EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLING

Burmese troops shot dead a villager without any question in Kaw Htee Lor village.

On December 7, 2002, late in the night, Saw Wah Sih (about 36 yrs.) was shot dead by a group of Burmese soldiers from Infantry Battalion 104, who were patrolling in the village at night. Saw Wah Sih returned from his rice plantation late in the night. When he almost got to his house, a group of Burmese soldiers opened fire at him without any warning, and he died on the spot. He left three children and a pregnant wife.

Kaw Htee Lor, a forced relocated village, is to the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, Southern Burma. The villagers are restricted to travel outside the relocation site at night, and they are not allowed to use torchlight while walking in the village. They are allowed to use only candle or lamp. The Burmese troops used to patrol secretly in the village at night for spying the villagers.

FORCED LABOUR

In the beginning of October 2002, the Burmese troops taking security in the east of Tavoy forced the local villagers in Kamoethway and Paw Klo areas to the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, to reconstruct the damaged bridges on the military transporting route to the Burma-Thai border.

Every elephant or chainsaw owner was accompanied by two villagers to cut and pull the trees for the constructions. The construction of those bridges took from October to the beginning of December. According to a local villager there were about thirty elephants and 30 chainsaws from Kamoethway and Paw Klo areas working on the bridges construction. The Burmese troops threatened the villagers that any villager who failed to work would be restricted to go outside the relocation site.

Since 1997, after every raining season, local villagers from Paw Klo and Kamoethway areas have been forced to construct two bridges for the Burmese troops’ transportation. Those bridges are damaged by flood every year.

The Burmese troops forced local villagers to transport their supplies by the bullock carts to the place where they were constructing a road to the Thai border in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division. Started from November 5, 2002, The Burmese troops were construing a car road from Kaw Paw village to Thai-Burma border at Thuka. They used two bulldozers for the road construction. Local villagers were still forced for the construction of the road although the bulldozers were used. The villagers were forced to transport fuel, other materials and food supplies for the bulldozers and the troops guarding the bulldozers. The villagers' chainsaws were also confiscated for the road construction. According to a local villager, three bullock carts from Kler Hpu (Nyaung Don), Kaw Paw (Myinkanbaw) and Wahsuhko (Seikpyone) were forced to transport the supplies for the road construction in turn, since the construction of that road.

On December 4, 2002, Burmese troop’s officer Thura Thazin from Light Infantry Battalion 401, which based in Thinbaw Na village in the east of Mergui, Tenasserim division, summoned ten villagers from Kaw Maw Praw (Kawmabyin), five villagers from Thinbaw Na, five villagers from Hin Lah, and five villages from Kawut Hta for forced portering. Those villagers were forced to carry military supplies from Thinbaw Na to Ta Rut Hkee.

On December 2, 2002, Burmese troop's officer Soe Than from Light Infantry Battalion 403, which base in Aye Bya village, in Theyetchaung township, Tavoy district, Tenasserim division, demanded 96 loads of firewood from the local villagers in Htee Pah Doh and Saw Kay. The villagers were ordered to collect firewood 96 bullock cart loads and transport it to the military base. It was not learned how the fire wood will be used for, but before, the Burmese troops used to demand the firewood, make charcoal and sell of their own.

On December 7, 2002, Burmese troops' officer Thein La Htwin from No.2 Company of Infantry Battalion 104, which based in Pawdaw village demanded all of the villagers' engine boats in Paw Daw village, in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, to transport their military supplies. According to a local villager, where the villagers were forced to transport the military supplies was not learnt. The Burmese troops ordered the village headmen to come along with those engine boats.

On December 20, 2002, the Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 402 led by officer Than Kyi demanded ten villagers to carry their supplies while they were patrolling in Ta Poe area to the east of Mergui, Tenasserim division.

On December 21, 2002, the Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 104, which based in Pawdaw in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, demanded four engine boats from Kanekaw village, ten engine boats from Katawni village, ten engine boats form Kawhtee (Thabyuchaung) and seven engine boats form Htuler (Kyaukhtu) to report to No.1 Strategic Commanding office in Myitta. The boats were to transport military supplies to the down south of Tenasserim river where their troops stationed.

The Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 410, which based in Htuler village in the east of Thayetchaung township, Tavoy district, forced local villagers in Htu Ler village to construct a building in their military camp. On December 23, 2002, the villagers in Htu Ler village were ordered by the Burmese troops to collect materials such as wood, bamboo and roofing leaf for a building in the Burmese army camp. After collecting the materials, the villagers were forced to build the building within one day. Each person form every household were forced to construct that building.

LOOTING

Since the beginning of October, the Commander of No.8 Operation Commanding HQ, which based in Myitta village in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, ordered his troops who took security in Kamoethway area to search and arrest all of the illegal cattle traders and confiscate their cattle. According to a local villager, the troops took away some cattle. On November 30 the Burmese troops looted 30 cattle in the outer space of Kawpaw (Myinkanbaw) village. On December 7, 2002, the Burmese troops looted 13 cattle in the outer space of Naw Tru Taw village. On December 9, 2002, the Burmese troops took away 10 cattle in the outer space in Pwe Poe Klah village. It was not learnt whether the cattle traders escaped or were arrested. Usually, the cattle traders are in danger when they encounter the Burmese troops. Sometimes, the Burmese troops opened fired at them. Some people died and some managed to escape. Some villagers in Tavoy district earn their living by selling cattle to Thailand. They have to pass Kamoethway area to get to the border. Some cattle traders bribe the local people militia. Even though they bribe the militia, their cattle may be confiscated by the Burmese troops on the way. Sometimes the Burmese troops ask them to re-buy their cattle.

EXTORTION

Burmese troops taking security to Kamoethway area in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, demanded betel nut tax from the local villagers. The beginning of December is betel nut harvest time. Villagers in Kamoethway area earn their living on betel nut plantations. When the harvest time of betel nut arrived, the Burmese troops ordered the local villagers to pay betel nut tax. The tax is 15 kyats per viss (Weigh unit, 1 viss =1.5 kilogram) of betel nut. The tax was extracted by the Burmese troops at the wholesale store where the villagers sold their betel nuts. The Burmese troops said that the tax was for Taunghonlone-Kawpaw road construction. Actually the Burmese troops already demanded money from local villagers for this road construction. In addition, the villagers had to construct this road by themselves.

In the mean time, villagers in Kamoethway area have to feed and support Pyithusit (People Militia), which is established and backed by the Burmese troops. Each house hold in Kamoethway area has to pay one sack of rice for the people militia in one year. The house hold which does not join people militia has to pay 5000 kyats besides rice.

People militia is a group of villagers picked up from local villages and are equipped by the Burmese troops. They are given authority to rule over the local villagers, take security in the village, and help fight the resistance groups.

Follow news in November

LAND CONFISCATION

The Burmese troops forcibly relocated more than forty houses at a place between Taung Tho Lon and Heinda Chaung, in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division, to construct a new artillery battalion. On November 27, 2002, Col. Soe That, commander of No.1 Strategic Command based in Myitta village, ordered the villagers who lived in the place between Taung Thon Lon and Heinda Chaung villages to move out of their houses, plantations, and lands. It was estimated that more than 300 acres of land would be cleared up for the building of that artillery battalion. All the villagers' lands and plantations in that area were confiscated without any compensation. Starting from the end of 2002, the Burmese troops have been planning and building more artillery battalions and anti air craft battalions in Tenasserim division. It was not known what is the motive of this plan. However, according to the local villagers, the army officers used to tell the villagers that Yodaya (Thailand) is Burmese people’s enemy.