News,
personal accounts, reports & analysis on the human rights situation in Mon
territory and other areas of the Southern part of
Issue No. 6/2001
Publication of the Human Rights Foundation of Monland
CONTENTS
News:
(1) IB No. 61 and LIB No. 299 used villagers as
porters during a military operation
(2) More migrant workers move into
Kawkareik township
is situated in the middle part of
In
this township area, there are about 20 village tracts and each tract comprises
about 4 to 7 small, middle and big villages.
There are about 60 villages totally in the Township area. Mon villages are situated along “
In
this Township area, as the rebel troops from KNLA have been active, SPDC and
the Burmese Army deployed more their troops in township area. Therefore, whenever the army arrived into
their area, the local civilians in the area have always suffered from the
various types of abuses by the army members.
In
the general policy of the SPDC regime, the local paddy-growing farmers have
constantly suffered from forced buying of paddy that set up by the
authorities. They have to sell their
paddy at low price in SPDC’s Township paddy buying centers. On the other hand, as the regime, Karen
State PDC authorities, could not provide the required amounts of money for
total expenses in Township administration and to their local military
battalions, the local civilians have been constantly suffered to provide
various types of tax or fund to the authorities every month.
Additionally, the local civilians are
also suffered from the conscription of forced labour instructed by local
authorities or military battalions that base in Township area. Normally, the authorities ordered the
civilians to participate in taking security in the area, which created the
conscription of forced labour. LIB No.
545 and No. 546 base in this Township area, the villagers are also suffered
from the conscription of forced labour from these two battalions in the
battalions’ paddy fields and rubber plantations.
On
the other hand, to grip on their power and security in the area, SPDC local
authorities also ordered the local village tract or village leaders to
cooperate with them. They need to
inform the nearest SPDC army battalions or the local authorities about the
activities of rebel activities including ceasefire groups’ activities.
The
data collected from this township that covers about two years period have been
described as below in details.
Like many farmers in the whole country,
the military regime, SPDC’s Township authorities have forced the local farmers
to sell their paddy at low price to paddy buying center in the Township
area. As a main connection to get
available amounts of paddy, SPDC had forced farmers in
Normally,
the farmers are growing their paddy only in the rainy season naturally after
they get rainwater. When the
authorities instructed to grow paddy even after rainy season that is called dry
season paddy crop, although they have unavailable resources, however they have
to follow according to the order of the authorities. Traditionally, the farmers
in this area have grown only one (rainy) seasonal paddy crop during rainy
season and normally they grow some chili, peanut and vegetables after harvest.
In
this township area, there area about 41,400 acres of land totally which can be
grown paddy in rainy season with rainwater and the authorities have the lists
of all farmers and the lands they own.
Among these farmers, they ordered the farmers whose lands are close to “Gyaing” river or other streams to grow paddy after rainy
seasonal crop, as dry seasonal paddy crop.
This dry seasonal paddy crop need to be cultivated in November (in cold
season of
Among
the total 41, 400 acres of land in Township area, the authorities have selected
only some 8000 acres of lands that close to river or streams to plan growing
dry seasonal paddy crop. When the
authorities instructed to village headmen to start growing dry seasonal crop,
they also give the names of farmers and the location of the farmlands as an
order also needed to grow.
The
authorities also adopted a concrete plan how to force the local farmers to grow
dry seasonal paddy crop. To grow dry
seasonal paddy crop in November 2000, they planned in forcing farmers since
February 2000. Before that the
authorities made lists of farmers and lands that could be grown crop and then
also estimated the amount of paddy crop that the farmers needed to produce in
harvest season. They also ordered the
respective village headmen to send the list of farmers to them before
hand. Then, they again ordered the
headmen to give pressure against farmers to give promise and to actually grow
dry seasonal paddy crop.
Additionally,
the authorities also inquired about equipment, facilities and other materials
in the area where they forced the farmers to grow dry seasonal crop. They inquired how many water pumps equipped
with generators, land ploughing machine and the
required amount of fertilizers for these lands. Although the authorities collected these information, they actually could not support any
materials to farmers. Even some farmers
said, they have received some factory-produced fertilizers from
In the program
of cultivation of this dry seasonal crop, some parts of farmers from 20
villages, of 5 Mon village tracts are forced to follow the authorities’
order.
As an instance,
“In an order
in May 2000, the Township PDC authorities instructed the village headmen from
five village tracts, Mikhalo, Kanni,
Kaw-lyan, Karit, and Karit-kyaukphar, that the farmers must cultivate dry
seasonal paddy crop in 717 acres of land to produce 75 baskets of paddy per
acre, in 5296 acres of land to produce 50 baskets of paddy per acre and in 2020
acres of land to produce 36 baskets of paddy per acre respectively. Thus, the farmers in these village tracts
are forced to grow paddy in 8006 acres of lands totally and the authorities
also estimated and instructed to farmers how many baskets of paddy they must
have to produce.”
In
this case, the authorities know just to give order to farmers but not
assistance. The farmers who have to
follow the instructions of the authorities have to manage by themselves in all
processes of cultivation. They have to
rent water pumps equipped generators to get water from the river and pour into
their farms. They have to plough the
lands and rent ploughing machines and other
equipment. Additionally, to get crop
products accordingly to authorities’ instruction, the farmers needed to put a lot
of fertilizers in their lands. So, they
have to buy a lot of fertilizers in private shops in town at high price.
Why the
authorities have forced to grow paddy in dry season in which the farmers have
to spend a lot of money to invest in cultivation? Accordingly to their plan, the authorities
required to buy about 150, 000 baskets of paddy totally from local farmers and
they would more from farmers who are ordered to grow two seasonal crops. The paddy buying authorities pay only 300-350
Kyat per basket of paddy while the market price is about 800-1000 Kyat per
basket. The farmers are ordered to sell
their paddy from 8 – 15 baskets of paddy per acre to the authorities’ set paddy
buying centers.
In
Under
the “self-reliance” program of all army battalions, LIB No. 565 and LIB No. 566
in Township area have some lands (about
500 to 700 acres) to grow paddy and rubber trees. As the army members are busy with their own
military activities and have no skill in paddy cultivation and tree plantation,
the soldiers have always forced the local villagers near their bases to work in
their farms or in plantations on a rotation basis.
These
two military battalions, LIB No. 545 and No. 546 have involved in cultivating
in both “rainy seasonal” and “dry seasonal” paddy crops and they have forced
the local civilians constantly in their paddy cultivation.
As an instance,
“From December 10 to 23, 2000,
LIB No. 546, which bases near Kyone-doe village,
conscripted about 40 villagers every day from Kanni, Kaw-kyaik, Thayet-taw, Tadar-oo, Kaw-lyan and Kaw-khaike villages to reap the paddy in their paddy
fields. Similarly, From
In
In
this case, the villagers have to cut many thousands of bamboo and bring to the
designated place. They, themselves, had
to build the fence and plant the sharp bamboo inside the fence. These works take a lot of time of the
villagers.
In
an order on
Besides
the building of the fence round the “Gyaing” river
bridge, the villagers from the above village tracts are forced to take security
near the bridge. The authorities forced
the local villagers to build small huts near bridge and ordered every village
nearby to go and stay in huts to take security of the bridge.
Additionally,
like other area, to take security of the bridge and the roads from the attack
of rebel troops, the authorities also ordered the local villagers to clear
grasses, bushes and trees near the bridges, along the roads and along the
river, to clearly see the route. By
clearing these materials, the authorities expect the rebel soldiers could not
hide and it is possible for the security of the area. Just recently, the authorities have still
conscripted the villagers to do this type of work.
“From May 25 till the end of May,
the authorities conscripted about 80 Mon villagers every day from Kanni, Thayet-taw, Kaw-khaike, Kaw-lyan and Kaw-kyaik villages to clear bushes, grasses and small trees
along Gyaing river and then near bridge for the security
of the area.”
In
this township, as the villagers are conscripted various types of works for army
and authorities, they have less and less work to do their own works. And, the people in the area have less and
less income after they could not work full time in their work. Sometimes, if they could not go and work
their work-duties according to the order, they also have to pay fine, about 500
Kyat per day.
In
The
purposes of collecting in Township area normally occurred after the
In
case, the departments or all ranks of Township PDC authorities tried to find
the way that they could raise money.
They tried to invent the ways that they could get money from the
civilians.
For
example, Township's General Administration Office itself published a calendar
and forced the local civilians to buy that calendar whether they have desire to
buy it or not. In an order that
Administration Office sent to a small village on the river bank of "Gyaing" river, it mentioned that it sent 350 sheets of
calendar with village headmen and so, the headmen have to take responsibility
to bring 70, 000 Kyat for calendar.
Actually, the village has about 200 households and so the villagers
extra sheets of calendar. However, the
headmen could not return the extra sheets of calendar to authorities, but have
to bring the exact amount of money to them.
Thus, the headmen had to manage collecting fund 500 Kyat from every
household to give the authorities.
Not
only the local civilians are forced to provide fund for administration purpose,
they also have to pay for the construction or repairing of the building that
owned by the Township authorities.
Normally, the authorities held monthly meeting and invited all village
headmen to attend the meeting. The
authorities also requested fund from the village headmen to pay for what
purposes. The authorities also
requested fund for the construction or repairing of buildings.
In
an order given by authorities to village headmen in one Mon village in May
2000, it mentioned that when the village headmen went for meeting at the end of
May, to listen from the authorities about the political, economic and social
situation in Township and in the whole country, the authorities also instructed
the village headmen to bring 4000 Kyat together with them to provide in buying
thatches for the roof of supply building in Kawkareik
town.
Like
this case, depending on the village population and household number in the
village, the demands for fund are different.
Sometimes, for the large amount of fund for the building or
construction, the authorities required up to 100, 000 Kyat from one
village.
In
levying tax or fund from the civilians, sometimes not only the higher
authorities have asked the fund, but even a soldier or a policeman has
opportunity to ask fund from the civilians.
Sometimes, when a group of soldiers or policemen are taking
responsibility for security in the bases near villages, they could demand fund
from these villages, as they liked.
As an instance,
“With an order
dated on June 23, 2000, a policeman who base in Kha-rit
village ordered all lumber mill owners from 5 Mon villages, Kawkator,
Mon-hlaing, Kyaikabin, kyauk-ye-twin, and Nwar-chan-gon,
nearby to meet him at police base. When
about 10 mill owners met with him, he asked about 5, 000 Kyat from each owner.”
When the authorities planned for
celebrating the important occasions or State important days, they always
collected fund from the civilians by ordering the respective town ward leaders
or village headmen to provide for fund.
As an example, on
Additionally,
the authorities have also collected fund from local truck and boat drivers who
provide travel service in Township area.
In this township, as "Gyaing" river
is flowing through the area, the people in the area have relied on water way
mostly. Many local civilians in town
and village made or bought boats, equipped with small Horse Power engine
propellers, and provide transport and travel service along the river. Thus, the authorities in the Township have
opportunities to collect funds from the boat owners or drivers.
As an instance,
"On
According to the local boat drivers in
the area, besides they have to pay for permission or license to use their boats
in river, sometimes, they have to pay some regular fund to the nearest police
stations or army battalions. Besides the
cost for license, they also have to pay about 5000 Kyat per month.
Besides the
civilians are providing fund for various purposes, they also have to provide
support or finance to the local army battalions such as LIB No. 545 and No. 546
for various purposes. As a purpose,
under the fund raising program, the civilians from every village had to provide
fund to the authorities and army battalions with 2000 Kyat per village in
July. The authorities and army required
this fund to buy rubber and other plants to grow in their gardens. Sometimes, the authorities tried to collect
fund for army.
As an instance,
"In an
order dated on September 10, 2000, Township authorities ordered to about 10
village headmen in Township to provide 200, 000 Kyat totally for the cost of
the roof of military barracks of a Tactical Command, that bases in Kyone-doe village which is on the Gyaing
river bank."
"In that order, the
authorities defined which village has to pay how much money each. According to order, the authorities
requested 56, 000 Kyat from Kanni village tract; 20,
000 Kyat from Daw-phar village tract; 20, 000 Kyat
from Kaw-pa-lae village tract; 15, 000 Kyat from Mae-ga-lon village tract, 22, 000 Kyat from Yebyu-gyi
village tract; 22, 000 Kyat from Kyone-ai village
tract; 13, 000 Kyat from Chaung-phar village tract;
52, 000 Kyat from Kharit-kyauktan village tract; and
13, 000 Kyat from Kaw-lyan village tract and 7, 000
Kyat from Inn-kyi village tract."
In the situation, which both SPDC
authorities and local army battalions have no available fund for spending in
their activities and supporting the facilities that they required, the local
authorities have full chance to collect tax or fund from the civilians. As they have this authority, in most time,
they involved in the corruption such as demanding more funds than required from
the civilians and taking extra money into their pockets. Normally, the civilians said, they have been
likely supporting the wealth of Township authorities and army commanders.
In
the Burmese Army (Tatmadaw) battalions,
the soldiers have very little amount of salary to support their families and
they have no time to work for their families because they are always ordered to
participate in military operations. In
normal situation, although some high rank military officers, such as battalion
commander, second-commander, troop company commander
could find fund for their families in various ways of corruption including tax
or fund collection from the civilians, ordinary soldiers and low-rank officers
are impossible to have this type of fund or tax from the civilians because they
have no authority.
For
ordinary soldiers, even they do not have problems before they
marriage, but after marriage, they have quite difficult situation to support
their families. Their wives and
children also have to work to support survivals of the families. Many marriage soldiers or low-rank officers,
tried to resign or retire as soldiers, but they could not. When they initially entered into Burmese
Army and agreed to work, they were forced to sign a contract that giving
promise they must serve in army for 10 years at least. Without fulfilling this duty, they could not
resign as tatmadaw members or Burmese soldiers. As a result, many ordinary and low-rank army
officers (especially from ordinary
soldiers to sergeant in the battalion) escape or leave from the battalions
if they have opportunity or after they have no choice.
The
occurrance of these army escapees is quite common in
rural areas, where the SPDC battalions are taking base. Sometimes, when the army columns moved to
border areas to launch offensives against rebel troops, some soldiers also
defected to rebel armies, and left into
In
rural area, after their fleeing, the soldier escapees tried to hide or stayed
in the village surrounding of their battalions, or they hid with their
relatives. Whenever, this case happens,
the concerned military battalion always the escapee. As these escapees violate the contract for
army, they are likely breaking the laws.
To
prevent the conditions or stopping the soldiers from fleeing or hiding in the
rural area, the local Burmese Army’s battalions always instructed the headmen
in villages nearby to not accept the escaped soldiers in the villages. Or, if they met some these
soldier escapee in a village, the headmen needed to arrest the escapee
and then, inform to the nearest military battalion. If the village headmen failed to inform about
the escapees or someone accepted in their houses, they must be punished.
In
August 2000, one army Sergeant from IB No. 231 that bases in
“An army Sergeant of IB No. 231,
Sgt. Nyunt Win (ID No. 604368) have disappeared since
“His parents are U Tin Aung and
Daw Mya May, and their address is No. 1 Section, Chaung-taung
village, and if he arrived back at home village, you need to arrest and inform
to IB No. 231. If he is staying or
hiding in your village, you must need to arrest him and then inform to IB No.
231 as quick as possible. If you are
accepting him in village or fails to inform the army battalion, you must be
taken action according to laws because you are providing shelters to soldier
escapee.
“And, you also need to inform
your villagers or civilians in your area that if they are providing shelter for
soldier escapee, they must be taken actions according to the laws.”
In
most situation, in rural area, when some soldiers
escaped form a battalion, the concerned military commander informed Township
authorities and then, the authorities put pressure the village headmen in most
villages to arrest the escape and send to them. For the soldiers who escape near border
area, they could move to another side of the border and could hide in
neighbouring countries.
In
NMSP
officials also exercise administrative and judicial power in this area and they
receive respects from the local community.
Thus, SPDC authorities have power only in Kawkareik
town and they have lost their power in rural villages. They dissatisfy for these situations and try
to force the local village headmen to inform all situation development that
happens in their villages and nearby.
However, most village headmen in the area would not like to inform to
the authorities or failed to inform.
So, the authorities have sent many letters to local village headmen to
inform about the development of the situation, especially, about the activities
of NMSP, MNLA and KNLA troops in the area.
At
the end, with an order dated on
“With the
purpose concerning for the discussion of security, administration, economic and
social matters that especially happened in your (town) ward/ village tract, we
have asked many times to report.
However, the leaders from ward/ village have not reported about the
special matters to Township, and we just know about these special matters from
other organization’s sources. So, for
town ward and village tract, the leaders of Town ward must inform about the
special happening in their ward within (1) hour after happening and each
village chairman and member of village tract must come and inform to Township
office as quick as possible. If they
failed to inform, they must be punished.
“In the future, if the town ward or village tract leaders fail to inform and if we
receive news about special happening from other sources again, we will punish
the concerned leaders to resign from their posts and they must be punished
accordingly to the laws.”
In
this order, the special happening or matter is meant about the activity of any
Mon or Karen rebel force. Whenever this
happens, they must inform to authorities as quick as possible. So, they could know all situations. As the authorities dissatisfied on the
village leaders for their accepting NMSP authorities, they also ordered to
inform about the activities of NMSP members.
In this order, other organization’s source meant that the surrendered
rebel groups or the organizations that cooperate with regime know about NMSP,
MNLA and KNLA activities and they have informed to Township authorities. That was why the authorities knew these
happenings that the town ward or village leaders fail
to inform.
Although
SPDC has been agreeing for ceasefire with NMSP since 1995, actually, they would
not like more NMSP influence to the people.
In
Because
of ceasefire agreement, Township PDC authorities have lost some of their power
in the rural area as NMSP’s involvement in many
administration and judicial activities.
However, Township authorities could not stop the activities of
NMSP. Thus, the authorities made more
restriction against the local village headmen to not cooperate with NMSP or to
stop their villagers to not accept NMSP administration.
As
an instance, in May 12, when NMSP authorities under the name of “NMSP Thaton District Administration Body” is planning to
re-build their office and military barracks, the Township authorities also
ordered the village headmen from village tracts nearby, such as, Kaw-bein, Kaw-pauk, Min-ywa, Kaw-go, Kha-rit
and Kanni, to stop NMSP officials from re-building
District Office and military camp.
The
subject of the order is “the matter of NMSP (Thaton
District) construction of office and army barrack” and the details
of the order is as below:
“1. As the subject mentioned above, NMSP (Thaton)
is constructing its administration office and military barrack, in Kaw-pha-lone village, near Kaw-mi
village in Kaw-bein village tract, so that we need
the village headmen to stop this activity and report the situation how they
could stop NMSP activity. This order is
referring the order from the order of Kawkareik
District PDC authorities.
“2. Concerning NMSP’s construction of Thaton
District office and army battalion, you must exactly follow according to order
point no. 1. You must tell NMSP
authorities that the construction must be done after they received official
permission from Kawkareik District PDC authorities.”
In
Kawkareik town, there are two offices of Kawkareik District PDC and Kawkareik
Township PDC taking base and District office normally covers for the
administration of four townships in
However,
as the people are supporting NMSP or it is powerful in the area, most of them
reported that they could not stop the activity of NMSP for the construction of
administration office and army barracks.
Township
PDC authorities have restricted the headmen and civilians more to not accept
the influence of NMSP. Additionally,
they also instructed the villagers in the rural areas to not support KNLA
activities.
With
a main purpose to against the activities of rebel armies, KNLA and MNLA troops,
SLORC/SPDC deployed more troops in this area, under the command of Southeast
Military Command, bases in Moulmein, the capital of
Mon State. At the same time, to compete
with NMSP activities for administration and judicial, Township authorities have
increased their control into rural Mon and Karen villages in the area.
Before
1990, the people in the area had fewer burdens for tatmadaw and Township authorities because they had less control in the
area. Later, after SLORC deployed more
troops and police force in some parts of Township, the Mon and Karen people in
the area suffered more from conscription of forced labour in various types of
works, porter for military operations, payment for Township’s various purposes
and other mis-treatments.
On
the other hand, since KNLA troops are launching military activities in the
area, some Karen villagers are still suffered from the suspicion of
rebel-supporters and the population displacement in the eastern part of
Township still happens.
**********************************************************************
NEWS
IB No. 61 and LIB
No. 299 used villagers as porters
During a military
operation
(June
2001)
From
28th May to 6th June, when two military battalions of
Burmese Army, IB No. 61 and LIB No. 299 changed their deployment in Three
Pagoda Pass, a border town with Thailand, in southern part of Burma, the
soldiers used about 40 villagers from Ye Township area as civilian porters
during their operations, according to a source from Three Pagoda Pass.
Before
the operation started on 28th May, IB No. 61 battalion, which bases are
in Ye Town, ordered the village headmen from 10 villages in northern part of
township to provide 40 villagers to carry their ammunitions and food supplies
for soldiers when they moved from Ye Town to
The
villagers were forced to carry ammunitions and food supplies for the troops
along the military operations and it took them 4 days
totally along the jungle way to arrive to border town. They left on 28th May and
arrived to
After
the troops arrived
On
4th June, LIB No. 299 took these villager porters and forced them to
carry ammunitions and food supplies for the soldiers and then left from the
border town and moved to Ye Township along the same jungle way that IB No. 61
had used. Similarly, the soldiers took
the villagers for another four days in this porter service. The troops arrived to their base on 7th
June and released all porters without payment they have used them for several
days.
During
the porter service along the jungle road, one porter from Ah-bor village was hit with a sharp bamboo and the soldiers
left him behind. The medic soldiers
treated him with a little treatment and left him behind. Then the Mon villagers nearly found him in
jungle and brought him to village for further treatment.
During
the porter service, the porters were fed with little amount of foods that was
equal to one meal of foods and forced them to carry the heavy loads for 8-10
hours per day. Not only they were not
fully fed, sometimes they were kicked by soldiers to walk quickly.
Although
all military battalions received order that the requisition of forced labour in
any purposes including during the military operation from Ministry of Home Affairs,
SPDC, most local battalions have not stopped using forced labour during the
military offensives or operations because the soldiers themselves could not
carry their own foods and ammunitions that required during operation.
More migrant workers moved into
after Songkaram festival
(May,
2001)
After
Songkaram new year festival in Burma, many thousands
of migrant workers from Mon State, Pegu Division, Karen State and Tenasserim Division, or most part of southern part of
Burma, have gradually moved into Thailand to seek jobs in there and send some
income to their families left in Burma as a result of unemployment in Burma and
economic mis-management by SPDC, according a source from
Mon State.
Among
the migrant workers that moved into Thailand, about 70% of them ever stayed and
worked in Thailand in the recent years and decided to re-enter into Thailand
again to have some of their former works and send their income back to Burma to
their parents or families who are in hard economic conditions in Burma. Normally, after paying respect to their
parents in the new year occasion, most young people
with age range from 15 to 40 years planned to enter into
In the period from third week of April
until the end of May, there has been at least 300
migrants in average moved from
While
these migrant workers migrated from their native home village or border town,
they had to pass many checkpoints operated by all levels of SPDC authorities
and they had to bribe all of them to get permission of the passage. They had to pay about 500-1000 Kyat per head
in every check-point they passed.
Normally, they had to pay to Military Intelligence (MI) officers, police
and army members. When they arrived in
When
the worker moved to
In