Description:
"...Yan Aung?s childhood ended prematurely. When he was 11 years old he was abducted by two
soldiers and forced to join the Tatmadaw, Burma?s armed forces. Although he had no interest
in serving in the army, he had to sign a prepared statement af"rming that he had voluntarily
enlisted and that he was 18 years old at the time.
The year Yan Aung should have completed the fourth grade, he attended basic training at
the Pinlaung military training facility. He went on to serve as a private with Light Infantry Battalion
No. 135 under the supervision of Captain Aung Aung. At the age of 13 he was sent to
Kaingtaung in Southern Shan State to train as a corporal. Shortly after, Yan Aung was sent to
Mawchee Township in Karenni State where, under the direction of Major Aung Naing Soe, he
took part in an attack against the Karenni Army (KA), the armed faction of the Karenni National
Peoples Party (KNPP). During the battle Yan Aung?s friend and fellow child soldier, a 15 yearold
boy by the name of Tin Re, was shot and killed right in front of him.
After "ve consecutive stints on the frontlines of Burma?s civil war, Yan Aung managed to
escape to Thailand. However, along with abandoning military life he also left behind his family
and friends. Now he is a refugee, living along the Thai-Burma border. He is 17 years old...."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB)
Date of Publication:
2008-09-00
Date of entry:
2009-02-04
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English