diff --git a/src/org/joni/ByteCodeMachine.java b/src/org/joni/ByteCodeMachine.java
index fbb4cead..a360520e 100644
--- a/src/org/joni/ByteCodeMachine.java
+++ b/src/org/joni/ByteCodeMachine.java
@@ -98,10 +98,10 @@ private boolean makeCaptureHistoryTree(CaptureTreeNode node) {
 
     private void checkCaptureHistory(Region region) {
         CaptureTreeNode node;
-        if (region.historyRoot == null) {
-            node = region.historyRoot = new CaptureTreeNode();
+        if (region.getCaptureTree() == null) {
+            node = region.setCaptureTree(new CaptureTreeNode());
         } else {
-            node = region.historyRoot;
+            node = region.getCaptureTree();
             node.clear();
         }
 
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ private void checkCaptureHistory(Region region) {
         node.end = s      - str;
 
         stkp = 0;
-        makeCaptureHistoryTree(region.historyRoot);
+        makeCaptureHistoryTree(region.getCaptureTree());
     }
 
     private byte[]cfbuf;
@@ -470,16 +470,17 @@ private boolean opEnd() {
             final Region region = msaRegion;
             if (region != null) {
                 // USE_POSIX_REGION_OPTION ... else ...
-                region.beg[0] = msaBegin = ((pkeep > s) ? s : pkeep) - str;
-                region.end[0] = msaEnd   = s      - str;
+                region.setBeg(0, msaBegin = ((pkeep > s) ? s : pkeep) - str);
+                region.setEnd(0, msaEnd   = s      - str);
                 for (int i = 1; i <= regex.numMem; i++) {
                     int me = repeatStk[memEndStk + i];
                     if (me != INVALID_INDEX) {
                         int ms = repeatStk[memStartStk + i];
-                        region.beg[i] = (bsAt(regex.btMemStart, i) ? stack[ms].getMemPStr() : ms) - str;
-                        region.end[i] = (bsAt(regex.btMemEnd, i) ? stack[me].getMemPStr() : me) - str;
+                        region.setBeg(i, (bsAt(regex.btMemStart, i) ? stack[ms].getMemPStr() : ms) - str);
+                        region.setEnd(i, (bsAt(regex.btMemEnd, i) ? stack[me].getMemPStr() : me) - str);
                     } else {
-                        region.beg[i] = region.end[i] = Region.REGION_NOTPOS;
+                        region.setBeg(i, Region.REGION_NOTPOS);
+                        region.setEnd(i, Region.REGION_NOTPOS);
                     }
                 }
 
diff --git a/src/org/joni/Regex.java b/src/org/joni/Regex.java
index 57f40466..cf9785f3 100644
--- a/src/org/joni/Regex.java
+++ b/src/org/joni/Regex.java
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ public int nameToBackrefNumber(byte[]name, int nameP, int nameEnd, Region region
         default:
             if (region != null) {
                 for (int i = e.backNum - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-                    if (region.beg[e.backRefs[i]] != Region.REGION_NOTPOS) return e.backRefs[i];
+                    if (region.getBeg(e.backRefs[i]) != Region.REGION_NOTPOS) return e.backRefs[i];
                 }
             }
             return e.backRefs[e.backNum - 1];
diff --git a/src/org/joni/Region.java b/src/org/joni/Region.java
index cb54315c..332bc4d7 100644
--- a/src/org/joni/Region.java
+++ b/src/org/joni/Region.java
@@ -22,23 +22,30 @@
 public final class Region {
     static final int REGION_NOTPOS = -1;
 
+    @Deprecated
     public final int numRegs;
-    public final int[]beg;
-    public final int[]end;
+    @Deprecated
+    public final int[] beg;
+    @Deprecated
+    public final int[] end;
+    @Deprecated
     public CaptureTreeNode historyRoot;
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     public Region(int num) {
         this.numRegs = num;
         this.beg = new int[num];
         this.end = new int[num];
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     public Region(int begin, int end) {
         this.numRegs = 1;
         this.beg = new int[]{begin};
         this.end = new int[]{end};
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     public Region clone() {
         Region region = new Region(numRegs);
         System.arraycopy(beg, 0, region.beg, 0, beg.length);
@@ -47,6 +54,32 @@ public Region clone() {
         return region;
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public int getNumRegs() {
+        return numRegs;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public int getBeg(int index) {
+        return beg[index];
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public int setBeg(int index, int value) {
+        return beg[index] = value;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public int getEnd(int index) {
+        return end[index];
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    public int setEnd(int index, int value) {
+        return end[index] = value;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     public String toString() {
         StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
         sb.append("Region: \n");
@@ -54,10 +87,17 @@ public String toString() {
         return sb.toString();
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     CaptureTreeNode getCaptureTree() {
         return historyRoot;
     }
 
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
+    CaptureTreeNode setCaptureTree(CaptureTreeNode ctn) {
+        return this.historyRoot = ctn;
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("deprecation")
     void clear() {
         for (int i=0; i<beg.length; i++) {
             beg[i] = end[i] = REGION_NOTPOS;
diff --git a/test/org/joni/test/Test.java b/test/org/joni/test/Test.java
index 3ea05570..1bdaf09a 100644
--- a/test/org/joni/test/Test.java
+++ b/test/org/joni/test/Test.java
@@ -177,13 +177,13 @@ private int check(Regex reg, byte[]pattern, byte[]str, int option, int gpos, int
                 Config.log.println("FAIL(NOT): " + reprTest(pattern, str, option));
                 nfail++;
             } else {
-                if (region.beg[mem] == from && region.end[mem] == to) {
+                if (region.getBeg(mem) == from && region.getEnd(mem) == to) {
                     if (VERBOSE) Config.log.println("OK: " + reprTest(pattern, str, option));
                     nsucc++;
                 } else {
                     Config.log.println("FAIL: " + reprTest(pattern, str, option) + " GPOS: " + gpos + " Start: "
-                            + searchStart + " Groups: [Exp " + from + "-" + to + ", Act " + region.beg[mem] + "-"
-                            + region.end[mem] + "]");
+                            + searchStart + " Groups: [Exp " + from + "-" + to + ", Act " + region.getBeg(mem) + "-"
+                            + region.getEnd(mem) + "]");
                     nfail++;
                 }
             }