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SLORC MILITARY RAPES A KAREN GIRL



The following is the translation of the rape case published by
the New Era Journal in its 00000 issue. 

All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)
----------------------------------------

                    SLORC Military Rapes A Karen Girl


SOURCE: The New Era Journal


Name                     Nan Tin Aye
Age                      24 years old
Nationality              Poe Karen 
Religion                 Buddhist
Mother                   Daw Nan Aye
Father                   U Kyauk Pi
Place of Birth           Htilon village, Hlaing Bwae township
                         Pa-an District, Karen State
Time of Incident         4 am, 12.11.1996
Place of Incident        Three Pagoda Pass Military Camp 
Rapist                   Ohn Lwin (61), Commander of Battalion                                                                         
                         based at Three Pagoda Pass  

Nan Tin Aye was released from the Immigrant Detention Center
(IDC) in Bangkok, Thailand after serving time in the center on 
charges of being an illegal alien. On November 10, 1996, she was
deported back to the Thai-Burma border at Halokhani Refugee Camp
in Sankhalaburi Disrtict.  

Jobless and unable to survive, she went to the Three Pagoda Pass
township in the hope that she could find someone who could help
her to reach Bangkok and find work. Ma Ngae, another teenage
girl, came along with her.

They arrived at Three Pagoda Pass at about 6 pm on 11 November,
1996. That night they stayed at Daw Phyu's house in No. 4
quarter. At about one o'clock that night, SLORC town officials
and militia came to Daw Phyu's house and checked registration
cards and guest lists. Daw Phyu had not informed the local
authorities about her guests and the two girls were detained. 

(Translator's Note: Every house in Burma is required to inform
the local SLORC officials on the arrival of overnight visitors.
Failure to do so means that the visitors, the host or both can be
persecuted. This has been in practice since 1962 and has been
reinforced since the SLORC assumed power in 1988).  

Nan Tin Aye and Ma Ngae were not the only ones taken in for
questioning that night. There were others who were also taken in
for failing to report to the authorities. However, the two girls
were the only ones taken to the military camp, while the others
remained at the police station. 

After half an hour of interrogation at the military camp the
girls were taken to Commander Ohn Lwin's room for further
questioning. Commander Ohn Lwin was there along with two
officials from the quarter. The two girls sat in the room with
them for about 15 minutes and were not told anything about what
was happening to them. After a short while, Ohn Lwin went out of
the room and seconds later the girls heard the sound of gun fire. 

At the same time two local SLORC officials told them that they
should answer the commander's questions correctly and that they
shouldn't be worried. 

Instead of questioning the girls, the commander asked the girls
to help a soldier to prepare dinner for all of them. In the
process, the commander touched Nan Tin Aye's back in an intimate
way. After a while, Nan Tin Aye saw Ma Ngae follow a soldier. 

Without having a slightest idea of what would happen to her, Nan
Tin Aye had dinner with the SLORC officials and Commander Ohn
Lwin. It was only when the dinner was finished and the two
officials left that the commander began asking her a few
questions. 

He asked her simple questions such as 'Are you from Pa-an?', 'Are
you Karen?', 'How long have you been working in Thailand?' and
What's the job like?'. He then sat beside her and began to
squeeze her shoulders. Fearful, she tried to break away from his
grip suspecting what would follow. Ohn Lwin got up and slammed
the door shut and came back to her. He kissed her and violently
took her clothes off. He then raped her.

Nan Tin Aye was so afraid of what was happening to her, she dared
not shout a word. She knew that shouting wouldn't save her from
being raped. 

At about 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning, one of the SLORC
officials returned and brought her back to the office where they
were first taken to in the military camp. Ma Ngae was already
there.

On the way back home, Nan Tin Aye told Ma Ngae what happened to
her the previous night. Then she learned that Ma Ngae was also
repeatedly raped by two SLORC officials the whole night. When
they learned of each other's plight they burst out crying,
realizing the helplessness of their situation. Many other women
have been forced to endure rape and humiliation at SLORC military
bases. 

That same day the two fled back to the Halokhani refugee camp. 

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