Some of the police went behind the factory to the workers barracks, returning to the front gate of the factory with 8-10 of the migrant workers who had chased the Thai man to the village headman's house. The witness was one of these men brought to the front gate by the police. Once at the front gate, next to the pick­ups, the witness saw the six men who had been beaten at the motorcycle taxi stand. They were sitting on the ground, handcuffed to each other (Their ropes that they had been bound with initially by the headman's cronies had been switched out for handcuffs). The officials made the workers brought from the barracks sit on the ground facing the 6 beaten and bloodied men. The two groups of Burmese were no more than 3 meters apart.

The Thai authorities paced between the groups asking why the workers had chased the Thai man. Some of the workers, who could speak Thai responded that their relatives were among the women initially kidnapped on the trail in the jungle. The Thai authorities asked more questions. Whatever the Burmese answered the

Thai police beat both groups of men with iron rods and with boots on their heads and bodies. The beatings drew blood. Apparently the authorities beat the six men more viciously than the group brought from the barracks.

Before the authorities released the group from the barracks they took pictures, administered a final beating and told the men that they were to leave the area within 24 hours. The group from the barracks returned to get their belongings and saw that the 6 beaten men were still handcuffed on the ground next to the pickup trucks. When the workers came back with their belongings the officials and the six Burmese men were gone.

That night (almost a full moon) a Burmese worker in the area of the beatings reported that they saw a pick-up truck with armed men pass nearby. They then heard gunshots and saw smoke in the area where the Thai authorities are thought to have brought six Burmese victims.

In the event that those six Burmese victims had been forcibly deported to Burma by the authorities, the victims would have certainly contacted their family mem­bers, still living in the Mae Sot area, from Burma. The local police and village authorities also denied their continued detention in any Thai prison.

The Burmese migrant community at the factory and the family members of six Burmese victims in Maesod believe that the Thai authorities already killed the disappeared.

Names and ages of the six men kidnapped and then killed

1. Maung Maung, 24, unknown address from Burma 2. Min Hein, 28,
3. Thein Naing, 33
4. Aye Min, 22, (the only one killed who was a member of the originally kidnapped group)
5. Ah Nge Lay, 19,
6. Ah Nyar Thar, 22,

Kidnapped women and men (subsequently released on the 16th)

1. Ma Zer (1), 22, (female) 2. Ma Zer (2), 19, (female) 3. Soe Soe, 22, (female)
4. Thi Da Win, 16, (female)

1. India Act XXXIV,1920 (9^th September, 1920)

2. Burma Act XXXI, 1947 (13^th June, 1947)

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