TENASSERIM DIVISION
Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen
National
September, 2002
Contact: [email protected]
VILLAGERS WERE FORCED TO EXTRICATE
WAR WEAPONS FROM UNDER WHIRLPOOL
WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE TO
LEAVE THEIR NATIVE 1
WHY PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LEAVE THEIR
NATIVE 2
TORTURE
MILITARY SALARY INCREASE
-Forced Labour-
Villagers were forced to extricate war weapons from under strong
whirlpool
29.6.2002
On September 25, 2002 a civilian
boat conscripted by Burma military for military transportation was sank in the
southern most region of Burma the Tenasserim division, and the near by
villagers were forced to extricate the war weapons from the sunken boat.
A military conscripted boat named 'Aung Naing Oo' which
carried 45 troopers from LIB 558, war weapons and 30 forced porters met a
strong whirlpool caused by rising water level and strong current between Taungnge and Leinnya villages in
the southern most district of Burma and sank suddenly at 9 am on 25.9.2002,
according to an information from local people.
As the radio message arrived to Coastal Region Military Comd; commander Bde: Gen: Tha
Aye, he ordered the responsible troop LIB 559's commander to summon all the
male villagers from the nearby villages to take all the sunken war weapons out
of water immediately.
The river where the boat was sank
is a part where the tide arrive.
In the rainy season the water level and speed rising up and
it become a strong whirlpool and the depth is more than 50 feet said the local
people. Learning the conscripted boat was sunk, the villagers realize that they
would be forced to extricate the sunken materials and some fled to hide in
their nearby plantations. At least 40 or them were captured by the soldiers and
was forced to take the war weapons under the dangerous situation.
Along with the sunken boat two military officers, five
soldiers were drawn and died. Some porters were missing. It was not known
whether they die or flee. Up to this time they could extricated
only some fews heavy mortar shells and assault
rifles.
Why people choose to leave their native 1
30.9.2002
Maung ma gan is a well known
seaside recreation site in
According to the villagers who arrived to the border area
said that, at their No: 6 sections there are about 80 households and the
section PDC chairman Oo Than Naing had collected 1500
kyat every month for porter fee. For Maung ma gan
village the authorities had not conscript military porters for more than two
years already but they still collect monthly porter fee regularly up to now.
Those who absent to pay for that fee were punished by sending them to police
station and the police hand over them to the military to serve as military
porters.
As that village is a seaside recreation site the officers
from State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) from every level use to came
for recreation approximately three times per month. Every time before those
officers arrive one person from every household in Maungmagan
village were summoned to clear the road sides for two miles distance to the sea
beach and to clean the sea beach and resort areas. That village has almost 1000
house bold. The one who unable to join the compulsory work
had to hire a person on his or her behalf which cost 500 kyat.
Though Maung ma gan village has
fishery works the poor men got only at most 500 kyat per day by working in the
fishing boats. That mean the price of a little more than 1 pyi
(2 kgm:)
of rice. More over as there are unavoidable fees summon by the village
administration some poor families faced difficulties to feed their families or
to live in that situation and that was why the arrival to border area told that
they rather chose to work in
Why people choose to leave their native 2
30.9.2002
Hsin toe nge
village situate in Palaw township
in the north of Mergui district in Tenasserim division the southern most region
of
By the instruction of the military, the village
administration detailed 4 villagers per day to stand on santry
day and night which they said 'for security purpose.' Who unable to work for
that compulsory santry work must hire someone for
1000 kyat on his behalf. The one who
fail to serve as santry and not hire someone on his
behalf used to face confiscation of all his domestic fowls (chicken, ducks) by
village administrators and people militia (Pyithusit).
Once a month the village administration summoned 1 person
per household from the village and sent them to Palauk
military camp under IB 280 for compulsory porter duty to transport military
ration to Aung tha wara,
the front line military base. The journey took 7 days to and fro and the
villagers have to take along with them their own food for that journey. Those
who unable to go for that compulsory 'forced labour' had to hire a person on
his behalf which use to cost 30,000 kyat. If that person could not able to hire
such a person must be captured by village admin and sent to the frontline base
to serve as front line military porter.
On 30.9.2002 a woman from Hsin
Toe Nge village who arrived to Thai-Burma border area
said "At my house we have only two family members, me and my mother 'a
widow.' Every 4 days I have to show up at the village administration office for
compulsory santry duty. There they handed me a musket
and I had to work along with other inturn men as a santry personel for 24 hours
duty. We have no male family member and no money to hire other on our behalf.
Every one month I had to join other villagers to send military ration to the
front line base. At our village there were no regular jobs to work and to earn
our living and oftenly we've face difficulties for
our daily food. That was why I decided to leave for
Extortion
On 1.9.2002 at 2:00 PM SPDC's LIB
431, 1st colum led by
battalion Comdr: Maung Pate entered to Mae Wah (The byu) village in the east of Taninthayi
township Mergui district, with 44 men troop. Maung Pate forced the village
chief to buy food for his and his troop from the shops in the village. The
total amount cost 20,000 kyat. The village chief had to dictate it from his
villagers after the column took away 4 villagers with them as military porters
and left.
On
12.9.2002 a 17 men troop from LIB 561 Led by captain Nay Myo
entered to Taket village in the east of Taninthayi town, Mergui district and shot at a villager
named Saw Ke'. They missed the target but captured
Saw Ke'. The troopers kicked, hit Saw Ke' before they released him. Then this troop extorted
20,000 kyat from another villager Saw Daat Wet
without any reason.
On
15.9.2002 the mentioned officer Nay Myo entered again
to Taket village and extorted Saw Kaw
Htoo by blaming him as he had trading caltle to Thai-Burma border.
Torture
On the afternoon of 1.10.2002 a
group of KNU soldiers ambushed the patrolling company from LIB 404 in Banchaung area 40 mile in the east of Tavoy in Tenasserim
division, the southern region of
Military Salary Increase
30.9.2002
As the value of
|
Sr: No: |
Rank |
Salary |
|
Sr: No: |
Rank |
Salary |
||
|
|
|
recently |
now |
|
|
recently |
now |
|
|
1 |
Senior
General |
100,000 |
150,000 |
10 |
Captain |
10,400 |
11,500 |
|
|
2 |
2nd
Senior Gen: |
100,000 |
150,000 |
11 |
Leutanant |
9,200 |
10,200 |
|
|
3 |
General |
100,000 |
150,000 |
12 |
2nd Lt: |
9,000 |
10,000 |
|
|
4 |
Lt: Gen: |
70,000 |
100,000 |
13 |
Serg: Maj: |
7,100 |
7,600 |
|
|
5 |
Maj: Gen: |
50,000 |
70,000 |
14 |
Sergeant |
5,300 |
5,800 |
|
|
6 |
Bde: Gen: |
16,000 |
18,000 |
15 |
Corporal |
4,700 |
5,200 |
|
|
7 |
Colonel |
15,000 |
16,000 |
|
16 |
Lance
Cpl: |
4,100 |
4,600 |
|
8 |
Lt:
Colonel |
13,000 |
14,000 |
|
17 |
Private |
3,500 |
4,000 |
|
9 |
Major |
11,600 |
12,600 |
|
18 |
Recruit |
3,000 |
3,500 |
Though
recently the salaries were as mentioned above all the lower ranked deserters
used to mention that they were not paid fully as it was said. Life insurance,
sport fund and several kinds of donation money were deducted by the officers
and they've got only the rest, round about half of their salaries they were
told.
At this
season the price of rice rise up to 15000kyat per 50kgm: bag. The civilions are also suffering severely due to the rising
price of commodities. According to the news inside