Regular medical checkups have been conducted at the women rock-quarry camps, which have been recommended for closure by the Human Rights Commission, according to the Mon State Prisons Department’s state head U Linn Bo Naung.
“We only inspect the inmates’ health and food conditions,” he said.
Concerning the issue on whether rock-quarry camps should be closed, U Linn Bo Naung told Hinthar Media to ask Myanmar Prisons Department since the women rock-quarry camp in Moke Pa Lin is directly supervised by the headquarters.
U Yu Lwin Aung from the Myanmar Human Rights Commission told Hinthar Media that the commission submitted a recommendation to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on May 28 to shut down two women rock-quarry camps in Moke Pa Lin of Kyaikhto Township, Mon State and Htone Bo in the Mandalay Region.
“Women have lesser strength. They are weak. Their health will be affected in the longer run as they are doing hard labor that assigned to men. That’s why we recommended, it would be better to shut down the women rock-quarry camps and replace them with men,” U Yu Lwin Aung explained.
Fourteen MPs from respective states and regions discussed the recommendation on May 25 and the commission members submitted it to the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on May 28, he said.
Female inmates have to work in the rock quarries every day and they may suffer from uterus problems, which may cause them to become infertile in the future, so the rock-quarry camps need to be shut down, he added.
Moke Pa Lin rock-quarry camp has 282 female inmates and Htone Bo camp has 466 female inmates.
Hinthar Media was unable to contact Myanmar Prisons Department’s spokesperson and director U Min Tun Soe to inquire about this issue.
