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The Forced Purchasing of Paddy in M
- Subject: The Forced Purchasing of Paddy in M
- From: brelief@xxxxxxx
- Date: Tue, 03 Feb 1998 01:01:00
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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