Human rights day, celebrated to honor the rights of all people, saw to let up of human rights abuses in burma. The headman of an often abused village in Khaw-zar sub-township was beaten extensively by Burmese army forces.On December 10th, International Human Rights Day, the village headman from Magyi village was visited by soldiers from Burmese army Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 31. According to source close to a villager that witnessed the assault, soldiers began beating the headman as soon as he came to the door of his house, leavening him no opportunity to even speak. In the assault the headmen suffered sever head injuries, rendering him forgetful.
According to one Magyi villager “The authorities suspected that villagers [in the town] were connected to the Mon splinter group – some of Mon splinter group live in our village – that’s why the authorities tortured the village headman.” While IMNA received reports that other villagers were tortured due to their suspected involvement with Mon splinter groups, IMNA was unable to confirm these cases.
International Human Rights Day was established to recognize the day the United Nations General Assembly announced the formation of the Universal Deceleration of Human Rights. The holiday is generally seen as an opportunity by countries to publically reaffirm their commitment to addressing human rights issues internationally and worldwide.
Despite pressure from countries internationally, and increased United States diplomatic efforts with the Burmese Military Junta, it is widely recognized and documented that human rights violations are continuing against ethnic minorities on Burma’s borders.
The beating of Magyi’s headman is the most recent episode in long string of arrests and assaults from a Mon splinter group and Burmese army forces in the heavily targeted Khaw-zar sub-township.
On October 25th, 30 villagers from Yinye village were kidnapped by the Nai Bin splinter group in exchange for ransoms from families. According to a November article by the Human Rights Foundation of Monland, IB No. 31 then arrested 37 villagers, beating and abusing them to get information about local splinter groups.
Villagers are well aware of the pervasive regional abuses, “One of the soldier from the IB No. 31 was struck by a bomb outside Yinye village. one explained “They [IB No. 31 commanders] got angry at the villagers, that’s why they tortured them.” At that time villagers have reported that those tortured were the village headman Nai Kyaw Hein, and 2 members of the people’s militia, Nai Nwe and Nai lan Par.
One Yin-ya villager recounts how he was tortured once he was capture, “They tied me to the betel nut plant and then they beat me with bamboo. They tortured me in many ways – they laid my body on the ground and beat my back. I felt very bad but I couldn’t do anything to them.”
One Yinye villager now living in exile along the Thai-Burma border explained villagers who are beaten and tortured by authorities are sometimes unable to continue work, after which some leave their villages because they afraid the soldiers will return to commit human rights abuses again.
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