The Myanmar government has announced that it will investigate the apparent human rights violations committed by soldiers in a chilling video that surfaced online last weekend. The video appears to show Myanmar soldiers torturing civilians in Shan State.
The State Counsellor’s Office announced on Facebook yesterday that it would investigate the 17-minute video that shows “persons in civilian clothes being physically abused by personnel in military uniform.”
“The occurrence is being investigated, and if any abuses are discovered, action will be taken against the perpetrators according to existing laws, procedures and regulations,” the announcement said.
The Office of the Commander-in-Chief also issued a statement on the video yesterday, saying: “The military arrested four civilian-terrorists and some soldiers physically assaulted them.”
“In-charge officers are investigating the truth,” the Commander-in-Chief’s statement said.
“It’s encouraging that the authorities plan to investigate this case and hold perpetrators accountable for their crimes,” said Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights. “This is a test for the authorities to demonstrate that the military isn’t above the law. There’s no better time than now to start ending the endemic culture of military impunity.”
The video, which first appeared on social media on May 27, shows five Myanmar Army soldiers from Light Infantry Division (LID) 88 and one militia personnel interrogating six men in civilian clothing whose wrists are bound. Soldiers question the men about the location of a handgun and other firearms while administering 32 kicks, four punches and slaps, and three violent blows with a helmet to three of the unarmed, bound men.
Soldiers in the video threaten to kill the detainees and accuse them of being “Palaung fighters”—a presumed reference to the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which is engaged in armed conflict with the Myanmar Army in northern Shan State. The Palaung, also known as Ta’Ang, are an ethnic minority predominantly from northern Shan State.
According to Fortify Rights, the actions of the Myanmar Army and militia soldiers featured in the video constitute torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international law.
“Torture is never warranted. The question of whether the detainees are fighters or civilians is irrelevant,” said Matthew Smith. “This video should offend the conscience of Myanmar’s leadership and lead to stiff action.”
On Tuesday, The Irrawaddy quoted TNLA Brigadier General Tar Phone Kyaw as saying the incident occurred in June 2015, raising further questions about the whereabouts and well-being of the men detained in the video.
In a previous internal investigation into the actions of soldiers, the Myanmar military acquitted itself of atrocities committed against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.
The Myanmar government continues to resist efforts by the UN to launch an international investigation into atrocities allegedly committed in Rakhine, Shan, and Kachin states.
