By Shah Paung
The Karen Women's Organization is investigating allegations that a 14-year-old Burmese Karen girl was raped by a Thai soldier on Monday, one day after Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had visited her refugee camp.
KWO officer Ler Pwe, who has taken responsibility for the case, told The Irrawaddy that the rape occurred near the Mae La refugee camp on the Thai/Burmese border, when the girl, who had only been at the camp for one month, was out herding goats with her 7-year-old brother. A Thai soldier is believed to have approached the pair, raped the girl twice and offered 30 baht (less than US $1), which was refused. The brother and sister then ran back to Mae La and reported the incident.
Vice-chairman of Mae La camp committee Saw Jollay confirmed the incident would be reported to the Thai authorities but said they had so far been unable to identify the soldier in question. "It is difficult to investigate this kind of case," he said, "because there are many Thai soldiers at checkpoints near our camp, and we do not have a clear description."
Similar incidents have occurred at the Mae La camp in recent years. In 2003, a 13-year-old girl was raped by a Thai soldier and the case reported to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. As punishment, the soldier was ordered to pay a small fine and moved to a different posting. After a similar incident in 2004, the soldier in question ran away before a punishment had been decided. "We worry that it will happen like this again," Jollay said.