The Military Council in Karen National Union (KNU)-controlled areas has committed over a thousand human rights violations that are considered to be war crimes, as per a report published by the KNU’s Human Rights Committee and Research and Documentation Division.
Padoh Saw Hla Tun, Joint Secretary (2) of the KNU, stated that the report titled "Human Lives Lost Due to the War Crimes of the Myanmar Military" listed human rights violations and war crimes committed in KNU territory during the two-year period of the Military Council. The report is divided by sector, and was published with the aim of shedding light on the lives of people living in fear of the military’s grip on power.
“They deliberately threaten people's sense of freedom and security, resort to arrests and torture to instill fear, and even use innocent civilians as human shields on the battlefield. All of these are the things that have been purposefully carried out by them, and the information is focused on the people living under fear for their desire to gain power,”he told KIC.
This report compiled by the Human Rights Committee of the KNU covering the period from the military coup in 2021 to December 2022, there were 1,493 intentional human rights violations committed by the Military Council against civilians.
The report provides detailed information on these violations.
The report comprises 86 pages and contains six major sections. It covers various topics such as the Military Council’s airstrikes, ground attacks, forced labor imposed on civilians, instances of killings and torture, burning and looting of villages, cases of sexual violence against women, and recommendations to relevant groups.
Based on the data presented in the report, KNU Brigade 6 area had the highest number of airstrikes during the two-year period, followed by the Brigade 5 area. The region with the
highest number of human rights violations was the Brigade 1 area, with Brigade 3, Brigade 4, and Brigade 2 areas also being listed in descending order of the number of violations.
In all 7 brigades/districts under the control of KNU, the Military Council troops have been reported to have threatened the public 69 times, forcibly requested theft of public property 26 times, tortured 14 times, captured and killed animals belonging to civilians 9 times, destroyed homes 6 times, ransacked homes and took what they wanted 28 times, burned homes 49 times, forcibly carried away public property 44 times.
The report provides further details include instances of forced abduction of civilians (13 times), arrests of civilians (80 times), arrests and demands for money (7 times), arrests and killings (4 times), landmines placed on roads used by civilians (19 times), shooting villagers without reason
(44 times), firing artillery shells (758 times), using small arms to shoot civilians (34 times), using civilians as human shields (6 times), air strikes (230 times), and imposing forced labor on civilians (53 times).
Altogether, these incidents total 1,493 reported occurrences.
The report also presents data on the number of civilian casualties, arrests, and house damages.
As per the report, 192 civilians were killed, 485 were injured, and 1,301 were arrested. Moreover, a total of 882 houses were damaged, and 20 houses, 6 hospitals, 13 schools, 8 Buddhist monasteries and nunneries, and 6 Christian churches were destroyed during the two-year period covered by the report.
Furthermore, the report indicates that as of the end of 2022, a total of 365,187 civilians have been displaced across all seven districts under the control of KNU ,due to the ongoing fighting between the two sides, as well as the Military Council’s use of artillery shelling, airstrikes, abductions, and torture.
The report was presented at one of the headquarters of KNU, with several relevant KNU central leaders in attendance, including KNU Joint Secretary General (1) Padoh Saw Hser Pwe, Joint Secretary General (2) Padoh Saw Hla Tun, as well as military leaders, young students, and some members of the media. During the presentation, the information contained in the report was explained, and documentaries and photos showcasing the human rights violations were shown.
A minute of silence was also observed in honor of those who have suffered from such violations.
The 7 KNU-controlled areas are Doothahtoo (Thaton) District, Taw Oo (Taungoo) District, Nyaung Lay Pin District, Myeik-Dawei District, Mutraw (Hpapun) District, Dooplaya District and Hpa-An District, and the information contained in the report is based solely on these areas.
