Kantarawaddy Times
Before the 2021 military coup, Dahlia was a second-year English major student at Loikaw University. At the same time, she was also studying for a diploma at a private school.
After the military took power, Dahlia stopped attending the government university but continued her studies at the private school and successfully finished her diploma.
At the time, she was only 22 years old. She had been planning to pursue further education, but instead, her growing concern for others who had lost educational opportunities pushed her toward helping displaced people. She left her hometown and entered revolutionary-controlled areas to assist internally displaced persons (IDPs).
While helping IDPs, she also worked to find education pathways for children whose education had been disrupted.
However, on July 12, 2022, while traveling to Loikaw to buy school supplies, she was arrested by the military junta.
“I underestimated the enemy,” Dahlia said about the reason for her arrest.
Back then, although there were frequent battles, people could still move in and out of Loikaw.
When she was arrested, despite being a woman, there were no female officers present. Instead, about ten male police officers and soldiers surrounded her, handcuffed her, and immediately transferred her to military intelligence.
Upon arrival, it is said that the soldiers took her away and subjected her to shouting and threats.
“They came and yelled at us, hit us with their hands, kicked us with their feet, and treated us with extreme cruelty,” Dahlia recalled about the early days of her detention.
Not only was she physically assaulted and threatened, but she was also completely left without food and water.
“They made me kneel with my hands raised, sleep on the bare ground, and force me to answer questions while kneeling without a chair. My eyes were blindfolded the entire time. They never removed my handcuffs, so my wrists were scarred to this day,” she said while showing her wrist scars.
After six days of interrogation, she was transferred to the Loikaw police station, where she was detained for three hours before being sent directly to prison without any legal proceedings.
She spent three months in prison without knowing the exact charges against her. Eventually, she was allowed to hire a lawyer and had to face trial while still inside the prison.
“The special court held the hearings inside the prison. During the time we were dealing with our case, the lawyer deceived us. How should I say it? He said he would file a petition for mercy on my behalf and asked for 1.3 million kyats,” she recounted, explaining how the lawyer had unjustly demanded money from her.
After four months in prison, Dahlia was sentenced to three years of hard labor. It was the only time that she learned she had been charged under Article 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act.
Dahlia shared that her time in prison was like living in hell.
In the overcrowded prison, where the number of people far exceeded the size of the cells, inmates were given only enough space to lie down on their backs. In such conditions, they had to sleep as best as they could, while the stench from the toilets was unbearable.
“For meals, we had to lay out thin mats on the ground where the prison staff walked and spat, and that’s where we ate our breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” Dahlia recounted her experience during her time in prison.
In addition, prisoners did not receive medical treatment when they fell ill. After intense fighting broke out in Loikaw in November 2023 (1111 Operation), even prison visits were banned entirely. Dahlia and the other prisoners were left to eat only the prison-provided sandy rice and boiled water with old pea leaves.
Due to prolonged malnutrition, Dahlia developed vitamin deficiencies, experiencing joint pain and brittle, dry hair. The worst part, she said, was the lack of sanitary products for female inmates. During menstruation, they had no choice but to reuse their sarongs.
She also mentioned that if political prisoners were seen talking to each other, rumors would spread throughout the prison, such as ‘The political prisoners are gathering,’ making it difficult for them to even communicate with one another. Additionally, political prisoners faced various forms of discrimination.
Dahlia explained, “At night, we had to stand guard. We had to shout to line up for showers, and sometimes we had to shout even during shower times. When lining up for meals, there were instances where we couldn’t even reach the food containers. There’s a role called ‘Bara,’ which is assigned to certain prisoners. These ‘Bara’ get four days reduced from their sentence each month. However, when it comes to special privileges, political prisoners are never assigned as ‘Bara.’”
The term ‘Bara’ refers to a position appointed among the inmates in prison. Prison staff select individuals for this role, and those chosen as ‘Bara’ receive a four-day sentence reduction each month. Although ‘Bara’ does not receive a salary, they hold a certain level of authority within the prison, according to Dahlia.
Even when political prisoners were due for release, the authorities often added new charges to keep them detained.
By October 2024, Dahlia had served three full years in prison. However, she did not trust that she would actually be released.
“My two friends who were released before me were rearrested. So, I thought I would be too,” she said.
On the morning of October 25, the day she was to be released, police officers came to take her away and threatened to handcuff her. However, she was not handcuffed because she promised, ‘She will return to the police station properly.’
Despite this, she was detained again at the police station for three hours. It was only when her aunt arrived and mentioned the name of a police officer that she was finally released. By 1 p.m., she was completely free from the prison where she had spent three years.
Currently, Dahlia is continuing her education in a location in Thailand. At the same time, she is doing her best to support others who have been imprisoned for political reasons.
Like Dahlia, many Karenni youth and young people across the country have been arrested and imprisoned by the military junta. As of February 14, the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) reported that 10,329 individuals are still detained. For all of them, the junta’s prisons are likened to hellholes.
The psychological scars Dahlia endured from her time in prison are not easy to heal. Those experiences continue to haunt her like a recurring nightmare, leaving a lasting impact on her life.
