Organized by Voice of Kachin Community

Around 40 people staged a protest at the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok today to criticize the ongoing armed conflict and humanitarian crisis in Kachin State. The protesters, members of the Kachin community in Bangkok and representatives from the Overseas National Students of Burma, read out a statement and the text of a letter addressed to President Thein Sein calling for an end to the crisis situation. See photos from the protest here.

The gang-rape and prolonged torture of a woman in a church near the Kachin-China border town of Pang Wa in early May show the ongoing impunity for sexual violence enjoyed by the Burma Army.

On May 1, 2012, a patrol of Burmese troops from two battalions  (Light Infantry Battalion 347 and Infantry Battalion 118) arrived at Luk Pi village, Chipwi township, northwest of Pang Wa, and found “Ngwa Mi” (not her real name) aged 48, sheltering alone in a church, after most of the other villagers had fled. About ten troops beat her with rifle butts, stabbed her with knives, stripped her naked and gang-raped her over a period of three days in the church. 

On 5 February’2012, Mrs. Hkawng Seng Pan (KWAT deputy coordinator) did a presentation on current situation of Human rights violation in Kachin state, at the panel of film festival in Phayap University, Chiang Mai province.

I believe most of you already aware of war in Kachin State, Burma. Because of fighting, there were increases of human rights violation. In particular we are seeing evidence of how the Burmese military is susing exual violence as a weapon of war against ethnic group in Burma.

The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) is gravely concerned for the lives of four women being held as sex slaves at a frontline post near Loije at the Kachin-China border, and calls for the Burma Army to immediately free them, and for foreign envoys in Burma to demand their immediate release.

According to porters who escaped on November 1 from Mu Bum mountain outpost, where about 50 troops from Light Infantry Battalion 321 are based, the four women were being made to clean and cook for the soldiers during the day, and were gang-raped by them at night. 

The porters identified one of the women as Sumlut Roi Ja, aged 28, from the nearby village of Hkai Bang. She was last seen by her husband and father-in-law on October 28, when they were forced to carry corn to Mu Bum army post. The three had run away from the camp, but she had been too slow and was recaptured.