Now living in Brisbane, Htoo Htoo Han served as a lieutenant in military intelligence and claims to have personally killed 24 protestors in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising and to have been involved in the deaths of more than 100 people, the Associated Press reported on Monday.
 
“My main objective is to face a trial at the ICC,” he said. “I want to talk on a par with the ICC. That’s my objective.”
 
However, his claims have met with skepticism from some of his friends and Burmese opposition groups in Australia, who see his story as confused and potentially benefiting the Burmese government.
 
“In Burma, there are real human rights violations. If his confession is a fake and proven to be a lie, the real events may be less credible and that will benefit the military,” Tin Maung Htoo, the executive director from Canadian Friends of Burma, told Mizzima.
 
Htoo Htoo Han, born in 1967, said that he served as a lieutenant in Military Intelligence Unit No. 6 and was assigned to work as a spy to gather information about the High School Students’ Union in the 1988 pro-democracy, where he worked as the secretary of the union.

Zeya Oo, a member of the High School Students’ Union who worked with Htoo Htoo Han in Bangkok, Thailand, and in Australia to donate money to political prisoners in Burma, told Mizzima, “As far as I know, his words are inconsistent and unbelievable. In politics, some people want to be heroes and say both true and untrue things. Some people will do both good things and bad things to be famous.”

A friend who lives in Brisbane said Htoo Htoo Han has received a medical pension for mental illness.
 
In response to the friend’s statement, Htoo Htoo Han said, “I was brutally beaten in the prisons [in Burma]. In Thayawaddy Prison, I was detained in all wards. In Australia, I have suffered from depression and need to take sleeping pills. And I need a counselor. But, I’m not a crazy man. I just have depression.”
 
Htoo Htoo Han said, “There are many ways to attract the media. If you can do strange things, they will follow you. My way is a short cut. The normal procedure is not effective. I want to use all possible ways to fight the Burmese government while Aung San Suu Kyi is living.”
 
Burmese activist Tin Maung Htoo said Htoo Htoo Han’s claims, if proven false, could harm the movement to organize a UN Commission of Inquiry on war crimes in Burma.
 
“What we say about human rights violations is true. Now because of his claims, some people may think our statements are made up,” Tin Maung Htoo said.
 
Despite Htoo Htoo Han’s confession of serious crimes, Australian police have not interrogated him, he said.
 
“So far they have not taken any action although I made a public confession. They could not take legal actions against me immediately. They may think what I said is a lie,” said Htoo Htoo Han. “Now, I’ve become well-known. So they are watching me. My telephone has been tapped. I know it because I was a former Military Intelligence official.”