MONTHLY
HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT
TENASSERIM
DIVISION
Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen
National Union
November 2003
HUMAN
RIGHTS ABUSES:
FORCED
LABOUR
LOOTING
EXTORTION
DEFECTORS
In
the end of 2003, villagers from Hsin Pu Nit, in Laung Lon Township,
Tavoy District were summoned by the State Peace and Development
Council’s (SPDC) village authorities. They were forced to work
in various labors for SPDC’s No.104 Infantry Battalion (IB),
which stationed at Taw She in Tavoy District. The people were not
paid. Instead they have to pay for transportation whenever they go to
work at that military camp. People who were absent have to hire
someone for 800 Kyats per day to substitute him/her.
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On November 5, 2003, a 67 year-old villager from Ta Ket of southern Burma was fined for failing to report the movement of Karen soldiers to Burmese troops on time. Poo Ler Moo was accused as delay to send information to the military camp and was fined by 2nd commander Maj. Kyaw Oo from No. 561 Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) to pay one knife and one pig which cost about 10,000 Kyat.
Ta
Ket villagers were forced by SPDC’s LIB 561 to serve on sentry
post for security purpose as well as messenger in their village. The
battalion 2IC ordered the villagers to post 5 men per week to watch
at sentry post day and night and if any stranger was seen the guard
must send information to the military camp promptly. Ta Ket is a
Karen village, about 50miles in the southeast of Mergui town.
---
On
November 3, 2003, No.2 Tactical Command and other three battalions
under No.20 Light Infantry Division (LID) led by Colonel Win Naing
conscripted 15 civilian trucks and forced them to send them to the
front line. These troops brought along with them 120 prisoners from
Mergui and Kaw Thaung jail as forced porters.
---
On November 25, 2003 Coastal Military Region Commander Own Myint had ordered No.1 Tactical Command to clear 1000 acres of land, which he intended to establish summer rice crop for military's self sufficiency.
To
fulfill this order No.1 Tactical Commander ordered the villages from
Ta Ket, Thein Kun, Nyaung Bin Gwin, Ta Gu, Kywe Ka Yan, Ka Mu Kru, Pa
Wa, Maw Tone, Thein Daw village tracts. One village tract was ordered
to clear 100 acres of land. The villages which absent to fulfill
their quota must be paid 1,000 kyat per acre to No.1 Tactical Command
headquarters.
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On November 28, 2003, SPDC No.12 Military Training Center troopers and some people militia from Myit Chin Su led by Col. Tin Myint looted 2 pigs and 3 fowls from Naw Shee Goh at Pa Yo Kwee, in southern Tavoy.
This commander also ordered the villagers, who came back and working on their abandoned plantation, to go back to forced relocation site within one week and not to be seemed at this place again.
The
villagers from this area have been forcibly relocated by SPDC troop
to the sides of Mergui-Tavoy car road since 1996.
---
On November 26, 2003 timber traders from Thein Kun, in the east of Mergui had informed Capt. Khing Aye, that Capt. Kyaw Soe has extorted money from them.
Capt. Kyaw Soe has confiscated 2 chainsaws from U Hla Win and U Baw and demanded 300,000 kyat. After Kyaw Soe got the amount of money he demanded, he returned the chainsaws to the owners except their identity cards.
There
was no action for their cause.
---
On November 27, 2003, villagers from Pa Wa village tract, who did not attend the opening ceremony of Kywe Goo Bridge held by local SPDC’s authorities near Mergui town in southern Burma, were fined by the authorities to pay 500 Kyat each.
The
villagers from Manorone village tract were also fined by the
authorities to pay 1,800 kyat for each household.
---
The
SPDC soldiers from LIB 561 are collecting extortion money from the
travelers at Ban Law village Jetty in Mergui Township. They asked for
one person 25 Kyat, one motorcycle 100 kyat and one bicycle 50 Kyat
from the travelers. In this case, the people militia head by U Kyaw
Ngwe reported it to the battalion commander Zaw Myo Thant, but there
was no action for his report.
Since
the beginning of October 2003, the military authorities are
collecting fees from the travelers who crossed over the bridges,
between Mergui and Tavoy. They asked for one truck 500 kyat, one
motorcycle 200 kyat, one house drawn cost 200 kyat and one pickup
truck 200 Kyat etc. Local people do not understand why the military
officers are asking for bridge crossing fees. The bridges were built
by the people's labours and expenses. More over the local authorities
are demanding other taxes in the area, such as 250 kyat for one
truck, 100 kyat for one pickup and 100 kyat for a motorcycle.
---
On
November 8, 2003, Manorone village headman Saw San Lin was fined by
the SPDC’s No.342 LIB commander to pay amount of money equal to
the price of one walkie-talkie communication set.
The
headman was ordered by that commander to go and find out the
displaced villagers (IDP) who are hiding in the jungle near by
Manorone village and persuade them to come back and stay at
relocation site. The headman could not find the IDPs as he had spent
for a long time to find out the IDPs, so the military officer accused
him that he was supporting the rebel and fined him.
-----
In
the year of 2003, the SPDC’s Agriculture Department from
Longlone Township had delivered on loan money to the farmers in this
area. They lend 14,000 kyat to each farmer who own land less than 5
acres and 28,000 Kyat to each farmer who own more than 5 acres. The
interest rate of that on loan money is 5 kyat for 100 kyat per year.
The borrowing of this money was compulsory.
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On November 29, 2003, 29 cattle owned by a Pyinthadaw villager were captured by SPDC’s IB 25 troop near by Thu Kha (Thai-Burmese border), military camp in the east of Tavoy. After that seizure the battalion commander Col. Myint Swe offered the information to the Thai cattle trader to come and redeem these cattle for 2000 Baht per head. When the trader went there to redeem the cattle from the SPDC commander that commander has changed his idea and told them to pay 100,000 baht for all these cattle. The next day the Thai traders came and gave the money demanded by the SPDC officer but they got back only 21 cattle.
Before
the cattle were captured, the Thai traders have made agreement with
cattle seller to pay 220,000 baht for the herd. After they finished
dealing with officer they came back from the SPDC out post with only
21 cattle. They sold away all of the cattle and gave only 60,000 baht
to the cattle seller.
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Defectors
and suicide in SPDC troop.
On November 16, 2003, about 6:00 am, a soldier from SPDC LIB 280, which has stationed at Thu Kha camp on Thai-Burma border in the east of Tavoy, has shot himself to dead with his own gun, because he unable bore the torment by serving in the military.
Defector
from SPDC troop
Name: Kyaw Min Oo. (Ta/248715)
Age:
21-years
Parent: U Kyaw Nyi, Daw Khin Htwe
Native: No.4 Padamya
Road, HlingThaya Township ,Rangoon Division
Nationality:
Burmese
Religion: Buddhist
Education: Grade (3)
Mother
unit: IB 104, Coastal Region Military Command
Enlist date :
17.3.2003
I
was a porter who was working in Haling Tha Ya market in Rangoon. One
day a military surgeon came and told me to follow him. He brought me
to Mingaladon Recruit center and forced me to become a new solider on
March 17,2003. I have had attend the basic military training in Pown
Gyi military school, in the duration of 4 months and 15 days. After
the training, they sent me with another 9 new private to IB 104 HQ,
which stationed at Taw Shi village, Longlone township, Tenasserim
division. I was there for a month. I have had worked in farm daily
when I was there.
On September 1, 2003, I was ordered to come
to frontier. I was appointed by Battalion Commander San Ti to join
Column.2, coy. 2, platoon 2. My platoon commander was Serg: Maj:. Kyi
Hlaing. I stayed in Maung Malo outpost from September 18 to November
8, then I fled into Thailand as soon as I' have got the chance.
Some Soldier's have fled before and I heard that Thai
authority captured some of them and some escaped. I did not know what
would happen in future.
When
I was in Thai-Burma border outpost I made the fence, dig the
communication trunk, built hut and bunker. Our platoon Commander used
to hurt us when we could not work. We could not eat enough, because
the ration, especially rice were moldy, Half of rice used to gone
with water when we wash it before we cook. Our leader treats us with
only minor medicine if we were hurt by malaria and they didn't sent
us to hospital. I saw many soldiers who were suffered from the fever
and acute by land mine and died. Therefore, I dare not stay in
military service then I tried to defect from that placed.
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