"This report attempts to give an idea of the situation faced by villagers in the midst of these offensives through interviews with those who have fled their villages, both before and after the occupation by SLORC. It is important to note that if it was only fighting that these people wanted to avoid, they could easily have hidden in the forest during the usually brief period the fighting lasted, then returned after SLORC had occupied the village. The reason these people didn?t do so is clear from their testimonies: it is not fighting which most of them have fled, but the forced labour, arbitrary arrests, looting, extortion and other abuses which they know occur whenever SLORC occupies an area, particularly an area which has not been occupied before. For many of these people this offensive has brought SLORC to their villages for the first time in recent memory. These interviews are only with some of those who have fled their villages so far. While they do not constitute a full chronicle of the situation, they should help give some idea of what villagers are going through in these newly occupied areas. We hope to continue reporting on the situation in these areas as it develops and new information becomes available..."