Wednesday, 19 October 2011 21:44 Mizzima News
(Interview) – A government military unit assigned to clear an operation route beat five men including Pastor Jan Ma Aung Li of the Catholic Association and arrested them on Sunday, October 16. The five men are from Nam San Yang village in Daw Phung Yang sub-township in Bhamo District in Kachin State, located about 15 miles from Laiza, the home of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) headquarters. They were released on Monday morning. Mizzima reporter Panida talked with Jan Ma Aung Li, 49, about his encounter with the government troops.
Question: How did they arrest you?
Answer: On Sunday, our bishops were not there. They told me to lead the service. We planned to start praying at 8 a.m. But we heard gunfire so we decided that the services should start at 9 a.m. Before that time, the government troops came and arrested us.
Q: Why did they arrest you?
A: They said that all males in the village were people’s militiamen and KIO staff. Then they asked where the guns were and beat our backs with gun butts and kicked us. They asked where the warehouse of guns was and where the bombs were. I replied that no KIO soldiers came here.
Q: How did the government troops enter? Which infantry arrested you?
A: Troops entered from the Nam San River. Other troops came from the left side. Infantry No. 438 based in Momauk and Light Infantry No. 121 entered. The troops that arrested us were Light Infantry No. 438.
Q: What was the numerical strength of the joint force?
A: The second in command of the troops that arrested us is Aung Naing Oo. He said that his troops numbered 150 soldiers and the other group had 150 soldiers too. So, the total was 300.
Q: What did the government troops say when they arrested you?
A: Around 9:30 a.m., while we are waiting, the government troops fired at us. We saw their guns aimed at us, so we lay down on the ground, and said we were just civilians. If we did not lie down on the ground immediately, bullets might have hit us. An elderly woman and children cried. Then, they told five men including me to sit down and they conducted an interrogation. Then they tied our hands with wire and took us away.
At that time, I was extremely nervous. If KIA troops came at that time, they would shoot and we could die. It’s lucky that KIA troops did not come. They ransacked the whole church.
They asked us whether we had bombs or not, where we put the guns and time bombs. They kicked us and beat us with gun butts. Then we were tied with wire and led away. After we had passed about four houses, they ordered us to carry rucksacks. We said that we could not carry them because our hands were tied. They told us not to run away and they untied us. Then we carried the rucksacks, walking with frequent pauses. We had to walk for three furlongs in about three hours. Then we rested at Lawkathama Monastery in Nam San Yang.
Q: How did they release you?
A: When we arrived at Lawkathama Monastery, the KIO had followed us and gunfire broke out. The government troops had an interpreter. He was a Yawan ethnic. He has a strong Kachin accent. He had a walkie-talkie so he could listen to what the KIA was saying. When we arrived at a Baptist church, they asked us if we wanted to return to the village or we wanted to accompany them. They said if we accompanied them, they would release us when we arrived at a safe area. If they released us at the church, the other military units were more violent, they said, and they could not guarantee what might happen. The government superior military officers had ordered that all men from Nam San Yang were members of the KIA people’s militia and they should be killed as informers and the women should be arrested, Lieutenant Colonel Aung Naing Oo said.
I said that the Catholic people would be waiting for me the next morning and I wanted to go back. Within a few hours, we tried to roundup the Catholic people; otherwise other government military units would have killed them. They said we should go there within an hour and then we were released.
Q: When did you arrive in Laiza?
A: As we returned to our village, we did not use the main road. We followed a jungle path. When we were about to arrive at my home located at the edge of the village, we saw our houses were on fire. So we fled to Laiza. At that time, more than 10 houses were on fire. I arrived in Laiza around noon.
Q: How were the houses burned?
A: While we were at the Baptist church, a member of the government Light Infantry No. 121 set fire to the house of pastor Aung San. The house was painted with oil-dregs, so it was [easily] burned. I don’t know how the other houses were set fire.
Q: Where are the remaining four men who were beaten and arrested?
A: They are Mali Naw Taung, Mali Tu Khay, Ah Wu and Shan man Laung Lu. Now, we are all in Laiza.
Q: Do you know whether civilians have been forced to work as porters?
A: A man of mix-raced (Shan-Burmese) who is a member of the KIA people’s militia had been arrested after the seizure of some weapons. And a Lisu man working in a banana plantation, a Burma-born Indian man and a Burmese man were forced to serve as porters. Altogether, four people. They started to work as porters two weeks ago. They have to accompany the government troops and carry bags of bullets.
Q: Before you were released, what did the government troops say?
A: They told us to take a message and give it to the KIO. They just came as an advance military unit to clear the route. If the KIO doesn’t shoot, they will not shoot. If the KIO shoots, they will also shoot. Six battalions will march from the Bhamo Road and three will march from the Myitkyina Road. So, the total of nine battalions will come. Their vehicles will carry weapons to attack Laiza, according to Lieutenant Colonel Aung Naing Oo. But, he did not disclose when the troops would attack.
Q: What else would you like to say?
A: Earlier, I was forced to work as a porter. At that time, I had to carry heavy weapons. The troops [that arrested Jan Ma Aung Li] did not have heavy weapons. I don’t know whether the troops came just to clear the route as they said or not; I don’t know whether they will be supplied with heavy weapons later or not. I don’t know whether the government troops will attack Laiza or not.
(Interview) – A government military unit assigned to clear an operation route beat five men including Pastor Jan Ma Aung Li of the Catholic Association and arrested them on Sunday, October 16. The five men are from Nam San Yang village in Daw Phung Yang sub-township in Bhamo District in Kachin State, located about 15 miles from Laiza, the home of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) headquarters. They were released on Monday morning. Mizzima reporter Panida talked with Jan Ma Aung Li, 49, about his encounter with the government troops.
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A map showing Nam Sang Yang. Graphic by Kachin News Group |
Answer: On Sunday, our bishops were not there. They told me to lead the service. We planned to start praying at 8 a.m. But we heard gunfire so we decided that the services should start at 9 a.m. Before that time, the government troops came and arrested us.
Q: Why did they arrest you?
A: They said that all males in the village were people’s militiamen and KIO staff. Then they asked where the guns were and beat our backs with gun butts and kicked us. They asked where the warehouse of guns was and where the bombs were. I replied that no KIO soldiers came here.
Q: How did the government troops enter? Which infantry arrested you?
A: Troops entered from the Nam San River. Other troops came from the left side. Infantry No. 438 based in Momauk and Light Infantry No. 121 entered. The troops that arrested us were Light Infantry No. 438.
Q: What was the numerical strength of the joint force?
A: The second in command of the troops that arrested us is Aung Naing Oo. He said that his troops numbered 150 soldiers and the other group had 150 soldiers too. So, the total was 300.
Q: What did the government troops say when they arrested you?
A: Around 9:30 a.m., while we are waiting, the government troops fired at us. We saw their guns aimed at us, so we lay down on the ground, and said we were just civilians. If we did not lie down on the ground immediately, bullets might have hit us. An elderly woman and children cried. Then, they told five men including me to sit down and they conducted an interrogation. Then they tied our hands with wire and took us away.
At that time, I was extremely nervous. If KIA troops came at that time, they would shoot and we could die. It’s lucky that KIA troops did not come. They ransacked the whole church.
They asked us whether we had bombs or not, where we put the guns and time bombs. They kicked us and beat us with gun butts. Then we were tied with wire and led away. After we had passed about four houses, they ordered us to carry rucksacks. We said that we could not carry them because our hands were tied. They told us not to run away and they untied us. Then we carried the rucksacks, walking with frequent pauses. We had to walk for three furlongs in about three hours. Then we rested at Lawkathama Monastery in Nam San Yang.
Q: How did they release you?
A: When we arrived at Lawkathama Monastery, the KIO had followed us and gunfire broke out. The government troops had an interpreter. He was a Yawan ethnic. He has a strong Kachin accent. He had a walkie-talkie so he could listen to what the KIA was saying. When we arrived at a Baptist church, they asked us if we wanted to return to the village or we wanted to accompany them. They said if we accompanied them, they would release us when we arrived at a safe area. If they released us at the church, the other military units were more violent, they said, and they could not guarantee what might happen. The government superior military officers had ordered that all men from Nam San Yang were members of the KIA people’s militia and they should be killed as informers and the women should be arrested, Lieutenant Colonel Aung Naing Oo said.
I said that the Catholic people would be waiting for me the next morning and I wanted to go back. Within a few hours, we tried to roundup the Catholic people; otherwise other government military units would have killed them. They said we should go there within an hour and then we were released.
Q: When did you arrive in Laiza?
A: As we returned to our village, we did not use the main road. We followed a jungle path. When we were about to arrive at my home located at the edge of the village, we saw our houses were on fire. So we fled to Laiza. At that time, more than 10 houses were on fire. I arrived in Laiza around noon.
Q: How were the houses burned?
A: While we were at the Baptist church, a member of the government Light Infantry No. 121 set fire to the house of pastor Aung San. The house was painted with oil-dregs, so it was [easily] burned. I don’t know how the other houses were set fire.
Q: Where are the remaining four men who were beaten and arrested?
A: They are Mali Naw Taung, Mali Tu Khay, Ah Wu and Shan man Laung Lu. Now, we are all in Laiza.
Q: Do you know whether civilians have been forced to work as porters?
A: A man of mix-raced (Shan-Burmese) who is a member of the KIA people’s militia had been arrested after the seizure of some weapons. And a Lisu man working in a banana plantation, a Burma-born Indian man and a Burmese man were forced to serve as porters. Altogether, four people. They started to work as porters two weeks ago. They have to accompany the government troops and carry bags of bullets.
Q: Before you were released, what did the government troops say?
A: They told us to take a message and give it to the KIO. They just came as an advance military unit to clear the route. If the KIO doesn’t shoot, they will not shoot. If the KIO shoots, they will also shoot. Six battalions will march from the Bhamo Road and three will march from the Myitkyina Road. So, the total of nine battalions will come. Their vehicles will carry weapons to attack Laiza, according to Lieutenant Colonel Aung Naing Oo. But, he did not disclose when the troops would attack.
Q: What else would you like to say?
A: Earlier, I was forced to work as a porter. At that time, I had to carry heavy weapons. The troops [that arrested Jan Ma Aung Li] did not have heavy weapons. I don’t know whether the troops came just to clear the route as they said or not; I don’t know whether they will be supplied with heavy weapons later or not. I don’t know whether the government troops will attack Laiza or not.
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