News Bulletin July 16, 2012 / KHRG #2012-B63 Papun Interview: Saw T---, December 2011 This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during December 2011 in Bu Tho Township, Papun District by a community member trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The community member interviewed a 40-year-old Buddhist monk, Saw T---, who is a former member of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the Border Guard, who described activities pertaining to Border Guard Battalion #1013 based at K’Hsaw Wah, Papun District. Saw T--- described human rights abuses including the forced conscription of child soldiers, or the forcing to hire someone in their place, costing 1,500,000 Kyat (US $1833.74). This report also describes the use of landmines by the Border Guard, and how villagers are forced to carry them while acting as porters. Also mentioned, is the on-going theft of villagers money and livestock by the Border Guard, as well as the forced labour of villagers in order to build army camps and the transportation of materials to the camps; the stealing of villagers’ livestock after failing to provide villagers to serve as forced labour, is also mentioned. Saw T--- provides information on the day-to-day life of a soldier in the Border Guard, describing how villagers are forcibly conscripted into the ranks of the Border Guard, do not receive treatment when they are sick, are not allowed to visit their families, nor allowed to resign voluntarily. Saw T--- described how, on one occasion a deserter’s elderly father was forced to fill his position until the soldier returned. Saw T--- also mentions the hierarchical payment structure, the use of drugs within the border guard and the training, which he underwent before joining the Border Guard. Concerns are also raised by Saw T--- to the community member who wrote this report, about his own safety and his fear of returning to his home in Papun, as he feels he will be killed, having become a deserter himself as of October 2nd 2011. Interview | Saw T---, (male, 40), M--- village, Bu Tho Township, Papun District (December 2011) The following interview was conducted by a community member in Papun District, and is presented below translated exactly as it was received, save for minor edits for clarity and 1 security. This interview was received along with other information from Papun District, including 12 other interviews, two situation updates, and 325 photographs.2 Ethnicity: Karen Religion: Buddhist Marital Status: Married Occupation: Border Guard deserter What is your name? My name is Saw T---. This photo, taken on December 4th 2011, shows 40- year-old Border Guard deserter, Saw T---, now fearing T---? for his life as he believes the Border Guard will kill him if he is found. Saw T--- described how he was re- conscripted as a Border Guard soldier after having Yes. previously left the DKBA after four years of service in order to care for his children after the death of his wife. [Photo: KHRG] How old are you? I’m 40-years-old. Where do you live? What is the name of the village where you live? I live in H--- village. Which village tract is H--- village in? H--- is in Kaw Law Htah village tract. Do you know which township Kaw Law Htah village [tract] is in? Kaw Law Htah is in Lu Thaw Township. What is your religion? 1 KHRG trains community members in eastern Burma to document individual human rights abuses using a standardised reporting format; conduct interviews with other villagers; and write general updates on the situation in areas with which they are familiar. When conducting interviews, community members are trained to use loose question guidelines, but also to encourage interviewees to speak freely about recent events, raise issues that they consider to be important and share their opinions or perspectives on abuse and other local dynamics. 2 In order to increase the transparency of KHRG methodology and more directly communicate the experiences and perspectives of villagers in eastern Burma, KHRG aims to make all field information received available on the KHRG website once it has been processed and translated, subject only to security considerations. As companion to this, a redesigned website will be released in 2012. In the meantime, KHRG’s most recently-published field information from Papun District can be found in the Report, “Photo Set: Villagers register concerns about proposed Hatgyi Dam,” KHRG, June 2012. 2 I’m a Buddhist. What is your occupation? In the past I worked as a hill field farmer. Are you married? Yes, I’m married. How many children do you have? I have two children. How old is your eldest child? My eldest child is 20 years old. How about your youngest child? My youngest child is seven years old. What are your parent’s occupations? My parents are also hill field farmers. What grade did you finish school? I finished after second grade. Have you ever been a soldier? I used to be a KNDO [Karen National Defence Organisation soldier].3 How about the DKBA [Democratic Karen Buddhist Army]?4 I was a DKBA soldier for four years. 3 The Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO) is the former name of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The KNDO is a militia force of local volunteers trained and equipped by the KNLA and incorporated into its battalion and command structure; its members wear uniforms and typically commit to two-year terms of service. 4 The DKBA was formed in December 1994, led by monk U Thuzana and with the help and support of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which was the name of the military government in Burma at that time. For more information on the formation of the DKBA, see “Inside the DKBA,” KHRG, 1996. 3 Which battalion were you in when you were a DKBA soldier? I was in battalion #777. Which company was it? I was in company #1. What was your position when you were a DKBA soldier? I was just a soldier. Did you have a personal number when you were a soldier? They [the DKBA] didn’t give me my personal number. Were you a DKBA soldier first or Border Guard soldier first?5 I became a DKBA soldier in 1995 when the DKBA was formed. Which month was it? I cannot remember the month. Was it during summer, the monsoon season, or in winter? It was after people planted the paddy. I think it was June or July. Can you explain to me why you became a DKBA soldier? I became a DKBA soldier because some of my friends were recruited as DKBA soldiers and I too was recruited to be a soldier. Before you were a DKBA soldier, you were a KNDO soldier, is that right? 5 While Tatmadaw and DKBA units have for years operated together, this operational hierarchy became formalised with the DKBA’s transformation into a ‘Border Guard Force’ under control of the Tatmadaw and containing a fixed number quota of Tatmadaw officers. This transformation dates to at least May 2009, when commanding officers stated in high-level meeting of DKBA officers that the DKBA would transform itself into a ‘Border Guard Force.’ Leaked minutes from the May 2009 meeting are retained by KHRG on file. Ceremonies attended by Tatmadaw commanders officially announced the transformation of large portions of the DKBA into Border Guard Forces in September 2010; see, for example: “Border Guard Forces of South-East Command formed in Paingkyon of Kayin State,” New Light of Myanmar, August 22nd 2010; and “Border Guard Force formed at winkwinkalay region, Myawaddy Township, Kayin State,” New Light of Myanmar, August 25th 2010 4 I did serve as a KNDO soldier, and then I resigned. You had already resigned? Yes, I resigned and then worked as a cultivator. But when my friends were recruited [into the DKBA], I was also persuaded to join the army. Didn’t you want to join the army? No, I personally didn’t want to join the army. How many villagers in your village were recruited? Saw B--- and Saw H--- [were recruited]. Only two people? No, there were more. Saw W--- and Saw P---. Only four people? Yes, only four people. Were any of them under 18 years old? Or above 19 years old? None of them were under 18 years old. All of them were over 19 years old. Were any of them under 15 years old? No. None of them were under 15-years-old. How many soldiers were in your battalion? There were 300 soldiers when I first joined the army. Who was the battalion commander? The battalion commander’s name was Bo [Major] Aye Shwe. Where were you active? We were active in Mah Htaw village. Is it in Papun [District] area? 5 Yes, it was in the Papun area. Did you ever hear of monk U Thuzana6 when you were a DKBA soldier? Yes, I heard about him. Do you know about his activities? I don’t know about U Thuzana’s activities. Sometimes, our battalion commander went to meet with him, and then returned, telling us about what he had said and ordered. So, I don’t know much about him. Did the battalion commander call the soldiers when he was going to meet with U Thuzana? No, he didn’t call us to go with him. Who was in charge of transportation in your battalion? [Major] Aye Shwe was in charge of that. How many months and years ago did you desert? I deserted from [the Border Guard] on October 2nd 2011.