Co-founder of Burma Issues, Max Ediger said, “When somebody has lost everything - family, home, land, worldly possessions, faith, and identity, the only thing left that nobody can take away is their stories. And the telling of these stories can be a healing experience for people... Yet to receive a story is not the end. There is a call to act on the story.”

This is the story of Paw Lweh, a pregnant Karen woman, who walked two hours to a village to get medicine for her sick husband. Her husband was feeling ill but above all terrified after seeing Burmese soldiers burn down a house and hearing that they also tortured people in the area. He later took his own life leaving behind ten children and his wife Paw Lweh.

Paw Lweh, a 35-year-old woman, lives in Kaw Htee, a Karen rural village, which is controlled by the Burmese army in Eastern Tavoy region, Southern Burma.

Paw Lweh told her story, “My husband was very frightened when he heard that Pati Than Aung who got a tattoo on his arm was tortured by Burmese soldiers. The soldiers burnt a knife and took his tattoo off. He also saw Burmese troops burning down Pati Meh Hkee house.”

This happened in November 2004 when the new SPDC battalion No. 401 replaced another battalion. Paw Lweh was four months pregnant at this time. This new battalion started to terrorise villagers by arresting people, torturing them and accusing them of being Karen National Union (KNU) supporters. Frequently, Burmese soldiers demanded guns or money from arrested villagers for their release. This happened despite the fact that the KNU and the SPDC government had agreed on a verbal cease-fire at that time. In this area, villagers faced various extortions. SPDC soldiers forcibly asked for anything valuable: money, cattle, and even gold chains... They also burnt down houses and cut down betel nut trees. Many villagers were not allowed to go to their rice plantations. This caused the ruin of more than 80 rice farms. Many villagers escaped at that time to the Thai-Burma border to ask for shelter. Other Burmese troops that came later continue to extort money and gold from the villagers.

A community leader expressed that it was the worse year for Kaw Htee village since it has been occupied by Burmese troops nine years ago.

Paw Lweh said, “After seeing the house burning, my husband came home. Before he got into the house, he told our children what happened and then he left. Later he came back again and told me that he didn't feel very well and asked me for some medicines. He said he got a bad headache and fever.”

Paw Lweh gave to her husband the few Burmese-made medicines she has. Her husband then left again. He came back a third time and asked her to get more medicines in the main village.

“It is about two-hour walk from our village. I hurried as quickly as I could because I was worried my husband will get worse.”

Paw Lweh went to the village. When she was in her way back, her daughter rushed to her saying that she could not wake her father up.

“I ran, but I was tired because I was pregnant I asked my older sister and my daughter to run quickly to the house to give my husband some sour juice. But, when my sister arrived, he was already dead.”

When Paw Lweh went to the village to get some medicine, her husband visited his nephew's house and asked him for some rat poison explaining that he will kill some rats and squirrels that come and eat his rice in his barn. His nephew believed him.

After getting the rat poison, Paw Lweh’s husband came back to his house and killed himself by swallowing it. Before he died, he told his children to look after each other. He died on November 13, 2004.

“When I arrived in my house I saw my husband dead. I don't know what happened to me. I don't know if I was feeling mercy for him and wanted him back, or if I was angry. I don't know what to say. I lost my mind for a while.”

“Now I became the head of the house. Before my husband was doing everything in the rice plantation and I was at home looking after the house and the children. I have 10 children and I am seven months pregnant now. Now, I cannot send my children to school anymore."

“After my husband died I couldn't think. I don’t have anyone to count on so I don't know what will happen to my family in the coming years. I have a betel nut garden but it does not give us enough income. I am not familiar with rice plantation and it is difficult for me as I’m pregnant", said Paw Lweh.

VO Interview, Burma Issues, February 2005.

This is the story of Naw Mu Sei, a young 20-year-old Karen woman who left her village, dreaming of going to school in a Karen refugee camp along the Thai-Burma border. To get there, she walked through the jungle for three days, with a group of villagers. When she was having a rest, two Burmese soldiers approached her and pointed their guns at her. It was the day that broke her dream.

Naw Mu Sei said, “I was very frightened and afraid that these soldiers would kill me. But what I feared the most was that they would rape me and force me to become their wife because I heard that Burmese soldiers are doing such atrocities."

Naw Mu Sei, (this is not her real name because she fears for her life) is from Ka Taw Ni village, in Eastern Tavoy region, Southern Burma. On June 9, last year, she and a group of villagers left her village to reach Htam Hin, a refugee camp located on the Thai-Burma border. She decided to attended school there, because her parents couldn't afford to send her to the school of their village. Her village is facing poverty, various extortion, restrictions, and other oppression by occupying Burmese soldiers who control their everyday life.

In recent years, an increasing number of young people from Burma who live in forced relocation sites or Burmese army controlled areas are coming to study to Htam Hin refugee camp. Compared to Mu Sei's village and other villages in Burma, education in refugee camp is free, more stable and progressive.

After Burmese soldiers arrested Naw Mu Sei, they attacked the other villagers -approximately 17 all together- who were doing the trip with her. Mu Sei said, “After the troops open fire at villagers, many escaped. They captured one villager and tied him, beat him up and punched him. I saw this and I was very frightened. Burmese troops arrested four others villagers with me.”

According to a boy who survived that attack and walked five days barefoot to the refugee camp, three people were shot dead including his mother. He was also coming to study at the camp.

Then the Burmese soldiers took Naw Mu Sei and other villagers back to Htoo Ler village where the Burmese army is based very close to her village.

Naw Mu Sei said that on their way back Burmese solders let them sleep in a group and warned them “Don't try to run! If you do so, we will kill you.”

“One of the villagers, who had a stroke a few days ago on the way to the refugee camp, could not walk properly. The Burmese soldiers told him to stay behind and gave him one pack of snacks and one milk can. They said that they will take him back tomorrow."

After they all arrived to Htoo Ler village, the Burmese soldiers brought Naw Mu Sei to the village headman's house and took the other villagers with them. At daytime, Naw Mu Sei had to go to the army camp to do some work and at night, she had to return to the headman's house. After a week, her father came and she was released.

Naw Mu Sei said, “After arriving in Htoo Ler I couldn’t find the other villagers who were with me. The soldiers never get back the man who was left behind on the way."

"My dream to go to school did not come true. Now, I stay in my village and I cannot go to school because my parents still cannot afford it. I have to help them by working in rice plantation."

VO Interview, Burma Issues, February 2005.