Dhaka: An 18-year old Arakanese woman in Chin State was raped on 8 April by Second Captain Bo Aung (27) of Burmese Army Battalion 232 based in Partalate Village in Sittwe Township, according to a Free Burma Rangers report.

The report published on the Free Burma Rangers website stated that the woman reported she was raped by Second Captain Bo Aung on April 8. The woman's name was withheld to protect her identity.

According to the report, the woman, who is from a village in Paletwa Township, was going to gather vegetables when she was assaulted by Bo Aung. The woman was going with two friends. When they arrived at their destination they noticed they were being followed by Second Captain Bo Aung and two other soldiers, the report stated.

Bo Aung shouted at the women to stop, but out of fear they kept walking. One of the soldiers ran ahead and forced the women to stop at gunpoint. The other two women ran away and later reported the attack to the village chairman. Afraid to confront the Burmese Army with the rape allegation, he went to the nearby monastery and one of the monks then reported the case to Major Aung Shwe. The major told the monk he would take action, but nothing has happened yet, the report added.

It was also reported that Bo Aung is known as a cruel and brutal officer of LIB 232. In a recent incident on 7 April he tried to kill a villager who failed to provide a chicken.

"Bo Aung demanded regular payments for the Burmese Army and when one of the villagers failed to provide a chicken to him on 7 April, he beat him unconscious. The captain made to shoot the villager, but the rifle misfired. When he was about to shoot him with a pistol, another villager brought a chicken and Bo Aung walked away," the report said.  

The Free Burma Rangers' mission is to provide hope, help, and love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human rights abuses, casualties, and the humanitarian needs of people, who are oppressed by the Burmese Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual, and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military attacks.

Paletwa Tonwship is located in Chin State but has a large Arakanese population. The area was previously a part of Arakan under the "Arakan Hill Tract".