Civilians tortured and killed by military offensive
Civilians are abducted and killed by the Burmese Army during military operation against guerrillas in southern Mon State
Civilians are abducted and killed by the Burmese Army during
military operation against guerrillas in southern Mon State and northern Tenasserim
Division. According to the witness, 19 villagers including Buddhist monks and
village headmen were arrested for interrogation three days ago. Being accused
as supporters of the Mon guerrilla group, those arrested were ordered to sit
in the sun, beaten and tortured by the Burmese Army Regiment No. 22 led by Colonel
Nyi Nyi Swe. Local source reported, the Pa-An based Regiment No. 22 of Southeast
Military Command took civilians and made them march in front of army when they
launched the offensive against the Mon armed group led by Nai Hloin, Nai Bin
and San She. The Burmese troops severely tortured 2 Buddhist monks, the abbot
of Krein Kanyeh and Khawza PhaeDay monasteries while they were beaten and their
legs being burned for questioning. According to a refugee who recently arrived
at the Thai-Burma border, over 40 civilians were arrested and 5 villagers were
killed during the brutal military operation. Since the area is defined as the
black area, the BA restricts movements of civilians to block off alleged support
for the rebels and villagers were prohibited going out at night from 5 PM to
7 AM. A 25 year old son of Nai Pe from Hangan village was killed near Hangan
village due to the curfew imposed by the army; and on December 23, Nai KaoChan
(19 years old) from Yang Dong village was shot to death in his farm near the
village. On December 20, a former medic of the New Mon State Party Nai Norn
Ong and other member Nai A-zan were taken from their houses and killed by the
army after investigation. Another victim Nai Zit (age 40), a hunter from Hangan
village, was also being shot and killed. The front line operation office of
about a thousand troops was led by Colonel Nyi Nyi Swe and stationed at Khawzar
village, southern Ye township since in early December. After the New Mon State
Party reached a cease-fire with the ruling military junta in 1995, a former
NMSP member Nai Hloin split from the Party and resumes fighting against the
BA in the rural areas of southern Mon State.