EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING

Burmese troops shot dead two cattle traders and wounded one, and took some of their cattle on the Thai-Burmese border opposite Tong Pha Phun district, Kanchanaburi province on October 13, 2002.

In the early Sunday morning, a massive gun firing and mortar shelling lasted about twenty minutes were heard in the surrounding areas of Kandaung Mountain on the Thai-Burmese border. According to a cattle trader who was wounded by a mortar shell on his face but managed to escape, the traders were fired at by a group of more than ten Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 25 while they were having their breakfast. One of his fellows died on the spot and another was seriously wounded and died about three hours later. Many cattle traders fled from the area in panic and abandoned their cattle and their belongings. After the firing stopped, the Burmese troops approached and looted all the traders’ belongings and took their cattle. While the troops were catching the cattle, they were under attack by a Karen resistant group and were forced to retreat. The Burmese troops could take only about more than ten cattle. Later, those Burmese troops asked the cattle owners to pay 8000 kyats (Burmese currency) for the release of each of their cattle.

The two cattle traders who died are Kyaw Naing (22 years old, son of Daw Than Kyi and Oo Maung Thein, from Maw Men Shawn village) and Zaw ( 18 years old, son of Ma Aye Myint, Oo Dawin from Ka Moe Daw village). Both of them are Tavoyans from Tavoy Township.

Kandaung is an illegal border crossing point to Thailand. The Burmese people, who sneak into Thailand for cattle trading or seeking jobs, use this route to avoid the Burmese troop's harassment. Sometimes they have to bride local Burmese officers or give tax to local people militia. Many cattle traders were arrested, some were killed, and their cattle were taken by the Burmese troops. According to the cattle traders and the Burmese people seeking work in Thailand, they have been facing high price of everything in their home villages, and they have to live in poverty. In addition, they have to pay various extortion imposed by the Burmese troops. Therefore, they have no choice but to travel in that risky areas for seeking work in Thailand or trading cattle to earn their living.

EXTORTION

On October 12, 2002, the Burmese troops from No. 15 Operation Commanding HQ, head by Second Division Commander Tit Naing Thein, demanded betel nuts form nine villages to the south of Tenasserim river region, in the east of Mergui town, Tenasserim division, southern Burma. Each village had to give 10,000 betel nuts to the army. Those villages were LerPahDoh, Dahbawklo (Kinnigyun), Tatmoo, Kawerhta (Pawetchaung), Kawmawprawk (Kawmabyin), Taruthta, Pahtooklon, Buthawplaw, and Tanaylerhko.

On October 23, 2002, the Burma army's Infantry Battalion 104, which bases in Kawpaw (Myinkanbaw) about 35 kilometers to the east of Tavoy, demanded three tons of timber from Saw Poe Joit, a local sawmill owner, of Wahsuhko (Seikpyone) village for a school building. Saw Poe Joit had to send the timber to Taung Thon Lon by 28 October. Taung Thon Lon is a Burmese village which is closer to Tavoy town. One week later another group of Burmese troops No.19 Intelligence Unit demanded another half tons of woods from him. He is a sawmill owner.

FORCED LABOUR and FOOD SCARCITY

In southern Burma, the end of October is the beginning of harvest time. However, villagers who are in Pawatawma, Pawat Plaw Paw Htaw forced relocation site - (in Tenasserim township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division)- are busy with the Burmese troops’ forced labour. They have to build the outpost, make fence, dig trenches, and do other works. The Burmese troops demanded, pigs, chickens and other food times form the villagers frequently. In addition, the soldiers do not allow them to stay overnight in the fields, some of which are about three-hour walk form the relocation site. Therefore, many villagers do not have enough time to harvest their crops and cannot protect their fields from the wild animals like the will pigs. As a result, they not only lose much of their crops, but also cannot finish their harvesting in time.

According to a local villager, some of the people in the Burma army's forced relocation site in Mehwah had to boil and eat Kle Te (a kind of wild yam), because the price of rice was going up and the new crops had not been collected yet.

Another source said that the villagers in another forced relocation site, Thabokleik, were not allowed by the Burmese troops to go and tend their paddy fields since October 9, 2002. Burmese army's Light Infantry Battalion 561 was responsible for that relocation site.

According to the local villagers in Kamoethway area, starting from August, the Burmese troops forced the villagers to rebuild the road from Taungtholon to Wahsuhko (Seikpyone) village (about 30 kilometers to the east of Tavoy). There are eleven villages in Kamoethway area. Each village has to build the road as assigned to them. One person from each household has to go and work on the road every Saturday. They have to compile or lay stones, level the road, and clean up the bushes beside the road. They have to work on this road since mid September.

On the second week of October, the Burma army's NO.8 Operation Commanding HQ, based in Myitta village about 35 kilometers to the east of Tavoy, demanded elephants from the local villagers in Kamoethway area to work on two bridge constructions on Tenasserim river. According to a local villager, three elephants from Kler Pu, Kaw Paw and Wah Su Ko villages had to go and work on the construction sites without any wage. The elephants had to work for one month. Those bridges are used by the Burmese troops to transport their ammunitions and food supplies to their troops who are stationing on the Thai-Burma border and along Tenasserim river.

On October 12, 2002, Burma army No.8 Operation Commanding HQ which bases in Myitta village about 35 kilometer in the east of Tavoy town demanded 15 engine boats in Kamoethway area to transport their troops from Myitta to Htoo Ler (Kyaukhtu). The boat owners had to transport the soldiers to Paw Klo area without any pay though it took two days for a back and forth trip.

LOOTING

The Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 25 looted some properties of a group of Burmese people who were traveling to Thailand on October 13, 2002. On their way to Thailand, a group of eleven travelers met with the soldiers from IB 25 near Kandaung Mountain on The Thai-Burma border, opposite of Tong Pha Phun district, Kanchanaburi province of Thailand. Those Burmese troops looted three watches and 30,000 kyats, from Daw Aye Yin, about 43 years old from Taung Min Byaw village, in Yepyu township, Tavoy district.

On October 26, 2002, a group of Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 104 came to KlerPu (Nyaungdon, a relocation site) village to the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division and looted villagers’ chicken. They came to Pate Saw Teh's house and asked him about the illegal cattle trading to Thailand. Later the soldiers looted a duck from him and left. Next day, the same troop came to Kamaik village (Kamaik village was relocated to Klehpu) and asked the villagers for chickens. They forcibly took one chicken of Saw Paw Day. According to the villagers in relocation site, the Burmese troops often enter their village to steal and loot their fowls, but the villagers dare not complain against them.

BURNING AND DESTRUCTION

On October 30, 2002, the Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 224 led by Officer Myint Naing arrived at upstream of Pawat in Tenasserim township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division. Those Burmese troops were on the mission to search and kill the hiding villagers- also known as internally displaced people who did not move to forced relocation camp. The soldiers came across a group of the hiding villagers and burnt down all their houses, but the villagers managed to escape.

On October 31, 2002, about twenty Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 561 led by officer Nya Lay Shwe arrived at Htee Gu Thaw and Maw Klo, the places where the villagers were hiding in the jungle to the east of Tenasserim township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division. The troops arrested three villagers and burnt down two houses. The fate of those villagers were not known. It is the harvest time and the Burmese troops are active to search the woods for the hiding villagers, and to destroy their crops so that the villagers have nothing left to survive. The Burmese troops brand the hiding villagers as the enemy of the army, and accuse them of supporting the insurgent groups.