Type of Incident

BGF [Border Guard Force][3] killed a B--- villager

Date of Incident(s)

March 15th 2015

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

B--- [village], Htee Tha Daw Hta village tract, Bu Tho [Township], Mu Traw [Hpapun] District

Victim Information

Name

Saw A---

Age

42

Sex

Male

Nationality

Karen

Family   

Has family

Occupation

Farmer

Religion

Buddhist

Position

Villager

Village

B--- village

Perpetrator Information

Name(s)              

Rank

Unit

Base

Commander’s Name

Saw Kyaw Ka

Private

BGF Battalion #1013

K’Ter Htee

Hpah Yuh Khay

Hpah Yuh Khay

Company Second-in-Command

BGF Battalion #1013

K’Ter Htee

Maung Hla Kyaing

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

I got this information from a radio [walkie-talkie] message. After that I followed up with the victim’s family and the other people who were included [present] during the [time] the incident was taking place. I followed up on it [the incident] to get detailed information.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The people who provided information know the details [of the] incident because they were also included [present] when the incident was happening, therefore they know detailed information. It happened on March 15th 2015 in the evening when [the victim] went spear fishing between 7 and 8 pm. When [he] went on the way to go spear fishing, Company #3 Platoon Commander[4] Hpah Yuh Khay and his private who are [under] BGF Battalion #1013[5] killed [shot] Saw A---.

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 March 15th 2015 in evening at 7 pm, a B--- villager, Saw A---, [who is] also called Saw C---, decided to go [out] on his own to catch fish for his family. [He lives] in B--- village, Htee Tha Daw Hta village tract, Bu Tho Township. He does not have [eat] meat and he is a vegetarian [but] even though he does not have [eat] meat he did his best to find food for his family and children. In the same evening, before he reached the river at F--- [place], he encountered the BGF. He was directly shot by the BGF unexpectedly.[6] It [the bullet] hit [him] under his breast and he fell over [on the ground]. He told the BGF, “We are villagers, why do you shoot us?” The BGF [soldiers] looked at him and shot him again, twice. It [a bullet] hit his shoulder and his left shoulder was broken and one of his fingers was cut off. After the people [villagers] brought him to his house he was sent directly to Hpa-an Hospital.

The BGF [soldier] who shot Saw A---, [who] is [also] called Saw C---, [his] name is Saw Kyaw Ka. [He] was led by Hpah Yuh Khay. The battalion commander of BGF [Battalion] #1013 is named Maung Hla Kyaing and [his] battalion second-in-command’s name is Kyaw Win. The BGF soldier [Saw Kyaw Ka] shot B--- villager [Saw A---] by accident, but they [the BGF] did not do anything with the corpse [injured villager]. They just left the corpse [injured villager] and moved onward [to their destination]. They did not create any rules [that villagers were supposed to follow] before they shot and killed the villager by accident. They did not say [that] starting from [the] evening [and] until morning you are not allowed to go out of the village. Since they killed the villager by accident, they said, “We created the rule in our area that we are not allowed [to let] any villagers go out of the village after 6 pm and until 6 am.” However, the villagers which we conducted a meeting with reported that they did not hear [about this rule], nor saw any [signs or notices about the rule] with their [own] eyes.

“We did not know anything [about any rules] therefore we went out of the village to find food, hunting during the night so we can have it with our families. If we [had] heard [about] the order, we really would not have dared to go out. After the incident had occurred, we came to know that BGF Battalions #1014 and #1013, [who] are operating in D--- [village] and E--- [village, which] is also called G--- [area],[7] had created the rule that starting from 6 pm until [6 am] in the morning no one is allowed to go out of the village [because] you cannot see anything properly. Therefore we don’t dare to go out. Because of the incident, it brought problems for B--- area, D--- village. [Before] 6 pm, before dark, we went to look after our buffalos and cows, but we could not return to the village [by 6 pm]. We need more time to do other things [errands outside the village] before it gets dark. Moreover, some people [villagers] could not find their buffalos and cows [to bring them back to the village] and they [the cattle] went into [the plantation and] had [ate] the sugarcane at night, but we didn’t dare to move them out of the sugarcane [plantation].”

Saw A---, [who is] also called Saw C--- and who has been killed by the BGF, his family is facing livelihood problems since [he died]. But the wife of Saw A---, [who is] also called Saw C---, arranged a meeting with the BGF [Battalion] #1013 commander to help her with the [basic] needs of her household. She demanded of the commander, “How many soldiers [are there] in a battalion? You have to take one month’s salary from all of them and give [that money] to me [to support me] during one month.” The commander agreed with her, but as of now, he has not given [her] anything yet. The family of Saw C---, [who is] also called Saw A---, [has] six children and most of his children are old enough to go to school, but one or two children are not ready for going to school yet. Therefore, it [their father’s death] brought on problems for them [since the older children have] to help their mom and their younger siblings [at the expense of their education].

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

The [family of the] victim gave us permission to use this information openly.