* 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 foundation of monland
Human Rights Publication 3/95 (May 15, 1995)
P. O. Box 11, Ratchburana, Bangkok 10140, Thailand
Brief Human Rights Abuses
in Mon Territory
1. Human Rights Abuses in Thaton District
From the beginning of dry
season up to the end of March, because of the SLORC launched the military operation combined Local Infantry Battalion
No. 62 and 31, the Mon villagers in Kyaikmaraw township named Line, Kawkhalein,
Kyaikabin, Palaingkamort, Kawgo, Kanni, Kawkyaik, Pinekamar, Kawjamalein and Kotkataw, were
constantly tortured and the many villagers escaped from the villages and displaced
in jungle or in farmlands around the along side of Gaing River.
Starting dry season, when the SLORC launched military operation to this area, they
continuously accused the local villagers as supporters of Mon troops and by
accompanying with many kinds of human rights abuses were violated by them. The
military operation of combination of Infantry Battalion No. 62 and No. 31
troops which based in Kawkarake Town and Kawbain village, was mostly led by
Col. Ohn Myint [1] , Lt. Col. Than Win, Captain Aye
Min, Captain Thin Hlaing and Captain Aung Lwin.
In September,
the Battalion No. 62's about 100 troops led by Col. Ohn Myint came into
Kotkataw and Line village to search for Mon rebels and arrested all men in the
villages and tortured them to admit to SLORC troops who were the Mon rebels and
the supporters of the rebels in their villages. Nai Phu, Nai Chit Palae, Nai
Yu, Nai Hla Sein and Nai Hlein were severely tortured and detained for one week
as they accused the supporters of Mon rebels. They also took some high-price
belonging of villagers like video, engine of small rice mill, etc., from those
villages.
In October,
about 150 troops of the operation led by second commander Lt. Col. Than Win, Captain Aung Lwin and Captain Aye Min launched
some offensives in this areas and arrested many villagers for portering. On the
way, when the porters tried to flee, the troops shot them and also shot some
shell into Kyaukapin, Kawgo, Palaingkamort and Line villages with launchers on
October 28. Nai Nyein, Mehm Hla Tin, Mehm Kon Htaw and Mi Aye Kyi got shell
injuries. The many kinds of taxation and the rice were constantly
force-contributed to SLORC troops by the villagers.
In the third of November, Captain Aye Min led the 60 troops came into Kawkataw,
Kawgo and Palaingkamort villages and arrested some villagers for portering.
While the villagers were fleeing to escape for portering, the troops shot to
them in Kawgo village and one villager, Nai Lon (age 25 years) died on spot.
The some arrested villagers were terribly tortured by the troops as they tried
to flee and the troops accused them as supporters of rebels by hiding the arms
of the rebels. They also told to the villagers, they will accuse the villagers
who were not in the villages when they came, were as Mon soldiers.
In last week of December and first week of January, Col. Ohn Myint led about 200 troops launched big
offensive in this area and arrested many village headmen and villagers. When
the troops came into those Line, Palaingkamort, Kyaukapin and Kawkataw
villages, they arrested about 10 village
headmen and many villagers. In the interrogation, the
soldiers fixedly covered the faces of the victims and poured water on their
heads. Like severe torturing to them was actually to persuade them to show the
arms hiding places of the rebels and told them to relocate the villages quickly.
When the village headman replied it was impossible to relocate the villages and
they were severely beaten by the troops.
Since then, most village headmen and villagers fled into jungle and took
refuge in safe place. The administration of the villages were
loose and the villagers were no longer tolerate to stay in their villages. In last week of January, they ordered the
villagers from those four villagers to relocate into Kawbain village where they
have military outpost as soon as possible. After they issued the order, one
abbot from Palaingkamort village approached them to not make the relocation and
they angried to the abbot. As a result, the troops
forcedly disrobed the abbot. After that, the most men in the villages did not
dare to return and stay in the villages again.
In February,
the troops issued an order mentioned that if the civilians were innocent or had
no connection with rebels, they must stay in their village and must relocate
into Kawbain village as the issued order before. If the villagers refused for
their order, they will accuse those villagers as rebels. After the troops
issued this order, they oftenly came into the villages and they destroyed some houses
and took the belongings from the house which had no any man as they accused
those men were rebels. For the family members of those men, also afraid to stay
in the villages and fled to join their husbands in the jungle or in some
farmlands to escape from the dangerous situations.
In March,
the troops came into those villages oftenly and ordered to the villagers again
and again to return back to their villages and to relocate their villages to
another place. Because of the refusal of the villagers, on March 10, about 35
troops led by Col. Than Hlaing arrested the village
headmen from Kawjamalein and Pinekamar villages and severely tortured them by
allegation of having contacts Mon troops. With the same allegation, the troops
also arrested the headmen Nai Seik (33 years) and Nai Chit (39 years) on March
11 and tortured them. Other arrested village headmen in this area were chairman Nai Aung Khin (52 years) and secretary Nai Maung
Chit of Kwannaeparae village. Other village headmen from Kawkataw and Kawkyaik
villages were also tortured by the same troops with allegation of supporting
the Mon rebels. Then, many villagers fled into the jungle east of their
villages and some villages were nearly and totally destroyed as nobody want to
stay longer in the villages.
As the mentioned human rights abuses, the villagers had to abandon the villages and fled
into safe places. But they cannot take refuge to refugee camp in Thai-Burma
border, because the border area is very far away for their families to take
refuge. Very few family arrived to Mon refugee camp
Halockhani.
Human Rights Abuses in Moulmein District
In January 1995, before the SLORC launched military offensive against the Karen
National Union (KNU) bases in Karen State, its local battalions had separately
arrested Mon civilians for portering in Mudon, Thanbuzayat and Kyarinnseikyi
townships of Moulmein District. In the second week of March, the Battalion No.
207 and Battalion No. 208 arrested nearly 1000 men in Kyarinnseikyi township. In the third week of January, the combination
troops of Local Infantry Battalion No. 62 and Battalion No. 209 arrested nearly
600 men in Mudon township. In the Kyauktalone festival
of Mundon township alone, about 220 men were arrested.
The Battalion No. 62 also took responsibilities in arresting hundreds of men in
Thanbuzayat township. The soldiers arrested those
civilians from several places like on the streets, on the train and railway
station, in markets and etc..
In February,
the SLORC had confiscated rice from local farmers of Mudon township
who were fail to serve "yearly selling rice to the government" in
Mudon township. Since the BSPP (Burmese Socialist Program Party) before 1988,
the government has bought rice from local farmers with low prices. In this cultivation
year, the rice products in Mudon southern part villagers were reduced because
of flood in rainy season. Thus, some farmers from Klortsot,
Htonemine, Kwankhabawe and Yaungdawn villages. Since December of last
year, the SLORC opened "rice buying centers" in several places
of Mudon township to forcedly buy the rice from
farmers. When the farmers from those mentioned villages were fail to sell to
them until February, they alleged the farmers were encouraged by Mon troops to
not sell them rice. Therefore, in second week of February, the military from
the Light Infantry Battalion No. 209 and local SLORC supporters confiscated
many baskets from those farmlands in their houses.
In recent March, by attempting to give more intensive pressure to the New Mon State
Party, the SLORC troops have serenely tortured the local civilians in Mudon
Township of Moulmein District after they accused having contact and helping the
local troops of Mon National Liberation Army, the military faction of New Mon
State Party.
On March 16,
one company of Burmese troops led by Captain Tin Soe from Local Infantry
Battalion No. 62 arrested some village headmen and ordinary villagers from the
village in southern parts of Mudon township. Most of
those villages are closely situated along and between the Mudon-Thanbyuzayat
railway and motor road. Most of the villagers are local farmers who work for
lowland rice-growing farms and rubber plantation. On that day, the troops came
into Yaungdaung village and arrested the chairman of the village Nai Nee and
went throughly to Hneepadaw and, also arrested the chairman of the village Nai
Boe Ni and secretary Nai Nu. They sent those village
headmen to Klortsot village in their outpost and they were severely tortured by
the soldiers. The soldiers fixedly covered their faces with plastic bags and
poured water on their head and beated them with rifle-butts and combat boots.
On the next day March 17, the soldiers from the same military battalion
arrested other village headmen and leaders of SLORC village militia, by
accusing them who were supporters of Mon troops and having contacts. On that
day, they arrested the chairman of Doma village Nai Myint, the Secretary of
Klortsot village Nai Chein, leader of Khapourhtaw village militia Nai Kwit,
leader of Kwankhabawe village militia Nai Pan Kar, leader of Bae Dore village
militia Nai Htuu and chairman of Kmar-aii village Nai Maung Myint arrested by
soldiers and brought them the Klortsot military outpost and interrogated about
the activities of Mon troops and members of the New Mon State Party in Mudon
Township. Then, they also accused those village headmen and militia leaders who
have constantly supported the Mon troops for taking bases in their village and
establishing the administrative function of the New Mon State Party. They had
tortured them by many kinds of atrocity. They detained them altogether with
village headmen who they arrested on March 16. According to the victims, when
the military interrogated them, some were came from Military Intelligence
Service and they asked the questions very in detail and if they were
dissatisfied, they ordered the soldiers to torture those arrested village
leaders. After military detained and tortured them for three days, some were
for four days, they released them. The soldiers also warned them to cut off
their contacts with Mon rebels or if they continuously contacted with Mon
rebels, they must be punished more severely than the present kinds of tortures.
They also threatened those village leaders, if they did the same as before with
Mon rebels, some village must be relocated which they thought the main bases of
Mon rebels.
On March 23 in early the morning 2: 00 a.m., the same SLORC troops from Local Infantry Battalion No.
62 came into Kwankhabawe village and arrested three villagers by accusing the
supporters of Mon troops. They were Mi Say, (women, ages 43 years), Nai Jek,
(man, ages 36 years) and Nai Khapue, (man, ages 35 years). As soon as they
arrested, they accused them who contacted the Mon troops and to admit they were
supporters of Mon troops. Terribly, they fixedly covered the faces of those
victims with plastic bags for many minutes to cut off breathing and to admit
they were like supporters of Mon troops when they suffered nearly died. Then,
the soldiers also continuously poured many gallons of water on their heads.
According to the local villagers, the torturing of the soldiers lasted for one
hour but no one died. After that they tied up those villagers and brought with
them to the Htonemine village. When they arrived Htonemine village about 5: 00
a.m., they arrested another two villagers named Nai Saung (man, ages 45 years)
and Nai Gone (man, ages 55 years), and again accused them who have regularly
contacted the Mon troops as supporters of Mon troops. Then, the soldiers
tortured those villagers by the same method they used in torturing of the
Kwankhabawe villagers. The soldiers tied up those six villagers and brought
them to the Klortsot village where they have military outpost there. They
detained those villagers for four days and serenely tortured to admit they have
had contacts with Mon troops. Also to show them the bases of Mon troops and the
houses in the village who accepted the Mon soldiers when they arrived. At the
same time of detention and torturing, the soldiers asked for ransoms to pay
25,000 Kyats per each. Therefore, the families of those victims had to sell
their farmland, rubber plantation and other belongings to pay for ransoms
within four days deadline. After they paid ransoms, the soldiers released them.
In the second week of April, they informed the village leaders of Kwankhabawe and
Htonemine villages to meet them and they interrogated them about the Mon troops
taking bases in their villages. However,
the village leaders admitted that some Mon officials of New Mon State Party had
ever come into their village and although, they knew those Mon rebels came,
they were unable to drive out them as the rebels also armed with guns. The military did not satisfy on the suggestions
of the village leaders and again, severely tortured them as the same kinds of
atrocity before. At the end, the military did not accept any reasonably
complaint of the village headmen and they warned for the second times, the
village must be relocated if they continuously allowed the Mon rebels to come
into their villages. And, the military issued an order to the village leaders
that if the Mon troops or Mon officials came into their villages, they must
kill those rebels and if not, their villages must be relocated.
On April 24,
the soldiers from the same battalion had confiscated the rubber plantation
lands which situated near the Yaungdaung village and planned to relocate the
villagers of Kwankhabawe (manly 400 families resided) and Htonemine (over
300 families resided) villages. The owners of the rubber plantation were
mostly from the Yaungdaung village and reportedly, they did not received any compensation from the military for confiscation
of their valuable lands and rubber trees. By conscripting the labours of the
villagers, the military cut down all rubber trees and make dear ground to
settle the villagers. For the villagers under the vulnerable conditions of
forced relocation by the soldiers, some villagers have fled from their village
and hid in the forests near the Taungnyo mountain range which lied along the
east part of Mudon-Thanbyuzayat motor road. The villagers, mostly, did not want
to move away from their villages because they have costly surroundings their
villages and possibly, their owned rubber plantation and low-rice farmlands are
situated close to their villages.
Human Rights Abuses in
Tavoy District
Since the beginning of dry season, by the time in October of last year, after the SLORC
restarted the Ye-Tavoy railway construction, the local inhabitants of Mon,
Karen and Tavoyan have constantly conscripted as slave-labours in the
construction sites and have served for payments to the military to buy some
facilities for the construction. For some village the payments were instructed
by reasons to hire another labourers, if those
villages unable to provide the military the needed labours for the work-scale
of their village. To escape from the conscription of labours and many kinds of
high taxation, the local inhabitants resided along the rail-route areas had to
flee to the mountainous areas of eastern parts of Ye-Tavoy motor road and faced
troubles such shortage of foods after the SLORC issued the orders and operated
to cut off foods for whom staying in jungles and another worst abuses if they
were arrested again by SLORC troops in their hiding places when the SLORC
launched military operation which oftenly happened. (The brief outline
conditions had been published in Human Rights Interviews 1/95)
In February,
after the SLORC signed a gas exploitation agreement with foreign oil companies
UNOCAL (USA) and TOTAL (France), the SLORC have tried to relocate many local
Mon villages which were possible for Mon troops to take bases and attack the
gas drilling areas and gas pipeline route areas.
To prevent such attacks of
Mon troops in future, the SLORC destroyed one Mon village named Kyauktayan
village in Yebyu Township. The Kyauktayan village was situated on the Andaman seacoast
and in the consideration of SLORC troops, the village
was in well position to attack the gas drilling areas by using fishing boat. On
February 16, about 100 troops from SLORC's Light Infantry Battalion No. 406 led
by Col. Aung Min and Lt. Col. Win Aung came into this village and arrested all
village leaders and took them to Natkyisin where they have military outpost.
And the soldiers ordered or forced them to move their villagers to Natkyisin. Mostly, as the villagers of Kyauktayan were fishermen and very
impossible for them to move from their own village. Although the village
headmen insisted for the impossible relocation of their villagers who were
survival for fishing in seacoast, anyhow, the military did not accept their
complaints and totally rejected. Then, the commander issued an order to move
the village within one week without any complaint or, if not, the SLORC troops
must destroy the village. In the situation when the villagers did not want to
move, and on February 23, the troops came into their village again and
destroyed all houses within two days and drove out all villagers from there. The
Kyauktayan village had nearly 250 households. It was also very inconvenient for
the villagers to move into Natkyisin village because they have nothing such as
cashes to buy land and facilities to build new houses. Therefore, the villagers
displaced in the jungle nearby and faced hardships to survive and at the same
time, impossible to take refuge in the border areas as the village was far away
from Mon refugees camp.
In March,
after the survey team of gas pipeline was attacked by Karen troops, many local
Karen and Mon villages were vulnerable to be forcedly moved by SLORC troops again.
On March 8, when the Karen troops attacked the survey team, it was reportedly
five workers died in the incident and many of them were wounded. Under the
situation while the SLORC troops were angering to the rebel groups, on March
24, one Mon village named Taungchun was totally burnt down by SLORC troops
because of the allegation of rebel base. About 80 troops of SLORC's Local
Infantry Battalion No. 104 led by Lt. Aung Nyein, together with 40 porters,
arrived to the Taungchun village in the night of March 23. As soon as they
arrived, they arrested all men in the village and many men fled from the
village at night time. They stayed in the village for one night and on the next
day morning about 10: 00 a. m. the troops burnt down the villages and drove out
all villagers from there and ordered them to move to Kyaethonenyima village.
There were about 60 households in that village and mostly, the villagers were
farmers.
In April,
when the small fighting occurred near the Ah Mae village, the SLORC troops were
angry to the Ah Mae villagers and later, forcedly moved the villagers. Since
the beginning of March, the SLORC troops ordered the abbot of the village, to
move all villagers to Kyaethong-nyima. But the villagers did not want to move from
their village where they have stayed for longest time in there. After the
villagers refused to move, the troops accused that the villagers were
encouraged by Mon troops to refuse for the relocation. Thus, when the troops
came into the village, they have confiscated all belongings of the villagers
and arrested the villagers for portering or to show the way and to direct the
bases of Mon troops. At the same time, the troops
confiscated rice in the village for their troops and to sell it, and at the
end, the rice in the village was empty. For the suffering villagers, they had
no longer tolerate to stay in the village and abandoned
their surroundings and farmlands and, escaped from the torturing of SLORC
troops. On the eve of Mon New Year water festival (April 13), after the SLORC
troops issued an order if they met someone in the village, they must kill every
time, abbot left the village. Therefore, the village with 125 households was
automatically destroyed and empty with villagers. The villagers were separately
moved to their farmlands or in the jungle and many families enabled to escape
to the border refugee camp, Payaw. (The Human Rights Interviews regarding
Forced Relocation had been published in Publication 2/95)
____________________________
[1] Col. Ohn Myint was a
SLORC commander who attacked one section of Halockhani Mon refugee camp on July
21 of last year,
He was the second commander of Infantry Battalion No, 62 at that
time. When one company troops of
Battalion No. 62 led by him went back from Three Pagoda Pass to its
headquarters in Thanbyuzayat of Mon State, the entered into Mon refugees and
arrested many Mon refugees for portering and burnt down about 120 houses of Mon
refugees.