A/HRC/39/CRP.2 militias (Pyi Thu Sit),268 or the Myanmar Intelligence Office (commonly referred to by its Myanmar acronym SaYaPa),269 the branch of the Myanmar armed forces tasked with intelligence gathering. All accounts of sexualised torture reported in the context of detention were perpetrated by the SaYaPa.270 171. Most torture cases were committed by Tatmadaw soldiers during military operations, patrols or forced labour. For example, a victim said that soldiers tortured him in Shan State in 2012. He was taken by Tatmadaw soldiers to their military camp along with three other men. They were beaten and questioned about their connections with Shan EAOs. The soldiers requested money for their release which was paid by the victim’s family members. 271 172. Another victim described how the Tatmadaw detained and tortured him while he was fishing at a river next to his village in Tanai Township, Kachin State in December 2017. At that time, the Tatmadaw had arrived at the victim’s village in large numbers. The victim was later taken to the military camp for the purpose of forced labour. He said: Ten Tatmadaw soldiers suddenly surrounded me and asked, “What are you doing in the forest?” I answered that I was a simple villager and wanted to fish. They did not believe me because I am young, 26-years old. They beat me with a bamboo stick, and also rolled the stick on my thighs which really hurt. They asked, “Are you a rebel?” I answered again that I simply work for my daily wages to survive, and that I had never joined the KIA. They took me to their army base where I was held captive for over a month. We moved from one base to another, and I was beaten regularly. Every morning, the Tatmadaw soldiers woke me up very early, beat me and forced me to do various tasks. I slept on the ground in the jungle without a blanket, I was always cold at night.272 173. Torture and ill-treatment were also perpetrated by the SaYaPa. For instance, a victim described how he was tortured by the SaYaPa in June 2012, for approximately a week, at the SaYaPa office in Myitkyina, Kachin State. He was subsequently accused of associating with the KIA, pursuant to the Unlawful Association Act section 17(1). He said that the SaYaPa tortured him, and forced him to say that he was a KIA member: SaYaPa agents tortured me for about a week. They insisted that I was a KIA member. I kept on repeating that I wasn’t, but they tortured me more. They burned me on the stomach with a hot knife, and poured hot wax from a candle on my face. They made me eat stones and burned my arms with cigarette butts. They also made me kneel on top of small stones for hours. They took two bamboo sticks and tied them in between my legs. They stabbed me in the thighs with a knife. I have 15 scars on one leg and five scars on the other. They took turns to kick me in the chest. They tied me to a chair, and beat me with a bamboo stick. I felt numb from the pain at some point. My vision was blurred because I was beaten repeatedly. They also pushed on my eyeballs for a long time – I felt like they would pop out. I really thought I was going to be killed. They dug a hole behind the SaYaPa office and I thought they would throw my corpse in it, So, I finally said that I was a KIA soldier. 273 Purposes 174. Torture and ill-treatment were used either to obtain confessions that the victim was a member of an EAO, or to elicit information related to hostilities, for example about the locations, weapons, and movements of fighters.274 Some victims were tortured while in the custody of Tatmadaw soldiers or the SaYaPa prior to, or frequently after, being detained under the Unlawful Association Act, section 17(1).275 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 PI-053, PI-054, PI-056, SI-004; see this chapter, section A.8: Emblematic incidents (Tanai). PI-052, PI-055, PI-056. PI-052; PI-056; PI-055; see this chapter, section A.4: Sexual and gender-based violence. QI-090. PI-079. PI-055. PI-059, PI-074, PI-075, PI-109, PI-111. PI-038, PI-052, PI-055, PI-056; see this chapter, section A.5: Arbitrary deprivation of liberty. 45