Two local women hailing from Hsumlong village in Namhpatkar village tract of Kutkai Township Shan State, have become victims of rape by two Military Council soldiers.
On July 30th, at approximately 10:00 pm, two women from Hsumlong village experienced a horrific ordeal when they were subjected to rape by the Military Council soldiers ,who forced their way into their houses. According to local sources, the two perpetrators responsible for the heinous act, were identified as soldiers stationed in a nearby monastery and a sugarcane plantation close to the village.
The distressing incident involved the two soldiers initially entering a house, where they sexually assaulted a pregnant woman. Following this, they forcefully entered a second home and subjected a mother to rape and physical assault, a villager who did not want to be named told Shan Herald.
"At around 10:00 pm, soldiers broke into a house and sexually assaulted a pregnant woman. Her husband was taken out and threatened. Then they went to another house, forced the door open, and raped the wife at gunpoint while the husband watched helplessly. The brave woman fought back, grabbed the gun, and resisted, but she was subjected to further beatings and torture”, the source said.
The victims of the rape incidents were a woman in her 30s, who is a mother of two children, and a pregnant woman. The rapist soldiers also issued threats, warning that they would shoot and kill the women and their families, if anyone revealed their actions to the public.
An unnamed member of a women's rights organization emphasized the urgent need for the Military Council's disciplinary officers to take decisive action against soldiers involved in rape cases. She further pointed out that the ongoing conflict in Myanmar has inflicted deep psychological suffering on women in the country.
"Right now, nobody dares to openly report when soldiers commit rape cases. Until about a year ago, the Military Council used to try and prosecute troops responsible for such crimes. Hearing this disturbing news, local women feel deeply insecure”, she said.
On the morning of July 30th, the day the incident occurred, a column of the Military Council started their deployment at a monastery and sugarcane plantation near Hsumlong village.
In July, the Military Council carried out arbitrary shelling in Namhpatkar, resulting in the deaths of a local woman and a youth. In separate incidents, a Namaum villager was killed by Junta soldiers, and another civilian was shot dead in Mannawng village.
