Child Soldiers in Burma

'On the way there was a checkpoint. The police stopped the car and checked ID cards. I couldn't show one. I was too young to have an ID card...

The police said "You'll have to go to jail for six years for not having an ID card." Then they sent me to the police station and put me in the leg stocks. But I could pull my feet out because the holes in the stocks were too big for my feet, so two policemen guarded me. They kept saying, "You have to decide. You can join the army or go to jail."

And then they gave me time to think. They could see I was only eleven, but if the police give a boy to the army they can get pocket money from the army, 3,000 kyat and two tins of tice. They gave me from 8 a.m. until the afternoon to decide. I didn't want to go to jail for six years, so I agreed to join the army.'

(Khin Maung Than - recruited into the Burma army in 1999 at the age of 11).

This story is just one of 300,000 like it in country where corruption runs rife and police officers are paid to "recruit" young boys for the armed forces.

The Histoy of Burma

What is the view of Burmese officials?

The military regime in Burma is the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) who contends that all of its soldiers became involved voluntarily and were recruited at the age of 18 years or older. This contradicts with reports by child soldiers themselves and groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

How is this possible?

Burmese officials get around the red tape by various means including:

• stating that the age of the child is 18 years or over on the recruitment paperwork in contradiction with the truth.
• holding them against their will in forced labor camps until they come of age.