P.S. More on sex/power motivation in genocidal rape.
Curious little sidelight on this murky issue comes from a 1998 piece on the Burmese military's use of rape in the fight against the Shan and other ethnic minorities. It documents numerous cases where girls and women were kidnapped, used as porters during the day, and gang-raped at night; as well as other cases, where village women were gang-raped, and then murdered. At the same time, a widely circulated document (the letter referred to below) indicated that the military leadership was apparently pursuing yet another plan -- the "Burmanization" of ethnic minorities, through "occupying" (impregnating or even marrying) their women. Any soldier who succeeded in doing that was promised a financial reward.
Even more bizarre than the grandiose posturing of the
letter by the ''Great Ruling Burmans'' to ''diligently convince
Shan women to gradually bow to Burmanisation'', is the
common belief among soldiers that they can win over
ethnic women through giving them sufficient sexual
pleasure to induce them to fall in love. The technique of
inserting metal or glass balls in the penises of new, young
soldiers has become popular ''because women can get
more feeling'' in the words of one soldier.
''I interviewed many former soldiers who actually showed
me their penises with the balls inserted,'' said Ka Hsaw
Wa [a Karen activist]. ''It is a common practice. Even if the women are raped, the soldiers believed that they would come back for
more because of the pleasure.''
It is not known how widespread this practice is. The
soldiers are not required to undergo the surgical process
-- which is done without anesthetic -- but, according to Ka
Hsaw Wa, they are ''indirectly encouraged'' to do it. Six
soldiers from one battalion told Ka Hsaw Wa that their
sergeant suggested they do it. ''There was no way for
them to refuse it, because they were afraid,'' said Ka
Hsaw Wa. One soldier told investigators that half the
members of his battalion had been implanted with the
metal balls.
karen.org
Eeeuw!
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