Hpapun Incident Report: Physical abuse against a child and confiscation of property by a BGF Corporal in Dwe Lo Township, May 2019

 

Part 1- Incident Details

Type of Incident Physical abuse and confiscation of property 
Date of Incident (s) May 7th 2019

Incident Location (Village, Township and District)

 O--- village, Lay Poh Htah village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mutraw District [Hpapun District]
Victim Information
Name [Unknown]
Age 16
Sex Male
Ethnicity Karen
Family Single
Religion  Buddhist 
Organisation S--- monastery 
Position Shin Thar Ma Nay (Novice Monk)
Village C --- Village
Perpetrator Information (Civilians) 
Name (s) Rank Unit Base Commander's Name
Saw Moe Hein Corporal BGF Battalion #1014 Tha Dar Oo village, Lay Poh Htah village tract, Dwe Lo Township BGF Battalion Commander [Bo][3] Saw Maung Chit

 

Part 2 - Information Quality 

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.
This information was given by a civilian from Ka Ma Maung Township. 
2. Explain how the source verified this information. 
The source got this information from a relative who witnessed the incident.  

 

Part 3 - Complete Description for the Incident

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. 

This human rights violation happened on May 7th 2019 near O--- village, Lay Po Htah village tract, Dwe Lo Township, Mutraw District [Hpapun District]. A 16-year-old novice monk was travelling to Ka Ma Maung Town by car with two other novices, a monastery administrator and a monastery driver. At 3:00 PM, they were stopped by BGF #1014 Corporal Saw Moe Hein at a BGF checkpoint along one of the motorways connecting O--- village and C--- village.

 

Corporal Saw Moe Hein then hit the 16-year-old novice in the head with the butt of his revolver, causing him an open wound. He alleged that he hit the novice because he grabbed his gun. Saw Moe Hein also confiscated the car, which is now being used by the BGF.

                                      

With the help of local villagers, the injured novice monk was taken to the Ka Ma Maung public hospital, where he received treatment for three days. The treatment was not supported by the BGF or any other organisation. Villagers living around the hospital provided food to the victim while he was receiving treatment. The local population is too afraid to talk about or report this incident because it involved a BGF Corporal. 

 

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. 
KHRG was unable to approach the victim due to security concerns. The name, age, gender and place of residence of the source were censored for security reasons.