Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Individual Documents
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted by a KHRG researcher in May 2011 with a villager from Ler Doh Township, Nyaunglebin District. The researcher interviewed Saw My---, a 45 year-old farmer who described his experiences when he was forced to leave his village in a mixed-administration area and live for two years in a neighbouring village, including specific incidents in which Tatmadaw soldiers fired small arms at children in school uniforms, forced women to serve as human shields for Tatmadaw columns during patrols, and ordered villagers at gunpoint to leave their homes and possessions during the rainy season. He further cited the following abuses: movement restrictions; forced labour; and arbitrary taxation and demands. Saw My--- also highlighted the difficulties his village currently faces accessing health care and education, but explained that villagers counter these difficulties by using traditional medicine and by hiring and supporting local teachers."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-08-04
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Humanitarian Law (reports of violations in Burma), Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Forced relocation of Karen, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during September 2011 by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed U Kh---, a 48-year-old farmer who described being forced to porter for Tatmadaw LIB #220 troops for four days at the beginning of September 2011 during which time he witnessed the looting of villagers? animals, as well as the arrest and detention of two P--- villagers to serve as recruits for Border Guard troops and subsequent demands for the payment of 200,000 kyat (US $259.74) in lieu of each recruit. He described the firing of mortars and small arms in civilian areas and detailed demands for food, weapons, and a motorboat to Border Guard troops. U Kh--- mentioned that he anticipated widespread food shortages as a result of extensive flood damage to paddy crops during the 2011 monsoon season and noted that demands for unpaid forced labour further strained villagers? ability to pursue their own livelihoods effectively. U Kh--- explained that villagers counter burdensome demands by negotiating with local commanders to reduce the number of recruits and pay a smaller sum than demanded in lieu of the provision of recruits"
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-02-17
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Food Security in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted by a KHRG researcher in May 2011 with a villager from Ler Doh Township, Nyaunglebin District. The researcher interviewed Naw Sa---, a 26-year-old villager who described human rights and humanitarian conditions in her village, in a mixed administration area under effective Tatmadaw control. Naw Sa--- cited the following human rights concerns: forced relocation and displacement; demands for provision of food; shelling of civilian areas, resulting in civilian injuries; arrest and detention of villagers; physical violence against detained villagers; forced labour, including sentry duty; and movement restrictions. She also explained the challenges to accessing medical care and adequate education for children faced by members of her community; and described how villagers returned to work covertly on their agricultural projects in order to protect their livelihoods, after they were ordered by the Tatmadaw to abandon their village."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-08-05
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Forced relocation of Karen, Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar, Discrimination against the Karen, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
more
Description:
This report contains 12 incident reports written by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions, based on information provided by 12 different villagers living in hiding sites in Lu Thaw Township, Papun District between November 2010 and January 2011.[1] The twelve villagers described human rights concerns for civilians prior to and during displacement to their current hiding sites, including: deliberate firing of mortars and small arms into civilian areas; burning and destruction of houses, food and food preparation equipment; theft and looting of villagers? animals and possessions; and use of landmines by the Tatmadaw, non-state armed groups, and local gher der ?home guard? groups in civilian areas, resulting in at least one civilian death and two civilian injuries. The reports register villagers? serious concerns about food security in hiding areas beyond Tatmadaw control, caused by effective limits on access to arable land due to the risk of attack when villagers cultivating land proximate to Tatmadaw camps, depletion of soil fertility in cultivable areas, and a drought during the 2010 rainy season which triggered widespread paddy crop failure.[2] To address the threat of Tatmadaw attacks targeting villagers, their food stores and livelihoods activities, villagers reported that they form gher der groups to monitor and communicate Tatmadaw activity; utilise early-warning systems; and communicate amongst themselves and with non-state armed groups to share information about Tatmadaw troop movements. Two villagers stated that the deployment of landmines by gher der groups and KNLA soldiers prevents access to civilian areas by Tatmadaw troops and facilitates security for villagers to pursue their agricultural activities. Another villager described how his community maintained communal agricultural projects to support families at risk from food shortages. These reports were received by KHRG in May 2011, along with other information concerning the situation in Papun District, including 11 other incident reports, 25 interviews, 137 photographs and a general update on the situation in Lu Thaw Township.[3]
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-08-24
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Food Security in Karen (Kayin) State, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
840.59 KB
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Description:
"This report contains a situation update submitted to KHRG in April 2011 and written by a villager describing events occurring in Lu Pleh and Dta Greh townships in Pa?an District between February and April 2011. It contains information on incidents of forced labour by the Tatmadaw, including the use of villagers to build huts, deliver palm leaves for thatching buildings and provide unpaid forced labour during gold-mining and logging operations. It also documents the forced relocation of villagers from upland areas, and relates an incident in which a Tatmadaw deserter, who was later summarily executed by Tatmadaw troops, shot and injured a 53-year-old woman in Tantabin Township, Toungoo District. In response to human rights and related humanitarian concerns, including access to health care, the researcher reported that villagers travel covertly to seek medical care from cross-border groups, sell betel leaves to supplement incomes and laminate currency in plastic to prevent it from becoming damaged. This situation report also contains updated information on military activity in Pa?an District, specifically the defection of Tatmadaw Border Guard soldiers in February 2011 to a breakaway faction of the DKBA that had previously refused to transform into Border Guard battalions, and to the KNLA."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-09-21
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Forced relocation of Karen, Deployment of Tatmadaw in border areas
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted prior to Burma?s November 2010 elections in Te Naw Th?Ri Township, Tenasserim Division by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Saw C---, a 30-year-old married hill field farmer who told KHRG that he was appointed to the position of village head by his local VPDC in an area of Te Naw Th?Ri Township that is frequently accessed by Tatmadaw troops, and in which there is no KNLA presence. Saw C--- described human rights abuses faced by residents of his village, including: demands for forced labour; theft and looting of villagers? property; and movement restrictions that prevent villagers from accessing agricultural workplaces. He also cited an incident in which a villager was shot and killed by Tatmadaw soldiers while fishing in a nearby river, and his death subsequently concealed; and recounted abuses he witnessed when forced to porter military rations and accompany Tatmadaw soldiers during foot patrols, including the theft and looting of villagers? property and the rape of a 50-year-old woman. Saw C--- told KHRG that villagers protect themselves in the following ways: collecting flowers from the jungle to sell in local markets in order to supplement incomes, failing to comply with orders to report to a Tatmadaw camp, and using traditional herbal remedies due to difficulties accessing healthcare. He noted, however, that these strategies can be limited, for example by threats of violence against civilians by Tatmadaw soldiers or scarcity of plants commonly used in herbal remedies."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-09-09
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Food Security and militarisation in Burma
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
243.33 KB
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Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted by a KHRG researcher in August 2011. The KHRG researcher interviewed Saw K---, a 30-year-old medic with the Backpack Health Worker Team (BPHWT), an organisation that provides health care and medical assistance to displaced civilians inside Burma. Saw K--- described witnessing a joint attack by Tatmadaw soldiers from three different battalions on a civilian settlement in Ma No Roh village tract, Te Naw Th?Ri Township, Tenasserim Division in January 2011. Saw K--- reported that mortars were fired into P--- village, causing residents and Saw K---, who was providing healthcare support in P--- village at that time, to flee. Saw K--- reported that Tatmadaw soldiers subsequently entered P--- village and burned down 17 houses, as well as rice barns and food stores belonging to villagers, before planting landmines in the village. According to Saw K---, the residents of P--- have not returned to their homes, and have been unable to coordinate to restart the school that was abandoned in P--- because most households now live at dispersed sites in the area."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-09-15
Date of entry/update:
2012-02-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
149.83 KB
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in August 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Papun District in January 2011 and human rights consequences for local communities. It contains updated information concerning Tatmadaw military activities and details the following human rights abuses: coordinated attacks on villages by Tatmadaw and Border Guard troops and the firing of mortars and small arms in civilian areas, resulting in displacement of the civilian population and the closure of two schools; the use of landmines by the Tatmadaw and non-state armed groups; and forced portering for the Tatmadaw and Tatmadaw Border Guards. The report also mentions government plans for a logging venture and the construction of a dam. Moreover, it documents villagers? responses to human rights concerns, including strategic displacement to avoid attacks and forced labour entailing physical security risks to civilians; advance preparation for strategic displacement in the event of Tatmadaw attacks; and seeking the protection of non-state armed groups against Tatmadaw attacks and other human rights threats."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-10-06
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, Discrimination against the Karen
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
254.27 KB
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted in December 2010 in Te Naw Th?Ri Township, Tenasserim Division by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Saw T---, a 59-year-old village head who, at the time of interview, was in hiding from Tatmadaw troops in an area of Tenasserim Division beyond government control. Excerpts from Saw T---?s interview with KHRG have been published in the previous KHRG field report ?Militarization, Development and Displacement: Conditions for villagers in southern Tenasserim Division” however, the full transcript of his testimony is now available below. Saw T--- described witnessing attacks on villagers by Tatmadaw soldiers and cited regular demands for villagers to serve as forced porters for the Tatmadaw and other forms of forced labour as one of the main factors which originally motivated him to go into hiding. Saw T--- explained that villagers in hiding employ a range of strategies to avoid Tatmadaw forces, including coordinating security strategies and sharing information with villagers at other hiding sites, maintaining contact with and seeking protection from non-state armed groups, cultivating crops that are easy to harvest quickly, travelling covertly to villages in mixed-administration areas in order to engage in trade and other livelihoods activities, and crossing vehicle roads during the night."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-10-05
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Village and urban resistance
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in April 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Te Naw Th?Ri Township, Tenasserim Division between June 2010 and April 2011. The report details abuses related to land confiscation by Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) officials; forced labour, including forced USDP membership; and attacks on villages in hiding, including the burning of houses, food stores, a school dormitory and supplies by Tatmadaw forces. This report also contains updated information concerning active Tatmadaw units in five areas of Tenasserim Division and relates health and education concerns of villagers in hiding in three areas of Te Naw Th?Ri Township."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-09-26
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Agricultural land confiscation/grabbing, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in August 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Kawkareik, Kya In and Waw Raw (Win Yaw) townships of Dooplaya District between April and August 2011. The villager describes human rights abuses committed by soldiers from at least three Tatmadaw battalions, including: shelling of villages, resulting in civilian injuries and destruction of houses and food supplies; demands for the fabrication and delivery of thatch and bamboo, and for the provision of food; restrictions on villagers; detention, physical abuse, and killing of villagers; shooting of villagers; and a demand for villagers, including children, to clear the perimeter of a Tatmadaw camp. The villager also expresses concern that these abuses disrupt villagers? livelihoods and the provision of education for children."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-10-12
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Destruction/theft of crops and food stores, killing/theft of livestock, Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
209.43 KB
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in September 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Pa?an District between June 2011 and August 2011. It details recent Tatmadaw and Tatmadaw Border Guard activity, including camp locations and troop strength, and incidents related to a forced relocation order issued to eight villages in Lu Pleh Township by Tatmadaw Border Guard units on July 15th 2011. After the July 20th deadline for relocation, Tatmadaw and Border Guard forces commenced joint attacks against six of the villages ordered to relocate, including multiple days of heavy shelling and machine gun fire which the villager who submitted this report described as indiscriminate. On July 20th 2011 Border Guard troops also deliberately killed villagers? livestock and fired mortars into civilian areas of R--- village, injuring a 50-year-old woman, while retreating from an attack by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) on the Border Guard camp in R---. This report further documents Tatmadaw Border Guard demands for forced labour and forced porters. The villager who submitted this update raises villagers? concerns related to flooding along the Dta Greh [Hlaing Bwe] River during the 2011 monsoon season, and the abandonment of schools and loss of trade and livelihood opportunities due to forced relocation. This report notes that, in response to the abuses and concerns mentioned above, villagers in Pa?an District adopt strategies that include: moving to areas beyond Tatmadaw control, monitoring local security conditions, and hiding food stores in the jungle."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-10-17
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Destruction/theft of crops and food stores, killing/theft of livestock, Forced relocation of Karen, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
403.25 KB
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during April 2011 in Pa?an Township, Thaton District by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Daw Ny---, who described an incident which occurred in November 2010, during which Tatmadaw Border Guard soldiers fired small-arms at her husband without warning and without attempting to hail him, seriously injuring his leg and necessitating 3,800,000 kyat [US $4,935.06] in medical expenses, which has had a deleterious effect on her family?s financial situation. Daw Ny--- told the villager who conducted this interview that her husband was visited in hospital by government officials investigating the incident but that no compensation or redress was offered. Daw Ny--- also described arbitrary demands for food and money, and the illegal logging of teak trees from A--- village by Border Guard soldiers; she mentioned that the imbalance in local power dynamics between armed soldiers and unarmed villagers deters villagers from attempting to engage and negotiate with perpetrators. Daw Ny--- raised concerns about the lack of livelihoods opportunities, and corresponding food insecurity, for villagers who do not own farmland; she notes that, in spite of these challenges, villagers offer voluntary material support to schoolteachers and often attempt to support their livelihoods by selling firewood or cutting bamboo. Daw Ny--- notes that some villagers choose to seek employment opportunities in larger towns but strongly expresses her unwillingness to move to an urban area, believing that food insecurity would only be exacerbated by a lack of money and an absence of alternative livelihood opportunities."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-27
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Food Security and militarisation in Burma, Conflict and health, including violations of humanitarian and human rights standards as threats to health
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during September 2011 by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Saw D---, a 37-year-old village head and betelnut farmer, who described serious abuses committed by soldiers in Than Daung Township under the command of MOC #9 during 2011, including an incident in which soldiers fired at and killed a 48-year-old villager while he was making charcoal and a separate incident in which two villagers were killed while being forced to guide Tatmadaw troops, when the soldiers came under fire from a non-state armed group. Saw D--- also described repeated demands for forced labour by soldiers from Tatmadaw LIB #378, under MOC #9, including one incident in which more than 100 villagers were forced to carry military rations for a month. Saw D--- also chose to highlight instances of past abuse including: arbitrary arrest, detention and violent abuse of religious leaders; theft and looting of villagers? livestock, food, and personal belongings; and the harrassment of female villagers. Saw D--- noted that villagers counter limited access to and cost of healthcare treatment at government facilities by using traditional cures in their own village and also respond to food insecurity by sharing food and pursuing alternative means of supporting their livelihoods with jobs for daily wages."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-27
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in August 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Toungoo District between May and July 2011. It describes a series of trade and movement restrictions imposed on villagers in June and July 2011, due to frequent clashes between Tatmadaw and non-state armed groups, and road closures between Toungoo Town and Buh Sah Kee. The report also examines in detail the serious impacts the road closures have had on the livelihoods of villagers who have been unable to support themselves by transporting and selling agricultural produce and purchasing rice supplies as usual. The report further describes incidents of human rights abuse by Tatmadaw forces, including the summary execution of two civilians in July 2011 by soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #379; forced labour including the portering of military supplies, the production and supply of building materials, guide duty and sweeping for landmines; and an attack on a village previously reported by KHRG and the subsequent destruction of villagers? homes and food stores."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar, Food Security and militarisation in Burma, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
356.62 KB
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in September 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in T?Nay Hsah Township, Pa?an District during September 2011. It details an incident in which a soldier from Tatmadaw Border Guard #1017 deliberately shot at villagers in a farm hut, resulting in the death of one civilian and injury to a six-year-old child. The report further details the subsequent concealment of this incident by Border Guard soldiers who placed an M16 rifle and ammunition next to the dead civilian and photographed his body, and ordered the local village head to corroborate their story that the dead man was a Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldier. The report also relates villagers? concerns regarding the use of landmines by both KNLA and Border Guard troops, which prevent villagers from freely accessing agricultural land and kill villagers? livestock and pets, and also relates an incident in September 2011 in which a villager was severely maimed when he stepped on a landmine that had been placed outside his farm."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-11-03
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Reports and maps covering anti-personnel landmines and Burma/Myanmar, Tenure insecurity in Burma (including land grabbing), Economic oppression, Extortion, Robbery, Agricultural land confiscation/grabbing
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
218.05 KB
more
Description:
"On October 12th 2011, soldiers from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #603 and Infantry Battalion (IB) #92 shelled and then attacked on foot W--- village in the Htee Tha Saw area of Than Daung Township following a clash with Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldiers approximately 45 minutes on foot from W--- village. According to Saw F---, a resident of W--- village who fled and hid in the forest during the attack, Tatmadaw soldiers fired approximately 50 mortar rounds into W--- and nearby civilian areas and then entered W---, where soldiers fired small arms deliberately at villagers? houses, the Roman Catholic church and religious and cultural items; killed villagers? animals; and looted or damaged villagers? property including food stores, clothing, roofing materials and money. This report is based on information provided by two villagers trained by KHRG to monitor human rights abuses,[1] including two situation reports, one incident report, an audio interview with Saw F---, and 82 photographs and three video clips taken in the W--- village area one week after the attack occurred."...The pdf file does not correspond with the html link.
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-11-25
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
more
Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during October 2011 in Than Daung Township, Toungoo District by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Saw F---, a 55-year-old resident of W--- village who fled his village and hid in the forest during a joint attack by soldiers from Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion (IB) #92 and Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #603. According to Saw F---, on October 12th 2011, following a clash with Karen National Liberation (KNLA) soldiers at a location 45 minutes on foot from W---, Tatmadaw soldiers fired approximately 50 mortar rounds into W--- and nearby civilian areas and then entered W---, where soldiers fired small arms deliberately at villagers? houses, the Roman Catholic church and religious and cultural items; killed villagers? animals; and looted or damaged villagers? property including food stores, clothing, roofing materials and money. Saw F--- also reported that W--- villagers have had to provide forced labour delivering bamboo poles to Tatmadaw camps on multiple occasions in the past year; that the W--- school has been forced to close twice due to Tatmadaw accusations that villagers are communicating with non-state armed groups; and that villagers face obstacles in accessing healthcare due to their distance from the nearest health facility and the cost of travel. A full account of the attack on W---, including photo documentation and excerpts of this interview, is available in the bulletin "Tatmadaw soldiers shell village, attack church and civilian property in Toungoo District," published by KHRG on November 25th 2011."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-11-25
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Discrimination against the Karen, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
587.08 KB
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in November 2011 by a villager describing a joint attack on a village in Than Daung Township by soldiers from Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion #92 and Light Infantry Battalion #603. During the attack the Tatmadaw soldiers fired mortars into the village, prompting residents to flee into the nearby forest; soldiers then entered and fired small arms inside the village, and looted, damaged, or destroyed food, money and other property belonging to the villagers who had fled. A full account of the attack on W---, based on this and one other situation update written by a different villager, an interview with a resident of W---, and photo documentation is available in the bulletin "Tatmadaw soldiers shell village, attack church and civilian property in Toungoo District," published by KHRG on November 25th 2011.This report also notes that villagers in the area face demands for forced labour for local Tatmadaw units three or four times every year, specifically to serve as porters and guides for Tatmadaw troops and to clear vegetation from Tatmadaw camp perimeters. The villager who wrote this report further noted local concerns related to the provision of health care and education, as well as some of the strategies adopted by villagers in response to human rights concerns, including harvesting crops at night to protect livelihoods during Tatmadaw operations, and using traditional practices to treat illnesses in areas where Tatmadaw forces restrict transport of and trade in medicines."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-11-25
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The following information was submitted to KHRG in September 2011 by a villager trained to document human rights abuses. It concerns an incident that occurred on September 7th 2011 in which the village head of L--- village in Dweh Loh Township was summarily executed by an unidentified Sergeant from Tatmadaw Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #218, under Light Infantry Division (LID) #11. According to three L--- villagers who witnessed the execution, LIB #218 Deputy Battalion Commander Moe Zaw Oo was also present when the Sergeant under his command executed the L--- village head."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2011-11-18
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Right to Life: reports of violations in Burma, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
278.1 KB
more
Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in November 2011 by a villager describing events occurring in Nyaunglebin District, during the period between September and October 2011. It details an incident that occurred in October 2011, in which a villager was shot and injured while working in his betelnut field; the villager who wrote this report noted that some villagers living in these areas respond to the threat of violence by fleeing approaching Tatmadaw patrols. Following the shooting, Tatmadaw troops imposed movement restrictions that prevented villagers from traveling to or staying in their agricultural workplaces in the area where the shooting occurred. This report includes additional information about the use of villagers to provide forced labour at Tatmadaw camps, specifically to perform sentry duty along roads, and also raises villagers? concerns about food security after unseasonable rain prevented villagers in some areas from burning brush on their hill fields preparatory to planting and paddy crops in other areas were destroyed by insects and by flooding during the monsoon."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-17
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Karen, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Burma and the region, Food Security in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
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Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted by a KHRG researcher in September 2011. The KHRG researcher interviewed Naw K---, a 45 year old woman from L--- village in Pa?an District, who described an incident in which Tatmadaw LID #22 and Tatmadaw Border Guard soldiers forced local villagers to porter military supplies and equipment while wearing Border Guard uniforms during a joint attack on a KNLA Battalion #101 camp at Kler Law Hseh. In the interview below, Naw K--- explained that, while she was attending a funeral in Th--- village, many Th--- villagers were absent from the village, some having already been arrested by Border Guard soldiers to serve as porters and others having fled the village due to fears that they would be arrested to porter. Naw K--- told KHRG that the Th--- village head informed her that he had to wear a Border Guard uniform while forced to accompany Border Guard soldiers during their attack on the KNLA camp at Kler Law Hseh and she witnessed him departing Th--- village in the company of Border Guard soldiers. This incident was previously described in the KHRG report "Pa?an Situation Update: September 2011," published on October 24th 2011. In addition, Naw K--- also mentioned additional forced labour demands placed on local villagers to work on government-owned agricultural projects. She also described how villagers attempt to mitigate the harmful effects of forced labour demands through negotiation with commanding officers, and strategic temporary displacement to avoid arrest."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-13
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
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Description:
"This report includes a situation update submitted to KHRG in November 2011 by a villager living in a hiding site in northern Lu Thaw Township, Papun District. The villager described an incident that occurred in October 2011 in which Tatmadaw soldiers fired six mortar shells into an area in which civilians are actively seeking to avoid attacks by Tatmadaw troops; no one was killed or injured during the attack. This situation update places the occurrence of such incidents in the context of the repeated and prolonged displacement of villagers in northern Luthaw who continue to actively seek to avoid contact with government troops due to ongoing attacks against civilian objects. The villager who wrote this report raised concerns about food shortages in hiding site areas where the presence of Tatmadaw soldiers proximate to previously cultivated land has resulted in overcrowding on available farmland and the subsequent degradation of soil quality, severely limiting villagers? abilities to support themselves using traditional rotational cropping methods. For detailed analysis of the humanitarian situation in this area of Luthaw Township, see the previous KHRG report Acute food shortages threatening 8,885 villagers in 118 villages across northern Papun District, published in April 2011."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-17
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and militarisation in Burma, Internal displacement/forced migration of Karen villagers, Food Security in Karen (Kayin) State, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
273.46 KB
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Description:
"This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted in February 2011 by a villager trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The villager interviewed Naw L---, a female village head from Bilin Township, Thaton District. Naw L--- described being interrogated and threatened at meetings with local Tatmadaw officers, including at times when she was pregnant. She described the killing of her son-in-law by then-DKBA Brigade #333 soldiers, and the defection of a Tatmadaw soldier to the KNLA, after which Tatmadaw soldiers arbitrarily arrested and tortured villagers and ordered Naw L--- to provide a firearm to replace the one taken by the defecting soldier. She also described how Tatmadaw soldiers forced H--- villagers to banish persons suspected of being KNLA soldiers and burn down their houses. Naw L--- explained that villagers face ongoing demands for forced labour, including forced portering of military rations, messenger and guide duty, for Tatmadaw, Border Guard and KNLA troops, but that she and her villagers employ a multitude of strategies to resist or mitigate abuse, including partial-compliance with forced labour demands; cultivating relationships with different, and oppositional, armed groups; lying about non-state armed groups? soldiers and their operations; and successfully raising complaints to commanding officers about abuses perpetrated by their inferiors."
Source/publisher:
Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
Date of publication:
2012-01-10
Date of entry/update:
2012-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Karen, Non-ILO Reports on forced labour, including forced portering, in Karen (Kayin) State, Village and urban resistance, Armed conflict in Burma - attacks on civilians
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
283.77 KB
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