagers in Toungoo District and the subsequent imprisonment of one of them for associating with the Karen National Union (KNU). During fighting between Tatmadaw soldiers and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in December 2005, the Tatmadaw lost two guns and demanded that local villagers pay for them within ten days. When the villagers could not produce the money, Tatmadaw soldiers accused Saw A--- and one of his friends of associating with the KNU, beating and arresting them. Saw A--- was subsequently imprisoned for nearly six years under the Unlawful Associations Act, being released in August 2011.

Incident Report | Thandaunggyi Township, Toungoo District (December 2005)

The following Incident Report was written by a community member who has been trained by KHRG to monitor local human rights conditions. It is presented below translated exactly as originally written, save for minor edits for clarity and security.[1] This report was received in June 2012 along with other information from Toungoo District, including one other incident report, three interviews, one situation update and 108 photographs.[2]

Part 1 – Incident Details

Type of Incident	Type of Incident
Accusation and violent abuse	Accusation and violent abuse

Type of Incident	Date of Incident(s)
Accusation and violent abuse	December 2nd 2005

Type of Incident

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Accusation and violent abuse

B--- village, western Day Loh [village tract], Daw Hpa Hkoh [Thandaunggyi] Township, Taw Oo [Toungoo] District

Type of Incident

Accusation and violent abuse

Date of Incident(s)

December 2nd 2005

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

B--- village, western Day Loh [village tract], Daw Hpa Hkoh [Thandaunggyi] Township, Taw Oo [Toungoo] District

Victim Information

Victim Information	Name
	Saw A---

Victim Information	Age
	47

Victim Information	Sex
	Male

Victim Information	Nationality
	Bwe Karen

Victim Information	Family
	Yes

Victim Information	Occupation
	Villager

Victim Information	Religion
	Christian

Victim Information	Position
	Villager

Victim Information	Village
	B--- Village

Victim Information
Name	Saw A---
Age	47
Sex	Male
Nationality	Bwe Karen
Family	Yes
Occupation	Villager
Religion	Christian
Position	Villager
Village	B--- Village

Perpetrator Information

Perpetrator Information	Name(s)
	Rank
	Unit
	Base
	Commander’s Name

Perpetrator Information	Aung Kyaw Nywun
	Company 2nd –in-command
	Unknown
	Beside B--- village, there is an army camp
	Unknown

Perpetrator Information
Name(s)	Rank	Unit	Base	Commander’s Name
Aung Kyaw Nywun	Company 2nd –in-command	Unknown	Beside B--- village, there is an army camp	Unknown

Part 2 - Information Quality

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

I received this information when I went to B--- village and met with a B--- villager who was worried, and I interviewed him about the incident and he explained it to me. His name is Saw A---, he is 47 years old and he lives in B--- village.

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Regarding the information in this incident, the person who gave me the information was Saw A--- himself. At the time of the incident he was a village head and he faced [the problem] himself and he explained it to me. The information in this incident is the truth about what Saw A--- suffered and he provided [me with this information].

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident

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.

On December 2nd 2005, in C--- village, Day Yoh Muh Na region, Taw Oo [Toungoo] District, there was fighting between Burmese soldiers from [Infantry Battalion][3] #39 and Karen soldiers [from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)], and during the fighting the Burmese soldiers lost two guns because the Karen soldiers took the two guns. A group of Burmese soldiers that live in [are based near] B--- requested the village leader [Saw A---] to meet them and asked the villagers to pay for the two guns that had been confiscated. And they ordered that they had to get the money within ten days. The villagers did not have the money, so they did not [pay for the guns]. They [the soldiers] arrested the B--- village head, who is called Saw A---, and one of his friends. They [the soldiers] accused them of communicating with the KNU [Karen National Union], and arrested them in B--- village [on 12th of December] and punished them under Article 171.[4] When they arrested them, they were violent and punched them and [Saw A---] lost three teeth. He [Saw A---] was imprisoned in Taw Oo [Toungoo prison]. He was released in August 2011. Saw A--- told me this.

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

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

Yes, regarding the information that we received from Saw A---, he himself gave permission to use it and publish it, so that the international community will know and they will put pressure on the Burmese government not to accuse and arrest villagers blindly when they do not know the [root] cause exactly [do not have evidence against someone].

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