human
rights foundation of monland
* To monitor human rights situations in Mon territory
and other areas southern part of Burma
* To protect and promote internationally recognized
human rights in Burma
Human Rights Interviews
1/95 (March, 1995)
P.
O. Box 11, Ratchburana, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Human Rights Interviews
1/95
Background of Interviews
In October of 1994, the SLORC
(the Burma's military regime State Law and Order Restoration Council) restarted
the well known Ye-Tavoy death railway in southern part of Burma, which connects
the Mon State and Tenasserim Division. When the SLORC started the railway
construction last dry season 1993, many local inhabitants were conscripted as
slave labours in this construction and since then many villagers were displaced
in east of Ye-Tavoy motorway (See: location) by escaping the
conscription of the military.
The villagers who took refuge
in jungle of mountainous area east of Ye-Tavoy motorway could grow the rice in
last rainy season and they survived for their families. But in this dry season
(the dry season in Burma starts from October until May), because of the
conscription of slave labours in railway construction, many local inhabitants
from areas in the route of railway had to flee to this mountainous areas again
where they have no enough food and have faced many difficulties. When the
civilians escaped from their villages, even some villagers brought the foods
with them, and later the SLORC troops issued many orders to prevent keeping
rice in places they stayed. Starting from November, some commanders of SLORC
Light Infantry Battalion No. 410 issued an official order for the locality. (The
order is attached). Besides this order, many the same orders were issued by
local SLORC troops in Yebyu Township of Tenasserim Division and Ye township of Mon State. After those
official order, the SLORC has legal rights to confiscate rice of
civilians who are staying outside the villages.
Besides for the cases of
fleeing of villagers to escape from slave-labours of railway construction and
confiscation of rice from local inhabitants, other kinds of human rights
abuses, like portering, tax extortion, torture, etc., were severely violated by
the SLORC soldiers. After the SLORC started the railway construction in 1993,
many SLORC's military battalion were deployed in the
areas where the railway route passed through. Therefore, the SLORC troops have
consistently mistreated those local inhabitants.
To collect the information
from the Mon local community, a group of human rights workers from Human Rights
Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) had travelled to the areas where many internal
displaced persons have been hiding and some plantation areas east of Ye-Tavoy
motorway in first week of March. The following interviews were come out from
those victims who were mistreated by SLORC soldiers.
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Case 1
Name: Nai Pone Dot
Sex/ Age: Male, 37 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Kyaukadin village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division
Recently, I was tortured many
times by the SLORC troops, and I would like to tell about the torture last
year. Last year, in one day of April, the 90 SLORC troops from Local Infantry
Battalion No. 106 which based in Tavoy, led by Lt. Maung Latt, arrived to my
farm. They arrested me and asked the place where the Mon troops took base near
my farm. I replied I did not know and I never saw the Mon troops within one
week. And they beat me for several times and some young soldiers kicked me with
the military boots. After that they tied and brought me to the village as they
accused I refused to tell them the place of Mon troops. When they arrived at
the village, they asked for 1000 Kyat and then released me.
I went to my farmland again
as I was busy in there for preparing to grow rice in rainy season. One week
later, about 40 troops of Battalion No. 406 came again and arrested me by
accusing I tried to join Mon troops and supported them. They accused me that as
I needed to contact and support the Mon troops, I had stayed in farm with a lot
of rice and other materials. They tied me and beat me several times like
before. They confiscated all my belongings in my hut including all amount of
rice and raised animals in the farm and they brought me to the village. They
detained in a small military outpost near our village and asked my wife to pay
them 10,000 Kyat for release of me. After that my wife tried to collect for 10,
000 Kyat in one week and gave them and they released me. When I was detained,
they beat and kicked me every days for several times
and gave very small food.
As other villagers, in last
and this year, I was conscripted as slave-labour in the Ye-Tavoy railway
construction. I worked in the construction four times for more than one month
at a time last year and one time this year. We brought our own food and no any
payment. When I feel sick, we bought medicines by ourselves.
After I was terribly tortured
in December of this cold season, I decided to escape from my village. In the
second week of December, about 100 troops of Light Infantry Battalion No. 408
arrested me again in my home and detained in their outpost, by accusing me as
Mon soldier. When they asked to admit I was a Mon soldier, they beat, hanged me
near the fire and dried me for many day. Every time I
refused as I was not a Mon soldier, beat and put me close to the fire. And my
wife sold our own farmland and gave the troops 50,000 Kyat to release me. After
they tortured me for ten day, I was unable to work any kind of hardworks like
before. I could not sleep with my back. If I carried some less heavy material,
my back and stomach are too pain. After I sold my farmland, I decided to
abandon my village and fled into jungle like this.
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Case 2
Name: Nai Baeng
Sex/ Age: Male, 36 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Natkyisin village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division.
In December of 1994, when I
was in busy with works to store my small amount of rice in my farmland, about
70 Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion No. 406 arrived to my hut at
night time. After they arrived, they immediately arrested me and beat me for
several time. They tied my hands and asked me why I made
rice storage in my farmland and why not bring it to the village. And they
accused me my rice was stored for Mon troops nearby and beat me as punishment.
I refused all of their accusations on me. I replied that as I wanted to make a
new plantation for betel nut and I needed to store rice in my farmland, but
they did not listen my words. They asked me for one
sack of polished rice to give them and I agreed it. Even I agreed for their
requests, they also took my raising animals, pots and other my belongings in my
hut. They told me if I put a lot of living stocks in my hut, the Mon troops can
use as their base.
Because I kept rice in my
farmland, they accused I must know the place where the Mon troops took bases
and ordered me to find out those places, arrested me with them. And they used
me as porter by carrying the shell of 60mm or 80 mm and other ammunition which
I did not know which kinds of it. I thought actually they launched the patrol
along the Ye-Tavoy motorway, and asked me all the time along the way where the
Mon troops took bases. As I did not know the actual base of Mon troops, I
replied I did not know for sure and they always beat me with their rifle butt
because they did not satisfy to me. They never also allowed me enough to sleep
at night time, and give me only one meal for everyday. Among more than 30
porters, I was the most terribly one, was tortured by them as they arrested me
in my farmland while I was storing rice. All of the porters were used as human
shields in front of troops, but, luckily, we have not met any fighting from
rebel troops along the way.
After one week I was with
troops, I had a chance to escape from them which they were busy in catching
chicken and pig in one farm. After I escaped from them, I hid in one place of
east of motorway in forest. Two days, I had contact with one of my villager and
I told him to help me to inform my family I was hiding in forest. The villager
returned to my village and after one week he came to me again. And he told me
my wife informed me that the officer of LIB No. 406 was angry too much too me
and ordered to the village headmen to bring all of my rice to the military
outpost as punishment for my flee. They confiscated
all of my rice although my wife asked them to leave a little bit. Therefore, my
wife informed me not to return back to the village and she joined me and we
decided not to return back to village as we are too afraid the Burmese soldiers
and to make a new slash and burnt farm in this area.
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Case 3
Name: Nai Tat Kyaw
Sex/ Age: Male/ 40 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Aleskan village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division
At the beginning of November
last year, about 70 troops of SLORC's Light Infantry Battalion No. 410 arrested
me as porter in my farm. The took all of my belongings
in my hut including some clothes, plates, pots and chicken for their troops.
Firstly, I carried rice, oil and milk cans for soldiers along with the troops
which I though they launched patrol to take security the railway construction.
After two days I carried foods for them, later they changed ammunition in stead
of food to carry. The unknown ammunitions and shells were too heavy for me,
because I was weak in sickness of last two weeks ago. Everyday, they gave us
very small foods of plain rice without any curry while they had enough food for
them as they caught some chicken from the farms they passed through. They did
not feed us although we carried chicken. One time, when one porter became sick,
he asked for small amount sugar and they beat him severely that showed us as a
lesson not to ask food from them. I was also slapped three times by one officer
because I delayed for boiling water. I lasted for 10 day for portering and when
the troops reached to Yebu village, they released me.
Like others, I was also
conscripted as forced labour in the railway construction in dry season of last
year, and in December to January of this year, nearly one month, I was again
conscripted in construction of military barracks in Yebu village. Following the
order of the military, the village headmen told the villagers that the military
need 20 strong men from our village to construct the military barrack in Yebu.
Because of the conscription of railway construction and portering, many of our
villagers had fled from village and there were very few of men left in the
village. As I was served as porter just previous month, I informed the village
headmen about it and I refused to go the construction sites. In the evening, two
soldiers from the outpost of my village came to me and kicked two time, and they said the portering case was related with this
construction. They ordered me to go as quickly as. Therefore, in the early
morning of the next day, I went to the construction site without any
transportation charge offered by military and I brought my own foods.
At the time I was in the
construction site of Yebu, the construction process of military camps was
administrated by Lt. Yan Naing Aung from the LIB No. 410 together with his 60
troops. Everyday, we started the works at 6:00 a. m. early in the morning and
took lunch at noon time and in the afternoon, we continued the works about 1:30
p. m. until 6:00 p. m. in the evening. In this labour camp,
nearly 100 men from the villages surrounding the Ye-Tavoy motorway.
Also, they did not allow any villager who was in sick to return their home.
Anyway, they did not provide any treatment and the villagers gathered some
small amount of money from each other and bought the medicines from the
village. After those men were recovered they must have to replace for their
absent labour when they were in bed because of sickness. One villager also died
as he was weaker and weaker because of malaria in the worksite. I also laid down in bed twice when I suffered from malaria. The
first time lasted about 7 days and the second time lasted about 5 days.
Even though, my quota for the construction is 2 weeks, I had to replace for the
days I was absent and I had spent nearly one month in that construction site.
Before I fled from my
village, I was severely tortured by the soldiers in my village. One day at the
end of January, when I came from my farm with some vegetable and fruits for my
relatives and my wife, I saw many Burmese soldiers, about 50 of them from Local
Infantry Battalion No. 61 of Ye, had arrived in village and they requested me
to give all of my vegetables and fruits for them, I refused and returned to my
house. Some of them followed to my house and asked me, if I did not to give
them my vegetable and fruit, to provide them 1000 Kyat
and one bottle of liquor. The 1000 Kyat is too much for me and I tried to
refuse, but my wife prevented me and gave them 1000 Kyat and one bottle of
liquor. Again, they said they wanted to drink liquor in my house and my wife
allowed them. After they were getting drunk, they made some interrogation to me
about why I stayed in the farm and did I have some contact with Mon soldiers.
After they made me many problems, I was getting angry and I went to the village
chairman and tell him about them. The village leader told me that he would
inform about that to their officer and to ask for my lost money as he hoped the
officer will punish his soldiers. And I returned to my home.
After the chairman informed
the officer, the officer called me to meet him in the monastery and I happily
went there. But after I talked about 2 minutes, I knew the officer dissatisfied
to me and he gave an order to his men beside him to beat me. So the two
soldiers beat me in a room of monastery and I jumped down from the window of
the room which was opened. When I was at the ground, about 40 soldiers beat me
together. Some kicked me and some beat me with their rifle butts in the whole
body. While they were beating me, I saw one small child under the monastery and
I shouted him to inform the village secretary. The child ran away and informed
about me to the secretary. The secretary came immediately and he stopped the
soldiers not to punish me for my wrong and to pardon me. I was firmly holding
the leg of the secretary to prevent from their beatings and kickings. Actually,
I was nearly died. And the officer came to me and pointed out with his .45 mm
pistol to my head and told me later when the soldiers asked something to me,
not to make any argument and threatened if I made arguments next time, he will
kill me.
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Case 4
Name: Nai Lon
Sex/ Age: Male, 43 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Paukpingwin village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division.
From the railway construction
started last year, we were always busy with the railway construction works, we
did not have enough time to do our own work or in farms. In last dry season, I
was conscripted as slave-labour for six times which one time took more than one
week period. Again, in the rainy season, we had very little time to grow rice
in the farm as the military forced us to build their military barrack which was
close to my village. After the rainy season, we were forced again in the
railway construction. Beside the construction work, we had to pay many
kinds of taxation for the military, like porter tax, village security tax,
donation for building bridges and etc., and at the end we had no longer
tolerance to survive in village. So, last two month, I and my two sons fled
into jungle in the area called "Day Tawai". I have no wife as she
died last two years ago and I have youngest 3 years old child. I have three
sons, while the 17 years old eldest son and the youngest son are with me and my
second son was attending school in village and staying with my sister.
One day when we were in Day
Tawai, I cannot remember the exact date, I think in second week of January, one
company of Burmese troops of 50 soldiers of, might be, LIB 406, arrived to my
hut while we were sleeping in mid day, they arrested both of us. They told us
to follow them as porters. I replied to take one of us, me or my son, but they
refused. They said they needed both of us. I explained them for several time
that I have 3 years old son and should not put him alone in hut, and to
consider with sympathy. They consistently refused. When I and my eldest son
were taken by them, I heard my child was crying. Luckily, after I left about
half hour from hut, I met one old women in a hut,
while the soldiers were trying to catch her chicken, and I explained about my
son who was left in my hut. As soon as we left from her hut, she went to my hut
and brought him to her hut. Later, she brought my son to my sister house in the
village.
When I and my son, altogether
about 40 porters, were along with their troops, I carried rice and other foods
for the troops. My son carried a lot of ammunition for light machine gun that I
knew he was too heavy. After two days, my son got injuries in his shoulders. I
gave my longyi to protect his shoulders. He pained too much and I asked
to the officer to allow me for carrying the ammunition of my son. But the
officer shouted me gave me another ammunitions which were not from my son.
After 5 days with troops, because of heavy loads, I became sick with malaria
when we arrived one village called Koemile. My son and I asked the officer to
release me as I was sick. But they refused and told us to give them 4000 Kyat
per each and they would release. They said they would find two porters to
replace for us with this amount of money. But I was sure that they would not
hire any villagers with this money. Anyhow, I agreed with them to find out some
money and asked them to allow me to return to Aleskan village. They disagreed
on that and kept me with them and, allowed my son to return Aleskan within 24
hours to return back. As my son was worry for me, he quickly borrowed money and
returned back immediately. After my son gave them 8000 Kyat, they released us.
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Case 5
Name: Nai Ba San
Sex/ Age: Male, 54 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Paukpingwin village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division.
As I have small farmland, I
got only 40 baskets of unpolished rice this year. As I
borrowed some rice from some villagers in the rainy season, and so I had to
return them 20 baskets of unpolished rice. So, I have only 20 baskets of
rice left in my farm in December. I think in the third week of January, after I
had returned some rice to whom I borrowed, while I was
bringing the remaining rice to my home in the village, about 70 troops of LIB
No. 406 came to farm. All farmers in the surrounding fled away but I could not
flee, because I was on the bullock-cart. And, they stopped my cart and they
asked me where I was bring the rice. I replied them that
I brought to my home. But they did not believe and accused me that I brought to
the Mon troops as they got information they said. I absolutely refused. And,
they asked me why I was too late to bring my rice to the village. Although I
explained them I was busy in returning the rice to the farmers who I borrowed
last rainy season, they did not accept my explanation at all.
After that the officer
ordered me to bring all of my rice to the military outpost of Aleskan. Some
soldiers put about 60 coconuts and other belongings on my cart, ordered to
drive the cart to Aleskan. Then, as I was afraid for the killing, I did not
make more complaint and drove back my cart to their military outpost. Some
soldiers followed behind my cart and they also used some villagers, some were
from my village, as porters who they arrested on the way they passed through.
In the evening, I arrived to
the military outpost and the officer from the outpost ordered me to put all of
my rice in the rice mill to polish it. When I arrived back to my home without
rice in the cart, my wife cried as she knew, the rice
was confiscated by military. On the next day, my wife went to the military
outpost of Aleskan and requested to return half of the rice and to sympathy our
children. But they did not care. And they replied to my wife that if we needed
the rice, I must meet and discuss with them to return the rice, and I must
admit that I was supporter of the rebels. Therefore, I did not dare to stay in
my village or to meet them in future. I knew they will make problem to me and I
decided to flee from my village. But I do not know can I return and work in my
farm in this coming rainy season. Wait and see!
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Case 6
Name: Nai Nee
Sex/ Age: Male, 50 years
Nationality/ Religion:
Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Current Place: Nangbone
Native Place: Aleskan village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim Division.
In the afternoon of one day,
at the end of December, when we took a rest in the house, about 150 troops of
LIB 406, I think the troops were led by 3 commanders, arrived immediately to my
house and I suddenly tried to flee. But I could not. They arrested me and other
my family members including my wife and even my small grandsons. They asked me
why I fled when they came and am I a rebel. I refused that I was not Mon
soldier. They hit and beat me with rifle butts three time.
And one commander warned me against fleeing and they will shoot if I tried to
escape, and ordered me to find two bullock-carts for them. So, two soldiers
pointed in my back with their guns and, as I was afraid, I quickly tried to get
two bullock-carts and I got for the huts nearby. They separated their troops to
every huts and arrested the people, destroyed or burnt
the huts and seized the rice. After two hours activities, they had burnt some
huts and, they got some rice and some people with them and brought the rice to
Aleskan.
Not only the rice, if they
climbed to one hut, they took for everything, including chicken, pigs, clothes,
spoons, plates, pots, blankets and etc., with them by using the villagers as
porters to bring those materials. After they conscripted us and confiscated our
belongings, when we were on the way to Aleskan, we knew the Mon troops in the
mountains nearby. But the Mon troops had no chance to fight the Burmese troops
because many peoples were with them and they were mixing with villagers. At the first time, they confiscated about 10
baskets of my rice.
In the second time, about 50
troops of Regular Infantry Battalion No. 104 came into the Nangbone area again
as an operation to confiscate the rice of the villagers. In this time, all of
us fled away and I was not arrested by them. But I could not bring the 4
baskets of polished rice which left in my house. They could arrest one of my nephew, 11 years old, used him as human shield, not as a
porter and took all of my polished rice. They also severely beat the villagers
who were arrested as they could not get many villagers to use as human shields.
They burnt or destroyed many huts which situated on the way they passed
through. Now, I deeply moved in deeper place of jungle and mountainous area.
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Case 7
Name: Nai L.....(former
village headman)
Sex/ Age: Male, 55 years
Nationality/ Religion: Mon, Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Native Place: Koemile village, Yebyu Township,
Tenasserim village.
At the beginning of January,
while I was cutting the bamboos in forest that east of the village, about 70
troops of Light Infantry Battalion No. 406, led by Lt. San Way, came to me and
ordered one of his senior officer to slap me, as soon
as they closed to me. But I did not like to escape, because as soon as I was
slapped, I did not know for the reason and I wanted to know it very much. The
two soldiers also hit and when I was laid in the ground, Lt. San Way came and
slapped me one time again.
And Lt. San Way accused me
that I was the supporter of Mon troops, by the reason I did not attend the
meeting which was held in last month and for my permanent stay in my betel nut
plantation. I admitted sincerely that I did not know the date of the meeting
and I did not accept any invitation as I always spent my time in my betel nut
plantation. I told them many reasons why I did not stay in village and refused
their accusation. But they did not accept any my argument. Consistently, they
accused me that I was appointed by Mon troops as a township
level leaders. I absolutely refused the accusation and I explained them
that I was elected by villagers in front of LIB No. 410 at the time in the
monastery and why the accusation appeared I was appointed by the Mon troop.
They told me because I had no chance to manage in the village,
I approached to the Mon troops again. Anyhow, they did not want to accept my
complaints and at the end they tied and brought me to their outpost.
In their outpost of Aleskan,
they tortured me and threatened they will imprison me in jail with a crime
having contact with insurgent group. I admitted to them that when I was a
village headman, if the Mon troops needed to meet me, I could not refused. As the same, if the Burmese troops wanted to meet
me, I could not refuse. Recently, I met Mon troops many times outside of the
village, but I did not cooperate with them and did not consider to make troubles to Burmese troops as I was village headman
in the conflict area, I must relate for the both sides and kept good
relationship to both troops. I explained them to understand my role. Anyhow,
they did not accept. Then, they told me if I did not want the imprisonment with
crime having contact with Mon troops, they told me to give them 7,000 Kyat and
four sacks of rice for their troops. And I agreed and I told to the my son to sell the rice in the house and to give them
quickly. After my son brought four sacks of rice and 7, 000 Kyat, they released
me. Therefore, I decided not to stay in the village and stayed far away from
the Burmese troops.
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The SLORC’s Order Translated from Burmese
410th Light Infantry
Battalion
Letter No: 100 / l /head-3
Date: 12th November 1994
To
Chairman,
Village Law and Order
Restoration Council
---------------------------------village
SUBJECT: Issuance of order
for the locality
(1) The villagers living within this area must
obey all the following order.
a. They (the villagers) must not run away if
and when they are encountered (anywhere) by the tatmadaw troops and must
remain right at the place being encountered; otherwise (if they run away), they
will be shot and arrested (by the tatmadaw troops).
b. Those villagers who are found serving as
informers/ messengers for insurgents will be subject to severest punishment (by
the tatmadaw troops).
c. They (the villagers) must not travel from
one village to another during the night.
d. They (the villagers) must not keep any
extra food at their farms, other than the amount of one meal for the farm
worker(s) available; if foods more than the allowed amount is found on their
farms, it will all be seized and destroyed (by the tatmadaw troops).
e. Only one person is allowed to stay on each
farm as a farm guard during the night; if more than one person is found staying
on a farm (in the night time), they will be regarded as insurgents and as such
will be subject to legal actions (by the tatmadaw troops).
f. Those villagers who stay on their farms at
night must make and keep up (wood) fire the whole night (at their farm huts)
(2) The village headmen must in advance inform
each and every member of their respective village community of all the details
of this order, and at the same time must ensure that all members of their
village community definitely obey this order.
(3) This is to inform (the village headmen) that
the tatmadaw will severely
and forcefully take actions against those who fail to obey this order.
Signed: Commander (pro tem)
410th Light Infantry
Battalion