MONTHLY HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT
TENASSERIM DIVISION
Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen
National Union
October 2003
HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES:
EXTORTION
LOOTING
FORCED
RELOCATION
FORCED
LABOUR
BURNING
MILITARY:
Military
economic
SPDC
military enforcement
Interview of a farmer from Chaung
Wabyin village (Theyetchaung
Township)
On September 19, 2003 State Peace and
Development Council's (SPDC) troop No.265 Infantry Battalion (IB) led by Lt. Thura Tin Soe Aung demanded 55
fowls and 50,700 bamboo spikes from Anine Village, Mergui Township, Tenasserim
division. The communities were also forced to plant 1500 oil palms for the
military plantation. This year these farmers were ordered to pay 6 baskets of
paddy rice per acre of rice plantation. But military officer demanded them to
pay in cash which cost 10000 kyat per household. Total 430,000 kyat for the
whole community.
---
On
---
On 11 October 2003, Battalion Comdr. Lt.
Col. Khin Maung Aye from
No. 280 IB near Palauk in Palaw
township Mergui district demanded money from nearby
villages what he named it "Land tax" to those whoever owned land. His
taxation was 5,000 kyat per acre and if there were people who do not pay, all
his land would be confiscated, warned that commander.
---
In the month of October, No.12 Divisional
Military Training Centre's Comdr. Lt. Col. Tin Myint demanded 7 feet long readymade roofing sheet (weaved
palm leaves) from Pyicha, Myitchinzu,
Lerhpadoh, Kataungni,
Wagon, Maw Kakle and Pasaw
Oak villages. Each village must send 100 roofing sheets plus 500 betel nut
seeds to his training centre office. This Comdr. also demanded "Crop
tax" from Pasaw Oak and Panwehpoklo
villages which cost the two communities 700,000 kyat for betel nut tax and
200,000 kyat for cashew nut tax.
---
On
---
On
---
The political activities of SPDC
On September 24, 2003 Maj. Mya Win, the director of artillery from
Continuously on 25 September, this military
officer went to Mergui and conducted another
demonstration with Artillery Battalion No. 301, 201, 309, 306, 501 and 401 to
show they agree upon with 7-steps road map.
---
On
That commander mentioned that each household must send 2 people and if not will
be charged 500 kyat for the absent number.
---
On
---
On
To control the cattle trading in the area,
the Coastal Region Military Commander had order its ten township chairmen that
1. To summon all the cattle owners to the
township headquarters with the list of the cattle they own and register each
cattle and take1000 kyat per head as registration fee.
2. If the cattle lost the owner must inform to the related township office
within 7 days. If they absent to report, the office must charge 2000 kyat per
head as punishment.
3. The owner have to sign on agreement paper that, if they want to hire or sell
their cattle to the other person or want to move their cattle to another
location, they must take permission paper from the nearest police station. The
fee of a permission paper must be 500 kyat. If the cattle were found without
permission paper it will be regarded as the cattle without owner and will be
seized by the government.
On
In 1997 February the SPDC troops have launched a major offensive to KNU's Mergui/Tavoy district
headquarters. The SPDC's troops accused Karen
population in the area as the backbone of KNU and had been forcibly relocated Kameik village as it did to other Karen villages in the
eastern areas of Tavoy. Since that time about 40
households from Kameik village were relocated to a
place two miles in the west of Klerhpu village. In
2000-2001, 20 families among these villagers with about 100 people fled to
Thai-Burma border as they could not stand various kinds of oppressions. The Kameik village left only 20 households.
So far these people were not allowed to go
back and tend their orchard plantations around their deserted village. The
people are facing unemployed and difficulties in their daily lives. Most of
them have to work as wages earners, and work as cattle traders to Thai-Burma
border market.
They also have to serve as military porters
every three months. Their boats were forced to transport military supplies once
a month in rainy season, they have to serve as people militia 3 months per
year. Every month the SPDC's village headman demanded
them 500-1000 kyat to feed the arriving SPDC troops. Those who unable to serve
in forced labour duty has to
hire a person on his behalf and those who had no money to pay for various
extortions were forced to serve as military porter to the frontline.
---
On 20 October 2003 the SPDC military officer
forced the people from Pyicha, Myitchinzu,
Lerhpadoh, Wagon, Mawkakle,
Kataungni and Pasaw O
village, which situated 50 miles in the south of Tavoy
to work as domestic labours. The people were forced
to work at No. 280 IB, No. 12 Divisional Military Training Center, and No. 309
Artillery Battalion HQ. Each village was ordered to send 30 people every week
on one-day duty.
---
On
---
On
---
MILITARY
On
---
On
---
In Coastal Region Military Command, the
military officers have planned to lend the money to their military units to
invest in business to assure the military stability. On September 22, the
Regional Commander informed the military units under his control that 30
million kyat could be lent to any division and 20 million to Strategic Command
and Tactical Command.
The Coastal Region Military Command
headquarters has had joint share with fishery companies and trading companies
at the amount of 25 million and they will profit 750000 per month, the source
said. They also have a share with U than Aung who is operating betel nut
trading and cashew nut milling, they would get 200,000
kyat profit each month.
---
On
In the morning of
---
Interview of a farmer from Chaung Wabyin village (
14.10.2003
A man from Chaung Wabyin village in
From mangrove palm the villagers produce raw
sugar and roofing leaves. For their product they have to pay 2 tins of raw
sugar per 100 bunches of "palm bud" from which they collect the palm
sap, they have to pay 10 sheets of finished roofing material from every 100
sheets they have produced. More over they have to pay 1000 kyat per acre per
year as land tax for their mangrove palm plantations through the village
authority without fail on every yearend.
Every year Theyetchaung
township authorities had informed them to pay for necessary taxes for their
livelihood. They were warned by the authorities that who fail to pay would be
suspended from their rights to work on their plantation; their plantations
would be confiscated, and will be sold out to those who could pay the maximum
price.
Since from the years of Burma Socialist
Program Party (BSPP military government era) every farmers who work on any kind
of land or plantation had only rights to work and do not had the rights to own
the land they are working in or given by their ancestors. The authorities used
to confiscated any kind of land or plantation, the
owner will never get any compensation. Even the house in the plantation was
taken said that Chaung Wabyin
villager who lost his and house.
At Chaung Wabyin village the authorities do not demand military
porters for two years. Before they had demanded forced porters every month to
transport military supplies to the military outposts on Thai-Burma border. But since from the last two year and up to now they demanded only
twice a year, one time at the early rainy season and one time at the early dry
season. As Chaung Wabyin
village has about 450 households they demanded 200 persons per trip. People who
fail to participate in his turn have to hire other person on his behalf by
paying 20,000 kyat for 7 days trip.
Chaung Wabyin village authorities
have collected 100 kyat from each household for Pyi
Thu Sit (SPDC's people militia) fund. They also
collected 100 kyat for the village authorities traveling expenditure, 100 kyat
for village development fund, and 100 kyat to host arriving officers-every
month. The villagers had to pay it as compulsory duty.
This man said that he come to see his son
and daughter who are working inside Thailand to ask for some money to buy rice
and other necessary food stuff for his family who remained along with him in
the village.
---