[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index
][Thread Index
]
BurmaNet News: Feb. 1 (complete)
- Subject: BurmaNet News: Feb. 1 (complete)
- From: burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 03 Feb 1995 03:43:00
************************** BurmaNet **************************
"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
**************************************************************
The BurmaNet News: February 1, 1995
Issue #103
Special Issue: Karen Refugee Crisis
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
[They] "will be pushed back without having to wait for
fighting to cease...My understanding is that it is a
military, not a political, matter. If it was a political
matter we would give them protection...but I want to stress
that we will certainly push them back, we cannot let them
stay here for years."
Sanan Kachornprasart, Thailand's Interior Minister
<see "NATION: FLEEING KAREN REFUGEES TO BE SENT BACK>
Contents:
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
1 BURMANET: FEW CASUALTIES IN MANERPLAW FIGHT, KNU REGROUPING FOR
GUERRILLA WARFARE
2 KNLA: THE BATTLE SITUATION
3 NATION: FLEEING KAREN REFUGEES TO BE SENT BACK WITHOUT WAITING
FOR A LULL IN FIGHTING
4 BURMANET: SITUATION NOTES ON THE THAI-BURMA BORDER
5 KNU: FORCED RELOCATION OF ZAW HE VILLAGE, MURDER OF HEADMAN
6 VOA: SITUATION IN BURMA
7 AP: BURMESE EXPAND OFFENSIVE
8 BURMANET: THAI POLICE HAND REFUGEES TO SLORC AT MYAWADDY, USE AS
PORTERS FEARED
9 REG.BURMA: KAREN REFUGEES
10 KHRG: SLORC SHOOTINGS & ARRESTS OF REFUGEES
11 VOA: U.S. CALLS ON BURMA TO END ATTACKS ON KAREN
**************************************************************
The BurmaNet News is an *********************************
electronic newspaper * *
covering Burma. Articles * Iti *
from newspapers, magazines, * snotpo *
the wire services, news- * werthatcor *
letters and the Internet * ruptsbutfea *
are published as well as * r.Fearoflos *
original material. * ingpowercor *
* ruptsthosewhoare *
The BurmaNet News is * subjecttoit...Theef *
e-mailed directly to * fortnecessarytoremain *
subscribers and is * uncorruptedinanenvironm *
also distributed via * entwherefearisanintegralpar *
the soc.culture.burma * tofeverydayexistenceisnot *
and seasia-l mailing * immediatelyapparent *
lists and is also * tothosefortun *
available via the * ateenoughtol *
reg.burma conference on * iveinstatesgo *
the APC networks. For a * vernedbytheru *
free subscription to * leoflaw...Iam *
the BurmaNet News, send * n ota frai *
an e-mail message to: * d.. *
* .D *
burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx * aw *
* Au *
Subscriptions are handled * ng *
manually so please allow * San *
for a delay before your * Su *
request is fielded. * uK *
Letters to the editor, * yi *
comments or contributions * . *
of articles should be *********************************
sent to the strider address as well. For those without e-mail,
BurmaNet can be contacted by fax or snailmail.
Tel/Fax: (in Thailand) (66)2 234-6674
By snailmail:
Attention to BurmaNet, care of Burma Issues
PO Box 1076, Silom Post Office, Bangkok 10504 Thailand
By email: burmanet@xxxxxxxxxxx
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
BURMANET: FEW CASUALTIES IN MANERPLAW FIGHT, KNU REGROUPING FOR
GUERRILLA WARFARE
February 1, 1995
Kawthoolei
Casualties in the fighting around Manarplaw were extremely light
considering the number of people with guns around. The KNU withdrew
rather than fight a pitched battle. According to a KNU colonel, the
Karen forces withdrew once the SLORC, with their DKBA guides, were
across the Salween in force. Even though the KNU still held the high
ground, they would have been forced to defend along two ridgelines
stretching some 20 kilometres. With DKBA defectors to guide them, the
SLORC troops would have been able to penetrate the thin defence lines.
Rather than fight under these conditions, the KNU ordered a general
evacuation and consequently, casualties were extremely light (between 20
and 60 killed, probably closer to the lower number).
Manarplaw was the best known of KNU bases, but dozens of smaller bases
remain in KNU hands further inside Burma. The corrent SLORC offensive seems
to be aimed at the bases right on the Thai border; Manarplaw and Kawmoora.
Inside Karen State (Kawthoolei), some 1 million people live in territory
firmly controlled by the KNU and approximately another 2 million live
in contested areas.
After the fall of Manarplaw, rumors circulated briefly that Gen. Bo Mya was
wounded, but the reports turned out to be groundless. BurmaNet has received
several enquiries have been received about the Karen Human Rights Group
staff. The KHRG staff was safely evacuated to the Thai side and are with
the refugees at Pwe Ba Lu, where they have resumed work. <See the KHRG report
in this issue>
Although a large number of refugees and troops are demoralized over the
evacuation, there is a sizable group within the Karen National Liberation
Army that is not disappointed with their departure from Manarplaw. Among
the second and third tier officers (colonels and majors), there is a group
that has been pressing Gen. Bo Mya to end the strategy of defending fixed
positions and move to aggressive guerilla warfare. One young officer
claimed that over the last two months, they have finally been getting
the attention of Bo Mya and this particular officer discussed the end
of Manarplaw with barely disguised glee. If views of these two
officers are representative of the rest of the KNU leadership,
we can expect to see a more mobile, bloodier campaign of hit and run
tactics, targetting SLORC government personnel, infrastructure and
foreign investment projects which cause harm to the Karen people.
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
KNLA: THE BATTLE SITUATION
February 1, 1995
Karen National Liberation Army
Kaw Thoo Lei
Due to the massive SLORC force consisting of Divisions 22,33,44 and 66 brought
up against our troops, we were forced to give up Manerplaw. Now battalions
from the Light Infantry Regiments 201, 203, 204, 209 and 210 are
reinforcing the Nawta area. Battalions of the Burma Regiments 338 and
339 have moved up to Hlaing Bwe. On the Wanka front, the 441 Tactical Command
and battalions of LIR 1, 118, 335, 9, 356, 357, 102 and BR 2 are poised
for a major attack with armor reinforcing them
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
NATION: FLEEING KAREN REFUGEES TO BE SENT BACK WITHOUT WAITING
FOR A LULL IN FIGHTING
February 1, 1995
About 10,000 Karen refugees forced into Thailand by recent Burmese army attacks
"will be pushed back" into Burma "without having to wait for fighting to cease,"
Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said yesterday.
Sanan's statement confirmed fears of private aid agencies who have expressed
strong opposition to any forced repatriation of refugees before the Burmese
offensive against armed ehtnic groups dies down.
He said he considered the latest Burmese operation against the Karen guerrillas
an internal affiar of Burma and "not a political matter", se "we [Thailand] can
push the refugees out at any time."
Thailand, he added, "will assist only those who are wounded or sick, and send
them back immediately when they are well enough to travel, without waiting until
the fighting stops."
"My understanding is that it is a military, not a political matter. If it was a
political matter we would give them protection...but I want to stress that we
will certainly push them back, we cannot let them stay here for years" he said.
The Interior Minister said Thailand would arrest Karen leader Gen Bo Mya if he
was found to be taking refuge in the Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Karen guerrillas are preparing for a possible major Burmese offensive
against he area under the Karen National Union 4th Bridgade in the southern
Tenasserim division, after their outpost in the area was attacked last Saturday.
Preparations are being made in response to Burmese army movements and
reinforcements in the Mergui and Tavoy districts, where KNU forces are active.
A senior KNU leder from the area, while acknowledging that the situation has
been calm since cthe clashes last Saturday, predicted that an imminent major
offensive against hte KNU's 4th Brigade would take place "soon."
Saturday's attack on a KNU frotnline outmost at Kawmawhaw, which is under the
control of the KNU's 10th Battalion, forced about 1,200 refugees to take refuge
in Thailand's Bong Ti Pass in Say Yok district of Kanchanaburi province. The
assault was conducted by about 100 Burmese troops from the 25th Battalion.
Kwee Htoo Win, KNU governor of Mergui and Tavoy distric, said in an interview
yesterday that he believed the offensive is aimed at smashing the KNU's southern
strongholds and facilitating the passage of a gas pipeline which will run
through the 4th Brigade's area.
He said the Kraen had benve been consulted by either Thailand, or US or French
oil firms--Unocal and Total--which are partners with the Burmese junta in a
multi-billion dollar project to extract natural gas from the Gulf of Martaban
and transport if for sale in Thailand.
"We have tried to contact the [US and French] companies but we have heard
nothing from them in response." Kwee Htoo Win said.
He did not state clearly whether the KNU would obstruct the projected gas line
but said "everything that benefits Slorc, we will destroy."
The Burmese and Karen troops who engaged in clashes last weekend are currently
confronting each other on opposite banks of the Tenasserim River, which runs
parallel to the Thai froniter and is between 15 and 40 kms awayu.
A senior Thai official in Bangkok said yesterday that local Thai security
officers in the region had not allowed Burmese troops to enter into Thailand to
tatack the Karen from the rear, as Thailand will not tolerate territorial
violations by either side in the conflict.
The official said after the clash, Thai border patrol police and rengers had
been sent to strengthen the border area to prevent any forces from trespassing
onto Thai soil.
The KNU governor predicted that between 7,000-10,000 people living close to the
area of confrontation and the 4th Brigate Headquarters at Minthamee could be
affected if the Burmese offensive starts. Minthamee is about 20 km south of
Kawmawhaw.
The whole population of 50,000 people who live along the river could pour into
Thailand if the Burmese army stages an all out offensive to wipe out the 4th
Brigade's controlled area.
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
NCGUB/DAB/NDF/NLD: JOINT STATEMENT REGARDING SLORC OFFENSIVE AGAINST MANERPLAW
January 28, 1995
Manerplaw has been the Headquarters of our Burmese opposition organizations
struggling for democracy and antional freedom. We, NCGUB, DAB, DDF and NLD(LA)
are therefore issuingf this joint statement regarding the recent SLORC offensive
against Manerplaw.
1 SLORC has declared widely that it intends to bring about cease-fires with
various ethnic minority groups, border area developments and national
solidarity. But now the recent SLORC offensive against Manerplaw demontstates
that in practice it does not want national solidarity and contradicts its own
declaration.
2 On the other had the varios armed groups decided to depart from their earlier
decision that they should only talk jointly and such they tried talks one by
one. Some of them have obtained a cease fire with SLORC, while some are still
in processes of negotiation and some are still looking in an appropriate means
to begin negotiation. The KNU was still in the process of trying to obtain
negotiations with the SLORC, but the SLORC's recent offensive has demonstated
its insincerity.
3 Recently the SLORC declared that except for the Khon Sa group in Shan State it
intedns to negotiate with all other ethnic armed organizations and will engage
in reconstruction work of the nation. But the recent offensive against
Manerplaw shows that the SLORC is attempting to deveive the people of Burma and
the international community as well.
4 Although the SLORC has captured Manerplaw by military means, this hshoudl not
be regarded as the final victory for SLORC, but rather as just a temporary
military win. This can not solve the essential underlying political problems in
Burma. As such the consequences which arise in future will be the
responsibility of SLORC.
5 We acknowledge and honor the effors of the KNU and KNLA to denfend Manerplaw
against hte SLORC's offensives. We all stand united with KNU to resist and
over-come the SLORC offensives.
6 We will continue out struggle to finish the military dictatorship from Burma,
and try hard to find the solutions to Burma's problems by political means, and
establsih a Federal Union for Burma, where theer will be full human rights and
genuine democracy.
Signed,
U Maung Aye
Information Minister, NCGUB
Myint Zaw, Joint General Scty, DAB
Khaing Soe Naing Aung, General Scty, NDF
U Tin AUng, Vice Chairman, NLD(LA)
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
BURMANET: THAI POLICE HAND REFUGEES TO SLORC AT MYAWADDY, USE AS
PORTERS FEARED
February 1, 1995
Mae Sot, Thailand; Myawaddy, Burma
A three week long roundup of "illegal immigrants" by Thai police in the
border town of Mae Sot has wound down. During the crackdown, approximately
400 ethnic Burmans who did not have legal papers or the money to bribe their
way out were handed to SLORC authorities at the Moei River crossing at
Myawaddy. The handover took place on January 20, 1995. The "illegals"
are refugees from Burma who do not live in the refugee camps. They are
regarded by the Thai government and UNHCR as "economic migrants" rather
than refugees.
Reports from Karen people in Mae Sot indicate that the returnees have been used
by SLORC forces as porters in the current offensive. Reports of their use in
forced porterage have not yet been confirmed. Due to the large number of
porters used and the confusion of battle, a number of porters regularly
escape and end up in refugee camps along the Thai border. If this instance
of porterage turns out to be true, border sources expect to see some of the
400 turn up in camps in the near future.
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
BURMANET: SITUATION NOTES ON THE THAI-BURMA BORDER
February 1, 1995
by Wednedsay Observer for BurmaNet
Thai-Burma border
1. Overall Political Analysis
The current offensives against Karen strongholds at Manerplaw, Ka Moo Raw and
Htee Hta (4th Brigade) mark a rapid escalation of Burma army efforts to gain
control over Karen-held strategic border points. The Burma army has had the
resources to mount this campaign for some time, but chooses to do so now,
apparently with a crisp, border-wide strategy.
Burma-watchers may be surprised at SLORC's timing; why launch a huge offensive
just as international recognition is coming to fruition? Why risk increased
contact and approval with the world when the status quo-- successive ceasefire
deals and a declared unilateral "ceasefire" were winning praise globally?
My speculation is that SLORC has entered into a clandestine deal with Thailand,
and that last week during his visit Thaksin Shinawatra sealed the agreement with
Rangoon. Thailand is banking on two massive energy projects with Burma: the
Martaban pipeline and, a little further down the road, damming the Salween.
Both of these projects will provide long-term energy resources to Thailand; both
of these projects will provide large amounts of long-term foreign exchange for
Rangoon; both of these projects are threatened in all stages by continued armed
resistance in Karen and Mon states. Other projects, such as the completion of a
bridge and road network linking Mae Sot to Moulmein and beyond, and rail and
road links to connect a deep sea port at Ye to Western Thailand, also promise
economic gain for both countries. Both are also threatened by continued
insurgencies.
Of course, one unpalatable ramification of an all-out assault on the rebels
would be an enormous refugee influx to Thailand-- a scenario that Thailand is
eager to avoid. We can speculate that in the past five years or so since
relations with SLORC have warmed, fear of another large refugee influx inhibited
Thailand from encouraging large-scale military operations against the rebels.
Also, lucrative local business interests provided incentive for official and
non-official Thai policymakers from putting the brakes on Karen timber. But now
the stakes have been raised way beyond the timber game, in which the KNU had
figured heavily.
Is it possible that SLORC and Khun Thaksin cut a deal: SLORC would wipe out
the KNU, ABSDF, NMSP (?) and DAB once and for all by displacing them from the
border jungles. Thailand would have to accept thousands of refugees. NGOs
would provide humanitarian assistance, but the Thais have the power and the
right to set up and control the refugee camps, access to them, and distribution
of aid. With the formerly rebel-held areas under SLORC control, both countries
could argue that the villagers would be safe, as combat had ceased. Within one
year, a huge forced repatriation program would begin, including all recent
arrivals as well as all refugees who have come since 1984 (who have now all been
registered by the MOI).
Meanwhile, SLORC troops would secure and prepare the Salween and pipeline routes
for energy projects.
Supporting evidence:
-Proximity of Shinawatra's trip
-Agreement to sign further accords on the gas agreement
-Shinawatra's Foreign Ministry immediately issuing a statement that refugees
would be accepted short-term, while the MOI, which in the past had been the
issuing office, was silent even though it has a new tough guy on refugee
affairs.
Possible future supporting Indicators:
-Further Thai military and government control over refugee camps and assistance
(which has been hinted at for months) -Dialogue within the next four or five
months about the Salween projects -Harassment of KNU and other leaders,
including possible arrest or restriction to special camps -Road-building from
Myawaddy westward
-Shinawatra extending personal business and political contacts with key players
in the aforementioned projects
2. Conjecture on the Situation in Karen State
SLORC's seizure of Manerplaw deals a crippling blow to mobility of Karens in the
mountains of some parts of Karen state. Soldiers, civilians seeking refuge in
Thailand, people who periodically trek back from the border to their villages
(and vice-versa), aid workers, students, missionaries, teachers, and anyone else
who had use the Moei to reach the critical juncture of the Salween to head north
into 3rd and 7th brigade areas will either choose not to travel or travel only
at risk of confrontation or harassment with the Burmese soldiers. The freedom to
travel thus is a mainstay of the traditional Karen life, as well as the
perception that the mountains belong to the Karen people.
Thus restricted, whatever infrastructure has existed in the form of schools,
covert aid programs, decentralized training, fact-finding and other
communications will face extreme hardship. Up until now, many if not all of
these activities were coordinated and launched from Manerplaw under the
protection, in many cases, of the KNLA. Unless either the Burma army or
incumbent Karen elements can sustain or replace these systems, Karen villages--
particularly displaced Karen villages-- will face serious setbacks in their
struggles to survive.
Depending on how extensive the Burma army's grasp on the territory becomes, some
of the economic sabotage that has been documented in other parts of Burma may
follow suit and be added to the repertoire of human rights abuses by which the
Burma army has subsisted and defined itself. Perhaps these village-level abuses
will be particularly harsh in areas that once enjoyed the protection of and
provided sustenance for the KNLA. Economic abuses would include: land
confiscation, crop taxing, forced labor on military farms an business projects,
rearrangement of village political structures to channel resources to the
military.
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
KNU: FORCED RELOCATION OF ZAW HE VILLAGE, MURDER OF HEADMAN
Karen National Union intelligence sources
January 17, 1995
Kaw Moo Rah, Kaw Thoo Lei
Chronology of the forced relocatoin of Zaw He village.
25 November, 1994
Warrant Officer Kyar Ma Naw, Battalion 97, demanded Yan Koke village,
(near Kawkreik,) to pay 2,000 kyat each month for the next 5 months
in recompense for a Burmese soldier who was killed near their village.
1 December, 1994
U Ba He, the village head of Zaw He village was arrested by a patrol
from the 230 Battalion, headed by Capt. Kyaw Moh Thoo, and was
subsequently secretly executed.
Naung Keing village was required to give Mya Pa Daing, the headquarters
of the 230 Battalion, headed by Capt. Kyaw Moh Thoo, porter fees at
the rate of 4,000 kyat for 1 month througout 1994, thus bringing the total
given for the year to 48,000 kyat.
29 December, 1994
An officer of the 230 battalion demanded Tee Po San village give
30,000 kyat and Naing Keing village give 20,000 kyat, "for the
construction of a school at Mya Pa Daing."
1 January, 1995
Zaw He village forcibly relocated, and cannot be traced. The
reason for this, and the execution of U Ba Eh has been given
as first, that U Ba Eh was accused of being a "robber" by the
230 Battalion and second, that a Karen soldier who was killed
at the nearby Po Kya bridge was found to have been a member
of the village.
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
VOA: SITUATION IN BURMA
DATE=1/30/95
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-173172
TITLE=BURMA SITUATION (L)
BYLINE=DAN ROBINSON
DATELINE=BANGKOK
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: NON-GOVERNMENT AID AGENCIES IN THAILAND ARE CONTINUING
EFFORTS TO ASSIST REFUGEES FROM BURMA FLEEING A GOVERNMENT
OFFENSIVE AGAINST ETHNIC KAREN REBEL AND OPPOSITION FORCES.
FROM V-O-A'S SOUTHEAST ASIA BUREAU, CORRESPONDENT DAN ROBINSON REPORTS
KAREN OFFICIALS; SPOKESMEN FOR THE BURMESE OPPOSITION ALLIANCE;
AND, THAI MILITARY OFFICIALS SAY FIGHTING IS CONTINUING ALONG THE
BORDER.
TEXT: SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THE FALL OF MANERPLAW -- THE MAIN BASE
OF KAREN REBELS AND OTHER GROUPS IN THE BURMESE DEMOCRACY
ALLIANCE -- GOVERNMENT FORCES ARE REPORTED CONTINUING ATTACKS.
REPORTS SAY SEVERAL THOUSAND BURMESE TROOPS ARE PRESSURING
REMAINING KAREN UNITS ALONG THE MOEI RIVER, SOUTH OF MANERPLAW --
AN AREA ABOUT 250 KILOMETERS EAST OF RANGOON.
THAI AUTHORITIES ARE PERMITTING NON-GOVERNMENT AGENCIES TO ASSIST
AN ESTIMATED SIX THOUSAND REFUGEES WHO HAVE FLED ACROSS THE RIVER
MARKING THE BORDER.
AN OFFICIAL OF ONE RELIEF AGENCY, WHO ASKED NOT TO BE IDENTIFIED,
TOLD V-O-A MANY REFUGEES WERE SCATTERED IN THE JUNGLE -- IN HIS
WORDS -- WAITING FOR THE DUST TO SETTLE. HE SAYS THERE IS A
CONTINUING NEED FOR FOOD, BLANKETS AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES.
// OPT // THE RELIEF OFFICIAL SAYS AN ESTIMATED THREE THOUSAND
KAREN CIVILIANS WHO FLED MANERPLAW TO A SMALL VILLAGE
(KWAY-BAW-LU) HAVE MOVED FURTHER INTO THAI TERRITORY. ANOTHER
FOUR THOUSAND OR SO REFUGEES HAVE ARRIVED IN ANOTHER AREA. // END
MEANWHILE, THE LEADER OF THE KAREN REBELS -- GENERAL BO MYA --
REMAINS IN THAI TERRITORY. KAREN STATEMENTS VOWED THAT THE
REBELS WOULD RE-GROUP AND RESUME THEIR GUERRILLA CAMPAIGN.
IN A V-O-A INTERVIEW, TIN MAUNG WIN -- A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EXILE
DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE OF BURMA (D-A-B) -- SOUGHT TO DOWNPLAY THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LOSS OF MANERPLAW. HE URGES THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST BURMESE GOVERNMENT
ACTIONS:
// TIN MAUNG WIN ACTUALITY //
YOU KNOW WE NEED A CONCERTED EFFORT. NOT ONLY THE
UNITED STATES BUT BRITAIN SHOULD SPEAK OUT, AUSTRALIA
SHOULD SPEAK OUT, GERMANY SHOULD SPEAK OUT, THE SAME AS
THE UNITED STATES. AND ALSO THE ASEAN NATIONS. I THINK
THIS IS A SITUATION THAT CONCERNS NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
AND THEY SHOULD BE MORE VOCAL ON THIS THING. I DON'T
KNOW WHY THEY HAVE KEPT THEIR MOUTH SHUT ON THESE
THINGS.
// END ACTUALITY //
TIN MAUNG WIN SAYS HE LACKED ACCURATE INFORMATION ON KAREN
LOSSES. HOWEVER, A REUTER REPORT -- QUOTING REBEL AND THAI
MILITARY SOURCES -- PUTS REBEL LOSSES ANYWHERE FROM 15 TO 60
DEAD.
IN THE FIRST OFFICIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE OFFENSIVE, BURMA'S
MILITARY-CONTROLLED MEDIA SAYS MANERPLAW WAS TAKEN BY KARENS WHO
BROKE AWAY FROM THE MAIN REBEL MOVEMENT.
KAREN REBELS ADMIT THEY WERE HURT BY AN INTERNAL SPLIT THAT
EMERGED IN DECEMBER, PITTING BUDDHISTS AGAINST CHRISTIAN K-N-U
MEMBERS. OPPOSITION SPOKESMAN SAY SOME OF THE MUTINEERS ACTED AS
GUIDES FOR GOVERNMENT TROOPS IN TAKING MANERPLAW. (SIGNED)
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
AP: BURMESE EXPAND OFFENSIVE
January 30, 1995
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Burmese forces attacked the Karen rebels' last
major northern base Monday and moved against guerrilla positions to the south,
Thai military and aid sources said.
Some leaders of the ethnic rebel movement, along with thousands of
followers, have fled to Thailand, and more refugees are expected. Refugee
estimates run from 6,000 to 15,000.
The Karen, in rebellion for 46 years, were the strongest of more than a
dozen ethnic insurgencies fighting for greater autonomy from the brutal,
military-run central government.
In recent years the Rangoon government has crushed or negotiated peace
deals with most of the insurgent groups. Last week, Karen rebels said Burma's
military regime launched its biggest offensive in at least three years against
the group.
The headquarters of the Karen National Union at Manerplaw, about 150 miles
east of the Burmese capital of Rangoon, fell to government troops Thursday
after six days of fighting.
Thai border patrol police officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
the rebels also lost six other bases along the Thai-Burmese frontier to the
north and south of Manerplaw.
The officers said Burmese troops were attacking the rebel stronghold of
Kawmoora and had opened up another front further south, opposite the Thai
province of Kanchanaburi.
Nearly 1,000 refugees fleeing the offensive were reported inside
Kanchanaburi, and more Karen villages were being evacuated.
Burma's junta rulers, who crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988, have
been condemned by human rights groups for widespread abuses, including
arbitrary execution, torture and rape of villagers in ethnic minority areas.
End..
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
BURMANET:
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
REG.BURMA: KAREN REFUGEES
To: reg.burma@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Karen Refugees
Message-Id: <Pine.SUN.3.90.950130094207.4193H-100000@sol>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
I received a call from Thailand with the following information:
Karen refugees are being allowed to stay in Thailand in new camps around
Puay Baw Loo village. NGOs are not being allowed to take supplies into
the refugee areas, but they can drop the supplies off at the Thai
checkpoint on the road into Puay Baw Loo. The Karen can then pick up the
supplies and take them to the refugees. Reporters are not being allowed
into the Puay Baw Loo area, but some Karen have been able to come out and
give interviews to the reporters. The Karen refugees are safe at the
moment, and they are not being shelled by the Burmese troops who continue
to occupy Manerplaw.
Christina Fink
*****************KAREN STATE/KAWTHOOLEI***********************
KHRG: SLORC SHOOTINGS & ARRESTS OF REFUGEES
Manerplaw
An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
January 14, 1995 / KHRG #95-02
There are currently over 60,000 Karen refugees registered in refugee
camps in Thailand. These camps are scattered along the Burma border
for hundreds of kilometres, from Kanchanaburi in the south to the Mae
Hong Son area in the north. None of these refugees or camps are
officially recognized by either the Thai government or the UN High
Commissioner for Refugees. They only receive strict rations of rice,
salt and fishpaste, little or no clothing or educational aid, and
extremely limited medical assistance, all of which comes from
overseas agencies and is tightly restricted by the Thai Ministry of
the Interior. As a result of the overcrowded and restrictive living
conditions in some of the camps, thousands of other refugees avoid
them and stay in villages outside the camps, where they receive no
aid and must earn their living themselves. Both these people and
those inside the camps find that they need their own sources of food,
money and building materials in order to survive, but they are not
allowed to plant anything or cut any bamboo or wood on Thai soil.
Some find sporadic day labour for Thai farmers, but many find they
have to take the risk of planting fields, cutting bamboo or searching
for vegetables on the Burma side of the border. Over the past year,
there has been an alarming increase in the numbers of these refugees
who are being arrested, tortured, or shot on sight by the SLORC
Battalions who control the areas across the border. This report
documents some of the incidents which have occurred in the Moei River
area where it forms the Thai/Burma border north of the Thai town of
Mae Sot. The incidents documented here make up only a small sample of
the hundreds of arrests, disappearances and killings of refugees
which the SLORC has conducted up and down the border.
These incidents are of special concern right now, because Thai
authorities are starting to indicate that they want to repatriate all
Karen refugees as soon as possible. Over the past year, the Thai Army
has already been conducting large-scale forced repatriations of Mon
refugees and refugees from Shan State. In the Mon case, refugees were
driven into an area where they were later attacked and fled, only to
be driven back there again; while many of the refugees from Shan
State were handed back to SLORC patrols who then took them as
frontline military porters. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) has done nothing to protect those refugees, and has given no
indication that it will do anything to protect Karen refugees in the
event of a forced repatriation (refoulement). Instead, UNHCR Bangkok
chief Ruprecht von Arnim recently commended the Thai authorities for
their "changing attitude" towards refugees from Burma, while a UNHCR
press release volunteered to "assist in any voluntary repatriation
operation". Von Arnim held up the UNHCR-assisted repatriation of
Rohingya Muslim refugees from Bangladesh as an example - however,
recent reports by Mdcins Sans Frontires, Refugees International and
others have stated that most of the Rohingyas are being forced back
against their will, that many of those who tell UNHCR they don't want
to go have subsequently been deprived of food, beaten by camp
officials, and summarily sent back, that many returnees are being
taken for slave labour by SLORC and their land is not being given
back to them, and that UNHCR is seldom to be seen in the camps in
Bangladesh or in Burma, where they reportedly stay exclusively in the
towns and only travel escorted by SLORC Military Intelligence.
The Thai authorities and UNHCR seem to feel that Karen refugees are
only in Thailand because of battles between SLORC and Karen forces,
when in fact it is Burma Army repression in their villages which
drove these people to Thailand. As documented in other KHRG reports,
this repression, including slave labour, looting, extortion,
destruction of homes and crops, torture, rape, and killings, is only
getting worse. The incidents documented in this report should be
enough in themselves to show why no repatriation should even be
considered until there is significant improvement in the human rights
situation in Burma. The SLORC's attitude toward refugees remains
clear: SLORC leaders have repeatedly been quoted stating that "there
are no refugees in the border areas, only insurgents in the disguise
of refugees". A typical article in SLORC's newspaper "The New Light
of Myanmar" (15/9/94) referred to people who fled from forced railway
labour as "those who lived in insurgent camps and kept going into the
other country [Thailand] as 'refugees'." Some of the soldiers'
comments mentioned in the following testimonies make it clear that
SLORC tells all its soldiers to consider refugees as insurgents (see
for example Interview #7 with "Pi Lah Ghay"). This attitude is hardly
likely to suddenly change in the event of a repatriation deal. Some
of the testimonies show that the refugees do not even feel safe on
the Thai side of the river if SLORC is on the other side, because
SLORC troops have shown little respect for the Thai frontier in the
past. Only a few days before our visit to Don Pa Kiang refugee camp,
SLORC soldiers crossed the river in civilian clothes, stole some
cattle, took them back across and then demanded extortion money from
the refugees to get them back.
Some of the people interviewed live in refugee camps, some live in
villages on the Thai side. The interviews were all conducted
throughout November 1994 in several camps along the border north of
Mae Sot. Across the river the area is controlled by several
battalions of SLORC #44 Light Infantry Division. The testimonies
sometimes refer to sawmills; these are small Thai-owned sawmills,
often on the Burma side of the river. All logging has been banned in
Thailand since 1988, so Thai loggers pay large bribes to SLORC
commanders to take logs from Burma, and often hire refugees to work
for them. Sometimes the Thais fail to pay the ever-increasing bribes,
so the soldiers go after their sawmill. Thai loggers also log
illegally on the Thai side, then bring the logs along the river as
though they came from Burma. The "river" referred to by many people
is the Moei River, which is the border. All interviews were conducted
on the Thai side of the river. In this report, people often refer to
others as "uncle" or "nephew" - Karen people often refer to their
elders or juniors this way. Where it does not refer to a real
relative, we have put it in quotation marks. SLORC soldiers often
accuse people of being "Kaw Thoo Lei", the name of the Karen
homeland, which SLORC men use to mean "Karen soldier". Two currencies
are mentioned: Baht (Thai currency; US$1=25 Baht), and Kyat (Burmese
currency; US$1 = 6 Kyat at official rate, 120 Kyat at market rate).
Names of those interviewed in this report have been changed to
protect them - throughout the report, false names are denoted by
enclosing them in quotation marks. All other names are real. Please
feel free to use this report in any way which may help alleviate the
suffering of the peoples of Burma.
TOPIC SUMMARY: Shootings and killings of refugees (Interview
#1,2,3,4,5,7,12,13,14,16,17,18, 19,20,21,22,23,24,26), arrest,
torture and detention of refugees (Int #1,6,7,8,9,10,12,20,28),
disappearances (Int #15), extortion(Int #9,10,25,28), shootings in
villages(Int #26), forced labour (Int #12,26), forced portering (Int
#27), robbery (Int #10,11,19,24). (See list below for a more
comprehensive index.)
VICTIMS OF INCIDENTS IN THIS REPORT
The table on the following page lists the victims of the main abuses mentioned
in this report. All the Battalions listed are in #44 Light Infantry Division.
IB = Infantry Battalion, LIB = Light Infantry Battalion. IB #1 and LIB #3 hav
e both been rotated home now, and LIB #9 arrived in August. Refugees say LIB #
9 is much worse than the others. Note: all numeric dates throughout this repor
t are given in dd/mm/yy format. Names enclosed in quotation marks have been ch
anged to protect interviewees.
Battalion
No. Date Name Age Sex Incident Refug
ee at No. Interview #
1 Jan/94 Pa Dee Mah 50 M Shot dead Kamaw Lay Ko IB ? 24
2 Jan/94 "Saw Po Thay" 18 M Shot at " IB ? 24
3 19/2/94 Pa Wah Mu 35 M Shot dead Tala Oh Kla IB 1 21,22
4 19/2/94 Kalay Tay 40 M Shot dead " IB 1 21,22
5 19/2/94 "Pa Kyaw" 23 M Shot at " IB 1 22
6 19/2/94 Saw Wih ? M Shot at " IB 1 21
7 28/2/94 Pa Doh 40 M Shot, wounded " IB 1 23
8 28/2/94 "Maung Tay" 40 M Shot, wounded " IB 1 23
9 28/2/94 Ta Bwey 25 M Shot, wounded " IB 1 23
10 28/2/94 Thaw Aye 16 M Shot, wounded " IB 1 23
11 Apr/94 "Saw Ler Wah" 32 M Arrested, detained Gray Hta LIB ? 28
12 4/5/94 Kyi Way 24 M Shot, wounded Noh Pa Doh LIB 3 n/a
13 May/94 "Pa Boe" 29 M Detained,tortured Noh Pa Doh LIB 3 12
14 5/6/94 "Pa Htoo" 38 M Shot, wounded Don Pa Kiang LIB 3 20
15 5/6/94 name unknown 19 M Arrested, detained " LIB 3 20
16 3/7/94 Saw Kya Po 34 M Disappeared " LIB 3 n/a
17 3/7/94 Pa Yah 28 M Disappeared " LIB 3 n/a
18 July/94 Po Htoo Doh 60 M Detained,tortured Noh Pa Doh LIB 3 9,10
19 July/94 "Pa Lah" 38 M Shot, wounded Gray Hta LIB ? 26
20 20/8/94 Pa Noh Ter 36 M Shot dead Tala Oh Kla LIB 9 16
21 20/8/94 Pa Noh Kee 36 M Shot dead " LIB 9 16
22 21/8/94 Po Tha Htoo 19 M Shot at, drowned " LIB 9 16
23 2/9/94 Saw Eh Say 27 M Shot at, drowned Noh Pa Doh LIB 9 4,3
24 3/9/94 Kwe Tha 39 M Shot dead Ka Na Su LIB 9 17,18,19
25 3/9/94 "Saw Ler Thu" 30 M Shot, wounded Don Pa Kiang LIB 9 17
26 3/9/94 "Saw Bway" 34 M Robbed Ka Na Su LIB 9 19
27 19/9/94 "Thein Lwin" 24 M Detained, tortured Noh Pa Doh LIB 9 6
28 3/10/94 Maung Tin 38 M Disappeared Kamaw Lay Ko IB ? 15
29 3/10/94 Pa Paw 50+ M Disappeared " IB ? 15
30 27/10/94 Naw Koh Mit 19 F Shot at, drowned Wah Pa LIB 9 n/a
31 28/10/94 Pa Klih Bo 43 M Arrested, killed Kler Ko LIB ? 13,14
32 28/10/94 Pa Dee Dee 15 M Arrested, killed Kler Ko LIB ? 13,14
33 29/10/94 Saw Tah Kee 30 M Arrested, still held Noh Pa Doh LIB 9
7,8,2,10
34 29/10/94 Maung Kyaw Pu 27 M Arrested, still held " LIB 9 8,7,
10
35 29/10/94 "Saw Bo Gyi" 42 M Arrested, robbed " LIB 9 11
36 29/10/94 Day Wah 27 M Shot dead " LIB 9 2,3,5,12,7
37 29/10/94 Ah Toe 18 M Shot dead " LIB 9 2,3,4
38 29/10/94 "Naw Tee Ker" 27 F Shot at " LIB 9 3,2
39 29/10/94 "Kaw Thaw" 21 M Shot at Don Pa Kiang LIB 9 2
40 30/10/94 Pleh Ghaw 35 M Shot dead Kler Ko LIB 9 1
41 30/10/94 "Aung Htoo" 35 M Arrested Kler Ko LIB 9 1
42 8/11/94 "Maung Aye" 32 M Escaped porter " LIB 9 27
43 9/11/94 "Toe Aung" 42 M Arrested,extortion Noh Pa Doh LIB 9 9,10
44 9/11/94 "Naw Paw Kee" 45 F Arrested,extortion " LIB 9 9,10
45 9/11/94 Mi Sho 40 F Arrested,extortion " LIB 9 9,10
46 9/11/94 Ma Tay Myint 21 F Arrested,extortion " LIB 9 9,10
47 9/11/94 Pu Lu 21 M Extortion " LIB 9 9,10
48 26/11/94 "Htoo Klay" 48 M Arrested,extortion Tala Oh Kla LIB 9 25
#1.
NAME: "Aung Htoo" SEX: M AGE: 35 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Noh Po Kee village, Pa'an District - now in Kler Ko refugee
camp, Thailand FAMILY: Single
We came to Thailand about 10 years ago because we were afraid of the
Burmese, so we ran. They tortured people. We didn't dare stay
anymore. The whole village came. Nobody lives there anymore. The
Burmese never arrest us here, but in our village they shot people
every time they saw them. This year I went back to Noh Po Kee on
October 30th, because it's not so far. My uncle and I went to collect
betelnut, and we were staying in a little field hut. He went to look
for betelnut in the village while I stayed in the hut. I was cooking
rice for us. Then I turned my head and I saw a Burmese soldier. Just
then another soldier ran up behind me and stuck his gun against my
back. He had come up running, and I hadn't seen him. There were 3 of
them, but then more came. They said "Don't run away". Then they took
me and the officer tied me up to a tree. They asked me, "Do any
[Karen] soldiers stay here? How many?" I answered, "Sometimes many,
sometimes few." They also asked about the refugees. They asked, "Do
you sometimes go to the refugee camp?", and I said "No, I never go."
If I said I went, they would have killed me.
At 9 o'clock [a.m.] my uncle came back from the village to eat with
me, and he met the soldiers along the path. I heard the sound of his
shouting from over by the cliff. I also heard gunshots: "Ta! Ta! Ta!"
I couldn't count them- 7, 8, or 10 gunshots, I think. I never saw him
after that. The soldiers tied me up and tied one of my hands, so I
couldn't walk ["Aung Htoo"'s leg is deformed from polio, and he can
only walk slowly and with difficulty, leaning on a stick. He still
has a mark on his wrist from the rope he was tied with.]. Then they
said they would come with me and take me half way home. They carried
me a short way, then they told me to go back home alone. They didn't
beat me, but they would have beaten anyone else.
My uncle's name was Pleh Ghaw. He was 35. When I got back here, some
villagers went to look for my uncle. They found his dead body the
next day [October 31]. They saw it, but I didn't ask them how many
wounds there were. I couldn't go there anymore. We used to survive by
growing betelnut, but now we can't, neither here [in Thailand] nor
there.
[Pleh Ghaw's widow added: "Nobody told me about the body. If they
told me, I feel like I would die! I thought I would go there with
them, but I couldn't. If you ask them about the body they can tell
you. Nobody told me anything. I couldn't eat anything, and I still
can't. Nobody would tell me if he died or didn't die. We have 3
children - the eldest is a girl, 15 years old. The second is a son,
aged 12. The third is 11. I just have to stay here like this, and now
my children are sick. We have nothing, and we can't buy anything. We
just have rice that people give us. My head feels very heavy, and my
eyes are dark."]
[Note: the man who found the body reported that Pleh Ghaw was hit in
the chest by 2 bullets. There were no visible marks of torture.]
_______________________________________________________________
#2. NAME: "Kaw Thaw" SEX: M AGE: 21 Karen Christian
farmer/boat driver ADDRESS: Gker Ghaw village, Myawaddy Township Now
living in Beh Klaw refugee camp, Thailand; interviewed at Don Pa
Kiang camp FAMILY: Single, 2 brothers and 3 sisters
I have been in Thailand for 7 years, because my father was in the KNU
[Karen National Union] so we found it very hard to stay in our
village in Burma. I stay in Mae La [a refugee camp also known as Beh
Klaw, 60 km. north of Mae Sot] but I came up here to visit my uncle.
On October 29 [1994] I went to the other side of the Moei River and
went fishing. There is a place to fish a little ways from the river.
That day many others had gone to fish before me [other witnesses
confirm that there were 15 people fishing at the pond]. While we were
all fishing at the pond at about 11:30 a.m., we heard people calling
us from Noh Pa Doh on the Thai side of the river. They yelled, "Don't
come back!", but we didn't hear them well and we thought they were
shouting "Come back quickly!"
Only four of us ran toward the riverbank to get back by canoe, but on
the way the SLORC soldiers were waiting for us hidden in the bushes.
When we passed them they started shooting at us. We didn't see them,
but they saw us and started shooting. As we arrived at the riverbank
we tried to split up. Two of us ran in one direction and the 2 others
ran the other way. I was with Day Wah. I jumped and dived into the
river, and Day Wah jumped in the boat. The soldiers were sitting and
shooting at us from the bushes along the path. They shot at me while
I was running but they didn't get me because I dived into the water.
They shot Teacher Day Wah first. Two soldiers shot at him, one
sitting and one standing, with a G3 and a carbine [G3 is the standard
Burma Army automatic assault rifle; carbine is a bolt-action rifle,
usually carried by officers or NCOs]. Day Wah was hit by a G3 bullet
in the chest and he died immediately. He fell into the water while I
was in the water. After they shot Day Wah I saw the 2 soldiers
running back into the bushes. I tried to swim across the river with
only my nose above the water and the rest of my body underwater. When
I got to the other side I could see that the soldiers weren't there
anymore so I got out of the water. I just sat there. I wanted to cry,
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't. I just rested for a while and then
came back to the village.
Across the river there is bamboo, and behind that there are fields.
There were 2 soldiers shooting at us, and I saw 4 others hiding in
the bamboo. The other 2 villagers ran further down the river, took
off their trousers and started swimming. They were one man and one
woman. Then the soldiers arrived at the riverbank. The woman couldn't
swim and asked the man to take her across the river, but he couldn't.
He tried to help her but he let her go when the soldiers started
shooting. The soldiers shot at the woman. I looked downriver and saw
this while I was floating in the river. I also saw Teacher Day Wah
fall into the water, and I saw 2 people with the soldiers at the
riverside, one of them tied up with his hands behind his back. I saw
one soldier shaking the man and shooting his gun in the air right
beside the man's ear. It was the disabled man. [Saw Tah Kee: see
testimony #7 by "Pi Lah Ghay", his mother.] Then they all disappeared
into the bamboo.
The other people who were at the pond hid in the bushes and after the
soldiers left they all came back. Nothing happened to them. Day Wah
was my "uncle". His sister is married to my uncle. He was 27 years
old and single, and he was the teacher in Noh Pa Doh primary school.
As for me, I feel bitterness and pain for what SLORC is doing to the
people. I'm afraid of them. I was helping my uncle in his peanut
field, but now I don't dare go anymore. There is nothing we can do
about that - the weeds will just grow over everything.
_______________________________________________________________
#3.
NAME: "Naw Tee Ker"
SEX: F
AGE: 27
Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Tee Wah Klay village, Myawaddy Township -
now living in Noh Pa Doh, Thailand
FAMILY: Married, 4 children aged 6 to 10 years
I came to stay with my husband in Noh Pa Doh after we got married 10
years ago. I was afraid of the Burmese because they often came to the
village and arrested people to be porters. People were afraid and ran
away. My brother-in-law was arrested and they took him to Kway Sha,
and his relatives had to pay 10,000 Baht [US$400] to get him free.
That's when I came here. We have a field where we grow banana,
jackfruit and mango on the other side of the river, but I didn't see
soldiers there until this time. The SLORC soldiers often steal our
fruit, though - and they don't just take the fruit, they break off
the whole branch.
I went over on October 29th to catch fish. At least 10 people went
along. Then we heard people shouting at us not to go back to the
river: "Don't come back". We didn't know who was shouting, and we
were afraid so we didn't hear them clearly. Four of us ran back
toward the river: me, Ah Toe, Day Wah and his nephew. My friends who
stayed and hid in the bushes yelled for us to come back to them
because SLORC was in front of us, but we didn't hear them. We just
ran because we were afraid and wanted to get to the boat to escape. I
followed the others. I heard gunshots so I ran through the bushes for
the river because our boat was there so I thought I could escape. We
were running for our lives. The SLORC soldiers came from behind us
and shot at me but I didn't know. All I heard was the sound of the
bullets: "Tchee...twing...twing...". When I got to the river, I saw
Ah Toe so I grabbed him and said, "If you're going to swim, I'll
follow you." I cannot swim. I held his hand and asked him to drag me
across the river but he said "I'm not strong enough to pull you
across." I got in the water and let myself float. I saw the soldiers
shooting at me from the riverbank. I tried not to drown. I grabbed a
branch and held on. Day Wah called to me to wait for him. I looked up
to call back to him and a soldier shot at me, so I didn't dare call.
I heard the sound of the bullets hitting the water. I heard one
bullet near my ear: "Twing...", and I moved a little and thought "I
might be hit". Then another one came and I moved again. Three bullets
came very close to me. Then Day Wah turned the boat to come to me,
and he was shot and died. His body fell like a pig. He had just
started the engine, and the boat went drifting down the river until
it hit a bush on the riverbank. I floated with only my nose above the
water and I didn't dare look up because the soldiers were shooting at
me. Then the soldiers thought that I was dead.
Ah Toe let himself drift down the river. I didn't see him anymore.
Later I heard that he was shot in the head in the middle of the river
and died. The bullet hit his head and came out through his mouth. He
was 18 years old.
I was in the water for about one hour. My whole body except for my
nose was hiding under the water, like a dead body. I was holding a
branch so I wouldn't float away. I was shivering, and I still have a
cold now. In the water I thought, "Live or die, I must stay here". I
was so afraid that my heart was not in my body [a Karen expression
for extreme fear]. I was afraid the soldiers would see me and find
me. I prayed a lot to God. I worried so much about my family. I
didn't know if my husband was safe because he was together with me at
the pond. I thought, "If I die, what will happen to my children? With
whom will they stay?" I imagined my children crying and running alone
around the village. When the soldiers left, I wanted to look but I
couldn't move, and I was also afraid that a soldier might still be
hiding there. Two villagers on the other side of the river saw me
floating and didn't know if I was alive or dead. One villager, "Thein
Lwin", came with a canoe and helped me after the soldiers had left.
Now I'm still afraid. I never want to see SLORC soldiers again. If I
hear of them I'll run away. If we don't run they shoot us, and if we
run they also shoot at us. The soldiers said "Don't run away" but
then they shot at us, so we must run to escape. Even if we have
nothing, they shoot at us. Teacher Day Wah had nothing in his hands
but they shot him. He tried to save me. If he had run away somewhere
else and not taken the boat I think he would have been safe. At first
the soldiers were only shooting at me and Ah Toe, but when they saw
Day Wah taking the boat they shot at him too. The soldier who shot at
me had 2 guns: a big one [probably G3 assault rifle] and a small one
[probably a carbine - this indicates that he was probably an NCO or
officer; he may have grabbed the G3 from one of his soldiers]. He
used the small one to shoot at me. I only looked once and I only saw
him. Later the villagers told me there were 2 soldiers, that one put
his gun on the other's shoulder and shot. I didn't dare look again,
and I was afraid to see them shooting my friends. I didn't want to
see. I had to stop breathing because my nose went under the water
several times, and I swallowed water. When Day Wah turned the boat to
come and help me I wanted to tell him "Don't come! Just save
yourself" but I didn't dare call. Now I've escaped and he didn't, and
it is so hard for me to bear. After he died, I couldn't do anything.
Four of us ran, two of us died and two of us are still alive, "Kaw
Thaw" and I. The other people who were at the fishpond ran in the
other direction when they heard the gunshots and escaped. Now my
husband still goes across to look after our field, just for a short
time each time.
I knew Ah Toe well. He and his brother came here together, and now they are bo
th dead. His brother also died because of SLORC. He saw the soldiers in rainy
season, tried to escape and drowned in the river. He wasn't shot, he drowned
because he was afraid of them and tried to swim across when the river was flood
ed. [See related testimony of "Naw Say Muh", #4 in this report.]
_______________________________________________________________
#4.
NAME: "Naw Say Muh" SEX: F AGE: 23 Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Gker Ghaw village, Myawaddy Township - now living in Noh Pa
Doh, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 1 child aged 14 months
I left my village about 20 years ago with my family because the
Burmese were doing their 4 Cuts policy [Four Cuts is a Burma Army
policy of systematically terrorizing, executing and driving into
destitution civilians in the villages in an attempt to undermine
civilian support for opposition forces - this policy is still in full
force]. They were killing many people. First we went to Noh Pa Doh on
the Karen side of the river for about 10 years, but when the Burmese
arrived there we moved to the Thai side. We still have a field on the
other side where we grow beans, rice and some vegetables.
On a Friday evening in August 1994 [others indicate that it was
19/8/94] at 5 p.m., my husband was over there setting nets for fish
when he saw some SLORC soldiers. They said to him, "Don't run!", but
he was very afraid and he ran towards the river and jumped in to swim
across. Then he drowned. [Note: this happened in rainy season, when
the Moei river gets 50 m. wide and very fast-flowing; furthermore,
1994 saw the highest flood waters in years, causing several deaths.]
He was with his brother-in-law. My husband ran to the river first and
his brother-in-law behind. When they got to the river, his
brother-in-law ran upriver along the bank, but my husband thought the
soldiers were behind him so he dived into the water. His
brother-in-law told me they only saw one soldier, but afterwards my
father went there and saw the footprints of many more soldiers. We
tried to find my husband's body but we couldn't. We followed the
river to Tala Oh Kla but we couldn't find it. The river was too
flooded. My husband's name was Saw Eh Say, he was 27 years old. We
were married for 2 years.
I still have my parents and my brothers, and they help me to survive.
I can't work myself because I have a baby to look after. After my
husband's death his brother Ah Toe helped me. We were living in the
same house. Then Ah Toe went across the river to fish on October 29th
because the previous day my parents had gone and caught alot of fish
there. He wanted to go, so he quickly finished pounding the rice and
went with 10 other villagers. Then I heard that SLORC soldiers
arrived along the river, and I was very worried because my parents
were also there. I went to shout for them not to come back and to run
in another direction, but all they heard was "Mother! Mother!", and
they ran back towards the river and the SLORC was in front of them.
When they started shooting I dared not look. I took my baby and ran
back to my house. In the afternoon I tried to find out what had
happened, and they told me that Day Wah was dead and Ah Toe was shot
in the head in the middle of the river. I shivered when I heard it.
They found Day Wah's body at the end of Noh Pa Doh stream, and the
next day people found Ah Toe's body just a little way down the river.
He was 18 years old. He was still an adolescent. He was going to get
married the next Thursday. He died 5 days before his wedding, on
Saturday. His parents are already dead, and his elder sister in Burma
died of disease. He only had one brother and one sister. Now they are
all gone.
_______________________________________________________________
#5.
NAME: "Pi Muh Thay" SEX: F AGE: 67 Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Tee Tha Daw Hta village, Papun District - now living in Don
Pa Kiang camp, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 8 children but only 4 left
alive, aged 27 to 43, grandchildren
We came to Thailand about 7 years ago because the Burmese disturbed
us all the time, tortured people, arrested people and ordered them to
be porters and do many other things. First we went to Noh Pa Doh
refugee camp, then we moved here. I had 8 children but 3 of my
daughters died, two of them from fever. I had only one son, my
youngest child, Day Wah. He was 27.
On October 29th I was at home. In the evening people came to tell me
that Day Wah was dead. They brought his body on Monday at 4 p.m., and
we buried him on Tuesday afternoon. This was his third year teaching
at the school. He did everything he could to help the family. At
first when he died I felt terrible, but I got better. I have to
accept it. It must have been his time to die. Sometimes I feel very
angry but I can't do anything. Yesterday someone told me that the
soldiers have pork curry to eat, and I said to him, "Why don't they
eat people instead of just animals like pig and cattle? They are
cruel enough." People told me Day Wah was trying to save a person
when he died.
_______________________________________________________________
#6.
NAME: "Thein Lwin" SEX: M AGE: 24 Burmese Muslim
ADDRESS: Kyaikkaw, Thaton Township - now living in Noh Pa Doh
village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, no children
I am from Kyaikkaw. It used to be a village, but now it has become a
small town. When I was 14, the soldiers came into the cinema at 9
o'clock at night and took me to be a porter. [The Burmese Army often
surrounds local cinemas and takes everyone inside as porters.] That
same night, they took us to Pa'an, then in the morning they sent us
to Pain Kyone, where we got off the car and they gave us loads. I had
to carry 2 shells and we had to climb up Noh Da Ya mountain. I got
tired and thirsty and I told them "I can't carry anymore", so I sat
down to rest and the soldier kicked me in the chest with his big
boots. I went unconscious for a little while. It took us 2 days to
reach the mountaintop, then they sent me to the Strategic Command
camp near Maw Po Kay and Mae La. I had to stay there for over 5
months, carrying food and water, cutting wood, and building their
bunkers. Then they made me carry rations to Mae La. On the way I said
to my friend, "I can't carry anymore. Live or die, I'm going to
escape", and I dropped my load and ran away. I finally got to Lo Baw
and stayed with a Karen medic soldier for the rainy season. Then the
Burmese came close and we all had to move to Law Thee Hta. I stayed
there for 2 years. I worked carrying water and cutting cane. Then the
Burmese came to that place too, and we didn't dare stay anymore so I
came to the Thai side at Noh Pa Doh. I got here 6 years ago. Now I'm
married, but no children yet. Right now I have no work, but in rainy
season I worked growing beans across the river in someone else's
field.
I don't remember the exact date SLORC arrested me but it was Taw Tha
Lay month [on the lunar calendar: Sept. 4-Oct. 3/94]. In the morning
I went to sliver bamboo to use in tying off the beans, and I met the
soldiers. There were 3 of them hiding in the bamboo. One of them
grabbed my hand and the other two pointed their guns at me. They took
me to their camp. The soldiers beat me and punched me. They tied up
my hands and ordered me to lie down, then they walked on my shins in
their boots. Then they rolled an iron bar up and down my shins [this
is an extremely painful form of torture, and "Thein Lwin" still has
scars from it]. At their camp they said "You are a soldier! Don't
lie! I recognize you!" They thought I was a Karen soldier. The
soldier said "When I'm in this area I go around every month or two,
and I've seen you." I said "No", and he said "You are lying. You are
hiding something." He grabbed my hair, covered my head with a plastic
sheet and tied it until I couldn't breathe. When I was suffocating, I
shook my head but they kept the sheet on awhile longer, then they
took it off. My nose started bleeding. All this happened the day I
was captured and the next day. The third day they asked me "How long
have you been around here?" I said "About 3 years", and he said "The
people working getting logs are soldiers, right?!" I told him, "They
are not soldiers. They are villagers. They pile some short logs [for
the Thais] and get paid a few Baht". The same day they asked me about
this 2 or 3 times. Then he told me that I was lying. He said "I
recognize you. I've seen you delivering rice sacks to them." I said
I'd never done that but he said "Yes, yes, you are the one. I
recognize you." I'd never delivered any rice sacks, and I'd never
seen him before.
On the first day they gave me food, but on the other 3 days they
didn't give me any. I only had water to drink. They beat me up every
time they asked questions, every day. They punched my face until my
head got swollen. I got a wound on my head, here ["Thein Lwin" still
has a scar above his left temple where the hair isn't growing
anymore]. The first 2 nights they interrogated me and I couldn't
sleep. He told me I am a [Karen] soldier. He asked me where my
friends [other Karen soldiers] are. In the night, they covered my
mouth and nose with a piece of cloth and poured water on it so I
couldn't breathe.
The fourth day they put me in a hole in the daytime. I overheard one
of the commanders saying "This evening more soldiers will come and we
have to go fetch them. Is anyone from #4 Company here?" The other
said "Yes. You go and tell them to get ready to go." Soon after they
left, a soldier came and grabbed my throat tightly, punched me in the
face and my nose bled so much that it clotted in my nostrils and I
had to pull it out with my fingers so I could breathe. After he hit
me I pretended to go unconscious. He said "Tomorrow I'll come again
and ask again. If you lie, think about this, you will die." Then he
left. At dusk, I stood up and my whole body was aching. I saw a
soldier sitting with his gun at another hole. I thought there must
only be a few soldiers around because the others had gone to fetch
the new soldiers. I looked the other way and I saw soldiers making a
fire and hanging two messtins over it. One soldier was lighting a
candle and talking to the radio, and the other was writing. I didn't
see any others, so I thought "I must escape now, or I might die". So
I climbed out of the hole, got into a trench and followed it. There
was a sentry on the bunker guarding the entrance, but it was already
dark and I ran behind him. I got away. When I got to the stream, I
heard 2 or 3 gunshots. I ran for about 2 hours, and arrived back at
the [Moei] riverbank at 8 or 9 p.m.
The soldiers were from #44 Division, #9 Light Infantry Battalion. I
saw "44" and a small "9" on their badges. There were 4 soldiers who
asked me questions, and they all beat me up. One of them was named Bu
Paw or Eh Paw, I'm not sure. I escaped one month ago and I haven't
been back across the river since. Now I'm staying with my
parents-in-law. I have no work, I only have debts and no money to pay
them back. [Note: When Day Wah and Ah Toe were shot dead on Oct.
29th, it was "Thein Lwin" who rescued "Naw Tee Ker" from the river -
see her testimony, #3 in this report.]
_______________________________________________________________
#7.
NAME: "Pi Lah Ghay" SEX: F AGE: 74 Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Pee Ta Ka village, Pain Kyone Township, Pa'an Dist. - now in
Noh Pa Doh, Thailand FAMILY: 4 children aged 30 to 43, grandchildren
When I was in Pee Ta Ka village, people chose me to be headwoman. The
village head has to stay in the village all the time because when
SLORC comes and demands things like porters, the headperson has to
deal with them or else they go and make trouble for the villagers,
and the SLORC also orders the headperson to go here and there all the
time. The SLORC camp is near the village, in Paw Yin Pu, so they
could come every day when they wanted. I was too old and weak to go
here and there whenever SLORC ordered me. I couldn't do it, so I left
the village. The villagers liked me and wanted me to go back, but I
didn't dare to stay there anymore. I came to Thailand about 5 years
ago.
My son went across the river on October 29 to work in his peanut
field. The SLORC captured him while he was covering his peanut seeds
with soil, with the hoe still in his hands. He was together with "Daw
Hla Thein"'s husband [Maung Kyaw Pu - see "Daw Hla Thein"'s
testimony, #8]. There were other people there but they ran away when
they saw soldiers. But when these two saw the soldiers they were
already too close, so they didn't dare run. [Another woman added, "It
was just the other side of the bamboo from where the soldiers took
"Saw Bo Gyi"'s watch. It happened at about the same time."] Now they
are holding my son, and he still hasn't been released. My son's name
is Saw Tah Kee. He is 30 years old. His arms don't work well, and
also his legs are not good. When he walks, sometimes he falls down by
himself, and he cannot speak clearly. He stutters. When he was a
child he was seriously ill, and he became this way. [He probably
suffered from polio.]
I went over to my son's farm with "Daw Hla Thein" to wait for SLORC
to get news. I saw them only yesterday [Nov. 9]. I was fishing with
"Daw Hla Thein" when my daughter called me that they were coming. I
asked "Daw Hla Thein" if she would go with me and she said "In a
short time". I couldn't wait and I hurried toward them. I saw
footprints but no soldiers, so I went to the place where they
captured my son but I saw nothing. On the way back I saw soldiers
hiding in the bamboo but they didn't see me. I was behind them, so I
made a noise and then they saw me and called me and I went to them
and greeted them. One of them pointed his pistol [Note: only
officers, and sometimes NCOs, carry pistols] and said, "If you want
to die, don't tell the truth. If you don't want to die, tell the
truth. Are there any walkie-talkies around here?" I answered "No." He
said, "I know there are walkie-talkies because at night I heard the
sound." I said, "I've got grey hair, I am old, I don't lie. If you
see any walkie-talkies around here you can kill me. If you don't
believe me, search. There are no walkie-talkies." Then he put his gun
away and I asked, "Did you bring my son with you?" He said "Who is
your son?" I told him and he said, "Now he is in our camp." I asked
"Why didn't you bring him?", and he said, "He's in the camp, so it's
not easy to release him. Maybe later. We won't kill him. We didn't
beat him, and we serve him very good food. What would you do if I
killed him?" I said, "I can't do anything. He's in your hands, so you
can kill him and I can't do anything." He asked me, "Weren't you
afraid to come here?", so I told him, "No, we are all human beings.
I'm not afraid of anything, because I want my son. I wanted to go to
your camp, but I don't know the way." Then the soldier said he was
hungry, and "Let's eat some rice." I told my daughter to serve them
rice. Then the soldier said, "You can eat with me. We're not the
cruel ones." He said, "One day, they shot 2 people, one on a boat
[Day Wah] and one in the river [Ah Toe]. I was told the one on the
boat was a KNU leader. [Karen National Union]" I said, "There are no
KNU leaders in Noh Pa Doh. How can you look for a KNU leader on the
Thai side? He was a teacher, a single man. My grandchildren studied
in his school." The soldier said, "Then why did he run from us?" I
answered, "When you come you arrest everyone you can, so he tried to
escape because he was afraid of you." The soldier said, "That teacher
had a gun" and I said, "He didn't have any gun." He said, "I was told
there was a gun in his boat. Where was he hit?" I showed him and said
"But the boy who was swimming, he was hit in the back of his head."
Then the soldier told me, "I'm not the one who shot them. I don't
know who shot them. Your son will be released, but later." I said,
"Please release him soon", and he said, "I'll ask permission of the
column commander. If we release him, it will be west of Noh Pa Doh,
further away."
They didn't tell me why they arrested my son and they didn't ask for
money. He said, "Don't waste your money to get your son. When his
time's up, we'll send him back to you." I couldn't tell his rank, I
only saw the badge with "44" on it [#44 Light Infantry Division]. I
asked permission to go and see my son, but they wouldn't let me. I
asked them, "If he is alive, tell me, but if you have killed him,
please tell me the truth." You can't do anything, whether you believe
them or not. "I like your son so I won't kill him", the soldier told
me. "I never kill anyone who's in my hands. We know that your son is
disabled. We don't beat him." I keep waiting. When will they release
my son? I don't know! I worry and cry every day. I can't do anything.
[As of Dec. 25/94, neither Saw Tah Kee nor Maung Kyaw Pu, age 55, had
been released. They are being held by #9 Light Infantry Battalion of
#44 Light Infantry Division, either at "Camp 606" or "Camp 1153". See
also "Kaw Thaw"'s testimony about Oct. 29th: "I saw 2 people with the
soldiers at the riverside, one of them tied up with his hands behind
his back. I saw one soldier shaking the man and shooting his gun in
the air right beside the man's ear. It was the disabled man." The
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Burma, Mr. Yozo Yokota, is aware
of their case, and KHRG has notified the UN Centre for Human Rights
and Amnesty International and requested action on their behalf.]
The soldier told me there are Karen soldiers around Noh Pa Doh. I
said, "No. Noh Pa Doh is Thailand, Karen soldiers can't stay there."
I told him I only see Thais and villagers, never people with guns. He
said, "Really?" [Note: the soldier's comments about Karen soldiers in
refugee camps and Day Wah being a "KNU leader" with a gun are
revealing about the type of propaganda SLORC feeds its soldiers to
get them to shoot refugees. SLORC has always publicly stated, "There
are no refugees, only insurgents in the disguise of refugees."]
_______________________________________________________________
#8.
NAME: "Daw Hla Thein" SEX: F AGE: 65 Pwo Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Mya Pin village, Pa'an District - now living in Noh Pa Doh
village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 2 children aged 35 and 40
I came here 5 or 6 years ago because we lost everything there. We had
a field but the government took it. My father loaned the field to the
government because he needed to borrow money to buy goods to trade.
Then we couldn't pay back the money so they took the land. Now we
have a field on the other side of the river where we grow beans. On
October 29th, my husband crossed the river with "Pi Lah Ghay"'s son
to work the field and they were arrested. I went across the river
with "Pi Lah Ghay" to see the SLORC soldiers, but the soldiers
wouldn't tell me anything. When I asked about my husband, the soldier
said, "Don't worry. He's alive." They told me they will release him
sometime later. My husband's name is Maung Pu [full name Maung Kyaw
Pu]. He is younger than me, 55 years old. His health is not very good
- over a year ago, he had to have an operation because of gastric
problems. Now he always has to take medicine, but where he is now I
don't know if he is getting any medicine or not. He didn't have any
medicine with him. The SLORC told me that they will release him and
that they are looking after him. Even if I don't believe them, I
don't know what to do. I wanted to go see him but they wouldn't let
me.
_______________________________________________________________
#9.
NAME: "Toe Aung" SEX: M AGE: 42 Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Haw Pwee Der village, Papun Township - now living in Noh Pa
Doh village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 5 children aged 8 to 21 years
We have been in Thailand for 10 years now, because we couldn't stay
in our village any longer. Although we worked, we could never get
enough to survive. Here it is better. Now I grow beans and rice on
the other side of the river [in Burma]. It's not good enough but we
can survive. It's better than in our village.
Yesterday [Nov. 9/94] I went across to my field to thresh the paddy
at 8 a.m. Before I got to my field, I saw Burmese soldiers near the
riverside. There were 6 soldiers and one Burmese porter. They were
beside the bamboo. While I was walking by, they punched me. One of
them grabbed me and they pointed their guns at me. They asked me
"Where is the sawmill?" I told them that I had heard the sound of the
sawmill but I didn't know exactly where it was. Then they asked me,
"In that village [Noh Pa Doh, on the Thai side] are there any Kaw
Thoo Lei soldiers?" [Karen soldiers] I said "No". Three soldiers
touched me with their guns. They tied me up with my arms behind my
back. They took me to the place where they had heard the sound of the
sawmill coming from. I had to follow behind them. We arrived at the
sawmill, but there was nothing left there. Then we came back. They
saw some cut wood and asked me, "Who are the people who cut this
wood?" I said "I don't know". Then they asked me if it would be
possible to meet with the [Noh Pa Doh] village leader and also if
there is a school there. I said "Yes".
We came back along the riverside. A soldier was holding the rope that
I was tied up with, and his officer told him to hide the rope in the
basket I was carrying so that nobody [on the Thai side] would see
that I was tied up. I had a pumpkin and some vegetables in my basket.
We arrived opposite Noh Pa Doh at 2 p.m. The soldiers called across
the river to the villagers to tell the schoolteacher to bring some
wine. The soldiers said, "If she comes to meet you, we will release
you." The schoolteacher came along with 2 other women, but they came
without anything so the soldiers asked for wine again. [Note: this
was the new schoolteacher who had just been chosen to replace Day
Wah, who was murdered by Burmese soldiers on Oct. 29th.] We were
there until 3 p.m. Then they said "If you send us to Pa Dee Kee Hta
we will release you." [Pa Dee Kee Hta is a short distance downriver
by boat.] They didn't give us any food, and not even water. I had a
bit of water left and we all drank from that. I was tied up the whole
time.
My son-in-law came by boat to help us, but one boat was not enough
for everyone so they ordered another man to come with his boat as
well. Then we all went to Pa Dee Kee Hta together with the 3 women.
On the way to Pa Dee Kee Hta they untied me. Then they released us
all in Pa Dee Kee Hta at 6 p.m. We had to walk back to Noh Pa Doh
because we couldn't paddle the boat back upstream. We just crossed
the river in the boat and then walked.
My wife's uncle Po Htoo Doh [age 60] was also arrested, in July this
year. He is from a village near Hlaing Bwe town. He also has a hut
across the river, near my hut. He worked there to grow beans. First
they arrested a woman and held her for 3 hours, then they released
her and arrested him. His wife and daughter were with him but they
weren't arrested. They arrested him when he was in his hut,
blindfolded him and spun him around so he wouldn't know directions.
He was tied up, and then they took him to their camp [either Camp 606
or Camp 1153, the 2 camps in the area, occupied since August by LIB
#9]. When they got to Wa Mi village they tightened the rope. Then
when they got to their camp they put his legs in the stocks and kept
him like that all the time for 2 months. [SLORC often uses
mediaeval-style leg stocks of bamboo or wood to hold prisoners in a
prone position.] Then they held him for another month in their camp
near Thingan Nyi Nau. They released him there. It was 3 months
altogether. When the commander interrogated him they hit him, beat
him and punched him. They kicked him and broke one of his ribs. They
pushed a gun barrel into his mouth and broke two of his teeth. They
covered his face very tightly so he was suffocating, then they took
off the cover and asked him questions. They poured water in his nose
until he almost died. After that he couldn't even take a bath,
because his broken rib was so painful. After he was released in
Thingan Nyi Nau, he went to Dta Oh village, and later he came back to
Noh Pa Doh.
I have to go back across again because now the paddy is ready and the
work is not finished. I have to carry it all across to this side. It
will be finished in 2 days' time. I'll just have to be very careful
and watch. I'm afraid, but I have to go.
_______________________________________________________________
#10.
NAME: "Naw Paw Kee" SEX: F AGE: 45 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Dta Oh village, Myawaddy Township - now living in Noh Pa Doh
village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 4 children aged 16 to 24 years
We came across to Thailand 10 years ago, first to Noh Pa Doh refugee
camp [there was a refugee camp at Noh Pa Doh, but after SLORC
occupied the opposite side of the river it had to move to Don Pa
Kiang for safety], then to Don Pa Kiang. We have a field across the
river, but this year the harvest was not good and it wasn't enough
for us to eat [due to the floods]. We have to go and farm there even
though we are afraid of SLORC, because we have to survive.
I was a schoolteacher before, when I was single. Now I am a
schoolteacher again. [She has replaced Day Wah, who was murdered by
SLORC on 29 October, as primary school teacher in Noh Pa Doh.]
Yesterday [Nov. 9/94] we were in the school. Classes weren't finished
yet. Then somebody came and told us that there were a lot of soldiers
at the other side of the river. We were very scared, so I told the
students to all go home quietly. A boy came to me and said
"Grandmother, please go across the river. They have arrested
someone." I was very afraid and I grabbed my bag so I could run away,
but then people gave me one duck to take across the river so the
soldiers would set the villager free. When I arrived at the river the
soldiers called across, "Not a duck, we want cheroots", but we didn't
have any cheroots so I took 2 packages of cigarettes. Then I started
paddling a canoe across but I couldn't paddle and the canoe went in
all directions ["Naw Paw Kee" had no experience with canoes]. I was
with "Toe Aung"'s wife Mi Sho, 40 years old, and his daughter-in-law
Ma Tay Myint, who is 21. I had to go because I can speak Burmese and
they can't. We can't swim and we were afraid, but there was nothing
we could do about it because they ordered us to come. Then they
laughed at us because we couldn't control the canoe.
When we got across the river we saw "Toe Aung" tied up and the
soldiers asked me "Where do you live? What is your occupation?" I
said I am a farmer. They asked if there were Kaw Thoo Lei soldiers on
the Thai side and I said "No". They asked me, "Are there any sawmills
around here? Do you want to work in the sawmill? We'll find one for
you." But I said I didn't want to work in a sawmill. I think they
want to know about the sawmills because they heard there is logging
around here and that the wood is very cheap. I don't know about
sawmills, I'm not interested in that. Some Thais own sawmills further
up the river.
It was 2:30 p.m. when we met the soldiers. There were six soldiers
and one porter - they always come in groups of six. They said, "If
you don't like us then give us chicken and wine and we'll leave." We
called across the river for other villagers to bring wine and
chicken. First they asked for 3 chickens, but we didn't have any.
Then they asked for 6 bottles of alcohol but we could only give them
two. They also asked for cheroots, 2 packages of 50, and bananas,
pumpkins, and other things. A SLORC captain crossed the river in a
boat. He stayed in the boat and got the things from the villagers.
When he came back he said, "If you take us to Pa Dee Kee Hta we'll
release you." They needed 2 boats for everyone, so Pu Lu, who is 21,
brought another boat. When we got to Pa Dee Kee Hta they released all
of us.
A soldier asked me where I used to live and I said Dta Oh. He looked
at a map and asked me if I had a farm on the Burma side of the river
and I said "Yes". He said the soldiers wouldn't make any trouble for
me, but I said, "What if other soldiers come and shoot at us?" They
couldn't answer that question. I said, "We are afraid when you call
us to cross the river. Last time when some villagers came over, they
were killed." He said it wasn't him who killed them. He said "It
wasn't me who killed Thra Day Wah. And as for the 2 men we are
holding, they are not dead. We are feeding them well." We didn't ask
them about those 2 men, they just told us [this refers to Saw Tah Kee
and Maung Kyaw Pu - see testimonies #7 & #8 in this report]. They
didn't say where they are being held, only that it is about 1 hour
away.
Now we owe 300 Baht [US$12] for what we had to give them and we have
to pay it back. We'll have to find wood that we can sell or catch
wild chickens and sell them. If they order you to come across the
river, you have to go! But next time I'll shout at them from this
side that I have no money to give them and I'll run away. This time I
took off my jacket before going across, because I didn't want them to
steal it from me. In rainy season my husband went across to work in
his paddy field, and some soldiers came to a sawmill further up the
river and started shooting. My husband heard it and ran away leaving
all his things, knife, basket, clothing, shoes, a chemical sprayer,
and the soldiers stole everything. The sprayer cost 850 Baht [US$34].
They also took farm tools, plates, and 2 blankets. That was a Sunday
in July. They also robbed the other huts around there. In rainy
season the SLORC also arrested a woman named Toe Thu Mo along with
her uncle Po Htoo Doh who is 60 years old. They released her after 3
hours, but they held him for 3 months before he arrived back.
_______________________________________________________________
#11.
NAME: "Saw Bo Gyi" SEX: M AGE: 42 Karen Christian farmer
ADDRESS: Dta Oh village, Myawaddy Township - now living in Noh Pa Doh
village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 5 children aged 5 to 16 years
I came to Noh Pa Doh from my village 10 years ago because the Burmese
came and captured villagers and shot their guns in our village. Now I
have a field on the other side of the river where I grow bananas,
mangos and other things. On October 29th this year, I went over there
to make charcoal together with a friend. We don't have a hut over
there, we just sleep under the bamboo. At about 11 a.m. I was
together with my friend weaving a basket [of bamboo]. I heard a sound
like something cracking, and I suddenly saw one soldier creeping very
close to me. He came from behind me and scared me. He pointed his gun
at me. I had a watch on my wrist. With one hand he motioned me to
take off my watch, and with his other hand he was ready to shoot. He
didn't want to speak loudly and he just said "Take off ... take off
..." I took off my watch and moved to give it to him but he didn't
want me to come too close so he ordered me to throw it to him: "Throw
... throw ... throw". So I threw it to him, and he put it in his
pocket. After that, he looked behind him and I saw a Corporal coming.
When the Corporal arrived, the soldier asked me, "Are there any Karen
soldiers here?" While he asked me, the Corporal came behind and
started taking my things from my sleeping-place. Just then my friend
ran away. The soldier tried to run after him for a few steps, then he
pointed his gun at me and ordered me, "Call your friend back or I'll
shoot you now!" I said, "Please wait. I'll call him". When I called
my friend, the Corporal pointed his M79 gun at me [an M79 is a
rifle-sized grenade launcher] and put it against my back. I was only
wearing a pair of shorts. The other soldier was searching for
something, and a third soldier arrived. The Corporal pushed his gun
into my back 2 or 3 times and shouted, "If you don't call your friend
I'll kill you now! Call quickly!" We were beside a slope and I told
him I'd climb up a little bit to call my friend. The other 2 soldiers
were busy searching through my things, so then I pushed the Corporal
aside and ran away. I thought, "I'll have to push him now or I won't
escape." There was alot of bamboo, so they couldn't see me and I
escaped. I kept running until I came to the river. I saw my friend -
he was swimming and he had almost reached the other bank. I was too
tired to swim and I saw a boat, so I took it to cross the river. When
I got on the boat I heard the gunshots that killed Teacher Day Wah,
but I didn't know that at the time - I just heard gunshots. It was
the same group of soldiers. I know because some villagers saw from
the riverside that one soldier was carrying the chemical sprayer they
stole from me.
>From me they stole pots, some rice, a knife, a machete, a chemical
sprayer, 2 plates, a pair of worn-out trousers and a sarong. Now I'm
too afraid to go back over there again. A few days ago I crossed but
came back very quickly. I don't dare to go and get the charcoal I
made.
_______________________________________________________________
#12.
NAME: "Pa Boe" SEX: M AGE: 29 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Gker Ghaw village, Myawaddy Township - now living in Noh Pa
Doh, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 2 children aged 9 months and 3 years
I came to Thailand about 10 years ago because the Burmese oppressed
us. Whenever they came to our village they took people to be porters,
and I was afraid of that. Now I survive as a day labourer on the Thai
farms around here. I get 30 or 40 baht [US$1.20-$1.60] per day. In
dry season I also cut the leaves of wild banana trees and sell them.
I get 10 baht for 1 kilo. One Sunday this year [in May 1994 according
to others] I went across the river to cut bamboo. On a hill about 1.5
km. from the river where the path to Meh Ma Laing meets the path to
Noh Pa Doh, I saw about 30 soldiers around, and 5 soldiers hiding in
the bamboo arrested me. I was alone. They took me to their company
commander. When I arrived there they tied me up at once. They tied me
around my neck and tied my arms behind my back. One soldier pointed
his gun very closely at my chest, while the others also guarded me
with their guns. Then they slapped me, punched me in the face and
pointed a carbine rifle at my forehead. They asked me about their
enemies and asked where the sawmill is. They ordered me to tell them.
I told them, "I don't know where the Karen soldiers are." Then he
said, "You know! You are a spy!" Then they killed my dog, and they
said, "You must die like your dog!"
This happened on the hill behind the sawmill. Then they took me to
the riverbank. When we got there, they saw 4 people coming across the
river and went to ambush them. They arrested them and took the engine
of the sawmill, then they took us all to their camp. The first
evening at the camp, they punched me in the face and gave me a big
bruise for about 2 weeks. They punched me on the jaw and my mouth
bled. They kicked me in the neck while I was sitting. They hit me in
the head with a rifle butt, and then they pointed the rifle barrel
and touched it against my throat. A soldier came in and stuck the
barrel of a carbine rifle in my mouth, then he shook it around until
my mouth was bleeding. That night, I was left with my hands tied
behind my back. An officer came and told the soldiers, "If you tie
him like that, he won't be able to sleep." The next day they put my
legs in the stocks [mediaeval-style leg stocks - the victim sits with
his legs stretched out flat and his ankles clamped between 2
horizontal segments of bamboo], and they tied one of my hands to a
bamboo with rope. They told me that I am a spy.
They kept me like that for about one month. I was always in the
stocks. When I had to go to the toilet, they tied my hands behind my
back [and released his legs]. I was always in the camp. They kept me
in the same place as the porters, separate from the other prisoners.
They fed me a little rice and some beans, and in the evening I got
sour soup and rice. I was there for 29 days, then the soldiers
brought 3 of us down to Htee Kay Po. The other two were also from Noh
Pa Doh - one of Hser Nay Mu's workers, and a man originally from Peh
Toe. They tied us until our blood couldn't even circulate anymore and
took us along. When we got to Htee Kay Po they arrested 6 more people
who had come across the river from Tala Oh Kla [refugees from the
Thai side]. Then they took us back to the camp together. We slept one
night along the way. They tied the hands of 3 of us together, and we
had to sleep like buffalos or cattle, all squeezed together. When we
got back, they put 2 of the people from Tala Oh Kla in the stocks, Ta
Kaw and his friend. They accused Ta Kaw and his friend of being Karen
soldiers - maybe because Ta Kaw has long hair. The soldiers kept them
separately so I didn't see what they did to them. I was put back with
the porters, but not in the stocks. After that we had to work for
them twice every day, in the morning and the evening, cutting the
grass and clearing the compound. It was less than an hour each time.
Before we went to Htee Kay Po I got enough food, but after we came
back with more prisoners it was never enough.
I was there for another 8 days, then I escaped. There was a wall
around the porters' area. Before dawn at about 4:30 a.m. I went to a
part of the wall that was in bad condition and pushed the bamboo open
until I could squeeze through. Then I ran to the soldiers' toilets,
climbed over the fence and ran to the forest. It was raining. I just
ran in the dark, and I almost met the soldiers again. I saw their
torchlights twice while I was running. I thought I was going to Noh
Pa Doh Kee but I arrived in Noh Po Kee instead. I arrived back the
same day, in the morning.
The soldiers were from #3 Light Infantry Battalion [part of #44 Light
Infantry Division]. They held me at Kyaw Kay Kee camp, but they
called it Kyaw Kay Chaung [a Burmese variation of the Karen name].
Some of the soldiers were Htun Lay Oo, who guarded me when I was
arrested, Pah Di, and Nyi Nyi. One of the soldiers who tortured me
was Sia Win Sein, I think he is a Corporal. The camp commander beat
me, but I don't know his name.
While I was gone my family had to stay with Bu Wah's father [a
relative] and he had to look after them. I was across the river again
on the day that the soldiers shot Teacher Day Wah [Oct. 29]. We were
fishing and I didn't know where the soldiers were, so I ran to a boat
stop further down the river. I had to run very fast because I heard
many gunshots. I came back swimming, and I almost drowned. The
soldiers didn't see me because there were clumps of bamboo between
them and me. When I was swimming I saw Day Wah turn the boat, then I
saw him falling. I knew for sure that he was shot. I swam as quickly
as I could, and when I was across I grabbed a branch. I was already
tired after running, and after swimming I was exhausted. If some
soldiers had followed me I would have died for sure. I don't dare go
back over there any more.
_______________________________________________________________
#13.
NAME: "Saw Tha Kler" SEX: M AGE: 45 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Maw La Kee village, Hlaing Bwe Township, Pa'an District
- now in Kler Ko refugee camp, Thailand
FAMILY: Married, 10 children aged 10 months to 17 years
This is our second year in Thailand. We came because the Burmese
asked for porters and we didn't have time to work to survive, so we
didn't want to stay anymore. I came with my whole family. My
second-eldest son went across the river searching for food at the end
of October, 4 days before the monthly rice distribution [he went on
October 28th]. His name was Pa Dee Dee, he was 15 years old. He
should have come back by the end of the month to carry the rice.
Several days later, I went across to look for him. I slept one night
on the way. Then I found his body, a short way from Wah Kyaw village.
There were 2 bodies in an irrigation ditch, covered with grass. The
other body was Pa Klih Bo [see following interview]. I didn't look
closely at the bodies because they were already badly decomposed, and
the people there didn't want me to take them out. We were afraid and
in a hurry so we couldn't bury the bodies. I just went with a few
people and covered them with more grass because they were already so
decomposed. There are many wild vegetables over there, and I used to
go get them. But now I don't want to go anymore.
_______________________________________________________________
#14.
NAME: "Naw Wah" SEX: F AGE: 40 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Wah Kyaw Klo village, Hlaing Bwe Township - now in Kler Ko
camp, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 5 children aged 5 to 20
We escaped from the Burmese and came here about 10 years ago.
Everybody in the whole area ran away when they got near. There was
fighting going on when we left.
My husband's name was Klih Bo. He was older than me [other sources
say he was 43]. At the end of October, he went across the river to
search for food in the forest. I expected him back by the end of the
month, but I didn't dare go to look for him. Then "Saw Tha Kler" [see
preceding interview] came and told me he was dead. Now I can't think
of what I will do. Before, I always depended on my husband. Now he's
dead and I can't do anything. All we have is the rice and fishpaste
we get from the refugee camp. I think we can't survive. No one will
support our family.
_______________________________________________________________
#15.
NAME: "Maung Zaw Oo" SEX: M AGE: 38 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Kah Hta village, Pain Kyone Township, Pa'an District
- now in Ka Maw Lay Ko refugee camp, Thailand
FAMILY: Married, 4 children aged 1 to 20
We left our village and came here 10 years ago because the Burmese
came to our area [they were making an offensive against Maw Po Kay at
the time]. This year on the 2nd or 3rd of October, over one month
ago, they captured my friends Maung Tin and Pa Paw. Four of us went
across, 2 of us in one canoe and Maung Tin and Pa Paw in another. We
crossed the river to search for food. When we got across and went up
the riverbank, we didn't see them. When I arrived at the hut, I
thought they must be out looking for food and that they would come in
the evening. I didn't worry about them. But two days after they
disappeared, we were sure that SLORC had captured them. I think they
must have been captured as soon as they went up the riverbank. When
we crossed, we were about 200 metres from them along the river. I
didn't see any soldiers or hear any gunshots, but my friend said he
heard someone shouting in the distance. After that, people went and
saw the footprints of soldiers. They saw by the footprints that the
soldiers had been hiding behind a termite mound. It was right at the
place where Maung Tin and Pa Paw landed on the riverbank. Nobody
found anything else. We cannot guess what the soldiers did to them.
Maybe when they passed the soldiers' hiding place, the soldiers came
out and grabbed them. The canoe was still just left on the riverbank.
Maung Tin is 38. He has 2 daughters, 8 and 18 years old, but his wife
already died. Pa Paw is over 50. His wife is alive but she is blind.
They have one daughter, and grandchildren. Their families both stay
here in the refugee camp. [Note: the 2 men have probably already been
killed, but until this can be confirmed there remains a possibility
that they are being held in a SLORC camp or used as porters, and
appropriate international pressure should be brought to bear on SLORC
on their behalf.]
_______________________________________________________________
#16.
NAME: "Saw Ler Doh" SEX: M AGE: 45 Karen Buddhist farmer
ADDRESS: Tee Wah Klay village, Myawaddy Township - now in Tala Oh Kla
village, Thailand FAMILY: Married, 2 children aged 15 and 20
We came to the Thai side because we didn't dare stay there anymore -
the Burmese arrested people and used us as slaves and porters. If you
didn't escape, they never released you. We've been on this side for 9
years now. I have a field on the other side. I haven't met SLORC over
there, but I've seen them arrest some friends so I'm afraid of that.
In August, Pa Noh Ter and 3 others had no [meat] curry, so they went
over to dig the ground to catch moles. They caught 6 moles and turned
to come back. Then they met with SLORC soldiers, and they were shot
at without being asked any questions. There were 4 of them. Pa Noh
Ter was shot and died immediately, and the other three made it to the
riverbank without being hit. Pa No Ter was shot in the back of the
neck and the bullet went out through his forehead, and he was also
shot in the back of his shoulder and that bullet came out through his
chest. The same day, Pa Noh Kee had also gone to look for food. He
was shot in his leg and it was broken, and there was no one there to
help him so he died of bleeding. They found his body the next
morning, and he had been hit by 2 or 3 bullets. Pa Noh Ter was
married with 3 children between 3 and 9 years old. He was 36. Now his
wife can't do anything. The relatives invited them to go and stay
with them. Pa Noh Kee was about the same age as Pa Noh Ter and was
married with