I, U Khin Zaw, hearby swears under oath that:
1. I am a citizen of Burma. I was born in Min Hla Town of Tharawaddy District, Pegu Division in the year of 1315 B.E., and now I am 50 years old. I am the third child among seven brothers and sisters of us. My father was Artist U Khin Soe and my mother is Daw Sein Than. In 1968, I appeared in the eighth standard school examination. In 1969, I moved to Rangoon. In Rangoon, I learned about gems from my uncle and I made a living as a gem trader and broker. I had never been in politics and had never been to jail. During the BSPP Era also, I never did anything in connection with government. I had been only a simple gem dealer.
2. I joined the NLD in 1998. The reason for joining the NLD was that after voting in the 1990 election, the whole family moved to Mandalay. There I met U Hla Win (AKA) Bo Mee Khae, who was related to me. U Hla Win was a native of Moenyo and he was with Gen. Aung San in the struggle for independence, during the British and Japanese times. He was working as a patron of the Mandalay Division NLD. We lived in the same compound and, through inquiry about each other's backgrounds, we came to learn that we were related. As a result of inspiration gained through this uncle U Hla Win's persuasion and my discontent with the military regime in power, there was a welling up of political courage in me and in 1998, I became a member of the NLD in the Southwest Township of Mandalay. Now, I am a full member of the NLD.
3. Responsibility in the Mandalay Division NLD: In September 2002, I started to perform my duty as Southwest Township Organizer. I had to attend regularly the township meetings. I attended without fail the ceremonies for special days such as the Martyrs' Day, the Union Day, the Resistance Day etc. I also participated in literary functions. I had also participated in stage plays for raising social and political awareness. At ceremonies on such days as Union Day, I had the experience of reciting limericks. As there were difficulties, relating to our party in the domestic situation, even members who had joined the party before me did not have membership cards. I am included in that.
4. Our leader Daw Suu1 was released from house arrest on May 6, 2002 and her first trip after the release was to Mandalay. When she came to Mandalay, the Mandalay Division NLD gathered the Township branches and we were given the responsibility for the security of our leader. The person supervising security arrangement was Chief of Mandalay Division NLD as well as MP elect, Dr. Hla Soe Nyunt, and we joined hands with him in taking responsibility for security. How did I have to perform my responsibility? ---Well we had to clear the way for our leader. We have to walk in front of the leader's car and clear people from the way. When our leader went to pay respect to Masoeyein Abbot, I had to personally assist her in alighting from the car. There were such little acts of responsibility constantly. At the lecture meeting held at the house of Ko Par Par Lay, I had to hold the footstool on which Daw Suu stood and gave a speech, to kept it steady from the beginning to end. If Daw Suu walked among the people, we had to link up our hands or arms and give protection. Of course, all the members who were on duty, had to stand on the sides, about two yards from the path of U Tin Oo and Daw Suu, and link up our hands or arms for giving protection. If some thing happened, if there was some one attempting assassination on Daw Suu, we had to give protection so that the danger might not to reach Daw Suu. In giving protection, we did not mean to use violence against a suspect as our leader did not like it and our party rules also banned the use of violence. For that reason, we had to find a way to prevent danger in advance as soon as there were signs of it, in conformity with the laws laid down by the military regime in power.
5. Due to the health situation of my wife, I could not participate in the earlier trips of our leader to Mogok and Maddaya, in the last Upper Burma organizing trip. As there had been no problem during the first Mandalay trip, I thought that there could not be any problem in Maddaya trip. When I heard that there were problems during Mogoke-Maddaya trip, I became worried. I decided to go on the next trip, which was the trip to Monywa. So, I was on the trip that started out from Mandalay on the 29th. According to what I had heard about the Maddaya trip, I decided not to go on the trip as part of the Northwest Township security detail but as a person in the guise of a civilian, in order to be able to size up the situation of the trip and so, I went riding on a youth's motorcycle, remaining at a distance behind the car-motorcycle convoy. I started out from Mandalay office on the 29th at 9 am.
6. On the day the trip started, there were quite a number of Mandalay Division top NLD leaders, going with Daw Suu. As far as I remember, there were Myingyan MP-elect U Paw Khin, Dr. Hla Soe Nyunt, who took responsibility for security together with me during the first Madalay trip, as to the women, there were Daw Win Mya Mya, Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer as well as Division-level leader Ko Myo Naing, and then Division-level leader who drove the car for Ba Ba U Tin Oo, U Aung Soe, Laeway MP-elect U Tin Htut Oo who was also Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer, and Joint Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer Ko Hla Oo. From Rangoon NLD, the central level leaders were Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Ba Ba U Tin Oo. These two were the main figures. There were also members of the Central Youths, who took responsibility for security. I do not know their names. There were people I know among members of the Youths, who were close to Daw Suu and responsible for security. From the Southwest Township, there were Ko Min Lwin, Ko Khin Oo from the central headquarters, who had recited limericks with me, and photographer of central headquarters Ko Thein Soe. There were also women, but I do not know where they came from. I knew Ko Wunna Maung. When I went on an organizing trip to their township, he was on the list of 58 persons. I initially did not know that Wunna Maung was among members of the Youths who were responsible for the security during this trip of Daw Suu.
7. When we started out from Mandalay, there were a little more than 10 cars, including the cars of Daw Suu, U Tin Oo, ours, those of Mandalay Division and the cars of the ordinary people. There were a little more than 10 motorcycles. There were some Mandalay Sanghas2 and some ordinary people. The strength was only about 400, when the travelling party started to leave from Mandalay. There was a Dyna truck-full of Snaghas, - about 40-50 monks. They were hired cars. I was on a motorcycle. When the party was about to depart from the Division office, Daw Suu talked for about 15 minutes. As I was at a distance, I could not hear clearly and did not know what was spoken about. After departure, the party crossed over the Sagaing Bridge at 10:00 am. At a bend near the entrance to Sagaing Town, there were about 600-700 people standing on the left and right sides of the road and holding placards. On the placards were slogans saying, "We don't want people who don't support USDA." The people were also chanting the slogans. I realized that they had started to provoke us with harassment and disruption. But there was no problem. After departure from Sagaing, we reached Myinmu at about 11:00, 12:00 am. In Myinmu, there were ceremony for installing NLD office signboard and other activities relating to the party. Daw Suu herself supervised the activities. The Sanghas of Mandalay had made arrangements with Sanghas of Myinmu, to protect Daw Suu's trip to Monywa. The Myinmu Sanghas came with the convoy, while Mandalay Sanghas returned toMandalay.
8. As far as I know, we started to meet sizable number of people from Monywa at Chaung U. The party reached the entrance of Monywa after 3:00 p.m. At that time, the size of the party had increased considerably, because the people from Chaung U, Monyin Thanbodday etc., including people on motorcycles and in cars, had joined the party, on the way from Myinmu. It was 9: 00 p.m., when the party arrived at the center of Monywa. As the electricity had been cut off, the whole town was in darkness. When people started to light the candles, the size of the crowd was astonishing. I estimated it to be 3-4 hundred thousand. If we combined the people from Mandalay and about 400-500 people who came to meet us, after setting out from Myinmu, there would be about 700-800 people. There were people coming to join us in cars and on motorcycles on the way and the strength of the party gradually increased. When the party was headed for Monywa, our leaders' cars, cars of the security details, and the cars and motorcycles which came to send the party off, kept well to one side of the road and drove systematically.
When there was overtaking, of course, the whole road became full. There was no problem for the cars coming from the opposite direction. Sometimes, cars coming from the opposite direction even stopped to give way to the convoy. When we arrived at Monywa, hundreds of thousands of people gave us a candle-lit reception. We were given candles. Of course, we were among those who lighted the candles. The people, unceasingly shouted, "Long live Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo." I heard that in Monywa, Daw Suu slept in the house of an retired Col. U Kyi Soe I do As I was separate, I went to sleep at a monastery.
9. Next day, in the morning, I got into town at 9:00 am. There, I heard that Daw Suu herself presided over formation of Youths in Monywa, and some pro-SPDC elements attempted to disrupt the ceremony. At about 10:00 a.m., Daw Suu went to two monasteries in Monywa, to pay respects to the senior monks. After that, we started the journey for Butalin. Something unusual after the departure from Monywa was that when we arrived at Zeedaw Village, which was near Army Northwest Command headquarters, army personnel from the Command stopped the convoy. About 14-15 cars and 20-25 motorcycles carrying Sanghas, ordinary people and students, who had accompanied us, were not allowed to proceed with the convoy. The 10 plus cars and 20 plus motorcycles that had come from Mandalay were allowed to proceed. As a result, the cars and motorcycles which were not allowed to go further had to return to Monywa and the remaining strength of our party continuing the journey, including the leaders, was about 3-4 hundred persons.
10. On arrival at Butalin, we installed the signboard of Butalin Township NLD office and Leway MP-elect Ko Tin Htut Oo, who was the Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer as well as Division level leader, presided over the formation of the Butalin Township NLD Youths. Daw Suu had allocated four Youth Affairs officers for Upper Burma and four for Lower Burma. The four for Upper Burma were Ko Tin Tun Oo, U Myo Naing, Ko Tayza Naing from Sagaing Division and Ko Hla Oo from Mandalay Northeast Township. I had heard that U Tin Tun Oo and Ko Kyaw Soe Lin, who drove Daw Suu's car, were arrested.
11. After leaving Butalin, we reached Kyi Village at bout 7:30 - 8:00 p.m.. To reach Depayin from Kyi Village, we still had to cover a distance of about 2 - 2 1/2 miles. The place we had arrived at was a jungle. However, it was not a jungle like those of Pegu Yoma. In the upper land, jungle meant clumps of bushes and thickets. The bushes were good for hiding. About 20- 25 persons could hide in a bush. Even a standing man in the bush could not be seen, as it was so thick. The motor road was on a flat land and the road was wide enough for two cars to easily pass each other. As it was about 8:00 p.m. when we arrived at the place where the incident took place, the surrounding was in pitch darkness. We could see in the headlights of our cars about 1,000 Kyi villagers, who had assembled to welcome us near the junction where the village road met the main road. At that time, the car in which Daw Suu was riding and about 10 other cars had already gone passed the village. The motorcycle I was riding on was at the end of the convoy. There were Dyna and Torlagi trucks following behind my motorcycle. While our motorcycle was passing the villagers by, cars in the convoy suddenly stopped.
12. At the time the cars stopped, I noticed that the group, which was going to disrupt Daw Suu's trip, was behind us. The people in the group held up iron bars, pointed iron rods, bamboo sticks and wooden bats, which they had brought with them and shouted, "You, destroyers of race, whores, who want to have Kala3 as husbands; Don't become Kalas' wives, become my wife!" etc. At the same time, I heard Kyee villagers countering by shouting, "You are the real destroyers of race, wreckers, act as stooges!" Then the people with weapons jumped down from their trucks and started attacking the villagers, who were welcoming Daw Suu. I did not notice exactly when the attackers started to tail the convoy. I think, these Buddhist monks were faked monks who had followed us from the Army Northwest Command, because most of the Sanghas who were accompanying us had been sent back to Monywa, as I have mentioned earlier, by personnel of the Army Northwest Command headquarters, based near Zeedaw Village. At first, we thought the monks on the Dyna and Torlagi trucks were the ones who had been accompanying us. However, we saw them taking out red cloths and wrapped them around their arms down to the elbow level. Accordingly, it was clear that they had planned in advance for the attack. I think, wrapping red cloth around the arm was an arrangement to prevent mistaken attack and to make them distinct from the monks who had accompanied us. While the commotion was thus taking place, the thugs, who had hidden in the bushes in advance, came to join forces with those who had come in the trucks. They were also armed with iron bars, pointed iron rods, bamboo sticks and wooden bats. They numbered about three thousand and the weapons they were carrying were the same as the ones carried by those who had come in the trucks. As the cars in the rear kept their headlights on, we were able to see the actions going on and the sounds and voices. We could not see the people clearly, as we were looking from a distance of about 100 yards. It was a gigantic mass of people. Kyi villagers were near the scene and they were the first who had to bear the beating, as they were the ones who exchanged hostile words with the attackers coming down from the Dyna and Torlagi trucks. For that reason, the USDA members beat them up with malice. The place where Daw Suu car was parked was quite a distance from where I was.
13. While the attack was taking place, those who came on motorcycles took flight after abandoning their bikes. Some were struck down in their attempt to flee. At that time, no one could care about his motorcycle any longer. It was a time when everyone had to run for his life. At first, I did think about helping our leaders and our NLD members. On second thought, I realized that I would surely die before I got to my leaders and my NLD members, because I had first to pass through the killing ground. It was frightening even to imagine. Before my own eyes, people were being beaten savagely. I was hearing the wounded, dying victims moaning and wailing in pain, shrieking in agony, and crying out for help. At that time, as the attackers from the Dyna trucks were shouting unspeakable abuses, it was just like the hell boiling over. I saw with my own eyes the attackers striking down the victims with all the force and stabbing viciously with pointed iron rods. Truly, it was a murderous attack. The beating was done until the victims died.
14. I heard that U Tin Maung Oo of Southwest Township, Mandalay, was suffering from bleeding in the ears, as a result of the beating. Now, his name is on the list of those who died. He was Organizer for our Southwest Township as well as Mandalay Division headquarters photographer. Another one was Ko Thein Toe Aye, who was Candidate Organizer for our Township. His name also is on the list of those who died. It appeared that the attackers were systematically trained. They mainly aimed and struck on the head. Even when I was at a hundred yards, I heard with anguishing pain, the popping sounds of heads being broken by savage blows.
15. At about 9:00 p.m. on that night, two elders from Kyee Village came to me and one of them said, "My lad, you'd better come with me. You should not remain here." So saying they took me to the village, and from there I was sent, stage by stage, to Monywa. I had to sleep 2 nights on the way. I avoided going into Monywa and instead, I stayed in Kyaukka, a village outside of the town. From there, on June 4, I traveled back to Mandalay by bus. When I reached home in Mandalay, I saw my wife laid up in bed, as she became debilitated with illness, after hearing the news of us being beaten and slaughtered. For that reason, I took my sick wife and left urgently on the same night for Rangoon by 8:30 p.m., mail train. When I reached Rangoon, I stayed in hiding at a friend's house.
16. On the morning of June 13, my friends informed me that my father U Khin Soe, aged 76, passed away at 11 p.m., on the night of June 12. After deciding to send off my father on his last journey, even if I got arrested, I left Rangoon in the evening of June 13, by 5:00 p.m., express train, for Mandalay. I reached Mandalay on the morning of June 14, at 9:00 am, well in time for the funeral of my father. My relatives told me that my father died of grief caused by the arrest of his brother and the uncertainty as to whether I was dead or alive.
17. As soon as I arrived in Mandalay, my close relatives and friends told me that the military intelligence men had the intention to arrest me and they had subjected some of my friends to interrogation. At 2:00 p.m., the remain of my father was taken from Htundone Ward to Dagundaing Taung Myint cemetery for cremation. On return to Htundone, as I learned on the way that the military intelligence men were waiting for me at my house, I went and hid in a friend's house. From there, I arrived at a place in the liberated area, on the Thai-Burma border, on June 16.
Dated - July 4, 2003
Bangkok, Thailand;
U Khin Zaw
Sworn to before me of
this 4th of July, 2003
1. I am a citizen of Burma. I was born in Min Hla Town of Tharawaddy District, Pegu Division in the year of 1315 B.E., and now I am 50 years old. I am the third child among seven brothers and sisters of us. My father was Artist U Khin Soe and my mother is Daw Sein Than. In 1968, I appeared in the eighth standard school examination. In 1969, I moved to Rangoon. In Rangoon, I learned about gems from my uncle and I made a living as a gem trader and broker. I had never been in politics and had never been to jail. During the BSPP Era also, I never did anything in connection with government. I had been only a simple gem dealer.
2. I joined the NLD in 1998. The reason for joining the NLD was that after voting in the 1990 election, the whole family moved to Mandalay. There I met U Hla Win (AKA) Bo Mee Khae, who was related to me. U Hla Win was a native of Moenyo and he was with Gen. Aung San in the struggle for independence, during the British and Japanese times. He was working as a patron of the Mandalay Division NLD. We lived in the same compound and, through inquiry about each other's backgrounds, we came to learn that we were related. As a result of inspiration gained through this uncle U Hla Win's persuasion and my discontent with the military regime in power, there was a welling up of political courage in me and in 1998, I became a member of the NLD in the Southwest Township of Mandalay. Now, I am a full member of the NLD.
3. Responsibility in the Mandalay Division NLD: In September 2002, I started to perform my duty as Southwest Township Organizer. I had to attend regularly the township meetings. I attended without fail the ceremonies for special days such as the Martyrs' Day, the Union Day, the Resistance Day etc. I also participated in literary functions. I had also participated in stage plays for raising social and political awareness. At ceremonies on such days as Union Day, I had the experience of reciting limericks. As there were difficulties, relating to our party in the domestic situation, even members who had joined the party before me did not have membership cards. I am included in that.
4. Our leader Daw Suu1 was released from house arrest on May 6, 2002 and her first trip after the release was to Mandalay. When she came to Mandalay, the Mandalay Division NLD gathered the Township branches and we were given the responsibility for the security of our leader. The person supervising security arrangement was Chief of Mandalay Division NLD as well as MP elect, Dr. Hla Soe Nyunt, and we joined hands with him in taking responsibility for security. How did I have to perform my responsibility? ---Well we had to clear the way for our leader. We have to walk in front of the leader's car and clear people from the way. When our leader went to pay respect to Masoeyein Abbot, I had to personally assist her in alighting from the car. There were such little acts of responsibility constantly. At the lecture meeting held at the house of Ko Par Par Lay, I had to hold the footstool on which Daw Suu stood and gave a speech, to kept it steady from the beginning to end. If Daw Suu walked among the people, we had to link up our hands or arms and give protection. Of course, all the members who were on duty, had to stand on the sides, about two yards from the path of U Tin Oo and Daw Suu, and link up our hands or arms for giving protection. If some thing happened, if there was some one attempting assassination on Daw Suu, we had to give protection so that the danger might not to reach Daw Suu. In giving protection, we did not mean to use violence against a suspect as our leader did not like it and our party rules also banned the use of violence. For that reason, we had to find a way to prevent danger in advance as soon as there were signs of it, in conformity with the laws laid down by the military regime in power.
5. Due to the health situation of my wife, I could not participate in the earlier trips of our leader to Mogok and Maddaya, in the last Upper Burma organizing trip. As there had been no problem during the first Mandalay trip, I thought that there could not be any problem in Maddaya trip. When I heard that there were problems during Mogoke-Maddaya trip, I became worried. I decided to go on the next trip, which was the trip to Monywa. So, I was on the trip that started out from Mandalay on the 29th. According to what I had heard about the Maddaya trip, I decided not to go on the trip as part of the Northwest Township security detail but as a person in the guise of a civilian, in order to be able to size up the situation of the trip and so, I went riding on a youth's motorcycle, remaining at a distance behind the car-motorcycle convoy. I started out from Mandalay office on the 29th at 9 am.
6. On the day the trip started, there were quite a number of Mandalay Division top NLD leaders, going with Daw Suu. As far as I remember, there were Myingyan MP-elect U Paw Khin, Dr. Hla Soe Nyunt, who took responsibility for security together with me during the first Madalay trip, as to the women, there were Daw Win Mya Mya, Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer as well as Division-level leader Ko Myo Naing, and then Division-level leader who drove the car for Ba Ba U Tin Oo, U Aung Soe, Laeway MP-elect U Tin Htut Oo who was also Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer, and Joint Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer Ko Hla Oo. From Rangoon NLD, the central level leaders were Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Ba Ba U Tin Oo. These two were the main figures. There were also members of the Central Youths, who took responsibility for security. I do not know their names. There were people I know among members of the Youths, who were close to Daw Suu and responsible for security. From the Southwest Township, there were Ko Min Lwin, Ko Khin Oo from the central headquarters, who had recited limericks with me, and photographer of central headquarters Ko Thein Soe. There were also women, but I do not know where they came from. I knew Ko Wunna Maung. When I went on an organizing trip to their township, he was on the list of 58 persons. I initially did not know that Wunna Maung was among members of the Youths who were responsible for the security during this trip of Daw Suu.
7. When we started out from Mandalay, there were a little more than 10 cars, including the cars of Daw Suu, U Tin Oo, ours, those of Mandalay Division and the cars of the ordinary people. There were a little more than 10 motorcycles. There were some Mandalay Sanghas2 and some ordinary people. The strength was only about 400, when the travelling party started to leave from Mandalay. There was a Dyna truck-full of Snaghas, - about 40-50 monks. They were hired cars. I was on a motorcycle. When the party was about to depart from the Division office, Daw Suu talked for about 15 minutes. As I was at a distance, I could not hear clearly and did not know what was spoken about. After departure, the party crossed over the Sagaing Bridge at 10:00 am. At a bend near the entrance to Sagaing Town, there were about 600-700 people standing on the left and right sides of the road and holding placards. On the placards were slogans saying, "We don't want people who don't support USDA." The people were also chanting the slogans. I realized that they had started to provoke us with harassment and disruption. But there was no problem. After departure from Sagaing, we reached Myinmu at about 11:00, 12:00 am. In Myinmu, there were ceremony for installing NLD office signboard and other activities relating to the party. Daw Suu herself supervised the activities. The Sanghas of Mandalay had made arrangements with Sanghas of Myinmu, to protect Daw Suu's trip to Monywa. The Myinmu Sanghas came with the convoy, while Mandalay Sanghas returned toMandalay.
8. As far as I know, we started to meet sizable number of people from Monywa at Chaung U. The party reached the entrance of Monywa after 3:00 p.m. At that time, the size of the party had increased considerably, because the people from Chaung U, Monyin Thanbodday etc., including people on motorcycles and in cars, had joined the party, on the way from Myinmu. It was 9: 00 p.m., when the party arrived at the center of Monywa. As the electricity had been cut off, the whole town was in darkness. When people started to light the candles, the size of the crowd was astonishing. I estimated it to be 3-4 hundred thousand. If we combined the people from Mandalay and about 400-500 people who came to meet us, after setting out from Myinmu, there would be about 700-800 people. There were people coming to join us in cars and on motorcycles on the way and the strength of the party gradually increased. When the party was headed for Monywa, our leaders' cars, cars of the security details, and the cars and motorcycles which came to send the party off, kept well to one side of the road and drove systematically.
When there was overtaking, of course, the whole road became full. There was no problem for the cars coming from the opposite direction. Sometimes, cars coming from the opposite direction even stopped to give way to the convoy. When we arrived at Monywa, hundreds of thousands of people gave us a candle-lit reception. We were given candles. Of course, we were among those who lighted the candles. The people, unceasingly shouted, "Long live Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Tin Oo." I heard that in Monywa, Daw Suu slept in the house of an retired Col. U Kyi Soe I do As I was separate, I went to sleep at a monastery.
9. Next day, in the morning, I got into town at 9:00 am. There, I heard that Daw Suu herself presided over formation of Youths in Monywa, and some pro-SPDC elements attempted to disrupt the ceremony. At about 10:00 a.m., Daw Suu went to two monasteries in Monywa, to pay respects to the senior monks. After that, we started the journey for Butalin. Something unusual after the departure from Monywa was that when we arrived at Zeedaw Village, which was near Army Northwest Command headquarters, army personnel from the Command stopped the convoy. About 14-15 cars and 20-25 motorcycles carrying Sanghas, ordinary people and students, who had accompanied us, were not allowed to proceed with the convoy. The 10 plus cars and 20 plus motorcycles that had come from Mandalay were allowed to proceed. As a result, the cars and motorcycles which were not allowed to go further had to return to Monywa and the remaining strength of our party continuing the journey, including the leaders, was about 3-4 hundred persons.
10. On arrival at Butalin, we installed the signboard of Butalin Township NLD office and Leway MP-elect Ko Tin Htut Oo, who was the Upper Burma Youth Affairs officer as well as Division level leader, presided over the formation of the Butalin Township NLD Youths. Daw Suu had allocated four Youth Affairs officers for Upper Burma and four for Lower Burma. The four for Upper Burma were Ko Tin Tun Oo, U Myo Naing, Ko Tayza Naing from Sagaing Division and Ko Hla Oo from Mandalay Northeast Township. I had heard that U Tin Tun Oo and Ko Kyaw Soe Lin, who drove Daw Suu's car, were arrested.
11. After leaving Butalin, we reached Kyi Village at bout 7:30 - 8:00 p.m.. To reach Depayin from Kyi Village, we still had to cover a distance of about 2 - 2 1/2 miles. The place we had arrived at was a jungle. However, it was not a jungle like those of Pegu Yoma. In the upper land, jungle meant clumps of bushes and thickets. The bushes were good for hiding. About 20- 25 persons could hide in a bush. Even a standing man in the bush could not be seen, as it was so thick. The motor road was on a flat land and the road was wide enough for two cars to easily pass each other. As it was about 8:00 p.m. when we arrived at the place where the incident took place, the surrounding was in pitch darkness. We could see in the headlights of our cars about 1,000 Kyi villagers, who had assembled to welcome us near the junction where the village road met the main road. At that time, the car in which Daw Suu was riding and about 10 other cars had already gone passed the village. The motorcycle I was riding on was at the end of the convoy. There were Dyna and Torlagi trucks following behind my motorcycle. While our motorcycle was passing the villagers by, cars in the convoy suddenly stopped.
12. At the time the cars stopped, I noticed that the group, which was going to disrupt Daw Suu's trip, was behind us. The people in the group held up iron bars, pointed iron rods, bamboo sticks and wooden bats, which they had brought with them and shouted, "You, destroyers of race, whores, who want to have Kala3 as husbands; Don't become Kalas' wives, become my wife!" etc. At the same time, I heard Kyee villagers countering by shouting, "You are the real destroyers of race, wreckers, act as stooges!" Then the people with weapons jumped down from their trucks and started attacking the villagers, who were welcoming Daw Suu. I did not notice exactly when the attackers started to tail the convoy. I think, these Buddhist monks were faked monks who had followed us from the Army Northwest Command, because most of the Sanghas who were accompanying us had been sent back to Monywa, as I have mentioned earlier, by personnel of the Army Northwest Command headquarters, based near Zeedaw Village. At first, we thought the monks on the Dyna and Torlagi trucks were the ones who had been accompanying us. However, we saw them taking out red cloths and wrapped them around their arms down to the elbow level. Accordingly, it was clear that they had planned in advance for the attack. I think, wrapping red cloth around the arm was an arrangement to prevent mistaken attack and to make them distinct from the monks who had accompanied us. While the commotion was thus taking place, the thugs, who had hidden in the bushes in advance, came to join forces with those who had come in the trucks. They were also armed with iron bars, pointed iron rods, bamboo sticks and wooden bats. They numbered about three thousand and the weapons they were carrying were the same as the ones carried by those who had come in the trucks. As the cars in the rear kept their headlights on, we were able to see the actions going on and the sounds and voices. We could not see the people clearly, as we were looking from a distance of about 100 yards. It was a gigantic mass of people. Kyi villagers were near the scene and they were the first who had to bear the beating, as they were the ones who exchanged hostile words with the attackers coming down from the Dyna and Torlagi trucks. For that reason, the USDA members beat them up with malice. The place where Daw Suu car was parked was quite a distance from where I was.
13. While the attack was taking place, those who came on motorcycles took flight after abandoning their bikes. Some were struck down in their attempt to flee. At that time, no one could care about his motorcycle any longer. It was a time when everyone had to run for his life. At first, I did think about helping our leaders and our NLD members. On second thought, I realized that I would surely die before I got to my leaders and my NLD members, because I had first to pass through the killing ground. It was frightening even to imagine. Before my own eyes, people were being beaten savagely. I was hearing the wounded, dying victims moaning and wailing in pain, shrieking in agony, and crying out for help. At that time, as the attackers from the Dyna trucks were shouting unspeakable abuses, it was just like the hell boiling over. I saw with my own eyes the attackers striking down the victims with all the force and stabbing viciously with pointed iron rods. Truly, it was a murderous attack. The beating was done until the victims died.
14. I heard that U Tin Maung Oo of Southwest Township, Mandalay, was suffering from bleeding in the ears, as a result of the beating. Now, his name is on the list of those who died. He was Organizer for our Southwest Township as well as Mandalay Division headquarters photographer. Another one was Ko Thein Toe Aye, who was Candidate Organizer for our Township. His name also is on the list of those who died. It appeared that the attackers were systematically trained. They mainly aimed and struck on the head. Even when I was at a hundred yards, I heard with anguishing pain, the popping sounds of heads being broken by savage blows.
15. At about 9:00 p.m. on that night, two elders from Kyee Village came to me and one of them said, "My lad, you'd better come with me. You should not remain here." So saying they took me to the village, and from there I was sent, stage by stage, to Monywa. I had to sleep 2 nights on the way. I avoided going into Monywa and instead, I stayed in Kyaukka, a village outside of the town. From there, on June 4, I traveled back to Mandalay by bus. When I reached home in Mandalay, I saw my wife laid up in bed, as she became debilitated with illness, after hearing the news of us being beaten and slaughtered. For that reason, I took my sick wife and left urgently on the same night for Rangoon by 8:30 p.m., mail train. When I reached Rangoon, I stayed in hiding at a friend's house.
16. On the morning of June 13, my friends informed me that my father U Khin Soe, aged 76, passed away at 11 p.m., on the night of June 12. After deciding to send off my father on his last journey, even if I got arrested, I left Rangoon in the evening of June 13, by 5:00 p.m., express train, for Mandalay. I reached Mandalay on the morning of June 14, at 9:00 am, well in time for the funeral of my father. My relatives told me that my father died of grief caused by the arrest of his brother and the uncertainty as to whether I was dead or alive.
17. As soon as I arrived in Mandalay, my close relatives and friends told me that the military intelligence men had the intention to arrest me and they had subjected some of my friends to interrogation. At 2:00 p.m., the remain of my father was taken from Htundone Ward to Dagundaing Taung Myint cemetery for cremation. On return to Htundone, as I learned on the way that the military intelligence men were waiting for me at my house, I went and hid in a friend's house. From there, I arrived at a place in the liberated area, on the Thai-Burma border, on June 16.
Dated - July 4, 2003
Bangkok, Thailand;
U Khin Zaw
Sworn to before me of
this 4th of July, 2003
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