MONTHLY HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT

TENASSERIM DIVISION

Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen National Union

March 2003

Contact: [email protected]

 

 

 

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES:

Detention

Extortion

Landmine

Forced labour

Forced Relocation

Burn down and destruction

Land confiscation

MILITARY:

SPDC plan to build "Nuclear Reactor"

Shooting broke out between army and people militia: Both armed groups suffered 5 deaths while 18 villagers were killed and 25 wounded.

 

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Detention

A village headman was detained because he complained about forced labour demanded by the Burmese troops. Started from the beginning of this year, Burmese troops in Kamoethway area in the east of Tavoy have been forcing the local villagers to implement rice farming project for the military. Many villagers fled to the border and Thailand to escape for that forced labour. On March 1, 2003 a village headman from Wahku village was arrested and detained for ten days by Burmese troops. It was learnt that he had complained about the order of No.1 Strategic Command HQ to clear the land for that farm. He had complained that the commander should give them cattle or tractor for that work. His complain was later learnt by the commander.

 

 

Extortion

 

Burmese troops active in the east of Palauk, in northern Palaw township, Mergui district demanded compensation from villagers in relocation site after they were attacked by a Karen guerilla group in the perimeter of the village. According to a local source, on March 17, 2003 a group of patrolling Burmese troops was attacked by the Karen soldiers in the outer space of the village at Nawtaw Hkee. After the fighting, those troops demanded compensation money from the villagers in forced relocation in Pasaw Oak. The villagers have to give 600,000 Kyat.

 

 

Landmine

 

Two villagers from Hkosay Hta, in Kamoethway area, in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim division stepped on a landmine when traveled to the outer space of the village on March 3, 2003. According to a local source Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion 25, which took security in Kamoethway area had planted many landmines on the footpath to the border to block the villagers travel to the border or Thailand.

 

 

Forced labour

 

On March 3, 2003 Burmese troops from No.2 Strategic Command HQ demanded forced porter from the local villagers in Kay area in Tenasserim township, Mergui district. According to a local source, the Burmese troops demanded 7 villagers from Met Wah village, 12 villagers from Thehko, and 26 villagers from Kauk Yo village. Those demanded villagers failed to come, so the Burmese troops fined them 40,000 kyat for each person.

 

Started from the dry season of March, Burmese troop are preparing to stock the food for their troops which stationed on the Thai-Burmese border for raining season. Local villagers from Tenasserim and its neighboring villages were forced to serve as porter by Burmese troops.

 

 

Forced relocation

 

On March 10, 2003 villagers from Met Wah village in Tenasserim township, Mergui district were ordered by the Burmese army officers from Light Infantry Battalion 17 to relocate to the car road beside their village. There are 49 households with the population about 300 people. They were ordered to move completely within five days. It was learnt that the time they were ordered to relocate, was under heavy rained. The rain created difficulties to move. Burmese troops gave them 30x30 feet per family to stay in relocation site.

 

 

Burn down and Destruction

 

Burmese troops from Light Infantry Battalion 265 burnt down three houses and two huts at a villagers' hiding site in the jungle, in Tenasserim township, Mergui district. According to a local source on March 1, 2003 a troop from LIB 265 was attacked by Karen soldiers on their operation to search and kill the internally displaced people in the jungle. After they were attacked, they discovered a villagers' hiding site and burnt down three houses and two huts.

 

 

Land Confiscation

 

Newly established Battalion confiscated villagers' land

 

On of the SPDC artillery battalion which established their battalion headquarters in the east of Mergui district (in southern Burma) confiscated 50 acres of villagers' agricultural land for their battalion agriculture programme in the month of March, 2003.

           

The villagers are from Mawtone and Ban la moot whose majority is Burma-Muslim and Burman have proper certificates to own and live on their agriculture land from Agricultural Department. Those two neighboring villages situate in Taninthayi township in the eastern bank of Tenasserim River in the southern most division of Burma.

           

The confiscate is the newly established No.306 Artillery Battalion under the command of 505 Artillery Division which ordered its battalions to establish agricultural land to plant rice, chili (red pepper) and rubber etc: for the battalion.

           

On December of 2002 another newly established Artillery Battalion in the east of Tavoy town (about 30 miles) confiscated 300 acres of local villagers' orchard plantations which left 40 land lost families forced the villagers from nearby villages to uproot all the orchard trees and level the land to make terrace rice field. Some villagers from Myitta relocation site fled to escape from that forced labour duty which swallowed up all the time they need to earn for their living. So in the months January and February they entered into Thailand as illegal immigrants for their survival.

 

 

MILITARY

 

SPDC plan to build "Nuclear Reactor"

 

17.4.03

 

           

Burma's State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military leaders had a plan to build a "Nuclear Reactor" on the island of Kalagote Kyun in the western offshore of Mon state said an information collected from our correspondent.

           

Kalagote Kyun is an island in the east of Mataban gulf and it is about 40km from Ye town in the north 30 west. Recently there are one Artillery unit on the Island between Atet Daminseik village and Ale Ywa with a helipad at and one Radar Installation for Weather Forecasting and Air Defense (early warning system) between Ale Ywa and Auk Daimseik villages at. It also had a helipad.

           

In the March of 2003 an information said that 32 military engineers from Russia arrived to Kalagote Kyun. On 3rd April, 2003, two fighter vessels which carried construction materials for Nuclear Reactor arrived to Kalagote Island via Singapore said another information.

           

There is also another information source which said a joint mission of Russia geology scientists and SPDC geologist will arrive to Tavoy in Tenasserim division and explore the area to the east of Tavoy in search of uranium deposited minerals in the month of April, 2003.

           

Kalagote Kyun is an Island with 8 miles from its north to south and 2.4 miles from its east to west coasts in size. There are 3 villages namely Auk Daminseik in the south which has about 70 households, Ale Ywa in the middle which has about 150 households, and Atet Daminseik in the north of the Island which has 50 households respectively.

           

80% of residents there are Mon, 10% are Karen and 10% are Burman who mainly living on fishery and some has orchard plantation on the Island.

           

SPDC's South-East Military Command officials had exercised many kinds of oppression to make the local villagers flee from their native villages voluntarily said one of the information. That source said, the military demand the villagers in every day in turn forced labours for military camps constructions with out wages and food. Facing forced labour tasks that way the villagers unable to go out to the sea and catch fish for their livelihood. Their incomes are decreasing day by day and facing difficulties in their daily lives.

 

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Shooting broke out between army and people militia

Both armed groups suffered 5 deaths while 18 villagers were killed and 25 wounded.

 

Burma army soldiers and SPDC backed people militia quarreled by the stage of Burman traditional stage show (Zaat Pweh) and opened fire to each other causing 18 civilians death and 5 on both side according to an information from the villagers where the shooting took place.

           

It happened in the after midnight of March 30th 2003 in the village of Taung Thon Lon 30 miles in the east of Tavoy in the southern most Burma's Tenasserim division.

           

The spark was started at 1am of 21.3.2003 when some soldiers from Burma army Infantry Battalion 25 went onto the stage and harassed the female dancer by petting and squeezing her in front of the audience. The regime backed people militia (Pyithusit) members from Taung Thon Lon village warned the soldier to stop harassing the female dancers in front of public. That warning ignites the anger of the soldiers and the soldiers started shooting at Pyithusits and the Pyithusits also retaliated in time.

           

The "Zaat pweh" audience ran away panicky by the frightening bursting sound from the stage and its nearby. The shooting ceased after the Pyethusits departed the scene and it left 18 villagers death and 25 wounded. The SPDC soldiers suffered 4 deaths and Pyithusits suffer one death. The information of wounded was not available.

           

In the morning the both parties sent the information to No.1 Strategic Command HQ which stationed at Myitta village that "The KNU soldiers attacked the show at after midnight said an information from Myitta village.