Type of Incident

Arbitrary arrest

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

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

After KHRG heard about the SAC arresting villagers, KHRG researchers conducted interviews with three local villagers to gather details about the incident.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

KHRG researchers talked with three local villagers, including one of the victims and one eyewitness (the wife of one of the victims).

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 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.   

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

Interviewees gave permission to KHRG to use the information.