Beaten, kicked in the groin and threatened with sexual violence -- a young Myanmar teenager detained by the junta's security forces has described the treatment suffered by some women and girls behind bars.

Ma Chaw, 17, and her mother were arrested on April 14 in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial capital, which has been blanketed with heavy security since the military seized power in a coup.

As they were walking to a friend's house from a morning protest, she said, they were stopped by two security trucks.

"They forced us to crouch face-down on the ground," Ma Chaw told AFP.

The high school student then faced six days of fear and anxiety, held with women who alleged torture and abuse by police behind closed doors.

Ma Chaw said she herself had to endure a police officer molesting her during an interrogation session.

The teenager was released on April 20, but her mother was not as fortunate -- she was instead taken to Yangon's Insein prison.

"My mother is my only family," she said. "I'm very worried for her safety and life."

To secure her release, she said, she had to sign documents saying she suffered "no torture" behind bars.

"It's the opposite of what they have done," Ma Chaw said. "It is totally unacceptable and unfair."

- Molested, slapped, beaten -

Her mother is among more than 3,800 civilians arrested and still languishing behind bars since the February 1 coup, according to local monitoring group the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Little is known about the conditions of detainees across Myanmar, as those released rarely speak out about it.

Ma Chaw said she and her mother were taken first to a local police station where they were questioned separately.

"I was touched by a police officer, who told me he could kill me and make me disappear," she said.

"If I didn't push his hand away, I'm sure he would have continued."

She added that her mother was slapped twice during her interrogation.

The following day, they were taken to a detention centre on Yangon's northern outskirts where they met other women, some of whom had bruises all over their bodies.

One of them -- a woman who had been in a relationship with a foreigner -- was beaten so badly she could barely talk or eat, Ma Chaw said.

"We had to feed her fried egg and rice," she said. "She told us she couldn't urinate because her women parts had been kicked during the interrogation."

The National Unity Government -- an underground group of ousted lawmakers opposing the junta -- has announced it is investigating the "allegations of sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls in unlawful detention".

"These cases are indicative of the wider pattern of sexual and gender-based violence committed by Myanmar's military that has persisted for years with impunity, particularly against ethnic minority women and girls in armed conflict areas," it said in a statement.

- Threatened disappearances -

Another woman held in the same detention centre as Ma Chaw recalled similar experiences. Both women have been given pseudonyms because of the sensitivity of their allegations.

Ngwe Thanzin told AFP she and four others were protesting in Yangon's South Okkalapa township when they were arrested.

"I was kicked in my face for having a black mask in my bag," she said, adding that security forces also yelled misogynistic abuse at them.

The women were then taken to the same detention centre as Ma Chaw, where Ngwe Thanzin said she was handcuffed so tightly it left marks on her wrists.

"They also threatened us saying they could kill us and make us disappear without anyone knowing it," she told AFP.

During her three-night detention, she said she saw a 19-year-old girl bruised so badly she could barely stand.

"They don't beat or torture in front of other people. But when people were individually interrogated, they came out with bruises."

AFP was unable to independently verify the allegations made by Ma Chaw and Ngwe Thanzin.

Repeated attempts to contact the junta spokesman for a response went unanswered.

And junta-appointed Minister of Social Welfare Thet Thet Khine -- who chairs a National Committee on Prevention and Response to Sexual Violence in Conflict -- could not be reached for comment.

Ngwe Thanzin said the least the junta could do was have female security personnel available to interrogate them, instead of men.

"All our rights and dignity were violated and abused," she said.

"Since we have no rights, I felt we were like water in their hands."

Anti-coup rebels say six dead in Myanmar clashes
Yangon (AFP) May 16, 2021 - Six opposition rebels have been killed after days of clashes in Myanmar, an anti-junta defence force made up of civilians said Sunday, as Britain and the United States condemned the military's violence against civilians.

Myanmar has been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 1 coup, triggering a massive uprising which authorities have sought to quell with lethal force.

Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to the bloodshed and for people to "keep the faith" in a mass in honour of Myanmar in the Vatican City.

And as security forces deploy live ammunition against civilians, some in the anti-junta movement have set up local militias armed with home-made weapons to protect their towns.

In the western state of Chin, the town of Mindat has emerged as a hotspot for unrest, where some residents have formed the Chinland Defence Force (CDF).

"Six members of our CDF who tried to protect the security of the people in Mindat attacked (junta forces) and sacrificed their lives for the national revolution," said a CDF statement on Sunday.

A spokesman also told AFP that over 10 members have been wounded this week, while five Mindat residents were arrested by the military.

With mobile data blocked across the country, details about the fighting have been slow to come out, and on-the-ground verification is made harder as locals are fearful of retaliation.

The spokesman, who declined to be named, said CDF fighters set fire to several army trucks, destroying them, and ambushed reinforcement troops, while the military has attacked the town with artillery.

By Sunday, the CDF had retreated into the jungle, he said.

"We will not stay any more in the town... but we will come back to attack soon," he said. "We only have home-made guns. This was not enough."

He added that residents remaining in Mindat -- which has been under martial law since Thursday -- were afraid to leave their homes for fear of being targeted by the military.

- Violence 'cannot be justified' -

The US and UK embassies in Myanmar sounded the alarm Saturday on the unrest in Mindat, calling for security forces to cease violence.

"The military's use of weapons of war against civilians, including this week in Mindat, is a further demonstration of the depths the regime will sink to to hold onto power," the US embassy said in a tweet Saturday.

"Attacks on civilians are illegal and cannot be justified," said the British embassy, referring to reports of violence from Mindat.

"Evidence of atrocities should be sent to the (United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar) so perpetrators can be held to account," the embassy tweeted, referring to a committee that collects evidence of international crimes.

State-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported Sunday that a military tribunal would be convened to try "perpetrators of terrorist attacks" in Mindat.

Security forces saw multiple attacks which left one man dead, said the newspaper, and an ambush on Friday by "1,000 rioters" killed some soldiers -- though it did not say how many.

- 'Keep the faith' -

At least 796 people have been killed by security forces since the February 1 coup, according to a local monitoring group, while nearly 4,000 people are behind bars.

Despite the threat of violence and arrest, protesters across Myanmar continue to take to the streets daily for democracy -- with some also cheering on Mindat's defence force for their resistance.

Local media showed images of residents in central Monywa city holding a night strike on Saturday, spelling out the words "Hang in there, Mindat" with candles.

On Sunday demonstrators in northern Hpakant marched through the jade-producing district holding signs that said "Stay strong, Mindat! We, Hpakant, are always behind you!"

Pope Francis on Sunday held a special service for Myanmar inside the Vatican's Saint Peter's Basilica, appealing to the faithful not to lose hope.

"In these days when your beloved country of Myanmar is experiencing violence, conflict and repression, let us ask ourselves: what we are being called to keep? In the first place, to keep the faith," the 84-year-old pontiff said.

Francis has spoken up on the Myanmar crisis multiple times since the coup, urging the junta to respect a "democratic coexistence" with the people while calling for the release of political leaders.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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