TWO and TSYU Condemn Human Right Violations Committed by RCSS/SSA in Northern and Southern Shan State

Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO) and Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization – (TSYU) | February 10, 2016

U Paw Pwae who is the secretary of the the local township committee organized and hired by the troop of Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) Battalion no. 377 based in Mong Kung Township together with 7 members of the local township committee ordered the headman of Pan Laut village, chairmen of 8 villages in Naung San Phuu tract, 6 villages in Khae Owm Owae tract, 3 villages in Sone Laut tract, and 8 villages in Phar Kaung tract in Mong Kung township to recruit 100 soldiers from each of the tracts totally 400 soldiers to send the military training on 20 Feb, 2016.

2. The villagers were threatened that if they did not fulfill these demands, their lands and livestock, such as cows and buffalos, would be destroyed and confiscated. One of the villagers said, “The RCSS has been recruiting soldiers in our village and if we can’t provide the soldiers, we have to pay them 30,000,000 kyats for one soldier. If we cannot pay, they loot our land and cows and buffalos. Now, they are recruiting soldiers again to fight against the TNLA. This means they have asked us to fight our own ethnic nationality. I can’t accept this. I can’t fight against our Ta’ang people as I am Ta’ang. Currently the RCSS and TNLA are fighting each other. Therefore RCSS is recruiting more Ta’ang villagers to be soldiers to fight against the TNLA.”

3. The RCSS/SSA has not only been committing serious human right violations against Ta’ang people in Southern Shan State — including arbitrarily arresting, threatening and forcibly recruiting villagers to be soldiers, and torturing and destroying their property — but also RCSS/SSA troops of Battalion no. 701 arrested an innocent villager, Mai Lome Naw, from Lwant Haw, Namkham township of Northern Shan State on 8 February, 2016. Mai Lome Naw was arrested and tortured, then tied up with rope till 10 February 2016.

4. On the same date, the RCSS troops also entered into houses in Lwant Haw village without permission and destroyed the villagers’ property. They looted about 500,000 kyat from U Nyi Kyan’s house and 500,000 kyat from U A Nyan Kyuu’s house.

5. Due to the violence, most of the villagers don’t dare to stay inside the village and almost all the households of Lwant Naw village have fled to Mong Wee village. There are over 550 villagers from Lwant Naw village including the children (177 population) fleet to Mong Wee village and currently they need urgent aids for shelters and food. TWO and TSYU seriously condemn all of these human right violations committed by RCSS.

6. The RCSS/SSA has signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Accord (NCA) and promised to obey the rules in the NCA. However, the RCSS/SSA has not obeyed these rules. They have violated NCA section (5), section (6) and section (9) – by threatening, detaining and torturing innocent people in Ta’ang areas, recruiting villagers to be soldiers and destroying and looting their property. This will be a huge challenge to make peace and build public trust. Therefore we, TWO, seriously condemn the RCSS/SSA’s actions and demand an immediate stop to them.

7. Taking innocent people as hostages and destroying their safety and security are against the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Geneva Convention Protocols, as well as the UDHR section (5) and section (3). Therefore, TWO and TSYU seriously condemn these actions of RCSS.

8. We, TWO and TSYU demand that the RCSS/SSA army stop arresting and torturing innocent and unarmed people, and looting and destroying their property. The government and Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) must also take responsibility for ensuring that there is compensation for the losses and grievances caused by RCSS/SSA.

We demand that the government and RCSS/SSA do as follows;

• Immediately and unconditionally release Mai Lome Naw, who was arrested and tortured, and seek truth and justice in this case.
• Stop threatening, illegally detaining, using as porters, and torturing innocent people in Ta’ang areas, and stop destroying and looting their property.
• Immediately stop all military offensives in Northern Shan State
• Together with the JMC, take full responsibility to ensure that the arrested and tortured villagers receive justice
• Follow and respect international conventions and agreements they have signed.

 

Executive Committee
Ta’ang Women’s Organization – TWO
Ta’ang Students and Youth Organization – TSYU

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De De Poe Jaing – +95 096718218

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