Muang Hla

Muang Hla describes the labor demanded by the Burmese military:

"Everyone has to work at least 3 times a month. Before September my younger brother always went for our family. When I went I had to carry sand, bricks and wooden planks. One group of soldiers were there to supervise the work, from Battalion #20, Western Command. When I was working there, I saw soldiers throwing stones at people who were taking a rest for a little while. They also hit them with a cane stick, kicked them and scolded them rudely. But I was not beaten up. Some people were badly hurt. One woman was having a smoke and sat down. A soldier brutally took the cigarette out of her mouth and kicked her in her belly with his army boots. Then he hit her with a cane stick. She fell down and lost consciousness. It must have been internal injuries, because she was not bleeding. She was 17 years old."

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