Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department
Karen National Union Contact:
Situation in Natkyizin village
On September 15, 2001 a
Burma army's troops has open fire to a group of villagers who hiding in the
jungle in Ku Yo Kwa, in the east of Palaw township, Mergui district, Tenasserim
division killing a man and wounded another. Saw Te Ne, 20 yrs. was shot dead
and Saw Baw Klaw, 34 yrs. escaped wounded. The troops burnt down all the houses
in that place which belong to the villagers.
On
On
On September 5, 2001, a
Burma army's troop arrested Naw Ka Si, 28 yrs. (daughter of Saw Ta Klen) from
Picha (Pyicha) village, in Palaw Township, Mergui district and accused her of
let the outsiders (strangers who are hiding from Burma army in the jungle) come
and buy goods at her shop and shot her to death. She was shot dead on the road
at neighboring village Ler Pah Doh (Kyaukmaw).
On September 24, 2001
Burma army's troops from Light Infantry Battalion 375 has beaten four prisoner
porters to death in Htee Po Lay in Tenasserim Riverside in the east of Tavoy
town, Tavoy district, according to a deserter.
The victims were;
1. Aung Zaw Win son of Oo
San Thein
2. Min Thein (called) Ma
Kyi son of Aung Thein
3. Aye Myint son of Oo Bo
Thein
4. So Myint son of Chet
Kyi
On September 26, 2001 a
prisoner porter was fell down and died of exhaustion and lack of nutrition in
Ka Saw Wah, a deserted village in Tenasserim Riverside according to a fellow
porter who arrived to the border to look for work in Thailand.
On September 12, 2001
Burmese soldiers from Light Infantry Battalion 377 has stolen a cattle of Saw
Htoo Gaw from Mita (Myitta) village in the east of Tavoy Town, Tavoy district.
On September 10, 2001 Battalion
Commander Major Hla Htun from Burma army's No.12 military training centre in
Nawtaw has demanded 10,000 betel nuts from Pasawoak village in Plaw Township,
Merugi district.
On September 2, 2001 a
troops from Burma army's Light Infantry Battalion entered Kawut village in
Eastern Mergui Township, Mergui district and demanded a cattle from the
villagers.
On September 5, 2001
Burma army's officer from No. 12 military training centre in Naw Taw (in Palaw
township, Mergui district) forced the villagers from Pasawoak village to work
on their military training ground facilities. Again On September 7, 2001 the
officer demanded villagers from Pawsawoak and forced them for the same work.
On September 20, 2001
Burma army's No.9 Operation Commanding HQ has construct a new military camp in
Nawtrurtaw (Hninpayoke) in the east of Tavoy town, in Tavoy Township. That
troop constructs their military camp in the garden of Naw Heh Malay and destroyed
many of her betel and coconut palms. The troop gives no compensation to the
owner. The troops forced the villagers from Klerpoo (Nyaungdon), Kosay, Nawtrutaw
viillagers, to construct that military camp. The troops also planned to
construct more camps in Klerpoo village, and in a place between Klerpoo, Kawhteelor
(Thabyuchaung), Kosay and Kosay church.
On September 24, 2001
Commander Win Htun Oo from Burma army's Infantry Battalion 541 which stationed
in Pawndaw in The east of Theyetchaung Township, Tavoy district demanded 300
bamboo poles from the villagers in Kanekaw (Pyathachaung) village. At the same
day that officer demanded one engine boat to send the military food supplies to
Htoo Ler.
On September 20, 2001
Burma army's Light Infantry Battalion 377 construct a new military camp in
Wasuko (Seikphoyne) village, in the east of Tavoy town, Tavoy district and
forced Wasuko villagers to supply the bamboos for the construction. Each
villager has to send 10 bamboo poles.
On September 14, 2001 the
officer from No.9 Operation Commanding HQ has ordered the villagers from
Kamoethway area to construct two bridges near Myitta village in the east of
Tavoy town, Tavoy district and to finish it within December, said a villager
from that area who arrived to the Thai-Burma border.
According
to him the villagers have to build the bridges that will cross Tenasserim River
near Myitta village. One is in the east and another in the west of the village.
The east bridge is 165 feet long and the west is 65 feet long. Those bridges
are for the Burma army' military purpose. All the logs and other needed
materials must be supplied by the villagers.
After
1997, the local villagers were forced to construct those bridges every year in
dry season after the bridges were swept away by the flood in the rainy seasons.
On September 28, 2001
Burma army's troop forced the villagers in Kamothway area, in the east of Tavoy
town, Tavoy district to construct a helipad the size about a soccer field in Kawpaw
(Myinkanbaw) village.
On
Prepare for ILO visit
Source: A local villager
who arrived to the Thai-Burma border
24.9.01
Col: Soe Thet, commander
of No 1 Strategic command under the command of Coastal Region Military Command
has ordered Kay Ta pyithusit's (SPDC's people militia) leader Ye Htun Naing to
inform the villagers in Kay Ta area that if ILO officers arrive and ask about
the forced labour they have to answer that there is no forced labour in their
area. The one who fail to follow the order will face serious action. Kay Ta
situate in the East of Tavoy town, Tenasserim Division.
Military prepare a lie to
ILO representatives
Source: A gentleman close
to No 2 Tactical Command headquarters.
Date: 25.9.2001
On 19 September 2001,
Col: Soe Thet, commander of No 1 Strategic command under the command of Coastal
Region Military Command arrived to No 2 Tactical Command under the Command of
No 8 Operational Commending Headquarter to prepare for information security in
advance before the arrival of ILO high level team members visit to Myitta, a
village 35 miles in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, Burma.
Col: Soe Thet met the
commander and other No 2 Tactical Command officers at TC headquarter in Myitta
and instructed the officers there to welcome the visiting ILO represents
warmly, but to keep secret to all the real situations related to forced
labourings and forced porterings. He had guided the local military officers not
to let the guests visit other villages apart from Myitta saying it related to
the security is not fit for VIPs at the moment.
On the other hand the
local officers must not let other villagers come to visit or talk to the ILO
represents. Only the villagers or village elders who were taught by special
officers, how to talk in front of ILO officers must meet the special guests.
The local military officers must prepared the proper persons from the village
and teach them how to speak, what to speak in front of those guests. They must
say they know nothing about forced labour as forced portering in their areas
and elsewhere.
Soe Thet also warned the
officers he met that as instructed if there is no information secure and if
information leak out the area commanders must face strict action. After
briefing to the officers from No 2 TC headquarters he went back to Tavoy in the
same day.
Extortion on villagers
for railroad repairing
SPDC demanded villagers
to supply road metal and sleepers
Natkyizin is a village in
Yebyu township Tavoy district in Tenasserim division. It has about 500
households and the chairman of Natkyinzin PDC is Oo Myint Thein. According to
Natkyizin villagers who arrived to Thai- Burma border on September 24, 2001,
the township PDC have ordered chairman Oo Myint Thein that every household of
Natkyizin village have to supply 100 cubic feet of road metal and one 5" x
5" x 5'0" wooden sleeper each to repair rail road between Ye and
Tavoy. The villagers have to provide all the demanded materials before the end
of September, 2001 and send it to the side of the rail road where they were
ordered.
The damage of Ye-Tavoy
railroad caused by poor workmanship and the quality of sleepers forcibly
demanded from the villagers. The uncompacted embankment concaved down unevenly
in every rainy season and the sleepers were decayed year after year according
to the quality of the wood. Because of this the train often derailed and
capsized and caused the passengers to be injured and or died in some incidents.
Ye- Tavoy railroad link
between Tavoy in Tenasserim division and Ye town in Mon state and was finished
in 1998 summer by forcing several thousands of villagers from Tavoy district's
four townships and Ye township from Maulmein district for more than five years.
More than hundred villagers have died on that construction by diseases caused
by exhausted, heat, malaria, diarrhea and landslide, gang raped gunshot etc.
In Natkyizin village,
there camped a platoon from Infantry Battalion 273 and that troop demanded 5 in
turn porter everyday from the village. These who unable to go at the day they
were assign have to pay 500 kyat to hire another person on his behalf. At
Natkyizin village the SPDC troop did not demand for operational porters. They
use the in turn porters they have dictated to carry their burden when they
patrol the vicinity of Natkyizin village.
Though a platoon from IB
273 stationed in Natkyizin village a group of armed Mon split from MNSP (the
Mon New State Part) which signed ceasefire agreement with SPDC demanded 1,500,000
kyat from Natkyizin village every year. So the village PDC has to collect 3000
kyat from each household secretly and gave to that armed group every year.
Usually every household
in Natkyizin village have to give 100 kyat for village development fund, 100
kyat to host the visiting military officers and 100 kyat for Pyithusit (SPDC
people militia armed group) every month without absent.