Kyaw Htun Min (aka) Wa Gyi
* 1980
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U AYE SWE – FIRST CLIP
My name is U Aye Swe. I was arrested in 1998/99 at home related to the documents, related to Wa Gyi and Kyaw Wunna who were preparing the documents at my house. They looked for them, found them and arrested them… I was not aware that they were taken... A car was parked in front of my house…We did this and that..Then we went back home for lunch…what happened on return was a car was parked in front of the house..When I left home after lunch, they stopped me, " wait a moment, come with us for a while". It was in 1998/99. They took me.. along with my younger brother. They took us to Wa Gyi's fish pond….There lives Wa Gyi, Saw Myint Naing and other two young guys, altogether four. They arrested those four….put them in the car…..took them to interrogation center.
During the interrogation they used different forms of torture.. they locked my legs in shackles made of iron-wood inner surface of which was not smoothened. It was rough and sharp pieces of wood hurt my legs…And then they rolled a wooden rod on my chin..It lasted over an hour…Then they handcuffed me…Once I arrived at their place, I was handcuffed and blindfolded…..For the first four or five days they asked me kind of minor questions..But later it became worse. I requested them to loose handcuff a bit but they did not. I felt cold and numb in my hands. They did not loosen it, I had to bear…I was shackled..beaten, hit, hit in the face, kicked. They rolled a rod on my chin, put a stick in fingers and pressed it, handcuffed me from behind..They tortured me in different ways. They did nothing to treat my wounds. Wounds smell rotten..Wounds on chin, hands and fingers. It was how I lived through. I spoke to them in harsh way, not in soft way..in the same way they treated me. And then They asked me what is PT. I told them that it is Physical Training we did in school as I know. So I was beaten for giving such an answer…I had to endure such different forms of torture.
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THU YA AUNG, KO – FIRST CLIP
My name is Thu Ya Aung. I am currently working as a journalist. I am a former political prisoner. My wife, Daw Khin Kyi Cho is a journalist too. After I was released on 1 january 2012 I have been in media field working as a Bago in-charge reporter for Channel B media group.
My father is U Kan Myint, my mother Daw Tin Yee. We have three siblings and I am the youngest.
When the democracy wave spread to Bago, we, students from Bago high school 1,3,4 and 6 joined hand together. As we were awaken at that time about democracy and politics we could join in the struggle. Then I came to know Wa Gyi aka Kya Min Tun from high school no 3. After the military coup we established contact with ABSDF based in border area. when it comes to engage in different underground actions in Bago for 9.9.99 movement Kyaw Tun Min aka Wa Gyi was an outstanding student to set a best example to struggle risking his own life. As an underground activist he does not want to be popular. Wa Gyi and us engaged, to materialize the highest form of resistance against the military regime according to the slogan: "9.9.99,the end of the military power", in underground student movements through communication with ABSDF in the neighboring country.
When "9.9.99" movements began to draw much attention MI tried by any means to track down the moves of the student leaders. On the other hand we coordinating with student organizations in border area were carrying out underground activities to widen the 9.9.99 student movement. We had communication with AAPP. AAPP provided us political trainings. I worked as a reporter for Contemporary Journal then published by AAPP and Irrawaddy Magazine and engaged in underground. I joined Kyaw Tun aka Wa Gyi and others in underground to foster 9.9.99 movement. His role is underground, mine is in media.
MI arrested us just few days after one another. We met each other again at MI 3 Bago. We were inhumanely tortured both physically and mentally. Our lives were degraded. They committed worst form of human right violations by using different types of torture, without human dignity, to extract information about our activities, goals and objectives. We, students involved in 9.9.99 end up meeting one another there.
Among 9.9.99 students Nyi Aung and Kyaw Wunna were wanted and chased by MI. We were aware of it and we were planning to leave for the neighboring country. Then MI came and blocked my house with 2-3 cars. There were local administrators as witness. And other strangers too. After the blockade they arrested me, raided the house without taking off foot-wears and searched the whole house. Their main question was "Have you ever gone to border area? How much are you involved in 9.9.99 movement?" Before I tried to explain they handcuffed me and covered my head with a cloth, forced my head down and pushed, kicked me in a Hilux pick-up truck covered with tarpaulin sheet. I don't know where I am taken to. They drove by rush. I am not allowed to see who they are. They covered me with a big cloth. I was taken in the Hilux, uneasy. I heard, head covered with hood, them talking in walkie-talkie "we got him, we got him." When they took off the hood about 6:30/7 pm we were around the exit of Bago. I realized it later. They took me to MI 3. After we got there they reported to the authority that they have caught me.
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KYAW TUN MIN, KO AKA WA GYI – FIRST CLIP
My name is Kyaw Tun Min. My father is U Kyaw Khin, my mother Daw Mya Mya Than. Among seven siblings I am the fifth. But after passing the matriculation I change my mindset. I became more interested in politics. And as we have lived through the life of the children of a government staff, life being oppressed I was not satisfied, to speak frankly, with the government and government system. I listened to radio songs. After listening to the song entitled "Desperate Youth", I made up my mind to revolt against the government. Then I went to Thailand to establish connection. On return we initiated the campaign movement for 99. I was arrested while working on it. There was ABSDF. I came back after attending the Political Defiance Training there. Student groups were based there like New Society, ABSDF. On Martyrs' Day 19 july 1999 we distributed pamphlets and CDs as a campaign movement. For that reason I was arrested on 23 july.
At that time my father was district assistant director at livestock and veterinary department. We were living in the government housing. They were very rude when they came to arrest. MI were surrounding, police were surrounding. MI kicked the door open. Three friends including me got arrested. In fact we were about to go back to Thailand.
It was MI 3 based in Bago that arrested. They did not get anything from us, did not seize anything either. But they arrested by allegedly accusing that Wa Gyi did this. At the time of arrest they did not put hood over the head. They drove straight to MI 3. Once we reached there, we were hooded, separated into different rooms and they started torturing us, non-stop.
We were taken from home handcuffed and paired in two. All of us four. Since we reached there, we were beaten, tortured.
At first we did not know it was MI 3. But later we realized we were in MI 3 after hearing them referring MI 3, MI, MI, tha la ya, hta la ya.
There were many interrogation teams. They alternate one after another. We who were interrogated did not get any rest. It started on 23 july and lasted 10 days. During interrogation they did not feed any meal, beat every part of the body. They hit penis with pipe. They beat us the whole day and whole night. They electrocuted whole night. They interrogated by electrocuting here and there.
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Kyaw Htun Min (aka) Wa Gyi spent more than 3 years in prison as a political prisoner. He is suffering from mental illness due to the tortures during interrogation and taking medication till now. Kyaw Htun Min (aka) Wa Gyi was born in Tatkone on 16 May 1980. His parents are U Kyaw Khin and Daw Mya Mya Than. He is the fifth one among 7 brothers and sisters. He was graduated with B.A (English). Since April 1998 until 23 July 1999, he distributed contemporary journal, thangyat songs, video tape, movie booklets, freedom from fear booklets and political defiance booklets for 9999 movements. He also distributed documents on Martyr’s day. In July 1999, he was detained by No.3, Intelligence, Bago for his 9999 movements. He was interrogated with various torture methods for almost 10 days in the interrogation camp of No. 3 Intelligence. He was sent to Bago Prison after interrogation by No.3 Intelligence. Afterward, he was sent from Bago Prison to Insein Prison and sentencing was made in the Insein Prison Yard. He spent almost 3 years in prison and suffered from mental illness. He took the treatment at Ywar Thar Gyi for one month. He is still taking medication and currently working as a Study Guide for kids.
