Force Labor for Fencing Kanbauk-Myaing-kalay Gas Pipeline.

Independent Mon News Agency

June 30, 2004

The Burmese military government authorities in Mon state are forcing the local villagers in southern Mon State to fence along the route of gas pipeline on a daily basis in order to prevent potential sabotages.

“They ordered to fence the gas pipeline which across the streams and fill earth on the iron pipes in order to put the gas-pipelines under the ground,” said Mr. Nai Khit Chai, a Wae-win-kara villager, Thanbyuzayart Township.

“The villager also forced to clean bushes 100 feet both sides of the route of gas pipeline”, he added.

“Every villages in southern Mon State have been forced to work along the gas pipeline and the army also set the order to the villagers that they will fine to the villagers, who refused to work,” said Mr. Chai who arrived the Thailand-Burma border.

The military authorities in Mon State also collecting money from the villagers on a monthly basis for the gas pipeline security.

“The military authorities are collecting 1500 Kyat per family that lives in the villages which are far from the towns for the gas pipeline security,” Mr. Chai said.

If the village is close to town, the villagers have less payment for the gas pipeline security, he added.

“Our township authorities also forced to pay. But it is fewer than Thanbyuzayat township,” said Mr. Nai Min Htwe from Nyaung-gone Village, Mudon township.

“But the soldiers take responsibility along the gas pipeline for security are treating the villager too bad,” Mr. Htwe added.

He said that these soldiers are always asking fishes by force from the fishermen, frightening the farmers who cross the gas pipeline for farming and some were beaten.

The military authorities stopped recruiting villagers by force for patrol along the gas pipeline for more than one year. Currently instead of the villagers, they used their own soldiers.

This gas is transmitted from a Yatana gas station from Kan-bauk village in Yebyu Township of Tenasserim Divison to a cement factory in Myaing-kalay village, Pa-an Township of Karen State. The cement factory is operated by military government sponsored company and cooperation.

This gas pipeline exploded in mid-2003 near a Mon village in Mudon Township and the military authorities accused some ethnic armed groups for the involvement of sabotage. But the local villagers said, it exploded because of lack of skill in the construction of pipeline and bad quality of pipeline. Gas explosions also occurred many times in the recent years and there were serious environmental impacts to the local communities.

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