KALADAN NEWS

Dated-Wednesday- May 7, 2003

ARMY ARRESTED 20 VILLAGERS FOR FORCED LABOR

Buthidaung, May 07:A section of army went to Koin

Daung village of Buthidaung Township in Arakan State

on April 20, 2003, and arrested 20 villagers for

forced labor, according to our correspondent.

The Military Operation Command (MOC-15) headquarters

of Buthidaung, previously seized 10 acres of arable

lands from Rohingya villages adjacent to the military

headquarters and growing paddy with forced labor and

now the time of harvest, source further added.

The arrested villagers have to reap the paddy fields

in the day and have to stay in the military

headquarters at night and were not allowed to go home.

They were fed by the villagers of Da Bru Chaung,

another village nearby the military camp, said another

source to our correspondent.

Besides, they had to do other works, such as

threshing, carrying, storing the grains in the

granary, put the paddy into heat, etc, source further

added.

After 4 days of continued forced labor, the villagers

were freed on 23rd April 2003, without any wages. But,

SPDC authorities have declared that there is no forced

labor in Burma, said sources.

Editor

Kaladan Press Network

E-mail: kaladanpress@ yahoo.com