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Thai senate group hears stories of atrocities by Myanmar military August 17, 2002 BANGKOK(AP), Thailand -
Refugees fleeing into Thailand say Myanmar troops are engaging in widespread brutality including the gang rapes of children as young as 11, a newspaper said Saturday. Shan ethnic minority refugees, who are seeking a new home in Thailand, made the claims Friday before the Thai Senate's foreign relations committee, the Bangkok Post said.Similar reports of rape, killings, forced labor and the burning of villages by Myanmar troops have recently been released by Amnesty International and other human rights groups. The junta which rules Myanmar, also known as Burma, has denied the allegations, saying they are being fabricated by anti-government rebel groups. Kraisak Choonhavan, chairman of the Senate committee, said the 606 refugees who fled recently into the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, about 670 kilometers (415 miles) north of Bangkok, should not be repatriated to their homeland."No one wants to return to such an ordeal," he was quoted as saying. Human rights violations are being reported mainly from areas inhabited by the Karen and Shan ethnic minorities. Both continue to offer strong armed resistance to the central government.The U.S. State Department last month condemned the pervasive use of rape and other sexual violence against a vulnerable population and urged Myanmar officials to investigate the reports.
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