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KHRG: SPDC Orders Set 99-A, Part 3/
- Subject: KHRG: SPDC Orders Set 99-A, Part 3/
- From: win2@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 05:01:00
Subject: KHRG: SPDC Orders Set 99-A, Part 3/5
SPDC ORDERS TO VILLAGES: SET 99-A
Pa'an, Toungoo, Dooplaya and Papun Districts
An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
February 10, 1999 / KHRG #99-01
*** PART 3 OF 5; SEE OTHER POSTINGS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THIS REPORT ***
[Only part of the report is reproduced here for circulation on Burmanet.
For a more complete copy of the report, see the KHRG website at
http://sunsite.unc.edu/freeburma/humanrights/khrg/archive/
Some details have been omitted or replaced by 'xxxx' for Internet
distribution.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Toungoo District
Toungoo (Taw Oo) district forms the northern tip of Karen State,
sandwiched between Karenni State to the east, Shan State to the north, and
Pegu Division to the west. Much of this district is steep forested hills
with
small remote Karen villages. For several years these villages have
suffered destruction and forced labour as SLORC/SPDC troops have tried
to undermine the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in the area by
wiping out village food supplies and forcing people to build a military
access road into the area. This road now reaches Bu Sah Kee, though in
rainy season it is wiped out and vehicles can only reach Kaw Thay Der or
Yay Tho Gyi; hence the orders in this report ordering as many as 260
villagers at a time to "transport food", i.e. carry Army rations, from Yay
Tho Gyi to Bu Sah Kee and other Army camps. From Yay Tho Gyi to Bu
Sah Kee is several days' walk over very steep forested hills.
Now that the SPDC Infantry Battalions are more strongly entrenched in the
area the villagers were hoping for a respite; many of them in villages
along
the road even call their villages "Nyein Chan Yay" ("Peace") villages,
having made an informal agreement with the local SPDC military that they
will comply with all orders and demands if only their villages are not
destroyed or forced to move. This includes villages such as Baw Ga Li
Gyi and Yay Tho Gyi (Kaw Thay Der). However, these villages are facing
increasingly heavy demands for porters and money by the SPDC
battalions, and as they have no money to pay to avoid portering they are in
a dilemma. At the same time, villages which are not seen as cooperating
fully are being punished severely. In Saw Wah Der village SPDC troops
recently chose all the nicest houses in the village and burned them, and
all
of the villagers now live in the forest in fear. Further east, SPDC Major
Myo Myint could see the ricefields of Bu Sah Kee village from the camp
of Infantry Battalion #26 which he commands, and the villagers there
always flee into the forest when his troops approach; so in September 1998
he sent patrols out with orders to destroy the entire rice crop of the 60
families in the village. They uprooted, cut down or stomped down about
half of the entire crop which was to support the village through the coming
year, and the villagers there no longer know what they will do when they
run out of rice.
The motor road now being built from Toungoo in Pegu Division to
Mawchi in southern Karenni (Kayah) State is intended to create easier
access to southern Karenni from the central plains of Burma, both to make
military control of Karenni easier and because Mawchi is a mining area.
The distance is about 80 kilometres in a straight line, but actually closer
to
double this distance because most of the route is through steep and remote
hill country. Though it is usually referred to as the Toungoo-Mawchi road,
there is already a road from Toungoo to Baw Ga Li Gyi, so the new
construction is actually from Baw Ga Li Gyi to Mawchi. As can be seen
by the orders below, the road is being cleared and constructed using large
amounts of forced labour of the villagers. Many villagers in Saw Wah Der
area lost their 1998 rice crop because there were so many SPDC troops
along the road route that they didn't dare to plant in the nearby fields.
Construction stopped during the rainy season of 1998 but has now
resumed. Once it is completed, it is almost certain that the same
villagers
will be forced to guard it against mining, sabotage or ambush of military
convoys, because the road passes through remote areas.
Many of the orders below call for 'servants' or 'loh ah pay' (translated
here
as 'voluntary labour'), SPDC's terms for forced labour. The villagers who
go are used as porters, messengers, road labourers, and doing Army camp
labour such as sentry duty, cleaning, and building and maintaining
barracks, fences and booby-traps. 'Operation servants' specifically means
long-term frontline porters. Village heads are called to 'meetings' to
'discuss the matter of servants' or to 'discuss clearing of the road', but
at
these meetings the Army officer or local Peace & Development Council
(PDC) officials simply dictate forced labour assignments and threats for
failure to comply. Some orders refer to forced labour for the Na Pa Ka
[the Western Military Command]; though they are based far to the west in
Arakan (Rakhine) State, one Strategic Command of 3 Battalions has been
operating in Toungoo District for at least 2-3 years now to assist the
Southern Military Command.
Most of the orders below are from Baw Ga Li Gyi village tract, a group of
over 10 villages administered by the Village Tract PDC in Baw Ga Li Gyi,
a large village of several hundred households. This Village Tract PDC is
clearly working closely with the local SPDC Battalions; they receive
orders from the Battalions, then pass them on to the elders of all villages
under their administration, sometimes with extra demands tacked on to
enrich themselves. In the process, a complex system of 'servants' and
'servants' fees' has developed within this village tract. Initially the
local
Battalions issue orders to the Village Tract PDC demanding numbers of
forced labourers for a specific purpose. Knowing that the villages do not
want to do the labour and will be slow to comply, the Village Tract PDC
often hires day labourers through agents in Toungoo, pays for their 'car
fees' (i.e. transport costs) to Baw Ga Li Gyi, and supplies them to the
SPDC military. The Village Tract PDC then issues orders to the villages
under their administration to pay their share of the cost based on the
relative size (number of households) of their village; for example, a
village
may be ordered to pay for 10 of the 80 people hired by the Village Tract
PDC. The amounts are often not specified in the orders because they are
already understood; for example, 4,000 Kyats for each short-term porter
plus 250 Kyats for his 'car fee'.
Under this system even small villages must pay 30,000-80,000 Kyats per
month, and many simply do not have the money to do so because of all the
other SPDC demands they have to meet. As a result, most villages are
delinquent in their payments, and once payments fall behind by a couple of
months the Village Tract PDC often tells the village 'we will no longer
take any responsibility for you' and reports the village to the military
for
failure to 'perform their duty'. A military column might then storm the
village to loot and burn houses as punishment.
In addition to these fees, villages are faced with direct orders to provide
forced labourers, sometimes when the military says it is for 'emergency'
purposes, meaning that they need labourers right away for one-time work.
At the same time, they face constant demands for rice, meat, vegetables,
fruits, cheroots, condiments, and building supplies such as bamboo and
roofing leaves. In July 1998 villages throughout the village tract were
even ordered to form teams to compete in the "Battalion Commander's
Cup Volleyball Tournament" (see Order #T64). Usually when villages are
ordered to form teams for SPDC competitions, they are then forced to pay
a heavy 'entry fee' to enter their team, while villages which do not form
teams are forced to pay an even heavier 'fine'. Some orders below also
demand money for compensation to be paid to landmine victims and
others who have been wounded or killed while doing forced labour for
SPDC troops. While this may appear humanitarian at first, such
compensation should clearly be paid by the SPDC, not demanded from the
local villages which supplied the forced labour under pain of punishment
in the first place. Furthermore, Order #T55 demands 100 Kyat from each
family in all the villages to pay for a funeral, though there is no way
that
the funeral could cost so much; chances are that the excess will not be
given to the victim's family but will be kept by the local authorities.
For more information on the situation in Toungoo District see KHRG
Information Update #98-U5, "Continuing Hardships for Villagers in
Northern Karen Districts", and a full KHRG report on the subject to be
released soon.
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Restrictions on Villages
Order #T1*
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village - Than Daung Township
Ref: / Security / Ba Ga La (98)
Date: January 6, 1998
To: Chairperson / Secretary
xxxx village
Subject: To obey the orders issued by the local Battalion
Regarding the above subject, in accordance with the official instructions
sent today, 6-1-98 at 8 o'clock in the morning, to the office of the
Village
Tract Peace and Development Council by the Battalion Commander of
#39 Infantry Battalion, the following orders are issued for security
reasons
and all villages in Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract must obey these orders.
(1) All villagers must sleep in the village at night and must not sleep
in
any gardens / fields outside the village.
(2) Everyone must ask permission from the village authorities in order to
travel to other places such as Toungoo, and must go only when the
authorities have registered them and given permission.
(3) The family lists will be checked in all villages, and if someone is
not
sleeping at home at night when the family lists are checked by the
authorities, he will be regarded as one who has contact with insurgents and
appropriate action will be taken.
(4) It is confirmed that these orders take effect from 6-1-98, the date
of
their issue.
Therefore, you are informed to announce these orders to the people of your
village so that they will know and obey these orders.
[Sd.]
Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
Copy to: - The Battalion Commander
#39 Infantry Battalion at Baw Ga Li Gyi village
[This order makes life very difficult for villagers in the cropping season,
when it is necessary to stay in their fields which may be far from the
village. For those regarded as having 'contact with insurgents',
'appropriate action' means arrest, interrogation under torture, and often
summary execution.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Forced Labour on Roads
Order #T2
To: Chairperson / Secretary Stamp:
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 11-5-98
Subject: Voluntary labour for construction of the Toungoo - Mawchi road
Regarding the above subject, through the Toungoo - Mawchi Frontline
Road Construction Unit, #48 Infantry Battalion from Baw Ga Li Gyi Base
asks all villages in the area of Baw Ga Li Gyi village tract to provide a
total of 20 voluntary labourers and rotate them every 5 days, so you are
informed that the Chairperson / Secretary must send xx voluntary labourers
to Baw Ga Li Gyi Base on (12-5-98) with their food for 5 days.
Note: [blank]
[Sd.]
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
[Forced labour constructing the main part of the Toungoo-Mawchi road,
which runs over 100 kilometres from Pegu Division to Karenni (Kayah)
State, began in early 1998 and is not yet completed. The road is to pass
through remote and very rugged forested terrain for almost its entire
length. See also Orders #T3 and T4.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T3*
Stamp:
To: Chairperson / Secretary Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
xxxx village Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 11-5-98
Subject: Voluntary labour for construction of Toungoo - Mawchi road
Regarding the above-mentioned subject, #48 Infantry Battalion from Baw
Ga Li Gyi base have asked for voluntary labour through the Toungoo -
Mawchi Frontline Road Construction Unit. Therefore the Chairperson /
Secretary are informed to send voluntary servants, according to the quotas
assigned to each village in the list below, to Baw Ga Li Gyi base on 12-5-
98 at 7 o'clock in the morning with their food for 3 days.
The more people the road construction unit gets, the fewer days they will
have to spend to finish the work, so the total number of (20) persons
previously specified has been replaced by the newly fixed total of (40).
In
accordance with the instructions of the Battalion, you are notified that
you
must send the voluntary labourers as specified and apportioned to each
village without fail (without fail) and it will be entirely the
responsibility
of your village if you fail.
(1) vvvv village voluntary servants (20) persons
(2) wwww " ( 2) persons
(3) xxxx " (10) persons
(4) yyyy " ( 3) persons
(5) zzzz " ( 5) persons
_____________________________________________________
Total (40) persons
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T4
Stamp:
#xxx Infantry Battalion To: Chairperson
Column #1 Headquarters xxxx village
Subject: Summoning voluntary labour
1. The Mawchi - Baw Ga Li Gyi car road is for the development of the
local area. The road construction causes no one any trouble or difficulty,
and the intention of the road construction is to make transportation and
communication easy. Therefore, make sure there are no landmines and no
ambushes at the road construction site or along the old car road. If there
are any landmines or ambushes, the road construction must be carried out
by the people of the village.
2. Therefore, you are informed that you must send (xx) voluntary
labourers in turns [on a rotating basis] for the road construction to Baw
Ga Li Gyi on 26-5-98 at (0800) hours.
[Sd.]
(for) Intelligence Officer
#xxx Infantry Battalion
[This is referring to the Toungoo-Mawchi road; a road already exists
from Toungoo to Baw Ga Li Gyi, so the main work is being done on the
Baw Ga Li Gyi to Mawchi section, which makes up well over half of the
road's length of over 100 kilometres. As the order demonstrates, forced
labour is being used regardless of whether or not there are landmines or
ambushes, and the construction is definitely causing people some trouble.
Not only is there forced labour, but many farmers with fields along the
road route didn't dare plant a crop in 1998 because they were afraid of
being grabbed for labour by the soldiers along the road.]
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Order #T5
To: Chairperson / Secretary
xxxx village Date: 5-7-98
Subject: Voluntary labour on Paleh Wah - Baw Ga Li road
According to the instruction of the Battalion Commander from xxxx Camp,
to repair the damaged parts of the road between Paleh Wah and Baw Ga
Li, xx servants from your village must come to xxxx [village] bringing
with them the following items and wait there. We will go by vehicle to
repair the road.
(1) Hoes [Sd.]
(2) Saws Saw xxxx
(3) Machetes Chairperson
(4) Spades VPDC
xxxx
[This is the existing road from Baw Ga Li Gyi westward to Toungoo.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Portering and Other Forced Labour
Order #T7*
Stamp:
Advance #xxx Infantry Battalion
To: Chairperson
[blank] village Date: 11-9-98
Subject: To send voluntary labourers
In accordance with the instructions of the Battalion Commander of #xxx IB
at xxxx Base, you are informed that you must collect one voluntary
labourer per house from your village and send them with their own food
for 4 days; they will have to transport food [carry rations as porters]
from
Yay Tho Gyi to Maung Daing Gyi Camp and they must come without fail.
Send them right now.
[Sd. /Lt.]
Intelligence Officer
xxxx, Lt. xxxx
Advance #xxx Infantry Battalion
[This was carbon copied and sent to several villages, some with the
village name left blank.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T8
To: Chairperson
xxxx [village]
Subject: To send the voluntary labourers to Maung Daing Gyi village
Regarding the above subject, the numbers of voluntary labourers to
transport the food to Maung Daing Gyi Camp are assigned to Baw Ga Li
Gyi Village Tract as follows:
(A) wwww [village] (10 ) persons
(B) xxxx ( 5 ) persons
(C) yyyy ( 5 ) persons
(D) zzzz ( 5 ) persons
You Chairpersons yourselves must bring them to xxxx Camp on the 17th at
6 o'clock.
[Sd./ xxxx / Lt. Col.]
Column Commander
Advance #xxx Infantry Battalion
At the same time, the meeting of the Chairpersons will be held.
[This is a demand for porters to carry rations from the roadhead to an
Army camp. It was copied and sent to several villages.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T9
Stamp:
#xxx Infantry Battalion 10/9/98
xxxx [town]
To: Chairperson
xxxx village
Subject: To send (8) voluntary labourers
Regarding the above subject, we cannot hire any servants from Toungoo
so you are informed to bring (eight) voluntary labourers to xxxx on
September 11 at 6 o'clock in the morning.
You yourself must bring them.
[Sd. /Lt./ 10/9/98]
Intelligence Officer
xxxx, Lt. xxxx
Advance #xxx Infantry Battalion
Note: Take the letter to yyyy village right now.
[Sd./ 10/9/98]
[In this particular village tract, the normal practice is for the Village
Tract PDC to hire labourers for the Army and then force the villagers to
pay the cost (see summary notes on Toungoo District above); however, the
villagers are also often called for forced labour when the Army can't be
bothered to go through this procedure, as this order shows. The note at
the bottom probably refers to a copy of this order enclosed for another
village. Orders #T10 and T11 below were received at the same time by
other villages.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T12
xxxx village elder
I have heard about a tree falling between xxxx and yyyy, so tomorrow
please order 5 of your villagers and some of us will also go and do [clear]
it together.
Thankfully,
[Sd.]
xxxx
xxxx village
[Note: This order is written in Karen, from the village tract PDC
chairman to a village elder. This type of work, not work for the Army, is
what 'loh ah pay' really means in Burma; however, in real 'loh ah pay' the
village elder would not 'order' 5 villagers, he would ask for 5 volunteers.
This order reflects on the way that SPDC forced labour is not 'loh ah pay',
but even more so on how their use of force is creeping into and corrupting
what used to be voluntary work by villagers within their community.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T13
To: Chairperson / Secretary Stamp:
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 22-4-98
Subject: To send voluntary labourers
The Battalion Commander of #xxx IB at xxxx Base asks (xx) voluntary
labourers from your village and so you, the Chairperson yourself, must
come and bring them.
You are informed that if you cannot send them, you must hire the
labourers by yourself through Ko xxxx at Baw Ga Li Gyi village. Bring the
fees for the labourers along with you and come without fail.
[Sd.]
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
[Ko xxxx is most likely an agent who supplies people willing to do forced
labour for money. It appears that he is frequently used by the Village
Tract authorities to obtain labourers to fill the military's demands, as
his
name appears in several orders.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T14
To: Chairperson / Secretary Stamp:
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 19-4-98
Subject: To send voluntary labourers
The Battalion Commander of #48 IB at Baw Ga Li Gyi Base is asking for
voluntary labourers from the villages in Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, so
you are informed to send xx voluntary labourers with their own food for 5
days to Baw Ga Li Gyi Base on (22-4-98), Wednesday, at 9 o'clock in the
morning without fail (without fail).
[Sd.]
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T15
To: Chairperson Stamp:
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 23-2-98
Subject: To send voluntary labourers to Baw Ga Li Gyi on (24-2-98)
at 5 o'clock in the morning
You are informed to send the voluntary labourers to Baw Ga Li Gyi on
(24-2-98) at 5 o'clock in the morning. The full quota of people must be
sent in accordance with the instructions of Baw Ga Li Gyi Camp issued on
(23-2-98) at 7 o'clock at night.
Note: You must not fail.
[Sd.]
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T17
To: Chairperson / Secretary Stamp:
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract
Peace and Development Council
Than Daung Township
Date: 10-12-97
Subject: To send the voluntary labourers we requested
Collecting the exact number of labourers we asked for on (9-12-97), you
yourself must bring the voluntary labourers today, (10-12-97), at 10
o'clock in the morning without fail. The reason for asking them to bring
their own food for 4 days is that they must go along with the troops up to
Si Kheh Der.
(Therefore, you must comply without fail, and if you fail, it will be
entirely
your responsibility. If the local troops arrive at your village, you will
face
the same fate as Za Ba Ji and Meh Kyaw villages and we will not take
responsibility for you.)
[Sd.]
(for) Chairperson
Village Tract Peace and Development Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
[The villagers sent are to be used for forced labour going along as porters
for a military column heading to Si Kheh Der. KHRG has been unable to
confirm what was the 'fate' of the 2 villages mentioned who failed to obey
an order at the end of 1997, though it may have included the arrest of
village elders or the burning of houses.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
Order #T23*
Stamp:
To: Chairperson / Secretary Law and Order Restoration Council
xxxx village Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract Date:
30-8-97
Subject: To send the specified voluntary labourers we requested to convey
food as immediately as possible (as immediately as possible)
Reference: The decision made by the meeting of all villages on 26-8-97
(1) Regarding the above reference, at the meeting of all villages on 26-8-
97 the quota of voluntary labourers for each village, bringing their own
food for 4 days to convey food [carry Army rations] from Maung Daing
Gyi to Bu Sah Kee, was agreed by all Chairpersons and Secretaries, but
your village did not send the voluntary labourers on the specified date of
29-8-97.
(2) On 29-8-97, #73 IB summoned your village to send the voluntary
labourers as soon as possible, and your village failed again.
(3) Therefore, the local Battalion informs you that as soon as you receive
this letter, you, the village authorities, the Chairperson and the
Secretary,
must send xx voluntary labourers to the specified gathering place at Baw
Ga Li Gyi / Yay Tho Gyi to convey food according to the quota as
immediately as possible (as immediately as possible).
(4) Villages which fail to send the voluntary labourers will have severe
action taken against them. The Chairperson and the Secretary themselves
must come and bring the voluntary labourers.
(5) You, Chairperson / Secretary, are informed that motor vehicles from
your village are not allowed to travel starting from 30-8-97 because your
village has failed to send voluntary labourers. If there is a similar
failure
in future, appropriate action will be taken against you.
[Sd.]
Secretary
Village Tract Law and Order Restoration Council
Baw Ga Li Gyi Village Tract, Than Daung Township
Note: Since 1 more voluntary labourer is needed, send one more.
[At the time of this order, a road from Baw Ga Li Gyi to Bu Sah Kee had
already been completed using forced labour, but this order was issued
during rainy season, when it is not passable. As a result villagers still
have to go as porters, then after each rainy season they are forced to
rebuild the road.]
____________________________________________________________________________
_
- [END OF PART 3; SEE SUBSEQUENT POSTINGS FOR PARTS 4 THROUGH 5] -