ILO: FORCED LABOUR IN BURMA-43

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

[ILO COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON FORCED LABOUR IN BURMA, SLICE
43]

184
 
Ethnicity:          Karen
Family situation:   Married with three children
Age/sex:            48, male
Education:          6th Standard
Occupation:         Farmer (rented his land). In 1996-1997, he
                    became assistant village head, a position  
                    he had already held for one year in 1993.
                    State (village had 174 families and was    
                    divided into four sections)

The witness left Myanmar in May 1997 because he did not want
to work for the military any longer. Having been a village
leader he had to contact people who had to work for the
military, mainly to build roads, clear the forest, harvest or
do portering. A written order from the military was generally
transmitted to the village head. One person per family had to
work in accordance with a pre-established rota. No work was
paid. It was possible to engage a substitute: 140 kyat per day
for assignments other than portering. The cost of a repl
acement for portering was 500 kyat. It was possible to pay the
village head who would then find a replacement. He had to ask
the villagers to work because the military would have forced
them to do so in any case. The villagers had to work for the
military for more days than for their own work. For portering
a family had to provide one person three times a month, each
assignment lasting five days. Only the men did that work. They
had to carry ammunition, shells and food. The number of
porters depended on the number of soldiers to be serviced. The
porters had to stay with the soldiers even in battle, to
supply them with ammunition. A porter from his village was
killed during a fight with the Karen National Union (KNU). The
porters were subjected to ill treatment if they could not keep
up with the pace of the march, and were beaten and struck by
the soldiers. In cases where porters were ill or injured, they
were not given any medical treatment or medicines. The
villagers also had to work for the military detecting mines
hidden in the area around their village. The work was carried
out three times in 1996, and the same number of times in 1997.
Work was also organized to build the road from Kawkareik to
Hpa-an (through Kyawywa), three miles away from his village.
The work had to be done throughout the year, five times a
month. Both men and women had to work on it. Each assignment
lasted three days, including three nights. The workers had to
sleep near the work site and had to bring their own food. They
could not refuse for fear of reprisals by the soldiers. He
organized the work on building the Nabu military camp in 1995
and 1996. Forty to fifty people worked at the same time and
were replaced by the same number of people according to a
pre-established rota. The work consisted mainly of cutting
down trees, clearing the ground (even if that meant cutting
down trees on farm land), collecting bamboo and wood. The
workers also had to prepare roofing. The workers had to carry
materials and carry out the related work. Both men and women
had to do this work. Work began at 6 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m.
The soldiers shouted at the workers when they thought the work
was not going satisfactorily. He did not see any workers ill
treated, but he had heard stories of women being raped at the
work site. He also had to organize harvest work. Personally,
he had to work on road building in 1991 (on one occasion for
15 days), 1992 (on one occasion for 15 days), 1993 (on one
occasion) and several times in 1996, when he was assistant
village head. The soldiers often shouted at them. However, he
had not been subjected to ill treatment. He also had to do
work related to the Nabu military camp. 
                    __________________________


185

Religion:           Muslim
Age/sex:            16, female
Family situation:   She lived with her widowed mother, elder
                    sister, and two nephews
Education:          3rd Standard
                    (village had 150 households)

The witness left Myanmar in January 1998. Her village
comprised 150 households, at present only one, two or three
houses remained. Since September 1997, the authorities
announced the village had to be relocated because an army camp
was to be set up in its place. No location was indicated for
the inhabitants (Muslim, Mon, Burman, Karen) to go to. The
people were forced to move. Some went over the border to
refugee camps, some (Muslim) wanted to stay, but with the KNU
fighting in the village, the authorities did not allow anyone
to stay, and there was a lot of shooting. In January, they
burned down the village and when villagers tried to come over
the border the Myanmar army stopped people to check their
identity cards. The Muslims had no identity cards, although
they had been promised them already three times by the
authorities, which had come and taken photos and data (before
September 1997). But the Muslims and Karens never received
identity cards. She and her family spoke to soldiers and
crossed the check point. Actually, no military base was being
set up at the site of the village, which was merely close to
an existing base and therefore removed. For her household, she
had to go from the age of ten to do forced labour, because her
elder sister was not healthy. She did men's work, making a
fence around the army base, surfacing the road. The military
stayed with sticks behind the people, yelled at them and beat
them when they did not work. She saw many men being beaten by
soldiers and when she was younger, up to the age of 13, she
was beaten herself. Now she was afraid of that, so she always
worked. Every month, she had to go for 20 to 25 days. From the
age of ten, she had to go to the army base, building houses
for the soldiers, digging and carrying mud to make the floors;
she also had to help make a fence, carrying bamboo, and doing
whatever work the soldiers wanted, such as digging a bunkers
and trenches, cooking every morning. In the dry season, she
had to carry water. Even if sick, she had to work, was not
allowed to be free. By order handed down through the village
head, all 150 households in the village had to contribute
every month ten days of regular work for the army camp. In her
family, she had to go for 20 to 25 days, in part (ten days) as
regular work for the army base; the remainder was because her
family could not pay for porters fees, over 1,000 kyat every
month. When they told the village head they could not pay, the
soldiers came to the house, pointed a gun at them, so that she
feared for her life, then told her to work at the army camp.
Thus, they came every month when the family could not pay the
porter fees. In her family, one person (herself) worked all
the time for the army. She did not work as a porter. With
regard to sexual abuse, when single women were sent to the
army camp, soldiers did to them what they wanted, afterwards
they either married or paid them; the women were very shy to
talk. The villagers could not do anything about it. When she
did work at the army camp, every evening her mother went there
and fetched her back home. When she was 13 or 14 years old,
she also had to work surfacing a car road from one army base
to another. It was always for 15 days, people had to take food
with them and sleep beside the road. The frequency of the call
up was not regular, it depended on the road situation; in the
dry season, it was more often, sometimes once per month or
every two months. They had to cut trees, place the trunks on
either side of the road, carry soil and fill the space between
the trunks. In rainy season, girls had to transport ammunition
and guns ten days a month, paddling a canoe; men had to carry
them over land. Every rainy season, the village was flooded,
the water almost covered the houses, but people still had to
pay porter fees and transport ammunition and guns in canoes
(dugout or made of planks, for three to four people, two girls
paddled - one in front, one at the back). These three types of
work filled the year for her. In addition, there were the
following minor jobs. First, the villagers had to pay 20 kyat
per month (per household) for the soldiers' wash, then the
army paid someone to do their laundry (single women). She
worked twice because her family could not pay the 20 kyat.
Second, every day, every family had to carry a bundle of
firewood, a tin of rice and 10 kyat to the army. She collected
and carried the firewood. Third, every day four families (out
of 150) had to supply one person to watch for strangers 
outside the village, two in front and two at the back of the
army base. Her family could not stand watch because they had
too much other work to do, so about once a month, when it was
their turn, they paid 100 kyat to someone else to go. She
decided in the end that she could not stay in the village
because she was overloaded with work. That is the reason why
she left. 
                    __________________________


186
 
Ethnicity/religion: Karen, Buddhist
Age/sex:            16, female
Family situation:   Seven (her, her parents, two elder
                    and two younger siblings)
Education:          6th Standard
Occupation:         Farmers
                    State

The witness's family came to Thailand in December 1997 because
they could not cope anymore with the quantity of forced labour
and portering. She had done forced labour herself since the
age of 15, causing her to drop out of school. At age 15, she
worked for six months on the tar road from Nabu to Kyondo,
from the start of rainy season (June to July 1996) until the
end of the cold season (January 1997). One person per
household had to go. There were people from other sections,
villages, towns too, altogether over 4,000 people at the same
time. The authorities had given the list of people: so many
from this village, etc. When the soldiers were eating, they
put the list on the table and she looked and her name was also
on the list. The presence of all workers was checked three
times a day, in the morning, early afternoon and evening. The
evening check was very strict. Because her family could not
pay 300 kyat per day for the road, she had to drop out of
school and go and work on the road for six months. She had to
eat and sleep at the work site because the road was far from
home. At night they were not allowed back home. They had to
work from early morning till evening, then had to cook when it
was already dark. There was no shelter, she had to sleep under
a tree. Every month her family sent her the necessary rice,
fish paste, ajinomoto (monosodium glutamate). In the six
months, she once was sick with headache and fever. She
received no medication from the soldiers but was allowed to go
home (one-and-a-half hours walk on foot) for two days. For
these two days, the family had to pay 200 kyat. Then the army
came and took her back. At the work site, some people cut
trees, some dug mud, some carried stones and some carried tar.
She carried tar and cut trees up to 20 cm across. Soldiers
only watched the people work and yelled when they stopped. She
saw many people being beaten for being lazy. Especially in the
dry season when it was very hot, people could not work and
stopped, so the soldiers beat them and asked the village head
to pay a fine of 200 kyat per day for the delay at work. She
herself was beaten once by a soldier, and yelled at many
times. She was beaten because she was sick and wanted to quit,
a soldier told her to see the colonel, who was not there, so
she could not get permission, and when she sat on the side of
the road a soldier saw her and beat her. On that occasion, she
could not go home and had to continue working. She had fever,
she doesn't know why, maybe from the heat, working under the
sun. In addition, by order from the military, handed down
through the village head, in March 1997, one person from each
household, including the witness, had to work for one month
for the army base at Two-Elephant village (Sin Hna-kaun).
About 300 people were working there. They had to clear and
prepare the ground and plant rubber trees. When the planting
was finished, the army took the plants. She did not know who
received the profit. The place was remote from the water and
she was very thirsty. The place was two miles away from her
house, but she was not allowed home at night for the whole
month, she had to sleep anywhere, had to bring her own food,
and was not paid for the work. The soldiers were always there,
watching. The treatment was the same as for surfacing the
road, but she was not beaten, since she worked all the time.
Attendance was checked every day two or three times. In April
1997, by order handed down through the village head, one
person per household, including herself, had to go for one day
to Sin Hna-kaun army base to carry tree trunks, logs, for the
base. After April 1997, at the beginning of the rainy season,
one person per household (including herself) had to work for a
full month carrying paddy seed for an army field and planting
it. The place was four hours away from witness's home near
Nabu hill. She had to take her own food and everything with
her, and carry the seed, 24 to 32 tins (about 4 kg). This was
the villagers' seed. They were given no shelter, but had to
find it themselves. The treatment was the same as before.
                    __________________________
 

187    

Ethnicity/religion:     Karen, Buddhist
Age/sex:                20, male
Family situation:       Her, her parents and four siblings
Education:              5th Standard
Occupation:             Farmer
                        State

The witness left Myanmar for the first time at the age of 17
and for the last time in October 1997. He had to drop out of
school at age 14 because of forced labour - he could not go to
school when working; also, they had to pay school fees, about
200 to 300 kyat per month at primary level (from 1st to 4th
Standard), about 600 kyat at upper levels. He continued to do
forced labour until age 17, for about six months out of eight
months in the cold season, surfacing roads, building military
camps, also portering, and for two months out of three in the
rainy season, working on army paddy fields. He could not stand
it anymore, if he had to stayed in the village he would still
have been doing forced labour. He first came to Thailand at
age 17, and since then he had crossed the border many times,
avoiding forced labour. At age 14, he worked on a rock road,
four hours walk from the village, and for the next two years
on two other roads, only during the cold season. Sometimes he
had to go every week, sometimes for a full two weeks, and
sometimes for a whole month. The order came from the army base
to the village head, requiring one person from each family. He
was never paid any money for doing forced labour. He had to
bring his own food. If people could not work, they paid a fee
of 500 to 600 kyat per day to the soldiers (at the time he was
working). He saw a woman from his village who worked on the
road and went to take a shower at the well in the evening
being followed by a soldier and raped. He did not know the
soldier, who was not punished. The woman tried to complain to
the village head, but the village head did not dare talk to
soldiers. He did not see other abuses while road building,
nobody was hit. In addition, From age 15 to 17, he had to go
two or three times a year as a porter, carrying food, rice,
ammunition, sometimes for five days (once 20 miles in five
days non stop walking), sometimes for two weeks or more. The
order came first to the village head, and if he could not
collect the number of porters requested, the army came and
took the people themselves. They were never told before for
how long they were to be porters. If it took too long, the
village had to collect the rice to feed the porters and send
it to them. They never got money for portering, but the family
paid sometimes 200 to 300 kyat to the army to find someone
else for portering. It depended on how many porters the army
wanted. That is what they paid when he was between 15 and 17
years old. He didn't know what the payment was now. At age 16,
he contracted malaria after 17 days of portering, carrying 10
viss (about 16 kg) of rice and ammunition uphill. He received
no treatment and had to continue carrying his load, even
though sick; he was afraid to be killed if he did not
continue. He saw other people being killed, among these, ten
people who were hit by shells when there was fighting, because
porters always had to be in front of the soldiers. They were 
not tied. Two or three were killed while there was no
fighting, they were hit with a gun at various places on their
bodies. Those were from other villages. He had heard about,
but had not seen, women porters being raped. Finally, he had
to go about 15 times a year for two to three days each time to
clear the ground around the army base, make trenches, empty
the old toilet, dig and build a new toilet. In the rainy
season he had to take a cow and tools to army paddy fields and
plough and work there for two months; he had to carry only his
own food, but not the seeds. 
                    __________________________

188

Ethnicity/religion:     Karen, Buddhist
Age/sex:                49, male
Family situation:       Married with five children
Occupation:             Farmer
                        State

In the last five or six years, most forced labour which his
family had to do, including portering, was done by his son and
daughter. His personal experiences over the same period were
limited to the following. Four years ago, in the cold season,
he was travelling on a bus from Kawkareik to Thingannyinaung
village, where soldiers from IB 44 stopped the bus, took all
male passengers and sent them on an army truck, tied in pairs
with a nylon rope, to Mepale on the front line with the KNU.
The next day, each of them was given eight viss of rice to
carry to the top of a mountain, where the battalion was based.
After that, they had to carry the rice going around the
Kawkareik area with an army column for 28 days, when the group
of people to which he belonged was released (another group was
not). In his group of 75 people, four died (he could not see
for the other group). He saw many people who had been porters
for many months, not released back home, ill and weak. They
were beaten because they were weak, not given water. He did
not see anybody being killed, but many beaten. Some people
died from diseases, they gave only one tablet of some
medicine, only once. He saw his cousin, who also had been
arrested, die from diarrhea; they gave him some medicine, but
he had to carry on the day he died; he was very tired in the
evening, settled down, and the next morning he was dead. For
five days in 1997, he replaced his daughter planting rubber
trees for the army. He had to pay porter fees, road fees, give
paddy seeds and rubber plants, and either pay or send a person
(with a cow) to plant paddy and watch the village. The porter
fees were about 600 kyat every month, to be paid to the
authorities if his family did not want to do portering. The
road-building fees were 100 kyat a day if they did not work
until the road was finished. For the paddy seeds and rubber
plants, the family's contribution depended on how much the
army requested from the village. In 1997, it was 64 (small)
tins of rice, plus 3,000 rubber plants for the village; he
bought 50 rubber plants at 25 kyat each totalling 1,250 kyat;
after the purchase, they also had to do the planting. The army
kept the proceeds. 
                    __________________________


189

Occupation:         Medic

The witness worked as a medic in Thailand. He had seen many
former porters from Myanmar with scars from excessively heavy
loads while portering. When there was fighting on the border,
there was more portering. Every month, he saw new people with
scars from portering. Also, he had first-hand information from
Myawady hospital (in Myanmar) that every month six to seven
civilian injuries from land mines, who all appeared to be
porters, marked by scars from carrying excessively heavy
loads, had to be turned away because priority was to be given
to the army, and civilians had to pay for everything in
hospital, even gloves and alcohol for the nurses. Usually they
died from the mine injury becoming infected. 
                    __________________________


190

Ethnicity:          Karen
Age/sex:            43, female
Family situation:   Married with four children (aged between
                    three and 17)
                    (village had 260 families)

Since February 1997, villagers had been working without rest
for the military. In February, hundreds of soldiers arrived in
the village and took most of the villagers' livestock and
property. In March, soldiers (from LIB 547) ordered the
villagers to clear the ground for their new camp. Villagers
had to cut down trees and bamboo, level the ground, construct
buildings and barracks, build fences, dig trenches and build
bunkers around the compound. Villagers worked on the new camp
until the end of May. She personally had to work four days per
month at the camp. She also sent her daughter, who was 17
years old. They were not paid, and had to bring their own
supplies and equipment. In April, the villagers were ordered
by LIB 547 to build a new primary school. They had to clear
and level the ground until the end of May. This work had to be
done simultaneously with the camp work. Two teachers were sent
from town and the village had to hire one teacher. Students
had to pay to attend classes. Fifteen to 45 kyat per month
plus two baskets (one basket was 21 kg) of unhusked rice per
year. She had to work ten days per month. If a person failed
to work, he or she had to hire a substitute at 300 kyat a day.
During the rainy season her daughter was called as a porter
three or four times. She or her eldest daughter were called at
least twice a month by the camp to cook, to clean the compound
and so on. She also had to carry messages and collect
vegetables. Her husband was in poor health, and their betel
nuts were picked by the soldiers in October 1997. She then had
to sell the nuts and give the money to the soldiers. They were
afraid to complain, and had nothing left. They decided to
leave the village in October 1997.
                    __________________________


191

Ethnicity:          Karen
Age/sex:            17, female
Family situation:   Single
                    (village had 260 families)

The witness left Myanmar in October 1997. In March and April
1997, she had to work doing construction for at least 20 days
each month. She also served as a porter four times in 1997
(all portering was done in Kayin State). She portered from
Kawsaing to Yauk Kaya (a two-hour trip) carrying a tripod
(stand for a mortar); from Kawsaing to Lampha; from Kawsaing
to Peinnwegon; and from Kawsaing to Kyeikywa. Soldiers made
her carry their bags on the way and they themselves carried
only guns and equipment. Women occasionally had to serve as
porters especially on short trips. She saw old women, mothers
with children, girls and pregnant women serving in this
capacity. They had to bring their own food and supplies.
                    __________________________


192
 
Ethnicity:          Karen
Age/sex:            35, male
Family situation:   Married with three children (five to 12
                    years old)
Occupation:         Farmer
                    (village had 260 families)

The witness left Myanmar in 1997. During the 1997 hot season,
he had to build a military camp and a school. He also had to
serve as porter a countless number of times during the 1997
rainy season since carts could not be used on damaged roads.
He had to travel to Ason, Kyeikywa, Kwiko and Thaung Pyaung
villages. He had to carry ammunition, rice and supplies. The 
rice sack weighed 22 kg. He was badly treated on one occasion
on a trip to Kyeikywa in July 1997. He was kicked and beaten
because he was late after losing his way due to heavy rain. No 
medical treatment was provided to sick porters. On another
occasion in October 1997, the village head and four villagers 
were beaten as a reprisal for the death of a captain in an
ambush near to his village. In 1997, he also had to clear the
ground between Kawkareik and Kyeikdon so to prepare it for a
road to be built. He had to work there six times, twice for
seven days and four times for three days. He was ordered by
LIB 547 and LIB 548. While villagers had to cut trees, the
soldiers would bring the logs to the villages and towns and
sell them. He decided to leave Myanmar at the end of 1997
since he was not able to work anymore on his farm.
                    __________________________


193

Age:                58, male
Family situation:   Married with eight children
Occupation:         Farmer
                    (village had 260 families)

The witness left Myanmar because he could not live alongside
the military anymore. He was shot by the military one month
ago while returning from his fields. He did not know the
reason why. He served two times as porter in 1997. The first
was in July between Kawaw and Kyeikdon. It was a one-day trip
and he had to carry ammunition. The second was 15 days after
the first trip. He had to go to Kawkareik. It was a seven day
trip. He had to sleep in the rain for six days. Soldiers were
under plastic shelters. The porters were tied up with ropes
(hands and legs) so as to prevent their escape. He was beaten
on one occasion when, one night, he got up to go to the
toilet. One of his relatives died, shot after a portering
journey. At the beginning of 1997, soldiers started to arrive
in his village and requested the villagers to build their
camp. They had to, among other things, clear the ground, cut
trees and erect buildings. He personally had to work on this
assignment for two months. He saw one villager beaten to death
with an iron bar because he was not able to climb a tree as
ordered by a soldier. The witness tried to escape with 30
others but failed to do so. They were ordered not to repeat
what had happened and threatened with murder if they did not
comply. Villagers were hurt also while working on the camp
site. No medical assistance was provided. 
                    __________________________


194

Ethnicity:          Karen
Age/sex:            62, female
Family situation:   Married
                    (village had 32 families)

The witness left Myanmar in November 1997. She was appointed
as village head in March 1997 and served in this capacity for
three months. The military requested her to organise the work
of the villagers so as to construct their camp in Hlawlay. She
divided the families into two groups which had to work on a
rotational basis. She personally had to work with the other
villagers and believed that the toughest work which she had to
perform was to cut and carry bamboos from her village to the
camp, on a two-mile distance. During the 1997 rainy season,
her village was relocated to Hlawlay together with Klaw Chaw,
Thawaw Thaw, Po Kaw and No Po Khee. She had to move to Hlawlay
in June 1997. There she had to build fences. In November 1997,
the military ordered the villagers to give two thirds of their
rice crops to the army camp. Her husband served as a porter
five times in 1997. He was beaten when he was too slow and was
given rotten rice as food ration. 
                     ________________________

195

Age/sex:            35, male
Family situation:   Married with four children
                    (lived in Antwe village prior to leaving   
                    Myanmar)

The witness left Myanmar in November 1997. In March 1997, he
had to build a new military camp, a military warehouse and a
football field for the soldiers. He also had to lay fences and
dig bamboo traps around the military compound. He also served
twice as a porter. The first trip was just before the 1997
Water Festival (early April). He had to go to Kwilo on a
three-day journey. On this occasion, he had to carry a rice
supply which weighed 25 kg. The second assignment was for nine
days in May 1997 when he had to accompany troops from Division
101 returning to Kawkareik. He had to carry weights of at
least 40 kg. 
                     ________________________

196
 
Age/sex:            43, male
Family situation:   Married with six children
                    State (village had 100 families)

The military built an army camp in his village in March 1997.
He personally had to, among other things, cut trees, build
buildings, dig ditches and lay fences. He worked on this
assignment for two months. Children of ten years of age would
come also and cut down small branches. In order to be exempted
from the work, it was necessary to pay to the soldiers 200
kyat and a chicken for each working day missed. During the
rainy season, he served as a porter twice a month. He was also
ordered to work two days a month for the military camp
performing all light duties ordered by the military. Two
people died and two others were wounded when Karen soldiers
opened fire on the camp at the end of July 1997. He was
requested with three other persons to carry the wounded to
Kawkareik. Eight soldiers accompanied them. Since the journey
was long and the people to be carried heavy, they asked for
additional porters. The military authorised only four
additional men. They arrived late at night. The next day, the
village head was severely beaten and villagers were requested
to pay 35,000 kyat because they failed to inform the military
of a KNU ambush. 
                     ________________________


197
 
Age/sex:            50, male
                    (village had 100 families)

The witness left Myanmar at the end of 1997. During the 1997
hot season, he had to work on the army camp which was being
built in his village. During the 1997 rainy season, he served
as a porter and had to carry supplies for the military in this
capacity. 
                     ________________________

[END OF SLICE 43]