KHRG Report: Transcript of Video Ta

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Subject: KHRG Report: Transcript of Video Taped Interview


************************Posted by BurmaNet************************
  "Appropriate Information Technologies--Practical Strategies"
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           TRANSCRIPT FROM A VIDEO TAPED INTERVIEW BY 
                THE KAREN HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP
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Filename: video

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(Note: Date of the interview is not available)

                   INTERVIEW #4 - VIDEO SCRIPT 
  Q:  Why did you come here? 
A:  Because the Burmese oppress us.  They ordered me to be a 
porter; they also ordered me to go get information about Karen 
soldiers for them, but I only went part way to the place, then I 
stayed at a house.  The Burmese soldiers came and found me there 
and said, "You must be Kaw Thoo Lei.  You are not even just a 
relative of Kaw Thoo Lei, you are one yourself!" 
I pleaded that I was not a Kaw Thoo Lei soldier, and said that I 
had gone to the place they sent me and come back.  After they 
asked me one or two questions, they started to hit me.  One of  the
Second Lieutenants with one star, named Myint Thein, hit me  with
a carbine rifle butt twice in my chest, and I couldn't  breathe for
a few minutes, which was terrible.  The officer then  ordered the
soldiers to tie me up.  After a few minutes I told  the officer
that I had gone to the place they asked, and I said  "Anyway how
could I be Kaw Thoo Lei?  If I was, I could never go  as a porter
for you." 
 
The villagers couldn't see what was happening to me.  The  soldiers
untied me, and I asked permission to cook.  While I was  cooking I
heard two soldiers talking - they said, "Be careful of  this man -
he might try to run, because this evening we'll take  him and maybe
kill him."  I was listening closely to them.  So I  decided to run
away.  I walked to the river bank, looked around  to see that no
one was looking, and ran. 
 
I ran to my house and told my wife what happened, and that we 
should leave before the soldiers came to bother her.  Later I 
heard that the soldiers came that evening and asked the villagers 
where my wife's house was; but my wife had already left the 
village. 
 
Another time, 107 Battalion came and raped a girl.  She shouted 
loudly but the soldier slapped her face.  We went and told the 
Burmese commander about it because he had said, "If my soldiers  do
something bad to the villagers, come and tell me."  But when  we
told him the commander just said, "Do you have more girls?  If  you
do, bring some for me". 
 
They come in the village, catch the women and kill the animals,  so
we don't have any animals there.  Nothing at all.  If we had  pigs,
they ate them all.  The women dare not sleep alone at  night.  In
a house even if there are 3 women and one man the  soldiers don't
care.  They don't fear the man. 
 
They rape the women, and when the women shout they slap their 
faces and pull their hair.  In a village named Kyone Weh, there 
was a woman who was friendly with the Burmese but one night they 
went and raped her.  She shouted loudly and yelled, "He's come to 
rape me", so the Burmese soldier hit her with his rifle butt  here,
on her head.  Someone went and told the commander but he  just
said, "If you have another woman, tell that soldier to rape  her
too". 
 
Karen soldiers came and fought, and the Burmese lost their post.  
Then the Burmese called all the village elders around to come to 
their camp.  No one dared to go, but Pa Lu the village headman 
said, "I'll die for my village."  He said to the villagers, 
"Please come and plead for me", and went.  When he got to the  camp
they didn't even ask him any questions, just started  punching and
beating him until his face was so badly bruised we  couldn't
recognise him any more.  Then the Burmese said, "We  caught a
ringworm - a Karen soldier".  Then they took some  villagers to
their camp and asked them, "Do you know him?"  When  the villagers
saw him they didn't even recognise him because his  face was so
badly beaten.  His face and his whole body were  covered in blood. 
The soldiers asked, "Do you recognise him?  If you're sure you  do,
say yes".  One villager said, "I think I know him".  The  soldiers
said, "You'd better be sure.  If you're not sure but you  say you
recognise him, you'll go the same way as him".  Then no  one dared
vouch for him, and they came back to the village. 
 
After the villagers left, the soldiers said to Pa Lu, "No one 
vouched for you".  They took him to a field just beside the 
village, where there's a pond, and they cut his throat.  They  left
the body there beside the village, where it would smell very  bad. 
The villagers asked permission to bury him.  When they saw  his
body they realised it was Pa Lu.  So an old woman went to the 
soldiers to protest.  The soldiers just said, "Don't be silly."  
They hit the old woman, and she ran back to the village.

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Karen Human Rights Group
Box 22
Mae Sot, Tak 63110
Thailand
(Email for the KHRG sent to strider@xxxxxxxxxxx will be forwarded
to them)