MONTHLY HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REPORT


TENASSERIM DIVISION

 

Mergui-Tavoy District Information Department, Karen National Union

 

January 2004

 

Contact [email protected]

 

 

HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES:

FORCED LABOR

TORTURE AND KILLING

EXTORTION

ECONOMY

 

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FORCED LABOR

On January 13, 2004, villagers from the area of Tenasserim township, 50 miles in the southeast of Mergui were forcibly ordered by Coastal Region Military Command's (CRMC) No.2 Strategy Commander Col. Myo Thein, to carry food supplies to the military camps along the Thai border, opposite Prachuap Khiri Khan province. These villagers were from The Kyet, Pawa and Kyein Chaung village tracts, in Tenasserim Township, Mergui District.     

           

On January 14, 2004, the same military commander demanded five boats from The Baw Leik village, 50 miles in the southeast of Mergui to transport military supplies to Thein Daw, about 30 miles in the north of that village.

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TORTURE AND KILLING

 

On January 17, 2004, Saw Ee Sa from Mae Wah village, 70 miles in the southeast of Mergui was captured by State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) troops from Infantry Battalion (IB) 224, led by Lt. Col. Myint Naing, at his village. The troops brought him to Kyain Chaung village, and killed him arbitrarily near by the village church.

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On January 17, 2004, two families with 8 people from The Kyet village, 55 miles in the southeast of Mergui fled into the jungle to escape abuses by the SPDC troops. According to the villagers from this area, the SPDC troops from IB 224 led by Lt. Col. Myint Naing tried to catch them with the intention to kill them. Currently they are still hiding in the jungle.

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EXTORTION

 

5.1.2004

 

According to the instruction from Coastal Region Military Command in December the SPDC's IB 285 2nd column which stationed at Kaw Paw (Myay Kan Baw) village must take responsible to reconstruct the Taung Thon Lon-Kaw Paw car-road, that troop have ordered Kaw Paw village tract village authorities to collect 5,000 kyat per household.

 

Kaw Paw village tract is a village 40 mile in the northeast of Tavoy town and it has 8 villages including Taung Thon Lon village. Kaw Paw village has about 200 households and the track's villagers built the mentioned road since 1997 under the order of SPDC by filling the road embankment collect stone, sand and sent to the road site with their own expense, paid money for bulldozer hire charges, fuel expenses which cost millions kyat per year. The money gone by and the road is not finished till now.

 

Though paying money as compulsory the villagers still worry that they would be forced to work on that road as the past years.

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ECONOMY

 

6.1.2004

 

On 1st January a "Wa" group which established a large oil palm plantation in Pagawzon village area in the north of Tavoy town since 1996 sent their representatives to search for new plantation sites in the vicinity of Yadana and Yetagon natural gas pipeline area. They got permission from Burma Army Headquarters in December 2003 to extend their plantation site in the mentioned areas.

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10.1.2004

 

According to an interview with a civilian form Tavoy town Shanmalezwe quarter on January 10, 2004, in the last 2003 the livelihood of businessmen in Tavoy had descending and even some businessmen have to stop or close their business. Related to that situation some town dwellers became unemployed and faced difficulties to maintain their families need. Though he did not know the numbers of unemployed people he said it effect the stability and security of the people. He as an employee of a businessman became unemployed and unable to fill the need of his family and had to leave his family in search of work in Thai side to able send some money for his family in Tavoy.

 

 

In Tavoy's Shanmalezwe quarter there are about 300 household and the dwellers had to take responsible as fire sentry 5 person per night and if the person fail to stand sentry at his turn, he/she had to pay 300 kyat for substitution. The local dwellers also have to pay 300 to 500 kyat per month to the quarter administration group as general fund. Every rainy season the administrators collected 500 kyat per family for what they said physical and fitness activity fund.

 

In December, 2003 and the first week of January, 2004 the information of currency instability arose. So that the business institutions and the banks from Rangoon and Mandalay cities do not accept the 1000 kyat notes. For this the people had to use only 500 kyat notes instead of 1000 kyat note. Maulmein city in Mon state still used 1000 kyat notes but the reliability of such notes are descending among the local.

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