Incident Report: Villager tortured by Tatmadaw commanders in Papun District, December 2012

The above photo was taken on January 11th 2013 by a community member who has been trained by KHRG. It was taken in S--- village, Ma
Lay Ler village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Papun District, and shows Saw U--- who was tortured by LID #44, IB #9 Company/Camp
Commander Ko Ko Lwin and Platoon Commander Kyaw Thu after coming back from taking bath on accusation of being in the KNLA.
[Photo: KHRG]

Incident Report | Dwe Lo Township, Papun District (December 2012)

The following incident report was written by a community member in Papun District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor 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 along with other information from Papun District, including ten photographs.[2]

Part 1 – Incident(s) detail

Type of Incident	Type of Incident
Torture	Torture

Type of Incident	Date of Incident(s)
Torture	December 28th 2012

Type of Incident

Incident Location (Village, Township and District)

Torture

T--- village, Hkoo Thoo Hta village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Papun District

Type of Incident

Torture

Date of Incident(s)

December 28th 2012

Incident Location (Village, Township and District)

T--- village, Hkoo Thoo Hta village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Papun District

Victim Information

Victim Information	Name
	Age
	Sex
	Ethnicity
	Religion
	Family
	Occupation
	Responsible
	Village

Victim Information	Saw U---
	34
	Male
	Karen
	Buddhist
	Single
	Flat field farming
	villager
	T---

Victim Information
Name	Age	Sex	Ethnicity	Religion	Family	Occupation	Responsible	Village
Saw U---	34	Male	Karen	Buddhist	Single	Flat field farming	villager	T---

Perpetrator information

Perpetrator information	Name
	Rank
	Unit
	Base
	Commander

Perpetrator information	Ko Ko Lwin
	Company Commander

	T--- village, T--- Military Camp
	Ko Ko Lwin

Perpetrator information	Kyaw Thu
	Platoon Commander

Perpetrator information
Name	Rank	Unit	Base	Commander
Ko Ko Lwin	Company Commander		T--- village, T--- Military Camp	Ko Ko Lwin
Kyaw Thu	Platoon Commander

Part 2 - Information Quality

1. Explain the specific manner in which you collected this information.

On December 28th 2012, Saw U--- went to take a bath in the Bu Loh River [Bilin River], then he returned to his home. One landmine exploded before he reached his home and Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu called him and accused him of having contact with KNLA soldiers. They asked him to come toward them and then Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu punched his chest and face so that he suffered seriously.

1. Explain the specific manner in which you collected this information.
On December 28th 2012, Saw U--- went to take a bath in the Bu Loh River [Bilin River], then he returned to his home. One landmine exploded before he reached his home and Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu called him and accused him of having contact with KNLA soldiers. They asked him to come toward them and then Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu punched his chest and face so that he suffered seriously.

2. Explain how the source verified information accuracy.

Saw U--- was tortured and suffered it alone. He reported it by himself and this is the true information.

2. Explain how the source verified information accuracy.
Saw U--- was tortured and suffered it alone. He reported it by himself and this is the true information.

Part 3 – Incident Details

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) whyit 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 28th 2012, at 4:00 pm, Saw U--- went to take a bath from his house to Buh Loh River when a female buffalo stepped on the landmine and died from the landmine [explosion], which was planted by Karen soldiers [KNLA] beside T--- village. After the landmine exploded, LID [Light Infantry Division] #44's IB #9 Company Commander/Camp Commander Ko Ko Lwin and Platoon Commander were at a confluence [in the river], where the Hkoo Thoo stream flows into the to Buh Loh River. When Saw U--- arrived at the confluence, where the mouth of Hkoo Thoo stream contributes to Buh Loh River, then they [the Tatmadaw commanders] saw Saw U--- and they called him to come toward to them. By the time Saw U--- arrived next to them, Camp Commander Ko Ko Lwin punched his chest once right away without saying anything; in addition, Kyaw Thu punched Saw U---'s face side by side [on both sides of his face] for ten times, so Saw U--- still feels extreme pain until now.

After Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu tortured Saw U---, [they] did not provide any medicines or treatment for him. Saw U--- suffered with the pain and he has healed it by himself with the leaves of mullein and turmeric. He has suffered with this [the torture] because Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu suspected and blamed him of cooperating with KNLA soldiers and planting landmines. However, Saw U--- is a villager who is a farm worker and does not know anything. Ko Ko Lwin and Kyaw Thu punched him and he had to suffer with it. Since he was tortured, he has needed to stay at home because he is still in pain.

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

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

The victim allowed me to use this information.

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