TWO BURMA ARMY SOLDIERS TESTIFY TO USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

CHRISTIAN SOLIDARITY WORLDWIDE – PRESS RELEASE
May 4, 2005
Two Burma Army soldiers who defected to the Karenni forces on April 25 have testified to the widespread use of chemical weapons.

Myo Min, 15, had been in the Burma Army for one month and Soe Thu, 16, had been in the Burma Army for two months. When asked about 'chemical or poison' weapons, Myo Min told CSW's International President, Dr Martin Panter, that he had to carry boxes of chemical weapons to the front line almost from the day he arrived.

Dr Panter, who visited the region between April 27-29, reports:

"... the sergeant commander of his unit told him to be very careful carrying these weapons, as if he dropped them the chemicals would spill and he could be killed. Asked how he knew they were chemical weapons, he said that the sergeant showed them all around the arsenal where weapons were stored at the army base camp and pointed out these poisonous weapons. Each box had the emblem of a skull and cross bones on it, and he proceeded to draw one for us. He said that whenever these chemical shells were fired soldiers had to wear full head masks and gloves. They were usually launched from a mortar launcher but said there were a number of ways in which they were delivered. But he had only seen the mortar launch, and said that during an artillery attack on Karenni positions they worked on one shell in four being a chemical shell. Sometimes he went with a truck to the front line when a large number of artillery shells were shifted at a time. In the truck on one occasion he counted five boxes of chemical devices, out of a total load of about 30, on another occasion he counted seven boxes, all with the skull and cross bones emblem."

Soe Thu, also interviewed by Dr Panter, explained that the chemical shells were quite different to normal heavy artillery; they were lighter and painted a 'white colour'.

Dr Panter reports: "He had sometimes picked one up to feel it, but was scared as the sergeant had said they could die if they dropped them and the chemical leaked out. He drew a picture of a chemical device and a mortar launcher next to it."

Dr Panter reported that both boys said they had been told that if they ever deserted and went to the Karenni, they would be cut up, put on bamboo sticks across a fire, roasted and eaten "with salt".

Dr Panter said: "Both lads' stories had the 'ring of truth' to them. They had no reason to lie, and little to gain by it. They both know they will be shot if they return or are caught. Both boys told us that there were many other 'children' soldiers in their division. They thought around 30 kids of 16 years and younger, out of a total of 120."

Both boys were dressed in their military uniforms, with their belts bearing the badge of the Burma Army insignia. Myo Min said he came from a village in the Irrawaddy delta area. In February Burma Army troops came into his village, rounded up all the young lads and gave them a stark choice of either joining the army or going to prison for two years.

Myo Min said he had no desire whatever to fight, and in fact had no idea what he was fighting for. He received virtually no training, and was sent straight to the front line in the 112 division of 55 Battalion light infantry brigade.

The two were interviewed separately. They know they will be summarily executed if they are caught and are currently being held at a secret location.

Dr Martin Panter said further allegations of the use of chemical weapons could not simply be denied by the Burmese regime: "The Burmese army is guilty of crimes against humanity under the Geneva conventions of war and needs to answer to the international community for its behaviour, especially in the light of strong and robust denials by the Junta's information minister at a press briefing in Rangoon on April 22, that Burma has chemical weapons, and has never and will never deploy them."

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW UK, said: "These disturbing testimonies from two former soldiers in the Burma Army lend further credibility to reports of the use of chemical weapons by the Burmese regime. This regime has long been carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Karenni and several other ethnic groups and it is sadly no great surprise to learn of allegations of the use of chemical weapons. CSW urges the international community to press the military regime for answers that go beyond the usual flat denials."

CSW has also received the full medical report on the possible use of chemical weapons on three Karenni soldiers.

The doctor who examined them stated that on February 19, 20 Karenni soldiers from the Karenni resistance were exposed to a substance released by shells as these exploded. The identity of the doctor is not being revealed for security reasons.

The substance in question was described as a yellow-brown vapour. Those exposed to the substance described the vapour as tasting mainly like chilli hot pepper. A witness who was standing at a safe distance and who was not exposed to the substance described seeing many shells releasing a yellow substance.

The doctor stated: "I would like to submit that the description of this yellow vapour, as well as the physical symptoms experienced by those men exposed to it, as well as the clinical signs present, strongly suggest that these patients were exposed to some kind of chemical or biological munitions."

The doctor continues:

"Three of the soldiers who were exposed to the yellow substance were evacuated and brought to me at great risk to themselves and to those helping them. These men presented to me as patients on the sixth day following this event.

The Karenni officer who brought his men to me has been a soldier for over thirty years and prior to that day had never encountered shells releasing a yellow substance and making people sick on exposure to it. Whilst he was not sure as to what that yellow vapour was, he soon realised that it was some kind of poison as demonstrated by the way the exposed men started to get very ill. He told me that during the first few days before bringing them to me, his men looked like they were dying and not going to pull through.

That Karenni officer reported that the shells fired by the Burma Army were a combination of ordinary high explosives and some form of poisonous/chemical munitions. The shells were, 81mm and 120mm mortars, and 75mm and BA8 Recoilless Rifles. The Burma Army used multiple weapon systems at once. Up to 40 shells per minute impacted on Karenni positions. According to this officer, the ratio of high explosives to chemical rounds fired from the mortars was 40 rounds of high explosives to 4 rounds of the unidentified poisonous/chemical munitions.

I was able to interview the patients, take their medical history and examine them. This I did over the first two days, as they were first too weak to be interviewed. The story of each patient was consistent with the other patients and many of their symptoms were identical to one another."

For more information, please contact Dr Martin Panter in Australia on +61 7 40938100 or +61 7 40921061. Alternatively contact Richard Chilvers, Communications Manager, CSW UK on 020 8329 0045.

FULL MEDICAL REPORT

Patient 1:

Name: Saw Reh

Age: 38 yrs old.

The first symptoms started to develop 1-2 hours following his exposure to the yellow vapour. He developed shortness of breath with constrictive chest pain, burning sensation in his eyes with no apparent increase in lacrimation, a runny nose followed by repeated episodes of epistaxis for a whole day. His face and arms started to swell, but the swelling was more pronounced on his face and lasted for three days. This was soon followed by a dry cough that has lasted to this day (six days) and by the passing of red urine suggestive of bloody urine for the next three days. Hoarseness was also present for a few days. He also described feeling very weak and having severe voluntary muscle weakness to his shoulders, upper and lower limbs, on the first day, soon after being exposed to the yellow vapour. He describes the weakness as like that of being paralysed, especially in the extremity of his limbs. On the second day he started experiencing headaches and general abdominal pain with constipation. The constipation lasted for three days and it was then followed by diarrhoea for two days (Saw Reh is unaware as to whether or not blood was present with his stools). He still complains of moderate abdominal pain. Following exposure to the substance, Saw Reh notice a yellowish discolouration of the skin of his body that lasted for the next 3 days. On that day, he also started experiencing pruritus all over his body and although this has greatly decreased in severity, it is still present to this day. He is not aware as to whether or not his otherwise brown skin became erythematous or changed colour. He has lost much weight in the last six days.

Upon examination, he looked weak and tired, requiring the need to lie down. He showed increased, marked bilateral biceps reflexes, as well as bilateral increased knee jerk reflexes. He had marked decreased finger to nose coordination. He had mild difficulty in swallowing (the gag reflex was not tested). He had general abdominal tenderness which is more marked over the epigastric area.

Patient 2:

Name: B E Wee Reh

Age: 40 yrs old.

Soon after being exposed to the substance, E Wee Reh became confused and very weak to the point of being unable to walk. This lasted for the whole of that first day. On that first day, the skin over his whole body started to itch and swell, especially the face. The pruritus persisted for five days and the swelling for about three days. The swelling subsided after three days. In the first day, he experienced a burning sensation in his eyes with no apparent increased lacrimation. His vision became impaired for a few days. On the second day, he became urinary incontinent and his loss of urinary sphincter control lasted for the next three days. On that same day and until the next day he experienced diarrhoea with no apparent blood (dark or red) being present with it. He experienced general abdominal pain that has been present to this day. He also started vomiting red vomitus suggestive of fresh blood once or twice a day and has done so every day to this day. The vomiting is associated with epigastric pain. He started bleeding from his nose (epistaxis) and this came intermittently over that second day. His breathing became laboured and he started coughing a hacking dry cough with hoarseness for two days. Following the onset of pruritus on the first day, on the second day, he started having multiple small dark pustules over his body. New ones appeared over the next few days. Except for three dark lesions over his trunk, today most have healed and scarred over with sometimes an increased pigmentation of the skin at the sites of where those blisters once were. E Wee Reh lost a lot of weight, as testified by himself and as witnessed by other soldiers.

Upon examination, he looks weak and tired but able to remain sitting up. He has three dark (black) and slightly raised well circumscribed small skin lesions over his trunk (2 millimetres in diameter). Despite no prior history of visual impairment, E Wee Reh has marked impaired vision with difficulty focusing on distant objects, being only able to focus on objects within one foot distance. The Romberg test performed on him is strongly positive. He has marked decreased finger to nose coordination. The epigastric area of his abdomen is very tender on mild palpation.

Patient 3:

Name: Bo Reh

Age: 33 yrs old.

On the first day his face started to swell and this lasted for three days. He developed a persistent headache with photophobia that has lasted to this day. Most of Bo Reh's other symptoms started on the second day. On the second day, he started experiencing multiple spells of what is suggestive of absence seizures with no jerking movement of the body or loss of consciousness but as described by Bo Reh of a sensation of 'loss of time'. These spells last for up to two minutes at a time. He has no history of burning sensation in his eyes but he described having been unable to open his eyelids on the third day. He says that these were sticky for a few days and he is unaware as to whether or not these were swollen. He experienced some pruritus over his whole body, around which time he said his skin turned pale and yellow. On the second day he started having generalised moderate abdominal pain with loss of appetite but no diarrhoea. The abdominal pain has persisted to this day. On the second day, he started experiencing feelings of constriction in his throat and this was followed by hoarseness. Around that time, his throat became very itchy and he started having a dry cough associated with chest pain. Although better, this has lasted to this day. There is no history of nose bleed (epistaxis) in Bo Reh. He has lost some weight in the last six days.

Upon examination: He has multiple small (2-3 millimetres in diameter) raised dark (black) skin lesions over his back, as well as two well circumscribed pustules of 3-4 millimetres in diameter with a raised white necrotic looking centre surrounded by erythematous skin over that same area. He has difficulty focusing on objects (mostly distant objects). He has marked deviation of his uvula to the left side and marked impaired swallowing, but no deviation of the tongue. He has decreased finger to nose coordination. The sclera of his eyes do not show a yellow discolouration and there are no signs suggestive of jaundice. He has mild general tenderness on abdominal palpation."

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