Myanmar’s Military Seizes Young Men to Crush Uprising

 

Myanmar's security forces are arresting thousands of people. Most are boys and young men. But many families of those taken do not know where they are.

UNICEF, the United Nations children's agency, says it has reports of 1,000 cases of children or young people being arrested and jailed. Many do not have lawyers and cannot see their families. UNICEF says the majority of those taken are boys.

The military has used arrests and imprisonment¹ to make people afraid and to stop the pro-democracy movement in the country. Some are taken overnight and some in the middle of the day. People are taken from their homes or from the street. Some have been found dead. Many are imprisoned² and sometimes tortured. Many more are missing.

Mee is a 27-year-old villager living in the northern area of Mandalay. She watched as children on motorbikes rode by her house toward the woods. Not long after, the village elders had a warning: All the boys must leave and get somewhere safe. The soldiers might be coming.

The military's tactics are effective. In villages and cities, people watch for soldiers. They yell or bang on pots and pans to warn their neighbors if they are coming.

"I am more afraid of being arrested than getting shot," said one 29-year-old man. "I have a chance of dying on the spot with just one shot. But being arrested, I am afraid that they would torture me."

Since the military took control in February the conflict in Myanmar has become much more violent. Security forces have killed more than 700 people, including a 9-year-old boy.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) investigates deaths and arrests in Myanmar, formerly⁴ known as Burma. The group found that at least 3,500 people have been detained since military rule began. More than three-fourths of the people are men. Of the 419 men whose ages are known, almost two-thirds are under age 30, and 78 are teenagers.

Pictures of people taken by the police have been seen online. In the pictures, there are signs of beatings and torture. The military's methods in showing the photos suggest it is trying to intimidate⁵ people.

Ko Bo Kyi is with the AAPP. He said, "They think if they can kill off the boys and young men, then they can kill off the revolution."

After receiving questions from The Associated Press, the military, known as the Tatmadaw, held a press conference on the video service Zoom⁶. It called the AAPP a "baseless organization." It denied the information was true and said security forces are not targeting young men.

"The security forces are not arresting based on genders⁸ and ages," said a military spokeswoman. "They are only detaining anyone who is rioting, protesting, causing unrest."

Some of those taken by security forces were protesting. Some have connections to the political party that the military overthrew⁹. Many are taken for no known reason. They are charged with making comments that "cause fear" or spread "false news."

Experts say both the military and police are responsible for the disappearances¹⁰. Matthew Smith is the head of the human rights group Fortify¹¹ Rights. He said there appeared to be "some national level communication and coordination¹² taking place."

Families are worried and trying to find information about their loved ones. Some have been sending food to the prisons. They hope if the food is not sent back, their relatives are still alive.

Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is a Myanmar human rights activist¹³. Her father was arrested during a 1988 protest against military rule. The family waited months before they learned he was in prison.

"I can't imagine families of young people who are 19, 20, 21, in prison," she said. "I'm trying to hold onto hope, but the situation is getting worse every day."

Words in This Story

elder –n. a person who has respect because of age and experience

tactic³ –n. an action or method that is planned and used to reach a goal

intimidate –v. to make (someone) afraid

baseless –adj. not based on facts; without a good reason

gender⁷ –n. the state of being male or female

coordinate¹⁴ –v. to make arrangements so that two or more people or groups of people can work together

1 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

2 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

3 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

4 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

5 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

6 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

7 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

8 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

9 overthrew   

overthrow的过去式

参考例句：

• The people finally rose up and overthrew the reactionary regime. 人们终于起来把反动的政权推翻了。
• They overthrew their King. 他们推翻了国王。

10 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

11 fortify   

v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化

参考例句：

• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
• This treaty forbade the United States to fortify the canal.此条约禁止美国对运河设防。

12 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

13 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

14 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。