EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING

On June 13, 2002, Burmese troops form Infantry Battalion 101 arrived at Htee Thu Day village in the east of Mergui, in Tenasserim township, Tenasserim Division and shot to death a woman without any question. The victim was Naw Myint Aye, 27 years old daughter of Saw Paw Kyer and Naw Thay May. She was shot dead while she was found outside the relocation site about at 11 O'clock in the morning. Htee Thu Day villagers were relocated by Burmese troops to the middle of their village.

On June 26, 2002, a column of Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 101 led by Maj. General Kyaw Lwin Oo arrived at a villager hiding-place called Kyainchaung Hkee in the east of Mergui in Tenasserim township, Tenasserim division and shot to death a villager. Saw Myint Lwin, about 39, son of Saw Nga Kyi and Naw Ka Naw from Manorone village, was encountered by the troops while he was working in his rice field. He was shot to death on the spot.

The villagers who are hiding in the jungle are continually searched and shot to death, and their belongings are looted or destroyed by the Burmese troops.

LOOTING/RAPE

Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 552 raped a 15-year-old girl and looted the villagers' properties in Le Seit village in the east of Mergui, in Tenasserim township, Tenasserim division on June 7, 2002.

The troops arrived at Le Seit village and started looting some of the villagers' properties including cash, gold earrings, necklaces, and clothes from Naw Poe Lee, Thra Hton Phin, Mwa Paw Lah, Pa Te Htaw Nin Moon and some properties of the church.

Then they arrested the family of Saw Dah Bwet and beat them. Two of the soldiers raped Saw Dah Bwet's daughter Naw Ta Sei, about 15 years old. After beating and raping the girl, the troops looted the family’s clothes and belongings. Unknown amount of other villagers' properties were also looted by those troops.

EXTORTION

On June 30, 2002 Lieutenant Tin Nyut Htone from Burmese troops Light Infantry Battalion 403 which based in Aye Bya (in Theyetchaung township, Tavoy district, Tenasserim division) demanded local villagers from Saw Kay and Htee Pah Doh villages to send 2000 saplings of pepper, 2000 saplings of bamboo, and 500 kyat from each household. Those saplings pepper and bamboo were for the Burmese troop own plantation for their benefit.

FORCED LABOUR

On June 9, 2002, camp commander Sergeant Major Aung Ngwe from Burmese troops Light Infantry Battalion 403 based in Aye Bya village (in Theyetchaung township, Tavoy district) ordered local villagers from Saw Kay and Htee Pah Doh villages to send 15 posts (18" diameter) to Shwe Gu bridge no later than June 16. On June 17, that military officer demanded one man from each household in Saw Kay and Htee Pah Doh villages to collect firewood for their base.

On June 16, 2002, camp commander Kyaw Than Yu from Burmese troops Light Infantry Battalion 409 which based in Pawdaw village in southeast of Tavoy demanded 20 engine boats form six villages in the upper part of Pawl (Banchaung) river area to transport their military food supplies to Htee Hta, which is on Thai-Burma border.

On June 16, 2002, Burmese troops officer Kyaw Thu Tin from Light Infantry Battalion 565 forced Naw Teh villagers to build four rice stores. Each rice store must be 30' long and 9' wide. They planned to transport at least 100,000 sacks of rice to this village for their troops in front line area. To transport the food supplies the troops ordered the villagers in lower part of Tenasserim river area to standby their engine boats. Naw Teh village is a relocation site controlled by Burmese troops. It is on Tenasserim riverside in the east of Palaw township. Burmese troops use this relocation site as their base to support their troops who station on the Thai-Burma border and Tenasserim riverside. The villagers are continually forced by Burmese troops as porters and restricted to get outside the relocation site to make their living.

On June 19, 2002, camp commander Kyaw Aye from Burmese troops Light Infantry Battalion 104 which based at Htu Ler village in Pawklo area (in the east of Theyetchaung township) ordered the villagers from Kaw Htee and Katawni to clear the road from Kaw Htee to Katawni. The villagers were also forced to build a bridge close to Katawni village.

On June 23, 2002, Battalion Commander Soe Thein from Burmese troops Light Infantry Battalion 403 demanded three engine boats and four villagers from Kaw Htee village in Pawklo (Banchaung) river area in the east of Theyetchaung township to transport the troops from LIB 404 in Myitmoletka village.

TORTURE

On June 18, 2002, Burmese troops who were active around Pyicha village (in Palaw township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division) arrested a villager from Pyicha, accusing him of being a Karen resistance soldier, and tortured him. Saw Tu was arrested by the Burmese troops in Pyicha village after they were attacked by the KNU (Karen National Union) soldiers while operating in the outer vicinity of Pyicha village. He was tortured until he could not walk and was detained by those troops. Pyicha village is a relocation site.

On June 29, 2002, Burmese troops from No.12 Training Centre which based in Naw Taung came to a villagers hiding site called Nya Poe Baw Hkee in the northeast of Palaw, in Palaw township and discovered a group of villagers and open fired at them. Fortunately, no villager was hit.

Follows news in May

EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING

Ten Karen villagers were massacred

Burmese troops massacred ten Karen villagers including a reverend and a village headman in a relocated village in Mergui district, Tenasserim division, southern Burma.

Ten Karen villagers in Mukwa village were accused by the Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 559 of supporting the Karen resistance group and were executed on May 30, 2002.

Battalion Commander Lt. Colonel Kyi Sein from LIB 559 was responsible for the killing. The killing happened the next day after a column of Burmese troops from LIB 559 was ambushed by a group of Karen resistance soldiers in a remote jungle and suffered heavy causalities.

After heavy casualties, those troops retreated to Mukwa village. Lt. Colonel Kye Sein arrested more than ten villagers in the village. He accused reverend Hla Maung and the village headman Saw Ta Be of collaborating with the Karen resistance group. Without any interrogation, the commander executed ten Karen villagers including reverend Hla Maung and Saw Ta Be.

The executed villagers were reverend Hla Maung, Saw Ta Be (village headman), Saw Htun, Saw Pah The, Saw Hto Naw, Saw Thay Hah, Saw Paw Htoo, Saw Thein Han, Saw Kyaw Win and Saw Thi Ha.