Independent Mon News Agency

September 29, 2003

Southern part of Ye Township in the battle-field

There have been 4 battles of fighting between the Mon splinter led by Nai Bin and Burmese Army’s military columns, said an escaped porter from Kabya-wa village, southern Ye Township, to IMNA.  

In second week of September, there was a fighting between the Mon splinter group and Burmese Army’s Infantry Battalion No. 31, 4 Mon soldiers died and 5 could escape.  As the fighting broke out often, the local village civilians’ travels to their farms have been barred and are not allowed to get outside of the village.  If the Burmese soldiers found outside of the village, they must be killed due to the order.

Burmese Army demanded porters from 20 Mon villages in the area and each village has to provide 5 porters for 24 hours, said by that escaped porter, Mr. Nai Blai.  

About 20 villages in southern part of Township including Hangan, Kaw-hlaing; Singu; Ywa-thit; and Yin-ye have to provide porters on a daily basis and one porter needs to carry about 20 visses (about 30-35 kilograms) weight, said by Mr. Blai.   He was taken for 4 times to be porters within one month and then he fled after he lost tolerance.   He arrived to a Mon refugee resettlement area with his family.  

Among many displaced persons who fled to the border with Thailand, some re-settled in the Mon resettlement area while many of them fled into Thailand.   A relief worker said that many displaced persons fled to the border area, because they could not stay at their homes safely, they lost their work or livelihood, and often fighting. 

He also confirmed that at least a hundred displaced persons arrived to the resettlement area each month and the relief committee also has to take responsibility to settle them.  Most displaced persons are from southern part of Ye Township.