RAPED and KILLED

A member of the Burmese People Militia raped and killed a pregnant Karen woman and thrown her three years old daughter to death into a stream in Theyetchaung township, Tenasserim division, southern Burma.

According to a local villager, on February 6, 2003, a woman named Naw Ka Myit Cho, 23 years old, daughter of Saw Hsa Sit and Naw Kya Mit, from a relocation site beside Mergui-Tavoy car road in Theyetchaung Township disappeared when she returned to her deserted village to tend her plantation. On February 14, the villagers found her body outside Htee Oo Ooo (Hpabyoke), a deserted village.

It was learnt that, on February 6, 2003, a member of Pe village Pyithusit (People Militia, which is backed up and armed by the Burmese troops) named Maung Aye raped Naw Ka Myit Cho at the outer space of Ler Kwe Dot (Sinzwe), a relocated village. After that, he took her to Htee Oo Ooo village and slashed her to death.

Furthermore, according to the source, that Pyithusit member threw the victim’s three years old daughter into Pi stream and took kyat 40000 and three gold necklaces from her. Naw Ka Myit Cho was three months pregnant.

The village elders reported the case to the Pe village headman and the Pe Pyithusit commander. However, they have neither received any reply nor heard about any measures taken on Maung Aye so far.

EXTORTION

Since the beginning of year 2003, the Burmese troops ordered villagers from Pe area to join People Militia. Each village must send one person to serve as People Militia for one moth period in turn. Anyone whose term arrives but does not want to go for service has to hire a person to substitute him for kyat 18000 and one tin of rice.

About seven Karen villages (all the Karen villages in that area) in Pe area were forcibly relocated by the Burmese troops to the place beside Mergui-Tavoy car road in 1998. The villagers are allowed to return to their deserted villages to tend their plantations only five days a week. They have to get the permission documents from responsible Burmese troop commander or SPDC's local authority and have to give kyat 200 a document for each time. Villagers who want to go to the forest and cut canes to earn their livings have to pay kyat 2000 per document. They are allowed up to one-month period. The villagers sell the canes for kyat 35 per piece, and they have to pay 3 kyats for each cane to Pe's People Militia.

On February 2, 2003, Burmese troops based in Palauk village demanded 13 tons of wood from three village tracts in Palaw township, Mergui district, Tenasserim Division. Those village tracts are Pasawoak (Wanzawoak) village tract, Paycha (Pyicha) village tract and Palauk village tract. The pieces of wood were for the Burmese troops to build two bridges between Paycha Hpo Lor and Wah Lor, to the east of Paycha village.

In addition, the Burmese troops also demanded the villagers from Pasawoak village tract to give the rice quota. The farmers had to give 12 baskets per acre. Total rice that Pasawoak villagers had to give were 1580 baskets. The Burmese troops paid them only kyat 370 per basket of rice while the market price was 3000 kyats for each.

State Peace and Development Council's village headman from Pe village in Theyectchaung township, Tavoy district, Tenasserim division collected the money from the local villagers for the expenses of the opening ceremony of Pe high school. According to a local source, on February 10, 2003, Divisional Commander Lt. General Maung Bo attended and presided the high school opening ceremony. After the ceremony, Pe village headman Tin Sa collected the expenses from Patauk Nge, Sa Ma Taw, Ko Se Kwe (Leikaing), Ler Kwe Dot (Sinzwe), Ta Kot Hta (Tagondaing), Htee Oo Ooo (Hpabyoke), Pe Ta Kaat and Pe village. Each village has to give 1000 kyats.

FORCED LABOUR

On February 13, 2003, Battalion Commander Khin Maung Aye from Burmese army's Infantry Battalion 280 based in Palauk in Palaw township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division ordered one person from each family form six villages in Palaw township to clear up a place. The demanded villages were Ler Pa Doh (Kyaukmaw), Wa Gone, Mawkakler, Kataungni, Pasawoak (Wanzawoak), and Kwaken (Kwekke) village. Not all villagers from every family did turn up, so the commander forced those who came to work until nightfall.

In the beginning of February 2002, Burmese troops arrived at Htoo Ler (Kyaukh Htu) village (a relocated Karen village) to the east of Theyetchaung township, in Pawklo (Banchaw) River area for the exploration of coal. They forcibly called three villagers from Kawhtee (Thabyutcahung) and three villagers from Htoo Ler village to follow and work for them. The village headmen had to arrange six men to follow the Burmese troops for three days in rotatation. The villagers had to take along their own food. It was learnt that the Burmese troops would explore the coal in that area until the end of April.

Started from February 22 to 24, 2003, villagers from Katawni, Htoo Ler, Kaw Htee and Tamaehta, in the east of Theyetchaung, Tavoy district, were forced by Battalion Commander from Light Infantry Battalion 410 to transport food supplies for the Burmese troops, from Pawdaw to up river Htoo Ler village. 20 long tail boats from Kawtawni, 6 long tail boats from Htoo Ler, 8 long tail boats from Kawhtee and 2 long tail boats from Tamaehta were forced to transport the food supplies.

Forced labour, religious and ethical oppression in Myitta village (Tavoy township)

(An interview with a group of Myitta villagers who have fled the forced labour and arrived to the Thai-Burmese border)

Myitta village has 5 quarters and those quarters are

1. No.1 quarter (relocated villagers from Hsamuhtaw). 70 households.

2. No.2 quarter (relocated villagers from Hseikku). 65 households.

3. No.3 quarter (Maw Plot Hko quarter, Myitta village). 50 households.

4. No.4 quarter (Nwa Thin Gon quarter, Myitta village). 60 households.

5. NO.5 quarter (Lann Hson quarter, Myitta village). 55 households.

Myitta village has 300 households with total population about 1700 people. At that village State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) setup a frontline headquarter for No.1 Military Strategic Command and a front line headquarter for No.104 Infantry Battalion. No.1 MSC is commanding by Col. Soe Thet and IB 104 is commanding by Lt.Col. San Ti.

No.1 MSC commander Col. Soe Thet had confiscated about 500 acres of cashew and banana plantation owned by Myitta villagers in the area between Myitta and Heindachaung villages since 2002 December without paying compensation. After confiscation of those plantations he demanded free charged labours from Myitta village to clear the land and prepare paddy field for military property. He set up the quota for every 3 families to implement 1 care of paddy field. At the time this information was collected on 3.3.2003 that forced task was not finish yet and the villagers still working to implement that paddy field.

Fearing that forced labour task would not finish within the time frame set for them the villagers have no time to work for their own income and faced difficulties in the family's daily food. To escape from these difficulties some villagers fled from Myitta village and entered into Thailand on 3rd March of 2003 to earn their living and free from SPDC's oppression.

According to the villagers who deserted from Myitta village, the forced task set for them are really a heavy burden. They were ordered to uproot all the cashew trees or banana and other trees stubs from that confiscated plantations with their own tolls and food. As there are some plantations on the inclined land they were ordered to level the land to become terraced rice fields. Though the No.1 MSC set the quota 3 families for an acre the one who absent for a day have to pay 100 kyat for substitution.

At the moment that troops do not demand military porters from the village, but every month they ordered the village PDC member (SPDC village authority) to collect 500 kyat per household for what they called village development fund.

The commander there had warned that any villager who want to get outside of the village must take along with them the permission paper. If any one seen without paper outside of the village, he will be captured alive if he able to speak Burman language fluently. If he unable speaks Burman language the troops will regard him as rebel and shoot to dead. On the day of 14.11.2002 about 5 pm a Myitta villager Saw Si Si was seen by a patrolling troops outside the village and was captured. As he could not speak Burman language he was accused as rebel and shot to dead where he was captured.

No.1 Military Strategic Command's Religious and Ethnical Oppression

The N.1 MSC which set up it's frontline headquarter at Myitta village 35 km in the east of Tavoy town and active in the related areas forced the villager to work for extension and maintenance of Buddhist monastery they set up in Myitta village at least 3 times up to 5 times a month.

Actually Myitta villagers and other villagers who were forcibly relocated to Myitta village are Karen Christians. They were summoned by No. MSC commander who pay nothing to them some time even on Sunday to work for the monastery. They were ordered to go and work one person per household. The one who absent must pay 500 kyat for substitution.

The No.1 MSC had named Myitta village 'Ideal Myitta Village". What king of ideal, the villagers do not understand. The villagers there have suffered religious and ethnically oppressions since the SPDC troops invaded and setup their frontline headquarters in 1997 February. Since that time other Karen villagers around Myitta village were forcibly relocated to Myitta village. Up to this time those relocated villagers were not allowed to go back and live at their own village.

Neglecting the belief to local Karen people, the commander forced the villagers to collect sand, river shingle and boulders form the river and carry it to the monastery even on Sunday, the day the Christians attend the church service. More over that commander warned the villagers not to group up and discuss or deliver speeches because such activities are against the SPDC's law.

As the Karen Christians use to group up in the church or members house for prayers' service, thanks giving service etc. They became scared by the warning and feel that they were oppressed because they are Karen, said the people who fled from Myitta village and arrived to Thailand.