From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord@igc.apc.org>
Newsgroups: soc.rights.human
Date: 25 Jan 93 14:05 PST
Subject: Burma: Urgent Appeal
Nf-ID: #N:cdp:1476701036:000:3145
Nf-From: cdp.UUCP!hrcoord    Jan 25 14:05:00 1993


From: Human Rights Coordinator <hrcoord>
Subject: Burma: Urgent Appeal

/* Written  4:14 pm  Dec 22, 1992 by geonet@gn.apc.org in
igc:omct.sostortur */

Case BUR 221292 The International Secretariat of OMCT/SOS-Torture
calls upon you to intervene on behalf of the following situation
in Burma/Myanmar.  Brief description of the situation:  Antenna
International, a member of the network of SOS-Torture, and various
other organisations have expressed their concern about the human
rights situation in Burma/Myanmar and have brought the following
incident to our attention.  On 16 October 1992, in the village of
Hi Hpark, in the Loilem District of Mong Nai, SLORC soldiers from
the 66th Battalion, threw a bomb into a crowd of people watching a
film show and then opened fire on the crowd.  All the villagers
had been ordered to attend the film show which was sponsored by
the military.  About half an hour into the film, two soldiers came
to the door and threw a bomb into the crowd after which they
proceeded to fire into the crowd with automatic guns.  During the
incident, some 17 men, women and children were killed.  Following
the incident, the villagers who wanted to bury their dead were
prevented from doing so, and the bodies were sent to Moung Nai
hospital to be examined by doctors.  The two soldiers subsequently
deserted the scene of the shooting.  This incident is by no means
isolated and gives rise to serious fears surrounding the human
rights situation in Burma/Myanmar.  Indeed, throughout this past
year there have been a number of reported incidents of human
rights violations carried out by SLORC military agents, including
the wholesale destruction of villages and the forced relocation of
the population, arbitrary detention, torture, killings, rapes and
beatings.  Action requested:  Please write to the authorities in
Burma/Myanmar to demand that they open a thorough and impartial
inquiry into the above incident in order to identify those
responsible and punish them in accordance with the law. Insist
that they guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of
the survivors at all times. Urge them to put an end to gross human
rights violations, including the use of torture, rape, beatings,
destruction of villages and forced relocation of the population,
and demand that they ensure the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms in the country at all times.  Addresses:
General Than Shwe, Chairman, State Law and Order Restoration
Council, c/o Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road, Yangon,
Union of Myanmar
/ Telegrams: General Than Shwe, Yangon, Myanmar / Telexes: 21393
MOFARN BM
Major General Khin Nyunt, Secretary 1, State Law and Order
Restoration Council, c/o Ministry of Defence, Signal Pagoda Road,
Yangon, Union of Myanmar / Telegrams: Major General Khin Nyunt,
Yangon, Myanmar Major General Mya Thin, Chairman of Rakhine State
Law and Order Restoration Council, c/o Ministry of Defence, Signal
Pagoda Road, Yangon, Union of Myanmar Geneva, 22 December 1992

Please inform us of any action undertaken, (kindly quote the code
number of our appeal in any related correspondence).
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