Villagers
forced to build 90 houses for government employees in new town
Independent Mon News Agency
People from Khawzar village, a government new town created by the
Burmese military government, and nearby villages have been forced to build 90
houses in the town for government employees.
The Burmese government
created two new towns in Ye township, Mon state, at the beginning of 2004 to
control the area where the Mon splinter group Hongsarwatoi
Restoration Party was moving.
The local-based Burmese army
forced each village nearby to build at least
10
employee houses in Khawzar.
"We have to build with
our own equipment and raw goods for the house.
Our village headmen
collected money from our villagers to pay for the goods
Such as wood, nails, sand,
cement etc.," said a villager from Yin-yea building a house
. "About 30 houses have been built in the employee house
construction," he added.
“They told us to build the
houses until finish. We have to stay there, not to return home if 10 houses not
finish,” a village headman said. “A villager from Sa Khorm
village died with food shortage during he building the
house,” he continued.
In Khawzar,
where the regime SPDC is building Township administration offices; immigration,
court, hospital, high school and other offices in order to formulate the Town
structure, the Burmese Army also forced some resident houses to move.
According to Khawzar
residents, the military regularly used villagers to build its army base and
collected money from
residents for building.
Currently Khawzar residents have been forced to build military
shelters every day for No. 31 Infantry Battalion.
Before the government made villages into
towns, it put in more army bases and launched military operations against Mon
splinter groups in the areas. During operations, many human rights violations
such as killing, rape and forced labor committed by the army.
People in the area,
including many women and children, were forced to pave a more than 30-mile-long
road in the beginning years. More than 10 women were raped by soldiers and more
than 10 people were killed by the Burmese army during their operations.
In mid-year, military
tactical commanders set up a government high school and tried to build primary schools
in small villages around Khawzar, and on the other
hand pressed 30 Mon National Schools in the area run by the New Mon State
Party.
Lt-Gen. Maung Bo from the
Defense Ministry and Southeast Command Commander Major Gen. Thu Ra Myint Aung also visited to set up the school in mid- year.
The Southeast Command commander visited again recently to check developmentsin the area.
At the moment, town
residents have been forced to build military shelters everyday in No. 31
Infantry Battalion in Khawzar town. It is likely
residents of Lamine, another new setup town, will
also be forced to move their houses to extend road, Many Lamine
people have also had land confiscated to build government offices.
For more information contact
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