MONTHLY HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT
TENASSERIM DIVISION
December 2001
Mergui-Tavoy
District Information Department
Karen
National Union Contact:
EXTRA
JUDICIAL KILLING
FORCED
LABOUR
TORTURE
RELIGION
PERSECUTION
RURAL
EDUCATION
EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING
On December
8, 2001 a troop led by Tha Zan of Burma Army’s Light Infantry Battalion 561
came to Ta Hpo Hta village (Tharabway, in Eastern Mergui Township, Mergui district). They found two
boys who were looking after a herd of buffaloes in the field, and killed them
without any reason. The victims are:
1. Ka Maung
Di, 14 yrs., son of Na Ha and Naw Lahla
2. Saw Baw Nay Htoo, 16 yrs., son of saw Mae Doe and Naw Dee
A.
On December 12, 2001, a troop led by Lt. Lwin Maung Soe,
from Burma Army’s Special Commando under control of No.13 Operation Commanding
HQ, arrived to Pe Htaw Hkee (in Palaw Township, Mergui District), which is an
internally displaced hiding site. The soldiers arrested a villager, Saw Aye
Kyeh, 35 yrs. (son of Saw Paw, from Htaw Ka Hkee village) and executed him
afterward.
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FORCED
LABOUR
On December
1, 2001, Adjutant Win Hton Oo from Burma Army’s Light Infantry Battalion 841
ordered Kanaikaw villagers to send 10,000 sheets of roofing leafs to the army
post. The military officers also ordered the villagers to bring their entire
harvested paddy back to the village. If the military found any paddy stored
outside the village, they would burnt it down completely. It caused a
difficulty for the villagers to carry back their paddy in appointed time while
they were busy with collecting their betel nuts. Besides, some fields are very
far from the village that it was not easy to carry the paddy back home.
On December 2, 2001, Burma Army’s officers from Light
Infantry Battalion 541 (under controll of No.9 Operation Commanding HQ) ordered
Kawhtee villagers (Thabyutchaung, in the east of Theyetchaung Township, Tavoy
District) to clear up the road from Kanaekaw (Pyathachaung) to Kawthee village.
The road is about fifteen miles.
The villagers of another village, Kataungni, also were
ordered by the officers to clear up the road from Kanaekaw to Mawmatru village,
which is about nine miles. Before clearing up the road, the villagers had to
sign up their names at military base in Paungdaw village.
On December 5, 2001, Lat Myint, commander of Burma Army No.9
Operation Commanding HQ, (based in Htooler village, in the east of Theyetchaung
township, Tavoy district) demanded four engine boats from Kawthee, three from
Htooler, nine from Kataungni, two from Tameihta, three from Paungdaw, two from
Kanaikaw, and one engine boat from Hawhterhta village to transport their
military food supplies from Paungdaw to Htooler. The villagers got some fuel
from the commander but the fuel could not be used with their engines, and they
had to buy other fuel by their own money. Although it was the busy season for
the villagers, harvesting and collecting their betel nuts, they had to leave
their work and obey the army, without fail.
On December 17, 2001, Major Hla Hton, commander of Burma Army’s No.12
Training Centre (based in Nawtaw village in Palaw Township, Mergui district), demanded forced
labours from Pyicha village tract to clear up the training ground. The
commander also demanded 30 posts that must be 8’ tall and 2’ diameter. And each
household was asked to provide 40 sheets of roofing leafs to the training
center.
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TORTURE
On December 17, 2001, Deputy Commander Hla Win from
Burma Army’s Infantry Battalion 25 arrested two village headmen, Hseh Bya, 40
yrs., and Saw Neh Pay, 50 yrs.. They were from Wahsuhko (Seikphyone) village,
in the east of Tavoy town. The military accused them of supporting the
resistance groups, tortured them and demanded 600,000 kyat ransom for their
release from their relative or their villagers.
On December 31, 2001, Kyauktaung’s Pyithusit (people
militia backed by Burma Army) arrested Saw Heh Hku, the headman of Klawtakwa
village (in Thayetchaung township, Tavoy district). They accused him of
processing a radio communication set, and tortured him - beat, kicked and tied
him up. The Pyithusit also summoned other village headmen, Saw Ba Bi, Saw Mya Maung
and Saw Hteemu, to come to their camp for interrogation.
Kyat*(Burma Courier:
Money line
US$, Sep 24:
680 kyat; US$, Sep 17: 650 kyat; Since Jan 01: -36.76%
FEC, Sep 28: 665 kyat; FEC, Sep 21: 643 kyat; Since July
21 -20.30%)
(Military service salary
(from minimum to maximum) is 3000-100000 Kyats. Civil salary 1000-15000 Kyat.
Daily wages 200-500 Kyat.)
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RELIGION
PERSECUTION
.
Talayhko (Bayitaung, in Palaw Township, Mergui district) planned to
celebrate the Christmas Eve on December 31. Ah Nga, Kyauktaung village
Pyithusit (people military) leader, told the villagers that they were not
allowed to hold the Christmas celebration, and banned the villagers from
holding the celebration. It was learnt that Pyithusit was ordered by Burmese
troop in that area to ban Christmas celebration.
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RURAL
EDUCATION
On December 12, 2001, Pawkato
village in Palaw Township, Mergui
district, applied for permission from local SPDC authorities to build a school.
The application was accepted the villagers were allowed to build the school by
the SPDC authorities. The building will be 60’ long and 30’ wide, and cost
3,000,000 kyats. The Local SPDC authorities promised to support them 900,000
kyats and the rest, the villagers would have to manage themselves.
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