KALADAN NEWS
ARMY USED FORCED
LABOUR IN
By our correspondent:
Buthidaung, November 14: The
Commander of the Military
Operation Command of (MOC-15) of
crop, according to our source.
The villagers of Nanragoon and Quandaung village
tracts of Buthidaung
pay 100 labors daily for reaping
the said Commander’s
own paddy crop from last October 22
to 27. The two
village tracts, about one mile east
of Buthidaung town
consisting of 1125 households, said
a villager
preferring anonymity told our
source.
Besides, they had to do other works: such as
threshing, carrying, storing the
grains in his
granary, put the paddy into heat,
etc, source further
added.
The aforesaid Commander previously seized 10 acres of
farmland from Rohingya villages
adjacent to the MOC-15
headquarters and growing paddy with
forced labor and
now the time of harvest.
According to the order of the aforementioned
Commander, one person per family was called by the
Village Peace and Development Council Chairmen of both
village tracts and gathered them in
one suitable
place. Afterwards, 100 villagers
were picked up and
sent to the MOC-15 headquarters for
forced labor and
the rest were set free after taking
Kyats 300/- per
head. This money was going to their
pockets, said a
teacher to our source.
After 6 days of continued forced labor, the villagers
were freed and paid Kyats 300/- per head by the MOC-15
Commander while outside labor charge is Kyats
1000/-per day. But, the SPDC
authorities have declared
that there is no forced labor in
For the earnings of army Headquarters, they had
previously seized about 750 acres
of arable lands
include camp area from nearby
villages for growing
crops. The army authorities again
let the villagers to
grow paddy on condition that the
villagers have to pay
37.5 Tongs of paddy (1 Tong = 14 kg) to the
headquarters per acre. But, the
villagers are freed
from Tans of paddy (1 Tan=35 kg)
which are payable to
the Government, said our
correspondent.
Editor
Kaladan Press