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The Forced Purchasing of Paddy in M



Apology

Our computer in the office has been in trouble for some months and that is
why we can send these reports to our campaign groups for democracy, Burma
interested groups and individuals, very late.

However, all events mentioned in the reports are equally true of current Burma.

Therefore we hope the following information will be useful in helping the
international community to halt SLORCs human rights abuses and to promote
internationally recognized human rights in Burma.

Thank you.

The human Rights Foundation of Monland

+ = + = + = + =

No group is more deserving or more in need of a computer to carry out its
vital work on behalf of the oppressed in Monland.  

Should you wish to contribute to this worthy cause, please contact:

Burmese Relief Center?Japan at brelief@xxxxxxx

With metta,

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

The Forced Purchasing of Paddy in Mon State

(Human Rights Report 1/97 -- May 1997)

The Set Amount of Paddy and Related Abuses by Government

Like other farmers throughout the whole country, the farmers in Mon State
were also forced to sell their rice at the beginning of 1997. The government
authorities created paddy buying centers in the whole Mon State and forced
the farmers to sell their rice at low price. All farmers are required to
sell about 12 baskets (the unit weight of one basket paddy is 46 pounds) per
acre and if they refused they must be punished. The SLORC has set the price
of one basket of paddy is only 80 Kyats while the farmers can get about
400-500 Kyats in the market price.

In Mon State, among ten townships, the villagers and town residents from
Thaton, Paung, Kyaik-ma-yaw, Chaung Zon, Mudon, Thanbyuzayat and Ye have
large rice-fields and have to sell a huge amount of paddy to the government.
For example, according to the instruction of Township LORC of Mudon, the
farmers in the whole area were forced to sell about 872, 000 baskets of
paddy to government. About 9 paddy buying centers were opened in the whole
township's area and every farmer had to send their paddy to the nearest
paddy buying center. The duration of purchasing these all amounts of paddy
was defined from December 9,1996 to February 12,1997.

Similarly, Thanbyuzayat township's farmers were instructed to sell about
400,000 baskets of paddy while Ye township's farmers were instructed to sell
about 500, 000 baskets. Before the NMSP agreed for a ceasefire with military
regime, the SLORC troops could not reached to the whole areas of these two
township and could not get according to their set amount of paddy. After
ceasefire, the SLORC troops went into every villages and forced the farmers
to sell their rice. But the farmers from the areas under the SLORC firm
control such as Mudon, Kyaik-ma-yaw, Chaung Zon, Paung, Thaton townships,
were constantly forced to sell the constant amount of paddy to the government.

The military also instructed to the farmers the quality of paddy they needed
and if the
quality was low or not reached to the defined standard, it must be refused
by authorities. The authorities also instructed to farmers to not sell the
paddy after it was wet by rain water or later was drought by sunshine,
unclear paddy with mud, paddy with yellow colour seed, paddy with low
quality and small seed and etc.,. In addition, to get high quality paddy,
they also forced farmers to sell the real rice from their farm and did not
allow them to buy low quality paddy to resell to them.

In Mudon township, the military and township LORC instructed the farmers to
sell the set amount of paddy before the end of January. At the beginning of
February, the authorities including soldiers arrested the farmers who did
not finish or refuse to sell the set amount of rice. In some villages, the
villagers had to flee from their homes and the authorities went into every
house and took the paddy from their paddy-store. In some cases, the farmers
were arrested and his paddy was also confiscated.

Because of this forcible confiscation of paddy, about 44 houses of farmers
in Hneepadaw village, Mudon township, was burnt into ashes by sudden flame
from a house kitchen. When the authorities, village security forces and
soldiers came into village to arrest farmers and confiscate paddy on 6
February about 1:00 p.m. afternoon, all villagers fled from their homes. In
one house, while a housewife was cooking for foods, she was taken by
soldiers to find her husband to come home. The flame from her kitchen spread
to her whole house and then to a whole section of the village. Most
villagers fled out of the section and all their houses and belongings were
burnt into ashes.  It is estimated that the villagers lost about 16 million
Kyats totally in cash because of this flame and the government did not
inquiry the incident to pay compensation or provide any humanitarian help to
the victims.

In addition, in March, the SLORC authorities and soldiers went into
Kalortort village, Mudon township, to arrest the farmers and take the paddy.
In some houses, besides they took paddy from the store, they also took other
valuables and other belongings from the houses. One farmer from this village
said to our human rights workers that:

"On that day, the township authorities, village security forces
(py'-thu-sit) and soldiers came into the village and entered every house in
our section. When they reached to my house, the soldiers arrested my husband
and put him on the truck to take him to Mudon. They went to our paddy-store
and destroyed its wall and took all our paddy and put it into their truck
(10 wheel trucks). The authorities told me that we had to sell them about 70
more baskets but now we had only 50 baskets, so they said to buy paddy arid
give them. I explained to them I had no cash to buy paddy and the commander
got angry with me and shouted at me to go out. Then the soldiers and
authorities climbed into my house and took all our belongings such as my
necklaces from my bedroom, my son's tape cassette recorder, a clock, a steel
carriage cage and other things."

Similarly, the farmers from Paung, KyaiLmayaw, Thanbyuzayat, Ye were also
arrested by the SLORC officials and soldiers and detained in short
imprisonment term for their failure of selling set amount of rice to the
government. While they were detained, the soldiers or polices also
mistreated them by beating or putting them in a dog-cell.

For instance:

"In the first week of March, a farmer, Nai Tun Ye (47 years old) from Wetae
village, Mudon township, was severely tortured  by soldiers and township
policemen because of his constant refusal to sell his paddy. They beat him
with gun butts and their fists. His whole back was severely injured and some
of his teeth were broken.

SLORC Set Order in Forced Purchasing of Paddy from Farmers

To realize how the SLORC is instructing to conduct forced purchasing paddy
from the farmers, we also gathered a set order instructed by the Secretary
of Mudon Township LORC to all quarters (in town) and villages' chairmen to
set up paddy buying centers and purchase paddy from farmers. The list of the
set amount of paddy was also attached with this order.
Here is the translation of a set order by Mudon township LORC in forcing the
local farmers to sell their rice.

		Township Law and Order Restoration Council 
		Mudon Township, Mudon Town, 
		Letter No.060/2-5/Township LORC 
		Date: December 19, 1996.

To:

Chairman 
Quarter/ Village Law and Order Restoration Council (All) 
Mudon Township

SUBJECT: Purchasing paddy from farmers

We set this order to all Quarter/ Village LORC that in the paddy purchasing
season of 1996/1997, you must have to buy to complete 827,000 baskets of
paddy from the whole township according to instruction of the State. You
must have to instruct the farmers to sell 12 baskets of paddy per acre and
the set date is from December 9, 1996 through February 12, 1997. You must
have to complete this duty on this deadline. Please inform the farmers in
the respective area that we will not accept the following kind of paddy.

The kinds of unacceptable paddy are:

(1) The wet paddy by rain, 
(2) The already wet paddy (but is drought) by rain 
(3) The paddy with mud or sprout, 
(4) The paddy with yellow seed, 
(5) The paddy with low dwarf seed, 
(6) The paddy which unreached to qualified standard of respective sort, 
(7) The low quality paddy bought for replacement from another farm,

(Signature) Chairman, 
(Myint Soe) 
Secretary, Township LORC, Mudon Township
Note: The list of the amount of the paddy-to purchase in "1996-1997 paddy
purchasing season" is also attached.

The list of the amount of paddy, 1996-1997 paddy purchasing season Mudon
Township, Mon State (The respective paddy purchasing center and the villages)

No. 	Name of paddy 	Villages 		The set amount 		Total amount
	purchasing center 	to sell to center 	of paddy 			of paddy
1. Phar-out			Kawkhani 		5825 
				Naungkhari 	2810 
				Kya-Inn 		6990 
				Kawkhamae 	22735 
				Phar-out 		21810 
				Yogo			9840

				Total			70000			70000

2. Kway-one 		Tharpaton 		16000
				Kway-one 		14900
				Naingpraing 	18900
				Kyauktalone 	2500
				Mainganane 	6700

				Total 			69000 			69000

3. Town quarter (1) 	Kawkhapone 	15335
				Kwantar 		10600
				Baeyan 		4200
				Kinchaung 		3415
				Quarter (1) 		19050
				Quarter (4) 		12400

				Total 			75000 			75000

4. Town quarter (2) 	Quarter (2) 		30500
				Quarter (3) 		24500
				Kyonephaik 	11000
				Wet-tae 		9000
				Nyaung-gone 	50000

				Total 			135000 			135000


5. Tagondaing 		Tagondaing 	21000
				Tawku 		18000
				Kyaik-ywe 		16000

				Total 			55000 			55000

6. No. 078 center 		Teingon 		70000
				Gone-nyin-tan 	5000 
				Naunghlon 		40500 
				Ah-kun 		3500

				Total 			120000 			120000

7. No.079 center 		Kamawet 		66000
				Seintaung 		52000
				Taungkay 		29000

				Total 			147000 			147000

8. Kalortort 			Phaedow 		6500
				Kalortort 		26000
				Kawpeehtaw 	15000
				Taung-pa 		30000
				Htone-mun 		3500
				Kwankabyue 	7500
				Doema 		5200
				Set-twae 		6300
				Hneepadaw 	12500
				Yaungdaung 	5500
				Kwan-hlar 		22000

				Total 			140000 			140000

9. Kawparan 		Kawparan 		23820
				Kadonepaw 	3560
				Balout 		9620
				Waegaleet 		1600
				Kamar-oat 		5400
				Nae-kyaw 		17000

				Total 			17000 			17000

GRAND TOTAL 		28 villages 		872000 			872000


Human Rights Report 1/97 (May 1997)
Human Rights Foundation of Monland
P.O. Box 11, Ratchburana 
Bangkok 10140
Thailand






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