[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Chinese mines on Indo-Burma border



Made in China landmines along India-Burma border

As a report came to Delhi that hundreds of poor refugees from Araken State
and southern Chin Hills were in grave condition, the Committee for Araken
Refugee for Relief and Welfare (CARRW) raised available funds among
Burmese activists. Then Soe Win was assigned to bring medicine and a few
hundred rupees to the refugees. He left Delhi on 21-7-97 and donated all
he brought to the poor refugees. Many had died of malnutrition and
infectious diseases. No NGO gets access to them.

Being a pro-democracy activist, Soe Win tried to gather as much
information as he could before he came back to Delhi. He and three
refugees tried to exhume two dead bodies who died of landmine explosion.
He took pictures of the live landmines. The pictures clearly showed "0"
and Chinese letters. The villagers told him many men, women and animals
have died of landmines. Two types of made-in-China landmines are planted
along India-Burma border. One is 8"x 6" and one is 3"x 4".. Some are
planted as close as 20 feet from the border. Mines are placed on the path,
which is used by the villagers from Long-ka-du, Naron-taung, and Pyi-tet
of Palatwa Township. Soe Win took a picture of a landmine close to border
pillar #7 near Mareik-wa, on the Thamin range. Chinese mines kill neither
external enemy nor arm-resistant group. But civilians are killed.

While they were gathering border information, he and his colleagues were
arrested by Assam Rifle in August. His camera, film reels and all
belongings were seized. The useful pictures, interview notes, and all
except a pair of trousers and a shirt were never returned. They all were
detained and interrogated in Saiha, southern Mizoram where two Burmese MPs
and NLD members were held in custody for three days in 1990.

His friends reported to UNHCR because he is a recognized refugee of UNHCR
Delhi office and refugee number is BU-58. But till he and his three
friends release he did not meet the lawyer hired by UNHCR. An appeal
letter of Burmese MP to the Chief Minister of Mizoram could not help much.
A sial worker, who traveled to help Araken refugees, was jailed for 4
months.

A part of the true stories he noted revealed porterage and forced labor
rampant in Araken State. Four Burmese porters who were ordered to carry
mines ran away and are seeking shelter in southern Mizoram secretly. They
told him how they were ordered to carry and to plant the mines. One of the
pictures showed how the rice from India was carried on a raft along the
Kalatchaung, a derivative of Kaladan River. Mizo people sell the rice,
which they bought from government fair-price shop. The businessmen
exported the rice into Burma, as the rice shortage is serious in Burma.
The rice bought in Mizoram was 900 kyats per basket or 8 cups. It will
become double in Araken State.

One of his interview notes said Burmese army forced the villagers to carry
cane and sesame from the border to Kyauktaw. Till last year the farmers
were ordered to sell 1 basket of sesame per acre to the government. This
year, they are ordered to sell all they produced at low price of 140 Kyats
per basket. These are carried to the army headquarters at Kyauktaw where
the price went up considerably. So this clearly shows that Burma army is
using forced labor for their business. The army units in that area are
Infantry 378-374-336-237-377-376 and Light Infantry 354.

Who can help those refugees? 

CCN