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BURMA: Official allegedly rapes minor; intimidates family 

Urgent Appeal Case |Burma (Myanmar) | June 22, 2006

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: UA-198-2006
ISSUES: Sexual violence, Violence against women, Women's rights,

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed through the Yoma 3 news service (Thailand) of an alleged rape of a minor by an official in Burma. U Aung Myo Min, an executive of the Union Solidarity and Development Association allegedly raped a 15-year-old girl and then threatened her to keep silent. Later, she told a relative who has attempted to lodge complaints, without success. The alleged perpetrator has also reportedly paid money to silence the case. Your support is needed to get the concerned authorities to take up the case.

—Please note that to protect the identity of the victim, some names and other details have been omitted from this appeal—

According to the information available to date, at around 6pm on 25 January 2006 U Aung Myo Min, an executive with the government’s mass-movement body, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) in the western delta region raped a 15-year-old neighbour in his house. After raping her, he threatened her with a knife that he would kill her if she talked. She therefore stayed silent out of fear. But later her aunt thought that she appeared unwell and took her to an outpatient clinic for a check up, at which time the truth came out.

On February 26, Aung Myo Min reportedly admitted to the victim’s aunt that he had raped her. To keep it a secret and to cover the expenses of an abortion if needed, he offered 200,000 Burmese kyat (USD 160). However, the victim’s aunty refused the money.

Thereafter, Aung Myo Min allegedly went to the victim’s grandfather and offered him 500,000 kyat to make sure that there would be no case. Finally, on February 28 he in fact gave 700,000 kyat to the grandfather, also in the presence of U Tin Aung Win, another USDA executive for Wakhema Township, although neither the victim nor her aunt wanted the money.

The victim and her aunt nonetheless reportedly sought to lodge a complaint at the local police station but the officers on duty allegedly refused to record it, saying that the time that had passed from the alleged incident to the report was already too long and that it should have been reported at the time. They also sought help from the local government women’s committee, again without success.

The victim and aunt want to lodge a complaint and have inquiries opened, but they say that they are cornered by all of the powerful and interconnected local authorities. They are seeking outside publicity of the case in an effort to obtain justice.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Reliable information available to the AHRC indicates that acts of rape by government agents in Burma are widespread and increasing in frequency. Very rarely are the perpetrators ever brought to justice, as invariably they are able to pay money to silence the victims and other concerned persons, and because of their influence among other local officials. There is also a lack of modern equipment and forensic scientific knowledge in Burma which is vital in proving rape cases. One exceptional case where two low-ranked police officers were found guilty of raping a local woman was reported by the AHRC earlier this year: UP-075-2006.

For a detailed study of the Union Solidarity Development Association, of which the alleged perpetrator in this case is an executive, see a recent report entitled “The White Shirts: How the USDA will become the new face of Burma’s dictatorship” by the Network for Democracy and Development.

__________________________

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the Minister of Home Affairs and ask that the district-level police station be instructed to investigate the case with a view to recording a complaint and opening an inquiry. Please also seek the assistance of government-organised groups which ostensibly exist for the purpose of protecting women’s rights and interests.

Please note that for the purpose of the letter, the country should be referred to by its official title of Myanmar, rather than Burma.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear Maj-Gen. Maung Oo

MYANMAR: Alleged rape of minor in Wakhema Township by USDA executive

Name of victim: Name omitted, female, 15 years old 
Name of alleged perpetrator: U Aung Myo Min, Executive, Union Solidarity and Development Association, residing in Ohnpin Ward, Kyonemangei Town, Wakhema Township, Ayeyawaddy Division
Place of alleged incident: Residence of the accused
Time & date of alleged incident: Around 6pm on 25 January 2006

I wish to inform you of the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a Union Solidarity and Development Association executive in Wakhema Township.

According to the information that I have received, at around 6pm on 25 January 2006 U Aung Myo Min raped his 15-year-old neighbour in his house. After raping her, he allegedly threatened her with a knife that he would kill her if she talked. She therefore stayed silent out of fear. But later her aunt thought that she appeared unwell and took her to an outpatient clinic for a check up, at which time the truth came out.

On February 26, Aung Myo Min reportedly admitted to the victim's aunt that he had raped her. To keep it a secret and to cover the expenses of an abortion if needed, he offered 200,000 kyat. However, the victim's aunty refused the money. Thereafter, Aung Myo Min allegedly went to the victim's grandfather and offered him 500,000 kyat. Finally, on February 28 he in fact gave 700,000 kyat to the grandfather, also in the presence of U Tin Aung Win, another USDA executive for Wakhema Township.

The victim and her aunt nonetheless reportedly sought to lodge a complaint at the local police station but the officers on duty allegedly refused to record it, saying that the time that had passed from the alleged incident to the report was already too long and that it should have been reported at the time.

I am informed that the victim and her aunt very much wish to proceed with a case against the alleged perpetrator, but feel cornered by the township-level authorities. Therefore I am seeking your intervention. I request that you give the necessary instructions that the responsible district-level police station or equivalent initiate inquiries into these allegations with a view to opening a case. I also trust that the concerned women's organisations, including the Myanmar National Working Committee for Women's Affairs, will take special action to protect the rights of the victim. I further urge you to ensure that the victim and witnesses are given special protection in the event that an inquiry proceeds.

I am deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of rape cases by government or state security officials in Myanmar. However, I am more concerned that there seems to be a climate of institutionalized impunity for government officers who commit crimes, thanks to the deliberate negligence of higher authorities. I request you to put your efforts into establishing more effective institutional safeguards for women in Myanmar.

Yours sincerely

---

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

Maj-Gen. Maung Oo
Minister for Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs
Corner of Saya San Street and No 1 Industrial Street,
Yankin Township
Yangon
MYANMAR
Tel: +951 250 315 / 374 789
Fax: +951 549 663 / 549 208


PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:

1. Lt-Gen. Soe Win
Prime Minister
c/o Ministry of Defence
Signal Pagoda Road
Yangon
MYANMAR
Tel: + 95 1 372 681
Fax: + 95 1 652 624

2. Major General Sein Htwa
Minister of Social Welfare, Relief & Resettlement
Chairman
Myanmar National Working Committee for Women's Affairs
64 Kabar Aye Pagoda Road
Yangon
MYANMAR
Fax: +95 1 650 002

3. Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
Special Rapporteur on Myanmar
Attn: Ms. Audrey Ryan
Room 3-090
c/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: + 41 22 9179 281
Fax: + 41 22 9179 018 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR MYANMAR)
E-mail: aryan@ohchr.org

4. Ms. Yakin Erturk
Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
c/o Ms Lucinda Ohanlon
Room 3-042
OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9615
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN) 
E-mail: lohanlon@ohchr.org 

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme 
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)

 
 
Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : UA-198-2006
Countries : Burma (Myanmar),
Issues : Sexual violence, Violence against women, Women's rights,

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