TENASSERIM DIVISION
Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen
National
July, 2002
Contact: [email protected]
LANDMINE
Follows news in June
On July 10, 2002, it was learnt that Saw Ler Paw, the
leader of Tha Ka Sa Pa (Anti-Insurgent Group) in Kaw Paw (Myinkanbaw, about
35 Kilometers in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, southern Burma) village
and Burmese troops which are taking security there begin to collect the new fees
from cattle traders, who have passed the area to the Thai-Burmese border. Tha
Ka Sa Pa is a villagers militia group which formed by Burmese troops. Tha
Ka Sa Pa was given the opportunity to do business
for their own and collect tax-like, extortion from who are doing illegal
business. They are also well known of their human rights violations against
local villagers even execution. According to a cattle trader who arrived to the
Thai-Burmese border, the new tax fees for the cattle in Ka Paw village and
other Burmese troops outpost are: Tha Ka Sa Pa in Kaw Paw village taxed
250 Thai baht per cattle, Light Infantry Battalion 402 outpost taxed 250 Thai
baht per cattle, and Infantry Battalion 25 outpost taxed 100 Thai baht per
cattle.
Cattle traders have to pay 600 Thai baht to reach the Thai-Burmese
border opposite Kanchanaburi province, west of
Cattle trading is an illegal business, but many
villagers have to earned their living by this way because of economic hardship
in their home village in
On July 3, 2002, Burmese troops from Light Infantry
Battalion 402 and Kaw Paw's Tha Ka Sa Pa,(Burmese
troops formed Anti-Insurgent people's militia group) arrived to Wahsuhko
(Seinpyon) village, about 36 kilometer in the east of Tavoy during their
patrolling in that area. They have camped in Wahsuhko village for seven days.
During their seven days camped, Wahsuhko village headman had to arrange food
and feast for them. To feed those troops the village headman had to demand 100
kyat from each household.
On
On
Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 402, which
taking security in the east of Tavoy forced the local villagers from Kaw Paw village
tract, about 35 kilometer in the east of Tavoy, to repair the car-road between Kaw Paw and Taung Thon Lone. Started from July 5, villagers
from eight villages in Kaw Paw village tract have to go and work on that road
on Friday and Saturday every week. In addition, those villagers were forced to
work on local military camp for any available work. The villagers received no
payment instead that troops have threatened the villagers that those who fail
to work on their term will be fined 10,000 kyat. Burmese troops are systematically
forcing civilians with what they called voluntarily labours
for so-called development or border development.
According to a local villager, in the beginning of July,
2002, Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 402 had brought about 30
prisoners from Tavoy jail to Kaw Paw (Myinkanbaw) village, about 35 kilometer
in the east of Tavoy for forced labour purpose to build their military outpost
based in Kaw Paw village. All the needed materials such as wood, bamboo,
roofing leaf, Burmese troops demanded from local villagers in Kaw Paw village
tract.
CRMC's
military preparation
According to a source from Kaw Thaung, on July 29, 2002, Coastal
Region Military Command (CRMC) had ordered all the light infantry Division No:
8, No.13, No.20, Strategic Command No.1, No.2, No.3, and Military Strategic
Headquarters at Kaw Thaung to send at least 15
villagers from each village between 15- 40 years old male from every villages
under their controlled
areas respectively to attend the
military training at ' No.12 Divisional Training Centre ' without absent. No.12
Divisional Training Centre is in beside Pasawoak (Wanzoneoak) village, in Palaw township, Mergui district.
All trainees must be arrived to the
training centre not later than
Along with
that order, the CRMC instructed all the area military commanders who sent the
recruited trainees, to arrange and send expenditure for food from the villages,
which supplied the recruit with the help of concerned village PDCs (Village Peace and Development Council). The money
must arrive to ' No.12 Divisional Training Centre' on 1 August and the
concerned area commanders must take responsible on it.
Besides,
each person who would attend the training must bring along with them bed sheet,
blanket, waterproof plastic sheet, knife, saw, hoe, and axe respectively with
the arrangement of their village administrators.
The expenditure
for food per village dictated by CRMC, for the village to support the training
were as follow,
1. Village with 20 to 40 households 30,000 kyat.
2. Village with 40 to 60 households 50,000 kyat.
3. Village with 60 to 100 households 100,000 kyat.
4. Village with 100 to 200 households 150,000 kyat.
5. Village with 200 to above households 200.000 kyat.
Accordance with
that instruction all the concerned area military Comdrs. and village PDCs
must implement exactly without absent.
In July
2002, it was learnt that a villager from Kaw Htee Lor (Thabyutchaung) village,
about 29 Kilometers in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim township
stepped on a landmine when walked outside the village. It was learnt that the
mine was plant by Burmese troop's Light Infantry Battalion 402, which active in
that area. The victim's name is Saw Yeh Baht (About 30 yrs.). He was seriously
wounded and lost one of his legs.
Follows news in June
On June 16, 2002, a column of Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion
101 led by Captain Kaung Myat
arrived to Pawat Htee Thu Day (a place where villagers hiding from Burmese
troops beside their former village Pawat), in The east of Tenasserim township,
Mergui district, Tenasserim division and found out two houses and looted all of
the house owners' money which cost about 70,000 Thai baht and 60,000 Kyat from
Saw Sen Noh, and Saw Bu Na.
ON
Money
Kyat rate
100 Thai baht = 1,950 Kyat (Thai-Burmese border, Na E Tong)
100 Thai baht = 2,100 Kyat (Thai-Burmese border, Three
Pagodas pass)
100 Thai baht = 2,050 Kyat (Tavoy town)
1
1
Price of commodities
Rice
Tavoy town
Best quality = 290 kyat/pyi
Low quality = 220 kyat/pyi
White sticky rice = 450 kyat/ypi
Black sticky rice = 500 kyat/pyi
(1 pyi = 2 kilogram)
Meat
Pork = 1,200 kyat/viss
Chicken = 1,500 kyat/viss
Goat = 1,500 kyat/viss
Beef = 1,400 kyat/viss
(1 viss = 1.6 kilogram)
Cooking oil
Bean oil = 1,300 kyat/viss
Sesame oil = 3,500 kyat/viss
Coconut oil = 1,000 kyat/viss
Palm oil = 1,500 kyat/viss
Petrol
Thai petrol = 2,700 kyat/gallon
Burmese petrol = 2,400 kyat/gallon
Thai diesel = 2,300 kyat/gallon
Burmese diesel = 2,000 kyat/gallon
Daily wages for hired labor
Male = 300-500 kyat/day
Female = 200-300 kyat/day