For Immediate Release
CHRO CONDEMNS SUMMARY EXECUTIONS OF THREE CHIN VILLAGE HEADMEN
11 April 2007
Ottawa, Canada
Chin Human Rights Organization condemns the extrajudicial execution of three village headmen in Southern Chin State by troops from Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 104 and LIB 304 under Tactical Operation Command II based in Matupi headed by Colonel San Aung.
The murdered victims were Hung Ling (25) Chairman of Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) for Mindat Township’s Cun-Nam Village, Maung Khe (32) VPDC Chairman of Rezua Township’s Lung-Phunu Village and Ting Co, Chairman of Rezua Township’s Sangseh Village. Two other villagers Khin Maung Oo and Tin Ceu from Sangseh village were disappeared.
The village headmen were summarily executed after being accused of failing to report troop movement of Chin National Army/Chin National Front, an armed group opposed to the ruling military junta. They were also accused of sympathizing and providing financial assistance to the armed opposition group. The order to summarily execute anyone suspected of sympathizing or providing help to armed opposition group was issued by Chin State’s Tactical Operation II Commander Colonel San Aung in 2004.
The arbitrary execution of the three village headmen is a violation of the right to life and a person’s right to due process of the law under article 3 and 11 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moreover, the disappearance of Khin Maung Oo and Tin Ceu is a state-enforced disappearance in contravention of the UN Convention against Enforced Disappearance.
“It is a norm rather than exceptional practice within the Burma Army to summarily execute anyone suspected of being anti-regime. Too many cases of summary executions have been carried out with impunity against ethnic communities across Burma. This kind of arbitrary killing is meant to teach a lesson to the public that the price of dissent is death” says Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Director of Chin Human Rights Organization.
Chin Human Rights Organization urges Burma’s State Peace and Development Council to immediately cease execution of civilians without judicial trial and to investigate the summary killing of the three headmen. CHRO also calls for the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions to conduct an independent investigation into extrajudicial and summary killings of civilians in Burma.
For more information please contact:
Salai Bawi Lian Mang
at 1-510-981-1417, Email: [email protected] e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
(In Asia)
Salai Za Uk Ling
Tel: 011+ 60-173-745546