SPDC Human Rights abuses in Palaung

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Subject: SPDC Human Rights abuses in Palaung land

SPDC confiscate wood from ceasefire group

On 18/1/99 the second commander of SPDC LIB (524) based in Murng Wee
township, Northern Shan State, led his troops about 30 km from their camp
at about 6 p.m. and met two trucks and stopped them. He ordered his
soldiers to open the covers, revealing  6 tons of wood. He asked who was
the wood owner, and the car drivers said the owner was from
--------cease-fire group. He said he didn't care who the owner was. He
ordered the drivers to drive it to their camp, but the car owners refused.
He then beat  both car drivers heavily. So the car drivers had no choice
but to drive near to their camp and unload all of the wood. After that he
ordered one of the car drivers to go back and find 800,000 Kyats within 2
days. If he could not receive the full amount within 2 days, he would kill
his friends and burn their cars. But after he received the money, he only 
released the cars and drivers. He still kept the  wood. He asked the wood 
owner to come to see him and negotiate with him. The wood owner could not 
do anything and the commander kept the wood and later sold all of the wood 
to Muser township and gave half of the money to their commander Kyaw Lin.


SPDC seeks to spread misunderstanding cease-fire groups

On April 3,1999, our correspondent has received an SPDC statement,
signed by the SPDC Chairman about the Palaung State Liberation Army. The
SPDC strategy is to to make the Palaung people misunderstand PSLA. In their
statement  they said that the PSLA should not  collect rice,  collect money
or collect new soilders.  However, in fact the PSLA  do not do these things
It is the SPDC who have been taking porters for as long as 20 days or one
month, forcing villagers to work for them, cut  bamboo and firewood for
their camps, collecting money from them,  taxing everything,
collecting soldiers military, forcing people into the Red Cross group and
into the militia. 


SPDC officer attempts rape in Namsan

On 22/ 2/ 99 SPDC LB 23 based in Nam San, northern Shan State, led by Aung
Taing Oo came to -------- village at 7 p.m and took 200,000 kyats, 2 boxes
of beer, 5 bottles of Mandalay Rum whisky and 15 tins of beef from U----'s
shop.  After that Aung Taing Oo tried to rape  Ma ----------- aged 18,
daughter of  U --------, but Ma --------- was cried loudly  so he had to

release her.  The shop owner reported this to the village headman, who
reported it to Than Tun, command of LB 23, but until now there has been
action taken.

>From our correspondent
Palaung Youth Network Group
6/6/99