MONTHLY
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT
TENASSERIM DIVISION
Mergui-Tavoy
District Information Department, Karen National
June 2003
Extortion
Forced
Labouring
Zimba villagers were
forced to build sentry posts and serve as sentries
MILITARY:
SPDC formed Anti-terrorist and Anti-riot Supervisory Committee
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Extortion
On
11 June 2003 the military in Palaw area ordered all
the households in Pyicha village tract (in Palaw township, Mergui district, Tenasserim division) to
buy picture of Senior Gen. Than Shwe as compulsory duty by cash down payment at
the rate of 10000 kyat per picture. The source said all the nearby village
tracts were also ordered by the military to buy the picture of the military
regime's leader.
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On
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Started
from the beginning of June, 2003, State Peace and Development Council's (SPDC)
No. 12 Military Divisional Training Center (50 mile in the south of Tavoy)
informed all the villages in its nearby area that everyone who want to prepare
for shifting rice plantation must inform to its headquarter for permission.
Those who do not inform and not get permission will face confiscation by the
military at the harvest time. Those who informed and got permission will have
to give 4 baskets* of paddy rice to that training center.
*Basket: The standard unit of measurement of rice. 1 basket = 46 pounds (21 kegs)
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On
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According
to a villager from Maung Me Shaung village in Tavoy
Township who arrived to Thai-Burma border on 16 June 2003, the village
administration council round and collected money from every households which
they called-
(1)
Fund for hosting visiting officials…………....... 300
kyat.
(2)
Fund for general development in village…..…. 200
kyat.
(3)
Fund for people militia and fire brigade…….… 200
kyat.
(4)
Fund for front line military personnel………….. 150 kyat.
(5)
Traveling cost for village administration council…….. 150 kyat every month.
More
than that total amount 1000 kyat per month the administration council collect
money for football and sport fund once a year in the month of July every year.
The village dwellers have to pay 300 to 1000 kyat related to their living standard.
The
SPDC did not conscript military porters for almost 2 years but collected porter
fees 500 kyat per household every month up to this time. Maung Me Shaung village has about 150 households.
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A
villager from Hteintwin village in Laung Lon township in the west of Tavoy district area who
arrived to Thai-Burma border on 17 June 2003 said that started from the
beginning of June (2003) Laung Lon township's
agricultural corporation officials arrived to his village and delivered
agricultural support money to the farmers as they did in the previous years.
They offered 4200 kyat per area for rice paddy field and let the borrower sign
on the document paper that the certain farmer would pay back 12 basket of paddy
rice at the harvest time.
Actually
the local price for a basket of paddy is 1900 kyat. All the farmers had to take
that agricultural support as compulsory though they don't want it. According to
the previous years experiences, some farmers whose fields were destroyed by
abnormal weather and did not get proper yield from their fields had to buy
paddy rice in local price which rise up to 2000-2300 kyat per basket to pay
back the 12 baskets per acre they owed to the government. Those who could not
buy paddy from other and unable to return their quotas were captured,
confiscated their land and transferred it to the military battalion IB 104.
Some
farmers sold their lands and came to
Recently
Hteintwin village has 200 households. Village
administration council used to collect-
(1)
Fund for hosting visiting officials 150
Kyat.
(2)
Fund for sport 100
Kyat.
(3)
Fund for general development 200
Kyat.
(4)
Porter fee 500
Kyat.
(5)
Village admin: council traveling cost 100
Kyat per household per month.
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Forced Labouring
On
On
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On
---
On
22 June 2003, two forced laborers from Kameik village
in Kaw Paw Track in the north east of Tavoy who were
forced to transport barbed wire by No.3 Strategic Command's troops stepped on a
land mine, one mile before they arrive to "Thu Ka" SPDC outpost on
Thai Burma border. Both of those military porters were wounded seriously. They
were carried back to their own village by their villagers who were forced to
carry barbed wire.
A
villager from Kameik who arrived to Thai-Burma border
on
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According
to the order from
---
Started
from
---
On
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Zimba villagers were
forced build sentry posts and serve as sentries
Source Zimba Villager
Date 12.6.2003
On
As
LIB 410 is one of the battalions to take responsible for Yadana Gas Pipeline,
its patrolling troops demanded 2 guides every 15 days regularly from Zinba village. One turn serving used to
last 3 to 7 days. The one who absent on his turn have
to pay 5000 kyat for substitution.
Zinba village has about
100 households and each household has to pay 200 kyat per month to village PDC
compulsorily for what the PDC called "general fund."
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Military
On
the first week of June No. 12 Military Divisional Training Center demanded 6
villages in Pyicha village tract, 50 miles in the
south of Tavoy to attend 15 days people militia training. 20 villagers each
from Pyicha, Myitchinzu, Lerhpadoh, Wahgon, Mawkakle and Kahtaungni villages
were ordered to attend that training which took place between 16 and
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SPDC formed Anti-terrorist and
Anti-riot Supervisory Committee
11.6.2003
On
(1)
Brigadier Gen.Tha Aye -CRMC
commander/Tenasserim Division PDC chairman -as Divisional Supervisor.
(2)
Div. Pol. Chief Kyaw Htay -Tenasserim Division -as
Deputy Div: Supervisor.
(3)
Col. Soe Thet -No.
3 Strategic Commander -as Tavoy
District Supervisor.
(4)
Col. Kyi Hlaing -No.2
Strategic Commander -as Mergui
District Supervisor.
(5) Col. Myint Htun -Strategic
Chief (Kaw Thaung) -as
Kaw Thaung District Supervisor.
(6)
Lt. Col. Myo Nyunt -Tavoy
District PDC. CM -as
Member.
(7)
Lt. Col. Myat Nyein -Mergui
District PDC. CM -as
Member.
(8) Lt. Col. Kyaw Hpyoe -Kaw
Thaung District PDC. CM -as Member.
(9)
Dist. Pol. Chief Thein Zin -Tavoy District -as
Member.
(10)
Dist. Pol. Chief Shwe Win -Mergui District -as
Member.
(11)
Dist. Pol. Chief Myat Their -Kaw Thaung District -as Member
The
Tenasserim Anti-terrorist and Anti-riot Supervisory Command had issued an order
of total restriction for civilian within 10 townships in 3 districts areas not
to travel from town to town, from district to district. That order was issued
on
According
to that order the civilian activities between towns and cities were scarcely
seen in the whole division area and all the passenger vehicles were stopped.
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