Dear Friends:

 

Two Akha men were stopped on their motorbike at Mooh Gow Lang Village in Ampur Mae Faluang 8 days ago.  One man was from my village, being brought home from his friends house after helping him with his rice field work for three days.

 

The Mooh Gow Lang Army checkpoint is where they were stopped, taken into custody and moved to Huuh Maw Army Base in Haen Taek, the same base where witnesses say they saw two Lahu men murdered last year.

 

The army said that they must have been doing some drug business but found no drugs.  At the army base they tied and  beat the men repeatedly for six days telling them they would kill them.  One man had five army guys heaped on his back making him ride around with them on all fours like a horse, others took turns beating him with gun buts, boots and sticks, or standing on his chest.  Then others took turns pulling the two up off the ground by a rope around their necks.

 

After six days, convinced they would not survive the experience, they broke out of their cell mid day and escaped. 

 

Photos will be up on the web home page www.akha.org

in hours from now.

 

The DEA is going to increase intelligence flow in the drug war with these peoples, such as the people in my and other villages. This is a war of genocide against the Akha being paid by American Tax Dollars.  It is your duty to demand the US representatives stop ALL funding for military and police to Thailand.

 

Below is a recent report from Cultural Survival on the severe situation the Akha find themselves in.

 

The second edition of the Akha Journal of the Golden Triangle is near to be published, your subscription or donation will help us cover this cost.  The Journal is 270 pages long, three languages, many photos and documents as well as stories from the lives of the Akha. An excellent activism resources as well.

 

Matthew McDaniel