INDEPENDENT MON NEWS AGENCY
FORTHNIGHTLY NEWS UPDATE
2nd week of January 2003
EDITORIAL
EVERYONE MUST SINCERE FOR RECONCIALIATION
NEWS
MON FARMERS ASKED FOR HELP
MON POLITICAL PRISONERS IN WORTH HEALTH CONDITION
A MORTOR SHELL HITS TO AN ORPHAN BOY DURING FIGHTING
ORDER TO SHOOT WHO WEAR ARMY UNIFORM SHIRTS
BURMESE ARMY・S FORCED LABOUR IN BUILDING OF NEW AIR BASE
EXTORTION OF LUMBERS FOR NEW BATTALION
LONG WAIT FOR WORK PERMIT TO
INTERVIEW:
SERIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SOUTERN PART OF YE TOWNSHIP
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EDITORIAL: EVERYONE
MUST SINCERE FOR RECONCIALIATION
UN General Assembly has asked
in its resolutions to hold
political negotiation among
three forces, democratic force led
by NLD and CRPP;
the non-Burman ethnic
nationalities; and the current
military regime SPDC (State Peace
and Development
Council)
UN and international community forsees Burma・s
decades long conflict can be solved
only in the way of
negotiation. Different
important factions must sit
and talk each other sincerely and
constructively.
They must need to find ．win/win・ solution among
them.
Democratic forces, NLD, CRPP, and exile organizations
seperate over the world; nd
non-Burma ethnic force,
both ceasefire and non-ceasefire
armed organizations
and political parties which won
some seats in 1990
elections, welcome UN resolution
and has planned for a
readiness to participate in peace
negotiation deal.
How about the military faction? Just recently
SPDC・s Chairman refused for negotiation because he
said the army had only one group
and other forces have
too many and complicated
organizations. His comment
was not sincere and refused to
accept the political
development in
SPDC must learn how
solution, how
currently
rebels.
NEWS:
MON FARMERS ASKED FOR
HELP
A secret organization, Mon State Farmer Association
asked Mon organisations bases
outside of
them campaign to reduce yearly
paddy tax via DVB Mon
program broadcasting from
The paddy plants in
by water flood, the farmers have
been forced to pay
full amount of yearly paddy taxes
to the government
set paddy-buying center, which buys
farmers・ paddy at
low price. Farmers are
threatened by local
authorities that they will seize
farm land if they
failed to give full tax.
Most Mon farmer who afraid of land seizure have signed
a contract provided the local
authorities from
Agricuture Products Trading Department to sell their
paddy. Even though
their paddy plants were destroyed
by flood water, they could not
refuse to sell paddy to
government set paddy-buying centers
at low price.
Many farmers also abandonned some of their lands
during the beginning of cultivation
in May/June as
they did not have enough invested
money to buy seed,
fertilizer, insecticide and labour
cost. The farmers
for those who grew paddy are forced
to sell 12 baskets
of paddy per acre, but for those
who abandoned some
parts of their lands are still
forced to sell 4
baskets of paddy for one empty acre
of land. The
authorities pay 350 Kyat per basket
of paddy (One
basket of paddy is about 46 pounds
in official weight
set by the government.)
According to a farmer who contacted to DVB Mon
program, "about half of farm
in
destroyed by flood water that came
twice and the
farmer got very small number paddy
basket if we
compare with last year
product."
"Our farmers whose paddy destroyed and afraid of land
seizure by government authorities
buys some paddy in
market with price one basket 2800
kyats and sell them
at 350 Kyat per basket.；
The farmers also informed to New Mon State Party
members for protection to complain
to government
authorities. Again,
they now request the Mon
organizations outside of
against the government unfair treatment
to Mon
farmers.
This year, there was heavy rain in lower
there were twice flooding in
lowland area of
Paddy plants in many thousand acres of land were
destroyed and even some villages
and town wards were
under flood for several days.
MON POLITICAL
PRISONERS IN WORST HEALTH CONDITION
Three Mon political prisoners in
physically suffered from diseases
and metally
depressed, according to
unidentified source from Mon
National Democratic Front (MNDF) early this month.
The General-Secretary of MNDF, Dr Min Nai Soe Lin, the
elected representative in 1990
elections from Ye
Township Constituency No. 1, has
suffered from hernia.
Another political prisioner the
Min Kyi Win, the elected representative from Mudon
Constituency No. 2, has suffered from hypertension and
heart disease while the
Vice-Chairman Nai Ngwe Thein
has suffered from toothache.
They have not received any treatment in the prison.
They have to buy medicines outside of the prison for
their varied diseases.
Their families have been allowed to meet them twice a
month and they bring limited food
for them. Even their
health condition are getting worse,
they have been
forced to work for dress-making.
Nai Soe Lin eye was
treated in surgery operation last
year.
In late December 2002, the Joint-Secretary is not
allowed to see his mother while she
was in the
paralysis.
A MOTOR SHELL HIT TO AN
ORPHAN BOY DURING FIRHTING
About
Mon rebels and Burmese Army near a Mon village, a
motor shell also hit an orphan boy
in Hangan village,
Ye Township,
A 10 years old orphan who stayed in another came to
Hangan village situates in southern part of Ye, to buy
rice was hit by motor
shell. The fighting was
between IB No. 61 of Burmese Army
led by Captain Tin
Aung Khaing and the Mon rebels.
The local defination
of the Mon rebels in the area is
：San-shay； group
and they are the followers of Mon
splinter group led
by Nai Bin.
After serious injury, the boy was brought to Ye Town
hospital and then to
the capital city of
and left eg are cut in the
has stayed with his grandfather
after his both parents
died.
About 20 motor shells from both sides dropped into
village and one house was totally
destroyed, but only
the boy got injuries.
Both Burmese Army and rebel
group did not compensate for the
destroyed house and
injuried boy, learned by IMNA.
In southern Ye township, there are
regular armed
clashes happening between Burmese
Army and Mon rebel
group. That group rose up Nai
against the military
regime and Burmese Army since
1997. The rebel armed
group is led by Nai Bin, Hlein and
Nai Jaing Daik.
Because fighting, the local villager in this area were
facing human rights violation
committed by Burmese
Army but they have to pay taxe to both sides of
troops.
New Mon State Party, the main political Mon armed
group made ceasefire agreement with
the current
regime, SPDC, in 1995.
ORDER TO SHOOT WHO
WEAR UNIFORM SHIRTS
In southern Ye township
operating military activity in the
area ordered the
local people to not wear the army
uniform shirt, if
not they must shoot at
them.
On
troops led by Captain Tin Aung
Khaing met two village
headmen in Sakom villge, they
arrested them in coffee
shop because they wore army uniform
shirts.
Two headmen, Nai Kyaw and Nai Own Myit were suspected
as rebel soldiers because of their
shirts and the
soldiers also tortured
them. They closed the faces
of two men and beat them during
interrogation.
Later they understood, the men were not rebel
soldiers. But No.61・s
Captain Tin Aung Khing
ordered to local people in southern
Ye township that
．who wear the army uniform shirt must be shot to
death・.
The commander also brought the men to Ye Town and put
them in battalion・s
prison. The families also
attempted for the release of them
and paid the
commander 100000 Kyat for
release.
After release, both men were again treated in hospital
because of inhumane and cruel
torture by soldiers in
their villages and in battalion・s
prison.
BURMESE ARMY・S
FORCED LABOR IN BUILDING OF NEW AIR BASE
Burmese Army・s battalions forced one person from each
house on a daily basis in building
an air base ground
for army helicopter landing in
Kalakoke island,
southern part of
Island has three villages and all villagers from every
household are forced to work in the
construction since
the beginning of January by two
Burmese Army・s
battalions IB No. 62 and IB No.
31. Everyday more
than 60 people have been forced at
at the workplace without payment
and food. The
villagers from every two quarters
of each villge are
forced to work.
Villagers are forced to dig a hill
until the army gets equal level
ground for possible
landing of helicopter and
installation of air force.
After deploying an Artillery Regiment on the island by
equipping with five 81 MM motors
two months ago, the
Burmese Army again planned to build an air base on a
hill near a village in the middle
part of the island.
The purpose of deployment of more troops including air
force and artillery regiment in
this island is to
safeguard a deep sea port which is
underplanned by
Thai business firms and SPDC to be built in this
island. The plan unveiled in
the recent opening
ceremony of Thai-Myanmar Culture
and Business
Committee・s booklet.
Since 1996 Thai business companies especially trading
firms planned to build a motor road
from a
Thailand-Burma border point,
island・s deep seaport.
However the project failed
due to economic crisis in
companies expect they could get
shorter rough to
communicate with
road and deep sea port are
completely built.
EXTORTION OF LUMBERS
FOR NEW BATTALION
Two villages from the southern
started giving to township
authorities and Burmese
Army with 280 tons wooden lumbers from their own
villages with a purpose to
construct a new artillery
regiment No. 315.
Anin and Htin-yuu villages are cutting trees to get
logs from their plantations for
army and authorities
after receiving an order from the
authorities in early
January.
"In the order that we received from the headmen, we
need to cut down and make into
lumbers. If these are
not full to required amount, then
we have to buy to
get full amount of lumbers, 280
tons in total； a
villager said.
"Because of the order, our village headman said if we
did not want to buy tumbers, we
need to cut all trees
that were possible to make
lumbers； that villager
added.
The villager have to cut their trees in their
plantations or gardens and then lumbered
them. They
have to find labourers and hired
equipment to lumber
the logs. They also have to
pay for all expenses.
For those who have no logs have to buy lumbers from
markets and they have to pay 200,
000 Kyat per ton.
According to the villagers, this is the first time
that they have to give lumbers to
the authorities and
Burmese Army.
LONG WAIT FOR WORK
PERMIT TO
A lot of Mon migrant workers who try to get work
permit for
from the government・s passpart
issuing department,
said a Mon worker.
Hundred of Mon who were deported by
government in last year June in
cleaning up out
illegal migrant workers in their
country. Later
most deported workers tried to go
passports and work permit.
But after applying for
work permit with complete
documents, they have waited
for six months without any sign
that they could leave
for work.
Deported Mon workers who are jobless at their home
villages and towns need to spend
money everyday faced
depressed situation and some of
them planned to
migrate into
worker.
He said "we can wait and stay without work here (in
stay longer, anyhow we will go with
illegally"
In
pay more than six hundred thousands
Kyat to passport
issuing department for three years
work permit in
travelling, passport,
plane-tickets, etc.
Even the government said the payment for three years
work permit is 300,000 Kyat, but
the workers had to
re-new their work permit every year
and again they
have to pay, according to a worker.
Many Mon people are trying to seek work in
with work permit while some are
trying to seek in
illegal way. For the work permit,
they have to apply
at the government and for those who
seek work in
illegal have to go by boat. Some go
to
and then continue to
Now the number of Mon people going to seek work in
INTERVIEW:
Serious Human Rights
Violations in Southern Part of Ye Township
An IMNA reporter met a displaced woman (Mi Tin Tin,
not her real name, about 40 years
old) from southern
part of Ye Township and conducted
an interview with
here about human rights situation
in her native area.
Most incidents happened in November 2002.
Q: Is there any people who were forced to go for
porter service in southern Ye
township ?
TT: There are abbot, head of Buddhist monk in the
village (Mi-htaw-hla-gyi), women
including pregnant
women and children are forced for
porter service to
Burmese soldiers quite often.
Q: How they were used during porter service?
TT: They were used as human shield and to carry
ammunitions. The abbot was shouting
along the road to
let the Mon splinter armed group to
know that he
himself carrying ammunitions for
Burmese soldiers. One
time (after fighting) Burmese Army
forced three
hundreds villagers including young
children age 8-9
from the whole vilalge and used
them as human-shield.
They started walking from evening to early morning to
get to another village, Khaw-za.
Q: What are the SPDC Battalions which take people as
porter?
TT: The Battalion No.106 (infantry battalion) and No.
31. Only about eight soldiers had escaped after
four-time fighting took place
around village and about
30 SPDC soldiers were killed. The first fighting took
place at about
Q: Is there any killing and how the villagers were
killed?
TT: Yes, Nai Tun Shein about age 48 was shot to death
while he was working in his farm.
After the fighting
took place, SPDC soldiers were very
angry and then
they rampaged to
villagers. Nai Tun Shein died on
sport and Nai Ong 35, Nai Shwe
Hman, 60, and his wife
had wounded.
Q: How is about torture and rape?
TT: There is no rape as we know, but many torture. Ms
Mi Hla, age 30, Ms Mi Sein, age 46 and a young man
were beaten by gun, kicked by
gungle-boots and the
soldiers put the bamboo-stick on
their knee and row
over. One novice had lost one leg
and another man had
lost one leg.
Q: Why did they torture the civilians like that?
TT: Because they cannot speak Burmese. They did not
understand all what the Burmese
soldiers said to them.
Q: Are there the SPDC soldier loot properties owned by
villagers and how ?
TT: They ordered the villagers to gathering at the
sport ground and then they went to
every house. They
looted everything they needed.
Q: How many properties were looted?
TT: I cannot guess but they took 60 porters to carry
the things they looted.