Laws which permitted the use of forced labor in Burma were promulgated by the colonial rulers. Following independence in 1948, successive Burmese governments have continued the practice of forced labor, citing legal authority as the "Village Act of 1908" and the "Town Act of 1907". The two laws require that laborers be a) otherwise not employed, b) physically fit, and c) paid a reasonable fixed wage that is agreed upon beforehand.

Yet the SPDC denies allegations of all forms of forced labor. It has responded a number of times that there is a tradition in Burma going back centuries, according to which people voluntarily contribute labor in the belief that it is a noble deed. On some occasions, the SPDC has described this as a Buddhist cultural tradition. The SPDC reported in 1993 that for the previous years, local people had been voluntarily contributing their labor for the construction of roads and bridges, and that there is no coercion involved. These voluntary contributions, according to the SPDC, should nor be considered as forced labor. The SPDC-controlled newspaper has reported that "the people of Myanmar are always aware of these development projects and welcome them wholeheartedly, and they are willing to take part in them whether they benefit from it directly on not."

The labor the SPDC calls voluntary is degrading, backbreaking, and inhumane. Villagers used as porters must carry packs for the military that amount to half the villagers’ weight. In conflict areas, they are sent ahead of troops to act as human mine sweepers or human bullet shields. Often the SPDC sends children ahead to sweep for mines to deter neighboring villagers from supporting oppositions of the SPDC. This work is done without compensation. The porters are meagerly fed and sometimes not fed at all. If they get sick from disease, malnutrition, or exhaustion from their work they are offered no medical assistance and are often beaten and even killed.

Forced labor on roads, railways, and other infrastructure projects is becoming even more prevalent as the SPDC pushes forward with its "development" agenda. For these projects, the SPDC usually sends written orders to villagers demanding a quota of one or more laborers per household for shifts of one or two weeks; usually a family’s turn will occur once per month on each project in their area (this is in addition to all other forced labor requirement such as porters and work at military camps). The villagers must perform forced labor and their parents must stay home to work the fields to provide some food for the family. Meanwhile, local battalions sap community finances and food where they are stationed.

No excuses are accepted for evading SPDC’s labor requirements. If adults in the household are sick or if the household consists only of a grandmother caring for her orphaned grandchildren, the SPDC still requires that someone from the family go to the labor site; alternatively, the family must hire a substitute, the fee for which has increased dramatically over the past year. Sometimes, people can bribe a soldier by paying heavy fines or "porter taxes", but usually the only option is to send a labor or flee the area and risk being captured and beaten. On some projects, the military assigns each village or family a specific work task; in these situations, parents often take their children with them so they can finish their work assignment as quickly as possible and return home.

It is abundantly clear that these laborers are not working voluntarily; coercion and force are used to make people work on these labor activities. The "system" for recruiting labor is well established. Typically, a local SPDC commander contacts a village headman, or in urban area, a council chairman, by written order. The order describes the number of laborers needed by a certain date for a particular infrastructure project. The consequences for not fulfilling such an order are not explicitly stated, rather they are intimated through the enclosure of a bullet, chili, or a piece of charcoal that often accompanies an order. The enclosures are meant to be symbolic of the consequences that await those who will be follow SPDC’s orders; bullets mean that they will be shot and killed; a chili means they will be in "hot water" or that their animals will be cooked; and charcoal means that their village will be burnt down. The village headman or council chairman then has to select families to work on a rotating basis. Sometimes, village headmen intercede or try to reduce the demands put on their communities, despite the implicit threats, but this can be fatal for them, especially in ethnic areas where on failure to cooperate with the military, the headmen would probably be accuse d of aiding ethnic armed groups.

Forced portering and forced labor as practiced in Burma are in contradiction with international standards on forced labor. The 1930 Convention concerning forced Labor (ILO Convention No. 29) requires the suppression of the use of forced labor or compulsory labor in all its forms. The Convention defines forced or compulsory labor as "all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty and for which the said person has not offered himself voluntarily."

Since 1964, ILO Committee of Experts for the Application of Conventions and Recommendations has addressed the practice of forced labor in Burma. On March 27, 1997, the ILO established a Commission of Inquiry chaired by Sir William Douglas (Barbados), to investigate a complaint brought by workers’ delegates to the 1996 ILO Conference. The Complaint addressed SPDC’s continued and active use of forced labor in Burma and its apparently unwillingness to repeal legislation allowing the use of forced labor. The commission’s mandate is to consider whether, and to what extent, the alleged violations exists or existed and to make any recommendations it deems appropriate. The Commission held its first meeting in June 1997 to establish its rules of procedure. In September 1996, following an investigation of the forced labor practices in Burma, the European Union Commission revoked benefits under the Generalized System Preferences.

In the course of its inquiry, the Commission received over 6,000 pages of documents and heard testimony given by representatives of a number of non-governmental organizations and by some 250 eyewitnesses with recent experience of forced labor practices during the hearing in Geneva and in the course of the Commission’s visit to the region. A comprehensive report on "Forced Labor in Myanmar (Burma)" by the commission was released on July 2, 1998. Summaries of the testimony given by these witnesses, including women and children who had fled from forced labor, are appended to the Commission’s report. SPDC abstained from attending the hearings and did not authorize a visit by the Commission of Inquiry to Burma arguing that "such as visit would not contribute much towards resolving the case" and "would interfere in the internal affairs of the country."

As was noted by the Commission of Inquiry, its report "reveals a saga of untold misery and suffering, oppression and exploitation of large sections of the population inhabiting Myanmar by the Government, military and other public officers. It is a story of gross denial of human rights to which the people of Myanmar have been subjected particularly since 1988 and from which they find no escape except fleeing from the country."

In its conclusion on the substance of the case, the Commission stated "there is abundant evidence before the Commission showing the pervasive use of forced labor imposed on the civilian population throughout Myanmar by the authorities and the military for portering, the construction, maintenance and servicing of military camps, other works in support of the military, working on agriculture, logging and other production projects undertaken by the authorities or the military, sometimes for the profit of private individuals, the construction and maintenance of roads, railways and bridges, other infrastructure work and a range of other tasks."

The SPDC had also released Order No. 1/99, in which officials at township and village levels were ordered not to "exercise powers under certain provisions of the Towns Act, 1907, and the Village Act, 1908"

Yet forced labor continued unabated and in the year 2000 it came to the forefront in the ILO. In June 2000, the ILO gave the regime four months to show its willingness to stop forced labor. In October an ILO delegation visited the country, and reported that while Burma had made progress in improving its laws on the issue, it was unclear what is actually being done to stop the use of forced labor. On November 16, 2000, at the meeting of the ILO governing body, the members of the ILO voted overwhelmingly to call for unprecedented sanctions against the military regime for its failure to comply with the ILO convention on forced labor.

The regime strongly denounced this move, insisting that it had "concrete and detailed legislative, executive and administrative measures (...) in accordance with the ILO Convention No. 29 on forced labor." The SPDC authorities issued the "Supplementary Order to Order 1/99" on November 1 2000.  This "Supplementary Order" was sent by SPDC spokesman Lt. Col. Hla Min to the ILO and the foreign media. Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win has also said that "The Order has been circulated right down to the village level and posted in every police station. ... It states that all responsible persons including the armed forces, ... should not requisition forced labor". Inside sources in Burma have also reported that an order was issued on October 27, 2000 by SPDC’s Ministry of Interior (MOI) to stop the practice of all types of conscription of forced labor, and that the order had been issued to all township, village tracts, village level administrations and military battalions.  The continuing practice of forcing civilians to labor is therefore not only against international labor standards, but also against SPDC’s own laws.

The most notorious form of forced labor is front-line portering, whereby the military raids villages and towns for porters to carry its supply and ammunition for offensive in the border regions.

Given the lack of good roads and other infrastructure throughout Burma and the ruggedness of much of the terrain, the SPDC military, very often moves its troops and supplies on foot. Civilian forced labor is always used to do this. Even in many cases where mules or trucks could used, the SPDC troops are in the habit of using civilians because it saves trouble and expense. Porters are conscripted in a variety of ways depending on the circumstances. The best known forms is "operation portering", which occurs where SPDC mounts a major military operation. These operations involve up to 2,000 troops at a time, and on average two to five porters are required for each soldier in order to carry all the required ammunition, rations, heavy weaponry and other supplies. To capture the required number of civilians, SPDC troops, police, local authorities and sometimes even the fire department begin surrounding public places, such as crowded markets, railway stations and video cinema halls, rounding up all able-bodied men and piling them on trucks to be taken to holding cells in local police and military detentions, from where they are combined with other captured groups and sent on to frontline units. Local town authorities swoop on houses in the middle of the night using any excuse, such as an unpaid local tax or an unregistered houseguest, to arrest all the occupants and send them off as porters. Troops surround rural villages and storm them to capture anyone who will be able to carry a load. People are often sent to be porters halfway across the country from where they have been captured. Families of those captured are not notified in any way. Local authorities are assigned a numeric quota of how many porters they have to round up, and in their desperation to get the number they often take women, small children and people as old as 70. They often take two or three times as many people as required, make money by accepting bribes to release all those they do not need.

People in the villages and relocation sites have to regularly do many kinds of forced labor as ordered by the military units throughout the area. One of the most common and feared forms of forced labor is portering, which involves both carrying rations and supplies to outlying military camps and carrying munitions, equipment and rations with SPDC patrols heading into the hills to "mop up" the villagers living in hiding there. Portering assignments to carry supplies between military camps usually last a few days to a week; villagers have to take their own food, and are not usually treated too brutally as long as they are not kept beyond the originally specified period. However, it takes them away from their farm work and there is always the risk of being beaten or killed, so people try to pay instead of going if they can. Portering with SPDC patrols heading into the hills can last for months, and people avoid going at all costs because many never return from this brutal form of forced labor. These porters are forced to carry 20 to 40 kilogram loads of shells and rations through the hills, barely fed and left behind or beaten to death if they can no longer carry.

Doing work for the military not only prevents people from being able to do what little work they can to support their own families, but it also puts people in harm’s way. The villagers doing forced labor are routinely beaten if they haven’t finished their work, have been taking a short rest or simply don’t do a "good enough" job. If villagers are found hiding in the jungle and are lucky enough not to be killed on the spot, they are often forced to work and porter for the military as well, and people caught in this manner are treated particularly brutally. Porters, drawn both from the relocation sites and the jungle, are expendable to the military. If they are suffering from one or more of the many ailments that plague the area or are not able to carry their load they are subjected to abuse and are either killed outright or beaten and left to die in the jungle. With no medicine to speak of and no help, it doesn’t take long to die when left alone in the jungle.

Once at the frontline, operation porters are assigned to units and given a load to carry over the mountains. The soldiers generally carry nothing except their personal weapon and a small personal kitbag, while each porter is forced to carry 30 to 50 kilogram loads in woven bamboo baskets which rip the flesh off their shoulders and backs. They generally have only the clothing in which they were captured. They are given little or no food, often just one or two handfuls of rice per day, and are often forbidden to drink water en route because they soldiers say it will slow them down. They are not paid in any way. They are often sent in front of the column as human minesweepers and used as human shields; in some cases they are even forced to switch clothing with the soldiers in order to draw enemy fire. In battle, they are forced to stay with the soldiers, and many are wounded or killed. Those who are wounded or fall sick are generally not treated but simply left behind. Medicines are reserved for the soldiers. While carrying loads, if porters are slow they are usually kicked, prodded with bayonets or beaten to keep them moving, and if they collapse and cannot continue they are left behind, often after being beaten unconscious. In especially sensitive areas, they will be executed by cutting their throats, kicking them down a mountainside or tying them and throwing them in river in order to prevent them from giving information if found by resistance groups. Soldiers open fire on any porters trying to escape, and if captured after escaping they are tortured or executed in front of the others as an example. They are usually kept as porters for the duration of the operation, which can be three months or longer. Many escaped operation porters testify that by the time they escaped, half of the original porters had died. Even if the operation ends, they are just told they are free to go and given no assistance to get home, even if it is halfway across the country. They generally have no money for the trip, and even if they go they face re-arrest along the way for having no travel papers, so many end up as internally displaced people far from homes or as refugees.

The Burma Army used to use two kinds of forced portering. One is call ‘Won Htan’ (villagers) and ‘Won Hsaung Taat Tha’ (prisoner).

In areas where there is full SPDC control and no resistance threat, the local people are placed completely at the disposal of the SPDC military. Villagers are regularly summoned to do one or more days of forced labor at the military camps. Whenever the new battalion moves into an area, the nearby villages are forced to collect and provide most of the building materials for the camps. At least one person per household is required to perform forced labor building the barracks and bunkers, digging trenches and erecting fences. They also have to act as messengers, build and maintain the camp buildings and surrounding fences and defenses, clear the ground around the camps and do other servant work for the troops. People are forced to go on a rotating basis for ‘gkin’ [‘patrol’], which means forced labor standing sentry and delivering order documents to villages and messages or packages between military camps. Demands for these kinds of labor as well as portering and the payment of fees are often dictated at regular meetings which are called by the Battalion officers and must be attended by village heads and sometimes by the leader of each household in the village.

Village heads are sometimes ordered to provide absurdly comprehensive and detailed registration lists of everyone and everything in their villages. These lists are then used to assess paddy quotas, quotas for forced labor, fees and extortion money, demands for carts, vehicles, and other equipment, and to closely monitor the movement of villagers and the arrival of anyone new in the village. People found to be unregistered are usually arrested, accused of being ‘insurgents’, and detained under torture. The registration lists are also a major tool for intimidation, making the villagers believe that the SPDC knows everything about them and making them afraid to do anything out of the ordinary. The intention is to make every civilian feel intimidated and afraid at every moment.

Each village also has to send several people on rotating shifts of three to five days to each military camp in their area for miscellaneous forced labor, which is sometimes referred to as ‘patrol’. This labor routinely includes clearing scrub and grass in and around the camp, maintaining barracks, digging and maintaining trenches and bunkers, building fences and man-traps, cutting firewood, carrying water, cooking, cleaning, and delivering messages to other military camps and order letters to local villages.

In areas where there is any possible of conflict, villagers must undertaken sentry duty at military camps; often most or all the soldiers sleep, leaving only unarmed villagers as sentries with orders to wake them up if anything happens. Villagers must also clear roadsides of scrubs and trees for anywhere from five to 100 meters on each side of military supply roads in order to decrease the chance of ambushes. They also have to do unarmed sentry duty, both outside military camps and along vehicle roads which are used by the military. If anyone is seen on the road, they are supposed to send a signal up the line by beating on bamboo sticks. Villagers in northern Mone Township, Karen State report that they now have to do nightly sentry duty along the roads from Kyauk Kyi to Mone and northward to Toungoo. Three villagers have to man each sentry post, which are closely spaced along the road, for rotating 24-hour shifts, and are supposed to report any strangers on the road to the local military. It costs 150 kyat to avoid one 24-hour shift, and villagers are also punished if they are not seen at their post during the shift.

In some rural areas, thousands acres of land are confiscated and the villagers must perform forced labor on a variety of projects undertaken by the SPDC military. These projects include cultivation of rice and other food crops, cash crops such as rubber, shrimp farms, kilns for producing bricks and logging activities. These projects are often promoted in the media as "local income generating projects", but all proceeds go the military. In forest areas, villagers are also regularly ordered to cut and haul prime quality hardwood logs to local military camps or sawmills, where other villagers or sawmill owners are then forced to cut the logs into timber without compensation. The timber then disappeared into market with all profit going to local military officers, while orders are issued forbidding the villagers to cut any trees for the own use. Also many military officers nationwide have also established brick-baking kilns at battalion camps. The villagers are forced to cut and deliver all the wood required to bake the bricks, while the rank-and-file soldiers are forced to bake bricks for eight to ten hours a day in addition to their normal military duties. The officers then sell the bricks on the market for their own benefit and pay no compensation to anyone.

Civilians are used in the infrastructure and "development" projects such as construction and maintenance of the roads, railways, bridges, airports, hydroelectric schemes and tourist-oriented places. The SPDC has claimed that the infrastructure projects in the remote regions are part of its Border Areas Development Program and that will improve access to markets, schools, and health care. However, there has been little indication that road construction has facilitated social development, and the existing schools and hospitals in the region remain woefully understaffed and under-equipped. The SPDC frequently claims these projects are being undertaken for the villagers’ benefit, admonishing villagers to uphold their responsibilities to their district and the nation by participating in them. In fact, as these infrastructure projects are implemented almost entirely with forced labor, rather than improving their living conditions, they cause greater hardship for local people. People might have to travel considerable distances to work sites, particularly for more extensive projects requiring large numbers of laborers. Civilians had to work several hours to reach a work site. When a village, household or individual is required to complete a given amount of work, people are not able to leave until that work is completed. Often a time period is specified within which the work has to be completed. If the work is not completed to the satisfaction of the soldiers supervising the work, that village, household or individual would not be allowed to return home, and those involved might be beaten or otherwise punished. People always have to bring their own food and necessary tools. If they become sick, they are not treated, and usually have to pay a fine or arrange a replacement to enable them to return to their village to seek medicine attention.

After the military coup in 1988, the number of prisoners has drastically increased.   Before 1988, there were approximately 40,000 prisoners in Burmese prisons.  After 1988,  the number rose to about 60,000 with an additional 20,000 in labor camps for a total of  80,000. Of the entire prison population, over 2,500 are political prisoners. There are 36 prisons in Burma and over 20 of them detain political prisoners. In all prisons, numerous violations of human dignity and brutal harassment occur.  However, the worst situation for laborers is in labor camps and military bases where prisoners are forced to work.

Prison labor camps have been established all over Burma, particularly in the ethnic nationality areas. Convicts are regularly used for unpaid labor as porters, on major infrastructure projects and at rock quarries. They included both criminal convicts and political prisoners. Convicts doing forced labor are generally treated much more brutally than ordinary civilians are routinely used in very dangerous or inhuman work, such as blowing up rock faces, digging at cliff-sites, plowing fields in the place of animals and carrying loads far to heavy in the front lines. Uncountable, but high numbers of prison laborers have died from the dangerous work conditions, physical abuse, lack of food and medical care, and overwork. The SPDC authorities have thanked prison departments for this participation in so-called national projects.

Prison labor is not new to Burma, and it has been with prison labor that numerous infrastructure and tourism projects have been built. Today more and more prisoners are being used on infrastructure and tourism projects, being treated little better than animals.  However, this has not reduced the demands for forced labor placed on the civilian population; instead, forced labor is on the rise throughout rural Burma.  The SPDC has simply expanded its forced labor pool to include more convicts along with the civilians.  This allows the regime to extend its control by implementing more and bigger infrastructure projects, and to support its ever-expanding Army. 

According to AAPP, there are over 21 labor camps, such as: Kabaw valley (Western Burma),  Taungzun/ Motplin Quarry (Mon state), Tuntay camp (near Rangoon), and Bokpyin  camp (Tenasserim Division).

The SPDC has established several labor camps in Arakan, where the convicts or prisoners are subjected to too heavy and exhaustive work. They are routinely tortured and beaten by prison police and officers. Among the prison labor camps, the followings have notoriety.

1) Leyant Tanug prison labor camp, situated on the Lemro riverbank in Mrauk U township.

2) Kyigan Bin (Kawarbil) prison labor camp, 5 miles north of Maungdaw town.

3) Thabra prison labor camp, in Pauktaw township.

4) Taung Gri prison labor camp, in Buthidaung township.

5) Nantat Island prison labor camp, in south Pauktaw township.

6) Ann prison labor camp situated between Ann and Roma Mountain Pass in Ann township.

7) Sinedin prison labor camp, about 10 miles southeast of Buthidaung town.

Recently, two largest notorious Sinedin and Zaghine prison labor camps were closed down by the authorities due to exposure of killing, criminal atrocities and torture done in them. More than 1000 prisoners or convicts worked in each camp.

Prisoners are kept on chains. Some of the prisoners are chained-up with four to five chains. The prison authorities treat them as animals and they do not allow anyone to visit them. Food, essential items or presents carried by visitors are taken up by the prison police for their own use. In 2000, the prisoners in the prison labor camps of Thabra, Nantat Island, and Leyant Taung have been engaged in extra slave labor, in addition to their routine works in brickfields and shrimp projects for the monetary benefit of the prisons authorities. Particularly, the prisoners of Leyant Taung are engaged in working the rock quarries. Although the Western Command ordered that 10 prisoners be used to dive into the water to carry out large pieces of rock, the prison authorities force only 4 prisoners to do the same dangerous job. This way the prison authorities are able to exploit an extra 6 prisoners for other work. These large rocks are sold to government contractors who use them in constructing the Akyab-Kyauktaw-Mrauk-U- Min Bya motor road. The prisoners are gradually exterminated. The prisoners are also forced to cut and carry firewood for the personal brickfields of the prison authorities. The prison authorities are getting richer through the slave labor of the prisoners. Everyday the prisoners receive injuries in the course of forced labor, yet they receive no proper treatment and sometimes no treatment at all. The prisoners subjected to this slave labor suffer from over work, torture, beatings, malnutrition and other deficiency diseases, and have become "walking skeletons. " Many die daily. There are also numerous incidents of prisoners who are killed under the accusation of attempting to flee. (Source: ARNO)

Prison Labor Camps in Central Burma

There were some work camps in central Burma, which demanded prisoners to work there. Those camps were under the prison department.

1. Taw Pone Gyi work camp. Railroad construction site between Gan Gaw- Pahukku. At Taw Pone Gyi camp, prisoners had to dig and crush stones. Escaped prison laborers interviewed by FTUB reported that if 200 prisoners were sent there, only 50 would be returned and the rest would die there because of hard work.

2. Five Pagodas stone crushing work camp: Near Thar Se, prisoners had to crush stones for Thar Se-Taunggyi road.

3. Kabaw valley development work camp: Rice plantation camp in Sagaing Division. Also there was a rail road construction, Kale-Gan Gaw-Pahukku. Rice plantation duty was very hard because, prisoners had to prepare rice fields with hoes, (without using machines or bullocks). A prisoner from Pahukku who was once there explained that Kabaw work camp was the worst and in 1997, 100 prisoners from Pahukku were sent there and only 8 prisoners arrived alive. He said he was alive because he grew and sold flowers for prison officers. Prisoners who work at rice fields died within a 6 month period. (Source: FTUB)

Reported Incidents of Prison Labor

On March 25 2000, 3 Muslim prisoners 1) Moulvi Hafiz Sayeed, age 25, 2) Maung Nyo, age 26, and 3) Tin Twe, age 35 died of exhaustion doing hard labor. They had been imprisoned in a jail near Pinneygon village, Kawkereik township, Karen State and had been used in the place of animals to plow land belonging to the jail authorities. The 2 previous days, a total of 9 other prisoners (names unknown) had also died in the same prison labor site. (Source: MICB)

In November 2000 SPDC Field Engineering Battalion No. 918 surveyed a part of Bongti-Tavoy highway in the eastern Tavoy area between Myitta and Aingwaing, Tenasserim Division and made a plan to lay stone over the road. To accomplish the project, the Engineering Battalion reported to the commander of the Operation Commanding HQ No. 2 that they needed workers for the road construction. On November 24, the commander of OC HQ NO.2 ordered that 140 prisoners from Theyetchaung township be sent to the camp of Field Engineering Battalion No. 918.

More than 300 prisoners were then forced to work daily, breaking stone at the construction site. They had to work from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, were fed very poorly and had only the clothing on their bodies and old thin blankets to protect them from the cold night weather. They were made to sleep on the ground in groups without roofing.
(Source: TIR)

In late 2000, 200 convicts in 8 ten-wheelers were dispatched to Mongton Township to build roads along with 5 macros (tractors and bulldozers), following expansion of Wa troops to areas west of Mongton-BP1 highway. Construction had begun in November 2000 and was expected to continue to Mongtaw-Monghta area in the west during the dry season, (November-April.) Many convicts working along the road are not only those punished for drug addictions but also for desertions, according to local people in Mongton.
(Source: S.H.A.N.)

Formerly, the prisoners were taken out of the prisons and handed directly to the Army units, but since 1996 the SLORC/SPDC has created the ‘Won Saung’ to formalize and institutionalize this process.  Sometimes translated into English as ‘porter battalions’ or ‘service camps’, ‘Won Saung’ actually translates more closely as ‘carrying service’.  The Won Saung come under the Prison Authority and function as holding centers for the convicts before they are taken to porter at the frontline by the Army.  The prisoners are drawn from various prisons around Burma, and according to their testimonies it appears that there are quotas which each prison must provide to the Won Saung camps on a regular basis.  To fill these quotas the prison authorities lie to the prisoners, telling them that their sentences will be reduced or that they will be released after a short shift of portering, and if this is not enough they even send elderly and disabled prisoners, those under treatment in the prison hospital, and those whose sentences are about to end. The convicts are usually given loads much heavier than what civilian porters are forced to carry; sometimes the loads are so heavy that they cannot get to their feet without help from the soldiers. While carrying for the Army, the porters are constantly subjected to verbal and physical abuse from the soldiers when they have difficulty carrying their loads.  Porters who fall out of line from exhaustion are beaten and kicked until they rejoin the column.  When porters just cannot continue, they are left behind and sometimes kicked down the mountainside to an almost certain death.  The straps from the baskets cut into the porters’ shoulders and backs and result in painful wounds. 

Despite their requests for medicine, the porters are never given any, even when they have seen the medics treating the soldiers.  Food generally consists of a starvation diet of rice and fish paste, while the soldiers eat dried shrimp, chicken and vegetables.  The food and belongings which soldiers loot from villages are thrown on top of the porters’ loads, as are the soldiers’ personal packs and boots.  In many cases civilian porters are taken along with the convict porters.  The porters are forced to walk between the soldiers, partly to prevent them running away and partly in the hope that resistance groups won’t ambush the column if they see civilians.  Contrary to claims made internationally by the SPDC, the use of convict porters on operations and at the frontline camps in no way lessens the forced labor burden of the villagers.  Rather than being seen as an alternative to civilian forced labor, the use of convicts for portering and other forced labor in Burma should be seen for what it is: an additional, unnecessary, and particularly brutal form of human rights abuse. (Source: KHRG)

The three won saung camps known to the AAPP are located in the southeastern military regional command: in Hpa- an, capital of the Karen State; Myaine Ka lay township, Karen State; and Loikaw, capital of Karenni State.

Reported Instances of Prisoner Porters

During the period of May 18-20, 2000, about 200 prisoners from Mandalay were sent directly to Myaing Kalay Service Camp (2), located opposite of Pa-an, Karen state. Prisoners from Yamethin, Pahukku and Myingyan were gathered at Meikhtila and then sent to Service Camp (2).

Before going, the prison authorities set cuffs and steel bars on legs of all prisoners who were going to Service Camp (2). Each army truck transported Twenty five to thirty prisoners. There were six armed soldiers who guarded the prisoners in each truck. The trucks were covered not to be seen from outside. The journey was around 18 hours. Meals were issued with plastic bags on trucks. The prisoners were not allowed to go outside the cars. When they wanted toilet, they used plastic bags issued for food in the trucks. Some prisoners used their prison shirt for toilet purpose. On the truck, water was distributed only three times with army water can for all 25 prisoners.

When they arrived Service Camp (2), they were divided into two groups and each group was sent into a building made of wood and were locked. Food provided there was bean soup, salt and rice. They had to stay there for 2 days. There were about 30 prisoners already at Service Camp (2) and they worked for the Cement Factory in Myaing Galay.

At last, rivets from their legs were removed and then sent to respective battalions. The persons interviewed by FTUB served for LIB 202 and IB 81. Both battalions were under division 22. The army personnel and the prisoners went together to Hlaing Bwe. Then, the prisoner porters started carry loads and walked to Mae La Po Hta area where the IB 81 burnt down several villages two years ago.

The soldiers separated by companies and then marched. Each company had around 10-25 porters. There were some villager porters including women together with them. However, when their group reached a village, villager porters were released and then changed with new villagers from that village.

On the second day of the trip, the soldiers from IB 81 were ambushed and 12 soldiers including a major and a warrant officer were killed. The interviewees heard that 4 porters were killed also. However, porters were ordered not to look the wounded so they did not know villager porters or prisoner porters were killed. Prisoners who went with the LIB 202 said the column burnt down a small village on the second day.

On the way, prisoners were given bean soup and a small amount of rice two times a day. Water was not provided but when the group crossed a stream, porters were allowed to drink water. Soldiers ate chicken and other canned food. When the group reached a village, soldiers stole chicken from villagers and let the porters cook. But the curry was not given to porters. Villagers said nothing to soldiers or to porters. They sat silently and looked at the soldiers.

On the way, when porters could not carry, they were beaten with rifle butts. The porters had to carry more loads as soldiers put their equipment and food. So, most of the porters left their blankets, plates and spare clothes on the way.

The interviewee (B) described the death of a porter, " We were with the company number 4 of the LIB 202. In the evening of the second day, Nandar Min Htet 19 years old from Seik Pyu township, Magwe division who was jailed for theft case and trying to escape from cell case, became very exhausted. At that time, we started climbing hills. Soldiers beat him and scolded to continue to carry the loads. He could not stand any more. Then the soldiers beat him severely with rifle butts and when he could not move, he was thrown to the bottom of a hill."

The interviewee (C) also explained that while climbing the Kalamar mountain, a Muslim called Kheamar (about 35 years old) from Mandalay prison, (native of Letpan village, Kyaukse township, Mandalay division) who carried a 81 mm mortar barrel and 10 mortar shells could not carry anymore and begged to have a rest. But he was also beaten to death.

The soldiers were quite young but rude. On the other hand, porters witnessed that a young soldier from LIB (202) cried on the way because of heavy equipment and tough journey and he disappeared at a village. The army sent some soldiers to search for him and he was seen sleeping under a tree along the path. The officer of his unit gave him some candies and told him to continue, and warned that Karen guerrillas would cut his throat if he were seen alone.

On the third day, the group reached a big village, there, left some ammunitions and supplies at a monastery of the village. The monks were not friendly to soldiers but soldiers did not care and dug the ground and laid ammunitions in the compound.

Porters went with IB (81) said on the third day, the column met an old man and two children (about 5 and 6 years old) working at the rice farm. The soldiers ordered the old man and forced him to serve as a porter. The old man pointed the children and explained something in Karen language. Then the soldiers pointed guns to his head and then he agreed to carry a basket.

On the fourth day, the group reached an army camp on a hill. It was the end of the trip. The prisoners had been told from the beginning of the trip that they would be released when the journey was finished. However, the new orders were given to prisoners to dig the ground for bunkers and ditches, to cut bamboo and trees, to build buildings and to make fences. That camp was preparing for the Strategic Commander’s HQ of the division (22).

Interviewees (D), (E) and (F) said the porters were taken to an hour walk where there were some rice barns. Those porters were ordered to take un-husked rice from rice barns to the camp. Soldiers said that rice was donated to the army by villagers. However, porters thought the soldiers stole rice from villagers.

The soldiers said that the porters would be released when their frontline duties was due. The porters explained that the work was also heavy and no proper treatment for the porters. Many porters had wounds on shoulders and waists but when they asked soldiers for treatment, soldiers said no medicines for convicts. In actual fact, there were medicines, and porters seen that soldiers were given two tablets every day (porters guessed the tablets would be anti-malaria). Food provided was the worst the prisoners had ever had. A cup of boiled rice was given two times a day.

The SPDC soldiers informed prisoners that there were plenty of landmines planted along that area and warned there was no way to survive if the prisoners tried to escape. Moreover, Karen guerrillas were around there and if they catch prisoners, they would be executed by getting their throats cut with a piece of sharpened bamboo.

The prisoners’ wounds were getting worse. All of them were physically weak and realized that they would die if they continue to stay in that camp. Firstly, ex-soldier prisoners who deserted from the service managed to escape. Then the interviewees also looked ways to escape and at last they separately managed to escape and reached a village. The villagers handed to the KNU and a KNLA officer gave treatment, food and protection to them. (Source: FTUB)

On June 15, 2000, SPDC authorities sent 350 prisoners from Insein jail to Shwe Gwan Porter-recruiting camp, in Pa-an district of Karen state. These prisoners are being used as porters in the front lines by regional  army Battalions No. 210  and No.202. According to a porter, U Twe Han from Rangoon, who escaped with three others to the Thai-Burma border, two porters from his 8 man-group were killed in the mine explosion and the other three were shot dead when re-arrested by the SPDC soldiers. U Twe Han said that SPDC authorities arrested him in Rangoon on January, 2, 2000 when he was returning home from cinema and was sentenced to three years imprisonment for the so-called involvement  in anti-SPDC activities, but he said that he did not know any anti-SPDC party. (Source: MICB)

On June 26 2000, 3 prisoner porters died of exhaustion at the foot of Daw Na Mt., in the front lines in Karen State. The 3 porters were among the 400 prisoners who had been brought from Myingyin Prison to the Myaing Kalay porter recruiting camp near Myawaddy, and the dozen porters which had been taken by IB 339 from the camp to the front lines. The porters were: Win Myint, age 30 from Katha City, U Yusoof, age 20 from Htee Gyaik, and Khin Win, age 26 from Monywa. (Source: MICB)

As of July 17, 2000,  700 prisoners had been recruited to the Myaing Kalay porter- recruiting camp in  Pa-an district of Karen state. Among them, 200 prisoners from Mandalay jail, 300 from Pakokku jail and  200 from Sagaing jail. The porters are being used in the front lines by Captain Aung Kyaw Moe of Battalion No.81 and Major Myo Nyunt of Battalion No. 85. Both Battalions are under Brigade No.22. According to an escapee, U Tha Tun (24 years) from Pyinmana, 15 porters were killed in the mine-explosion and seven porters died of ill-treatments, malnutrition and other diseases during his stay in the front lines. (Source: MICB)

On July 26 2000, U Tun Than, age 40 and U Nyunt Maung, age 45 were shot dead by Sgt. Win Maung of LIB 204 after he accused them of trying to flee their porter duty. The 2 Muslim men had been brought to the Myaing Kalay porter recruiting camp from O Bo Prison in Mandalay and then had been forced to serve as porters for LIB 204. The 2 men had lived near Juan Mosque in Mandalay. (Source: MICB)

On August 20, 2000, the ruling SPDC authorities sent 250 prisoners as porters to the front lines of Karen state. The prisoners were from Yin Kyin porter-recruiting camps in Apong township, Mon state of Burma. According to a Mon prisoner-porter, some of the porters were distributed to brigade No.66  in Bilin township and some were to Brigade No. 44 in Pa-an township through Major Zaw Tun. (Source: MICB)

On January 22, 2000, a patrol of 50-60 SPDC troops from IB246, led by Capt. Aung Moe, traveling with 14 civilian porters, came to a rice farm at Nawng Hai, about 3 miles from Kun-Hing town, where a man and his 2 children were threshing rice. The villagers arrested the villagers, tied them up and eventually killed all three of them. During the incident, one of the civilian porters, Zaai Wi-La-Sa, a nephew of the victim, saw what was happening to his uncle and his family, and tried to intervene by begging the SPDC captain not to kill them. Capt. Aung Moe, however, hit the porter hard on the head with his pistol, making his head bleed and rendering him unconscious for about 30 minutes. After about 3 hours, Zaai Wi-La-Sa was fully conscious again and after about 4 hours, he was forced to continue carrying his load. When Zaai Wi-La-Sa was released and came back home, he was so shocked and mentally disturbed he could not talk sensibly with other villagers and died 20 days later. (Source: SHRF)

On January 27, 2000, Capt. Aye Thaung, commander of Co.3 of LIB520 of the SPDC, shot dead Sai Ku (m), aged 35, in the jungle in Murng-Pan township. The victim had been seized in the center of Murng-Pan town on January 24, 2000 by a column of about 60 SPDC troops, accompanied by 15 civilian porters, to be used as a guide. The porters were released after the troops returned to Murng-Pan town. (Source: SHRF)

In early February 2000, SPDC troops from LIB330 shot dead 3 Palaung villagers in Wan Pek village, Murng Lung tract, Murng-Sart township. The villagers were shot after a column of about 60 SPDC troops came to the village on January 30, 2000 and conscripted the 3 to serve as guides in their search for SSA-E soldiers. When the search proved unsuccessful the victims were accused of keeping information from the troops and misleading them. They were shot in front of the other villagers from Wan Pek. (Source: SHRF)

On March 12 2000, Daw Nhin Mya, age 48, the wife of U Tun Aung Kyaw, died of exhaustion and weakness while serving as a forced laborer at a work site in Kyauk Taw township, Arakan State under the control of IB 374 led by Major Zaw Khaing. The woman was from Kabu village, Kyauk Taw township, and had not been able to afford any medical treatment. (Source: MICB)

On March 25 2000, 3 Muslim prisoners 1) Moulvi Hafiz Sayeed, age 25, 2) Maung Nyo, age 26, and 3) Tin Twe, age 35 died of exhaustion doing hard labor. They had been imprisoned in a jail near Pinneygon village, Kawkereik township, Karen State and had been used in the place of animals to plow land belonging to the jail authorities. The 2 previous days, a total of 9 other prisoners (names unknown) had also died in the same prison labor site.
(Source: MICB)

In the first week of April 2000, during the time of the attack on the Mae Lah Po Hta refugee camp in by SPDC Battalions 7,8, 107 and 108, 2 Muslim porters, Mr. Habibullah and Mr. Hassan were shot dead as a warning to other porters not to attempt to flee. (Source: MICB)

On April, 11, 2000, five porters, two of them Muslims were killed when they were used as mine-sweepers while fighting took place between SPDC and KNU soldiers, on hill No. 6, near Shan Ywa Thit village in Hlaing Bwe township, Karen State. The deceased were (1) Hashim, age 30, from Kaw kata/ Thaya gong village and (2) Younus, age 22 from Zathabin/ Kaw Ri village. Both of the villages are in Hlaing Bwe township of Karen state.
(Source: MICB)

In early May 2000, a column of about 80 SPDC troops of Company No.5 from LIB 514 led by Capt. Hla Myint conscripted 24 civilian porters for 51 days during which they killed at least 4 porters and wounded or killed many others while on patrol in the rural areas of Murng-Kerng township, Shan State. Most of the civilian porters were originally from Kung Yom village in Ham Ngaai tract, Murng-Kerng township, who had been forcibly relocated to a relocation site in the outskirts of Murng-Kerng town by the SLORC/SPDC troops a few years ago.  After having to carry heavy loads for 37 days with inadequate rest and food, 4 of the porters became so weak that they had to stop at every 20-30 yards, but the troops thought they were just feigning and angrily beat them until they all died. A few days after that, 3-4 other porters who had became too weak to go on were also beaten and left lying along the way, without any care whether they were dead or not. Since they have not returned until the time of this report, they are presumably dead. Many other porters were also beaten along the way.  On June 23, the rest of the porters were released after serving the military for 51 days without pay or any other kind of compensation. As of July 2000, out of 24 civilian ports that had been conscripted, only 13 had returned home. (Source: SHRF)  

From May 21 to 31 2000, at least 10 porters died while portering for LIB 206 led by Maj. Myo Myint Oo. The Battalion had conscripted 50 porters along the Papun-Bilin Highway, and according to a porter who escaped from this troop, the porters were made to carry such heavy loads that many were falling down from the weight, or from exhaustion and lack of adequate food. The porters who fell angered the soldiers, who then beat them. (Source: MICB)

On May 25 2000, eight porters who had been used as human mine sweepers and pushed in front of the troops died in fighting. They had been portering for IB 55, led by Capt. Nyunt Wei, under the control of Brigade 33 when fighting broke out with the KNU. The killed porters were: Thet Kaing Oo, age 28 from Rangoon, U Kala Gyi, age 40 from Moulmein, Sin Pyu, age 30 from Pegu, Kyaw Thet Oo, age 29 from Pegu, Min Naing Win, age 31 from Kyaik Kaw, U Yusoof, age 45, from Kya Ein Seik Kyi, U Ha Shin, age 30 from Rangoon, and Tun Than, age 33 from Bassein. ( Source: MICB)

On May 25 2000, a group of SPDC troops from LIB 28 led by Lt. Hla Myint tied a primary school teacher to a tree and executed him by firing squad in the presence of dozens of porters in Karen state of Burma. According to a porter who escaped to the Thai border, the teacher U Myint Win Aung (40 years) criticized he ill treatment of SPDC soldiers during portering. The teacher who lived in No. 85/35 street, Mandalay had been arrested during 9-9-99 anti-SPDC activities with the allegation that he was involved in the activities and was put into Mandalay jail. He as one of the prisoners brought to the Karen State by the SPDC authorities. (Source: MICB)

In June 2000, troops from SPDC IB 8 ordered villagers to watch the gas pipeline in Tha-ton district, Karen State, day and night. On June 23, 2000, Ka-law-kher villager, Naw Mee 45, F, was knocked down and killed by a truck on the road while performing this duty. (Source: KIC)

On June 20 2000, 4 slave laborers were killed at a work site at Buthidaung Township according to a relative of a victim. It is reported that the Burmese army had engaged about 120 Rohingya Muslims from surrounding villages of Buthidaung township to construct barracks for newly established LIB-566 Regiment. On the fateful day, 4 Rohingya forced laborers namely Ezhar Meah son of Sayed Ahmad 52 years, Kalu son of Basa Meah 48 years, Mahbub Karim son of Mohammed Akbar, 50 years and Mohammad Nasim son of Sayed Omar 47, fell down from the mountain top while they were carrying timber under the heavy rain. The commander supervising the construction did not allow rescuing the victims and instead shouted at the laborers to continue their work. Due to flash flood conditions, the people could not trace the body and the victims died. (Source: RSO)

On June 21, 2000 at about 16:45 hours, troops from SPDC LIB 208 shot to death a woman who had been forced to serve as their guide in Kler-kyo-kaw-hti, near Saw-kho village, Toun-goo District, Karen State. (Source: KIC)

On June 25, 2000, No. 10 unit of Command Area No. 4 of Na Sa Ka (Border Security forces) ruthlessly rounded up 50 villagers from Dumbai village, northern Maungdaw Township, Arakan State for use as slave laborers. 3 Burmese soldiers of Kying Chaung village out-post, while taking away the 50 Rohingya slave laborers by boat, mercilessly beat and abused the laborers on the way and at one stage bayoneted Rashid Alam, age 23, the son of Abdul Mubin, of Dumbai village. The victim fell into the creek but the SPDC forces prevented the others from rescuing him and he later died as a result of the injury. (Source: RSO)

On June 26 2000, 3 prisoner porters died of exhaustion at the foot of Daw Na Mt. , in the front lines in Karen State. The 3 porters were among the 400 prisoners who had been brought from Myingyin Prison to the Myaing Kalay porter recruiting camp near Myawaddy, and the dozen porters which had been taken by IB 339 from the camp to the front lines. The porters were: Win Myint, age 30 from Katha City, U Yusoof, age 20 from Htee Gyaik, and Khin Win, age 26 from Monywa. (Source: MICB)

On July 14, when troops from LIB No. 703 move from Three Pagoda Pass area to Apalon village along the motor road, the soldiers also arrested two women and one men who they met on the road near Tadein village. These women and men were working in their farms and raising their cows, they were 2 Karen women: Naw Phar Tu Klaing (age 31), Naw Swe Nyunt (age 30) and a Mon man, Nai Ah Maung (age 34). The soldiers brought them as porters and made them carry food supplies that they had looted from other villages. That evening, the group was ambushed by KNLA troops, and the soldiers pushed the porters to the front. Naw Phar Tu Klaing was shot, but after the fighting ceases, the soldiers did not take her on to the village, but left her behind. She died that night. (Source: HURFOM)

On July 26 2000, U Tun Than, age 40 and U Nyunt Maung, age 45 were shot dead by Sgt. Win Maung of LIB 204 after he accused them of trying to flee their porter duty. The 2 Muslim men had been brought to the Myaing Kalay porter recruiting camp from O Bo Prison in Mandalay and then had been forced to serve as porters for LIB 204. The 2 men had lived near Juan Mosque in Mandalay. (Source: MICB)

On July 27 2000, U Ya Sin, age 41, Ko Min Aung, age 28, and U Ahamed, age 34 were shot dead by soldiers from LIB 28, under Brigade 22 based in Hliang Bwe Township. The 3 Muslim men had been brought to Myaing Kalay porter-recruiting camp on April 15 2000, from Mandalay Prison and had been serving as porters for 3 continuous months when they were shot for becoming too weak to carry their heavy loads. (Source: MICB)

On July 28 2000, U Khin Tun, age 40 and U Than Oo, age 36 were shot dead by troops from IB 339 during their service a prisoner porters. They had been brought to the Myaing Kalay porter recruiting camp from Insein Prison, and were shot after being accused of attempting to flee. (Source: MICB)

Since at the beginning of 2000 until now (reported in August 2000) , the SPDC has been conducting operations against the MDUF (Maik - Davoy United Front) and ABSDF, which moves around in Tenasserim, Pu-Law, and Maik Townships, Tenasserim Division. The SPDC has captured many porters during this time. In addition to porter duties, the porters are used by the SPDC troops as human mine sweepers. If porters don’t do as they are ordered, they are killed. Three Tavoyan porters, U Tun Kyi, 55 years, Ko Aung Tan, 28 years, and Ko Win Than, 20 years, were killed in this way. They were killed because they weren’t able to carry the food supplies and equipment as the troops had ordered. The SPDC troops are killing many porters in other places in a similar manner. (Source: THRF)

On August 16, 2000, about 320 Rohingya were seized to provide forced labor at the army battalion No. 264, under Western Area Command No. 9. The battalion was established near the village of Khinsama Palaydaung, 3 miles north of Buthidaung. One of the forced laborers named Moktul Hussain son of Ali Akbar, 47, of the same village of Khinsama Palaydaung felt sick with high fever as a result of hard work. While he was taking rest under a tree an armed guard came and struck at his neck with a stick. As a result, the victim felt unconscious with his arteries cut off and died on the way to Buthidaung General Hospital. But without formal examination the doctor of the hospital, under the influence of the administration, declared that the victim had died of malaria. (Source: ARNO)

On October 16, 2000, a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops from Kun-Hing-based LIB524, led by Capt. Win Maung, conscripted 18 civilian porters, including young and old men, from villages in Kaeng Tawng area in Murng-Nai township and forced them to carry their things as they patrolled the area. 2 of the porters who were quite old became too weak and tired to continue carrying the load, which was 20 viss for each (about 35 kilos). They could not go any further and could not speak properly. Thinking that they were pretending, the troops beat and kicked both of them, causing them to fall down on the ground. Since the 2 men could not get up, some of the soldiers took away the load and told them to stand up. When they could not do that, some troops pulled them up by the hands and told them to walk along with the patrol. The 2 old men, however, were too weak and were so badly kicked and beaten up by the troops earlier that they were unable even to walk slowly on. The commander of the troops then became very angry and said that the 2 men were defying orders and did not want to even walk slowly without having to carry anything and ordered his troops to shoot them. The 2 porters were shot dead and left on the road. They were Lung Nyaa, aged 61,from Kun Kawk village, and Lung Saw-Na, aged 57,from Kun Kawk village. The remaining 16 porters had to continue until they reached the base of LIB524 in Kung-Hing township where they were released. (Source: SHRF)

On November 4, 2000, about 45 SPDC troops from Pang-Long-based Company No. 5 of LIB513, led by commander Hla Thaung, gang-raped 2 women and shot dead 6 civilian porters at a remote rice farm in Loi-Lem township. All the 45 troops or so raped the women. When the civilian porters saw the conditions of the women, one of them murmured in Shan to the other about how cruel the SPDC soldiers were towards the Shan women and that he would take his wife and children and flee when they had grown old enough. One of the SPDC troops, who understood Shan, overheard this and reported it to their commander who immediately called the porter over to him and shot him dead. After a while, the troops took their things from the porters and shot all of them dead. Before leaving the farm, the troops told the 2 women that all the porters they had just killed were rebels who deserved death, and that the women should leave the farm as soon as they could. (Source: SHRF)

On May 9 2000, the Commander of the Dabru Chaung Brigade No. 6 of Buthidaung, Brigadier Soe Naing Tut, in a meeting with the Chairman and secretaries of the Village PDC, explained that more roads would be built in North Arakan for military and communication purposes, with the (so-called) contribution of the people. He ordered the following villagers to build an 8 mile long road, with their labor and money, linking Attwang Ngathe village with Palay Taung Regiment 264. The order further stipulated that the road be completed by 2001. The villages were: (1) Kyithama Palaytaung Rwa (2) San Yin Way Rwa (3) Kwandine Rwa (4) Nanragun Rwa (5) Tharakamanu Rwa (6) Dabru Chaung Rwa (7) U Hla Pe Rwa (8) Rwa Ngyotaung Rwa (9) Attwan Ngatthe Rwa and (10) Kindaung Rwa. (Rwa means village) (Source: ARNO)

The UNHCR stationed in Arakan has approved an amount of kyat 20 million for the enlargement and metal carpeting work of Buthidaung highway up to the jetty. However the chief of MI 18, Maj. Win Myint, who is supervising the project, used the local Rohingya as forced laborers to carry out the project without paying any money. Hundreds of Rohingya belonging to Nanragone, Maunggyitaung, Alaygyaung and Seinyaung Wai village tracts have been to forced labor daily and are forced to put signatures on blank papers stating receipt of money. In this way the army major and his associates are misappropriating the money of the poor Rohingya. (Source: ARNO)

A road 1.6 km long, linking the main street in Dabru Chaung with the Dabru Chaung army camp, was built with the forced labor exacted from seven villages namely: U Hla Pe, Thak Manu, Nara Goon, Sin Yant Way, Rwat Nyu Taung, Kyin Daung and Dabru Chaung. The road was completed by November 4, 2000 as scheduled. But, on November 6, 2000, about 250 armed forces that included captains, colonels, and even Brig. Gen. Ohn Tin suddenly appeared at a construction site of the said road, while holding hoes, brand hoes and baskets, and then videoed for TV programme in an effort or pretension to show the world that the SPDC soldiers were volunteering in construction works in development projects. (Source: ARNO)

On April 4, 2000, the Rathedaung Township PDC has ordered the Rohingya villagers to build without paying 258 more houses

for new Burman Buddhist settlers being invited from Burma proper as follows:

(1) Upper Lay Rwa — 33 houses

(2) KyaukpaRwa — 60 houses

(3) Sangana Rwa — 54 houses

(4) Sabodu Rwa — 55 houses

(5) Shan Rwa — 56 houses

The Rohingya have to provide 3 acres of arable land to each household of the above settlers. (Source: ARNO)

Following an order on April 10, 2000, given by the district chairman of the Maungdaw PDC, northern Arakan State that 65 acres of farmland from Quzirbal, Kaindapara and Hitalia villages was to be confiscated to make room for new model villages, the authorities conscripted forced labor from the evicted Muslim villagers. Approximately 200 villagers from nearby Muslim villagers were conscripted to build the model villages. (Source: RSO)

On October 30 2000, military authorities issued an order requiring nine villages in Buthidaung township to build 25 houses for a new "model village" for Burman settlers who were relocated from Burma proper to Arakan State. The village was established near a Rohingya village called "Pya Bin" by the military authorities. The villagers from the 9 villages had to cut the wooden pillars, bamboo and other house-building materials from the forest, and complete the project by November 10, 2000. The military threatened non-compliance with punishment. The nine villages that were ordered to build 25 houses for the new Burman settlers are: U Hla Pe 2.houses, Rwat Nyu Tang 3 houses, Khyin Daung 3 houses, Nara Goon 3 houses, Thank Manu 3 houses, Sinyant Way 3 houses, Atwen Chang 4 houses, Dabru Chaung 2 houses, Sein Khine 2 houses — total 25 houses. (Source: ARNO)

In Minpya township, military units such as 379, 380 and 541, have been stationed in the area since 1990 (in 1988 there was only 40 soldiers stationed). These Burmese army regiments have been consistently demanding firewood from the villagers for baking bricks for military funds. Six times a year, each family from the 260 villages in the 64 village groups in Minpya town has to send 100 pieces of firewood (length 2 half-yard and 3 spans rounded) to the army. Due to this, there is vast deforestation around the region of Minpya township, especially the 4 mile-long kyatsin mountain range between Minpya town and Myepon town, the 8 mile-long Taung Saing Kam mountain range, the 8 mile-long Taw Tan mountain range and the 15-mile-long Hpungta Chaung mountain range. The villagers who live around these mountain ranges must walk at least four hours to get to the forest for firewood. If they have to continue to serve the Burmese army in this way, the villagers will later have to use hay, bull shit and dried grass instead of firewood. (Source: Mizzima News Group)

In the beginning of the year 2000, some people belonging to Minbya township of Arakan state sent an appeal secretly to the regional military command headquarters at Akyab (Sittwe), capital of Arakan state, to relieve them from the harsh forced labor duties. The appeal stated that Army regiment No. 379, 380 and 541 stationed at Minbya township have engaged forced laborers for digging latrines, road construction, agricultural farming, construction of sheds for army personnel and forced to provide wood, thatch and other household equipment. Persons who are said to have not fulfilled the duty had been inhumanly beaten and penalized by the military personnel of the said regiments. The appeal further stated that many people got sick as a result of severe conditions under which the forced laborers have to work. However, there has been no response from the commander and employing forced laborers every week is in continuation. (Source: ARNO)

The officers of the armed forces are establishing various business projects in Arakan for their own monetary interest, such as brickfields, rice farms, paddy, fishponds and poultry farms. The local people have to provide forced labor, required lands, seeds, and firewood for brickfields. Almost all the farmlands belonging to Rohingya around the army camps have been confiscated. In addition, the Rohingya villagers are forced to provide the military cash money and fowls for the poultry farms. In mid-2000 Military intelligence No. 18 ordered all the Rohingya villages in Western Area Command No. 9 of Buthidaung township to supply them 20 hens and 5 cocks per village ward and established a large poultry farm at Taung Bazaar, 12 miles north of Buthidaung town. The poultry farm has been maintained entirely with the forced labor and so-called monetary contribution of the local Rohingya. (Source: ARNO)

In mid 2000, Taungkok-based IB 544 and 346 forced the villagers of Nat Maw and Kalain Pyin to dig ponds for the military-owned prawn breeding business in Zeepinyin and Kalain Taung village. The villagers were not given any wages. Since then, rich people from the nine villages of Patin Kyun have been widely working with this profitable brine-prawn breeding business. Although the suffering villagers repeatedly reported these problems to the concerned township authorities, there was no concrete action taken. In addition, people are facing a drinking water shortage due to the salty water the brine-prawn breeding ponds in the township makes, that seeps into the wells of the town. The villagers from Kan Pyin village in Patin Kyun were therefore planning to migrate to other villages.

From September to November 2000, Ngamun Daing-based SPDC units in Patin Kyun, Arakan State forced villagers from nine villages to dig ponds for their military-owned prawn breeding business. They provided no wages for the over two months of labor, and forced the villagers to sign a document stating that their work was voluntary. There are over 20,000 prawn breeding farms in Arakan State, the most in Burma. (Source: Mizzima News Group, and Inside Source)

Forced to grow crops for the army

In late 2000 the NaSaKa (Western Area Command) HQs of Maungdaw delivered seeds of various kinds of peas, chilies and nuts to the villagers of north Maungdaw with an order to surrender all their farm produce to the NaSaKa HQs after six months in March 2001. It was warned that serious punishment would be meted out to those villagers who do not comply with the order. In fact, the villagers had received the seeds in great reluctance and under duress. (Source: ARNO)

In the month of January 200 Rohingya who were seized from Mingla Nyunt village north of Maungdaw township by Maj. Aung Sein Naing of Army regiment 263 have been released after 15 days of portering duties. 50 of them fell seriously ill because of ill treatment. (Source: ARNO)

In 2000, the SPDC Agriculture Department ordered the implementation of a project to grow 9,000 acres of tea in Chin State. SPDC troops forced people to clear soil from large areas in Wa Gain Dain Township, then this land was divided between groups of people, who were given the responsibility to plant it, without pay. People living in that area are facing many difficulties as they have no time to work and earn money for their families. (Source: IB)

On August 1 2000, the Tangtalan Township PDC chairman, U Maung Maung Myint invited the village tract PDC clerks to a meeting. As soon as they arrived, he made them weed a plot of his plantation with their own tools and without payment for 12 days. After weeding the whole plot, they were sent back home without holding any meeting. (Source: CHRO)

On August 7, 2000 two patches of thatch were ordered from each household and they were forced to construct a military base for 3 days. In cases of failure, houses were fined 200 kyat each. SPDC troops led by Commander Oo Aung from IB 269 forced people from Dee Dain to contribute labor every year. (Source: IB)

On August 7, 2000, 2nd warrant officer Mya Win and police Lt. Myint Maung ordered that (50) persons from Thlangzar of (60) households; (30) persons from Taal village of (30) households, (80) persons from Rulbu village of (80) households, (33) persons from Rulbu village of (33) households, (25) persons from Hrianghnang village of (25) households, and the (VPDC) chairman and his team from Thlangzarh village, Falam township were to go without fail to build the Lai Va military base camp. All the forced laborers were made to put up at "Thlangzarh" village, where they were guarded by the soldiers and were told that only bullets would be sent after any one who should escape. Different jobs were assigned to different villages saying that no one would be allowed to go back until the job as completed. They had to start at 5:00 am in the morning and as they wanted to finish the task as early as possible, they worked on without break for rest or for bath till it got dark. They had to live on their own provision form home such as rice, fish paste, chilies etc,. They even had to use their own tools for the work. Nothing but the order was provided for them. They had to build camps at three places with three layers of bamboo walling. For the week that they had to work for the military base, no compensation was given to them. This was the harvest time, (to collect corn and potatoes from the fields) but as they could not attend to their farm work, the crops were eaten by the wild pigs. On August 18, 2000, 2nd warrant officer Mya Win of LIB (268) at Lai Va Army Base ordered (12) villagers to work at the camp construction site. Those that were forced to labor from Tlangte village were Tum Cung, Za Kap, BilHmung, Thuang Hnin, PhunHup, MaiChaiCuai, Mai Ngun Nawi, Bawi Al. They were sent back to their village on August 18, after their shift had been completed. On August 19, Sang Hu, BawiLian, Mai Hlawn Vang, Mai Cer Tial, Mai Ding Cem had to go and work and were sent home on August 21. On August 21, (4) persons with (2) chicken, and (100) bamboo poles were sent for. (Source: CHRO)

To see the written orders sent to the village chairman, see Appendix # 1 and #2

On August 21 and 22, 2000 a group of MI officers, led by Corporal Soe Thein under control of MI # 269, forced the citizens of Don Zan Town, in Chin State to contribute labor twice a week for working in the MI’s plantations. 200 people were forced to clear the land and scrub from the fields to prepare the land for planting. There was no treatment for injuries or payment for labor. (Source: IB)

In October 2000, Platoon commander Kyaw Kyaw Oo of LIB 538 ordered each block of Pathiantlang (Upper and Lower), Sia Oo, Hemate and Hemapi villages, Paletwa area, southern Chin State, to supply 75-150 cubic feet of wood each. The defaulter Hemapi had to pay the fine of Ks. 60000 to Major Zaw Tun, the battalion commander of LIB 538, who had issued a further order that each of the 18 blocks in the surrounding area must saw the wood and send to him at Sin-Let-Wa camp. Major Zaw Tun then sold the wood to traders in ThuraAi for 1000 kyats per cubic feet for his own pocket. The villagers were cheated because they had been told the wood would be used for building boats for the convenience of the public In remote areas such as this, not every village has people able to fall the wood, and there is a shortage of tools. Therefore, some villages had to hire loggers at 500 kyat per day.

Since mid 1997, civilians in northern Chin State’s Thantlang town have been regularly forced by the SPDC Army to do night watch duty. The duty does not spare even lone widows, according to information received from Thantlang

The civilian sentry duty was enforced in 1997 by the Army in the wake of the National Student Sport Festival in Hakha to ensure security in the urban areas. Thantlang town is divided into seven blocks in which one sentry post is built in each block where four civilians from each block have to do the sentry duty every night. This duty goes on a rotating basis and lone widows who can not perform the duty by themselves have to hire one able person for kyat 80 per night. A mandatory fine of money is imposed on those who fail to do the duty, said xxxxxx ( name omitted for security reason ) who is a student in Thantlang. The duty starts as soon as it is dark and lasts until dawn. The soldiers are conducting a regular and surprise check during the night to ensure people are doing their duty carefully. If they found out that someone is dozing off while on duty, the soldiers severely beat and punish that person.

Households who can afford to pay kyat 10,000 to the Block PDC are exempted from the duty for one year. Block PDC members themselves are required to do separate duty every night at each Block PDC Office. Though the citizens of Thantlang are greatly disappointed over the forcible duty imposed on them, they are left with no choice but to continue to perform the duty as they are afraid of the army authorities (Source: CHRO)

The road to Bu Sah Kee was constructed between 1995 and 1998 in order to improve military access to the southeastern part of the district. It was built entirely with the forced labor of villagers in the area, and once completed SPDC Army camps were set up all along its winding length of at least 45 km. Although completed 2 years ago, it cannot be used in the rainy season. There are no bridges along its route and sections of it are washed away by the rains, so every dry season (November to May) the villagers are forced to rebuild the road. During the dry season, civilian vehicle owners from Kler Lah and Than Daung Gyi are forced to haul supplies to the camps along the road, and in rainy season the villagers are forced to haul the supplies on their backs from Kaw Thay Der. (Source: KHRG)

From Pa Leh Wah village there is a rough dirt road that goes south to the SPDC Army’s "Yay Dta Gone" camp at Klaw Mi Der village. Though this rough track is not very passable to vehicles, villagers still receive orders to maintain the road surface and bridges on a regular basis. (Source: KHRG)

A new dam is to be built on the Day Loh River at Pa Leh Wah. Three Japanese engineers reportedly did the planning in early 2000, and many villagers have already been demanded to work on the project. (Source: KHRG)

Than Daung Gyi to Ker Weh Road, part of Than Daung Gyi tourist project
In Than Daung township, a new road is also being built from Than Daung Gyi to the village of Ker Weh. While this road will be for military access, it will also be used to get to the hot spring at Ker Weh, which is to be a part of the new tourism project at Than Daung Gyi. There is also a plan to build a car road from Kler Lah to Than Daung Gyi. There is an old car road there already which was built during the 1950’s, but it has fallen into disrepair and is unusable. If this project is carried out, it will mean more forced labor for the villagers in Kler Lah and the Than Daung area. (Source: KHRG)

In February of 2000 a new road was begun from Bu Sah Kee southwestward to Tha Pyay Nyunt Army camp in the south of Tantabin township near the border with Nyaunglebin (Kler Lweh Htoo) District. The road will connect with another road already being constructed coming up from Ma La Daw. Although the straight-line distance is about 30 km., the road will be about 50 km. long or more due to the rough terrain it must pass through. Villagers have been ordered to stand guard over the road building equipment and carry supplies for the soldiers. They have had to bring their own food. This road will connect the two districts and may become a barrier to the movement of refugees from Tantabin township toward Papun District and the Thai border. The following is a translation of an order demanding forced laborers to work on the Bu Sah Kee-Ma La Daw road. (Source: KHRG)

Starting on March 2, 2000, and as of August 4, 2000, SPDC troops were constructing Auk-bo-deh to Ta-nay-cha motor road in Pa-an District, Karen State. The SPDC operation commander, Lin Zaw, supervised the project, while Hla Myo Aung was the engineer. Aung Kaing was responsible for construction and security. The village tracts around the project site were Naw-gay, Htee-po-kyaw, and Noe-ta-baw. These villages had to provide 200 to 300 forced laborers for the project. The villagers had to bring their own food as they were not given any by the SPDC troops. This motor road links Auk-bo-deh with Thi-wah-pu. As a result of the road construction, many acres of land owned by local villagers was destroyed, and the villagers were forced to relocate. (Source: KIC)

Beginning in March 2000, the villagers from Tawae-Pauk, Kya-Ein Seik Gyi Township were required to send 5 villagers everyday to the base of LIB 284 which is based near Kya Ein Seik Gyi town. Then from May to June 2000, when SPDC battalions were arresting many porters and the men dared not stay in the villages, the women were required to go to the military base to work. The villagers were required to report to the base around 7 AM every morning with their own food for the day. They were then required to do odd jobs around the camp, such as cook, build fences, build barracks, carry water and find firewood. The "servants" were then allowed to return home in the evenings around 5 PM.
(Source: HURFOM)

In April 2000, IBs 283, 284 and 32 ordered that each family from 5 villages in Kyar-Ein-Seik-Kyi Township, Karen State, grow 10 rubber trees, including Paw-Law-Kun, Kyo-Koun and Ta-Wae-Paunt villages. Every day 250 people from these villages were forced to go and labor with their food and without any kind of payment. (Source: THRF)

On May 1, 2000, SPDC troops forced Kaw-thay-doe villagers to clear bushes along Si-hkeh-doe motor road, Toun-goo District, Karen State. (Source: KIC)

On June 3, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 20, stationed at Day-lor ordered the villagers of Ler-hgaw-ko, Doe-ko and Doe-kah villages, Toun-goo District, Karen State to cut bamboo and build a bridge across Day-lor river. (Source: KIC)

On August 26, 2000, 50 troops from SPDC LIB 707, led by battalion second commander, Aung Naing Oo, demanded villagers from Yet-paw village, Lo-sha village, Ka-yin village, and Ka-kati village in Win-yin Township, Doo-pla-ya District, Karen State to cut and clear 100 yards on both sides of the "Than-pyu-za-yat and Pa-ya-thone-Zu motor road."
(Source: KIC)

At the end of November 2000 there was a tax collection for school construction in Pa-an township. However, the fund was not used for the construction, and the villagers were forced to build the school. (Source: DVB)

In November 2000, in Pa-pun District, Karen State, SPDC troops forced villagers living nearby to repair the motor road from Ka-ma-maung to Papun, at their own expense, in order to turn it into an all-weather road. (Source: KIC)

On November 2, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB 8, led by company commander Soe Aung ordered that a person from each household of the villages in Tha-ton township, Tha-ton District, Karen State, work to build a motor road from Lay-aw-ker village to Shway-yaung-pya village. They destroyed all houses, farms and fruit trees in the way. (Source: KIC)

On November 12, 2000, SPDC Division Commander-in-Chief, General Tin Aye, instructed the armed troops to repair the road between Kyauk Gyi and Toungoo, Nyaunglebin distinct, Karen State. Battalion Commander Lin Htein then ordered that each house from Mone village group bring bags of stones for this repair. The villagers collected their bags of stones in PalayLaw Ka Poe creek. Each house was forced to pay 500 kyat if they were unable to bring the stones for the road-repairing project. Moreover, the villagers were in addition forced to labor daily for the road project. The following is a list of the villages which were forced to bring stones for the road.

(1). Mone

(2). Thaung Lai

(3). Mee Tain Daung

(4). Taw Pu

(5). Nyung Bin Thar

(6). Mwe Twin

(7). Myung U Gyi

(8). Kyun Bin Seike

(9). Mae Pote

(10). Tat Kone

On November 21, 2000, Column 2 Commander, Aung Kyaw Moe, and troops from SPDC LIB 102 of LID 44, forced a person from each household of the villages of No-aw-la, No-law-plaw, Ha-ta-reh, Kyu-kee, Pwa-hgaw, E-heh, Ler-ga-zer, No-nor-wa, Bu-pa-reh and Pa-reh-kaw, to build a motor road from Pa-nweh-kla to Kar-meh. At the same time, they forced the villagers to dig and clear the ground for the building of Wa-pa and Maw-kloe bridges. The villagers were ordered to bring their own food. Those who failed to come had to pay a fine of 500 kyat. (Source: KIC)

In early 2000, the Military Strategy Group (2), led by Colonel Hla Moe, took possession of all paddy fields surrounding the army base in Kya-in-seik-gyi Township, Karen State. Then during the cultivating season, they ordered the authorities of 9 nearby villages to supply laborers to work in the paddy fields, which had formerly been theirs. The 9 villages were: Kya-in gyi , Shwe  Doh , Dagay ,Mee Laung Chaung, Sel  ein su , Shwe taungbo ,Thone tine ,Shwe Lin and kyetuyweitaung . 10 to 15 persons from each village were required to work in the army- paddy fields every day. They had to work all day, and use their own oxen and materials, and bring their own food to eat. Even on special religious days, they had to work without going to the monastery. If they refused to work, they were required to give 500 kyat per day in substitution. (Source: Yoma 3)

On April 6 2000, IBs 283,284 and 32, based in Kya-Ein-Seik-Kyi Township, Karen State ordered the villagers in this township to plant mango trees for their army mango plantation. Every family from 5 villages, about 300 people, had to plant 10 mango trees every day. The villages were -Chawn-Wa, Tater-U, A-lay-Yor, Kya-Kat-Chawn and Too-Lit-Koun. From Na-Chawn, Aun-Ta-Pin, Tha-Min-Lip, Ka-Sa, Kyo-Koun and Pa-Ya-Ngount-Tu villages, the military ordered 50,000 cut bamboo pieces and later the army ordered these villagers to put up a fence (with the bamboo pieces) around the mango plantation. (Source: THRF)

On May 1, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 549, ordered villagers from Thwa-kho-lor and Ta-hu-lor, Pa-pun district, Karen State, to find bamboo and to collect 80 baskets of dried cattle manure. (Source: KIC)

On May 2, 2000, two companies from SPDC army IB 344 and 232 went in to Sa-bah-ko-khee village, Toun-goo District, Karen State, summoned the West Day-Lor village headman and ordered him to provide villagers to serve as runners. The runners were to provide their services 3-times a day. Moreover, the SPDC troops threatened to burn down every house in the village if there was any gunshots or explosion of landmines. (Source: KIC)

On May 3, 2000, Maj. Than Yin of IB No. 32 asked about 100 villagers from Shwe-la-inn, Htee-paukhlo, Wae-krai, Kaw-krot and Ohn-khataw villages, Kya Ein Seik Gyi township, to clear grass in the battalion owned rubber plantation and used them to grow vegetables in the battalion compound. (Source: HURFOM)

On May 5, 2000, a unit led by Bo Soe Moe from SPDC LIB 3 ordered Ta-rweh-kee villagers in Tha-ton District, Karen State, to deliver 20 logs with a girth of 40 inches and length of 8 to 9 feet, by December 12, 2000. The unit threatened to burn down the village if the villagers failed to comply. (Source: KIC)

On May 10, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 35 based at Mone and Mae-daing-daw demanded 28 bullock carts from Tee-toe-loe village, 7 from Myang Oo village, 7 from Aung-chan-tha village and 7 from Paw-pi-doe village, Mone Township, Nyaung-le-bin District, Karen State to haul teak wood. Carts from Tee-toe-loe village had to pick up teak wood at Ka-law-Myaing, carts from Myang-Oo had to pick up wood atYe-ta-yauk, and carts from Mee-diang-daw, Aung-chan-tha,Paw—pi-doe had to pick up wood at Kyaw-thay-gon. All the teakwood had to be sent to be sawmills at, Htee-toe-loe, Mone,and Mee-dand-daw. (Source: KAWU)

On May 11, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 434 demanded 5 villagers in Pa-pun District, Karen State, to set up a fence around the army camp. (Source: KIC)

On May 29, 2000, in Tha-ton District, Karen State, troops from SPDC LIB 9 forced Naung-ga-doke and Ta-maw-dot villagers to do various kinds of work for them. In addition they ordered each villager to make pointed bamboo poles and stand sentinel. (Source: KIC)

On May 30, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 9 seized one person per household in every village in Ta-rweh-kee and Ta-maw-daw village tracts, Tha-ton District, Karen State. The villagers seized were brought to Naung-ga-doke village, where each person had to make a pointed bamboo pole. At 9 a.m. the troops marched out in two groups, one headed for Ta-rweh-kee and the other for Mi-jaung-aing, taking the villagers with them. (Source: KIC)

For the month of June 2000, local villagers near Kya Ein Seik Gyi town, Karen State were forced by IB 32 to contribute free labor in the cultivation of the battalion’s rainy season crop. The army ordered the villages close to battalion base to send 20-50 villagers per village, depending on village size, to work in rotation shifts of 3 days to 1 week. The village headmen from Htipaukhlo, Winye, Pyawyagone, Shwe-la-inn, Thanbaya, Bada-gyi and Nonepharpoe villages had to send the villagers for the whole month of June. (Source: HURFOM)

On June 6 2000, a commander from IB No. 32 demanded the headmen of Htee-paukhlo village, Kya Ein Seik Kyi township to send 7 pairs of oxen and plowing equipment to battalion farmland to plow lands. During June, as many farmers from that village were quite busy in plowing their own farmlands they could not provide the requested numbers of oxen pairs to the military battalion, they informed to commander the reason why they could not provide oxen. The battalion then ordered them to pay 1, 000 kyat for one pair of oxen in fines for their failure. The headmen had to collect this cash fine from villagers and pay the battalion. (Source: HURFOM)

On June 23, 2000 the No. 2 column commander, Tin Myo Hlaing, and No. 4, company officer, Bo Shwe Thu, from SPDC IB 235 ordered a person from every household in Ka-thwee-dee village, Toun-goo district, Karen State to cut bamboo and construct an army camp. Also the villagers were ordered to collect firewood. (Source: KIC)

On July 4 2000, Lt. Col. Win Bo, a commander of IB No. 32, demanded that 20 villagers from Htee-paukhlo village, Kya Ein Seik Kyi township clear grasses and grow rubber trees in the battalion owned rubber plantations. The villagers had to carry their own foods from their homes and cleared grasses and bushes, and grew rubber plants for the whole day. (Source: HURFOM)

On July 7, the commander of IB No. 32, Lt. Col. Win Bo asked about 50 villagers from Htee-paukhlo village, to come to battalion to plant their paddy. Thus, the village headmen had to arrange 50 villagers to send to farmlands owned by IB No. 32, while most villagers were very busy with their own farming activities. Not only Htee-paukhlo village, other villagers were also forced similarly to regularly contribute their labor in IB No. 32 paddy farms and rubber plantation. On July 9, the same commander again asked about 50 villagers from Htee-paukhalo village to labor in the rubber plantation. (Source: HURFOM)

On July 20 2000, when a commander from IB No. 32, Maj. Tin Oo asked about 30 villagers from Kyaukpone village to contribute labor in planting paddy plants in army’s farms, the headmen could not manage to send these villager for the day, as all villagers were busy with their farming activities. The army responded with an order that a fine of 500 kyat per head for their failure. On the same day, about 16 villagers from Shwe-la-inn village were conscripted by Maj. Tin Oo to work in the farm. On July 21, about 20 villagers from Pyaw-yar-gone village were forced to work in the same farm. From July 22 to 30, the villagers from Wei-tha-lee, Kawkmar, Pyoe-lin, Pyoe-daw, and Shwe-daing-baw villages were forced by IB No. 32 to do the farming. The village headmen had to send different numbers of villagers – 15 to 70 people depending on the type of work. On July 28, about 10 villagers from Yale and Mae-tha-krae villages were sent to IB No. 32 to be used as laborers in the battalion’s farm and plantations. They were used as laborers for over two weeks. (Source: HURFOM)

On July 24 2000, a commander from LIB No. 708, Maj. Ye Htun, forced 60 villagers from Kha-won, Win-yaw, Win-htaung and Myaing-gone villages to build the military barracks for the army camp. In Myaing-gone, the soldiers threatened the villagers by shooting guns in the air to gather for the forced labor. The villagers were forced to gather the necessary supplies and then work for 3 to 7 days building the barracks. On August 18, LIB No. 708’s commander Maj. Ye Htun asked about 50 villagers from Taung-dee village to dig long trenches round the compound, and build bunkers and fences. The villagers were forced to labor for 3 to 7 day shifts. The villagers in Kha-won village where LIB 708 is based are required to send at least 10 villagers every day to the base to act as servants for the soldiers: cooking, carrying water and performing other daily works. If the villagers are unable to serve their duty, they must pay 300-400 kyat each. In this way, the Battalion earns over 40,000 kyat every month. (Source: HURFOM)

On July 25, 2000, Company Commander, Bo Soe Myint, from SPDC LIB 9, demanded 100 logs, measuring 18 inches in girth and 18 feet in length, from Ta-maw-daw village and 30 from Ta-roi-khee village, Tha-ton District, Karen State. He also demanded from each household, 25 pieces of bamboo in Htee-pu-wah village and 20 pieces of palm thatch in Naung-ka-dok village. (Source: KIC)

On August 5, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB 81 of division 44, led by battalion Kyaw Shwe, entered Baw-tho-hta village, Pa-pun District, Karen State and demanded bullock carts from the villagers for the extraction of timber. The villages were required to provide bullock carts were Baw-tho-hta, Wa-tho-klah Noe-hgaw, Htee-law-thi-hta , Htee-thet-lay, and Htee-tha-blu. Each of these villages had to give a bullock cart and the villagers had to haul, for the SPDC IB 81, logs from the area of Twe-thee-u, Baw-mu-kee and Wa-lor-plee-poe to Ka-daing-ti. (Source: KIC)

On August 19, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 366, led by battalion commander Kyaw Lwin, demanded 20 villagers from Kwee-ta-ma village and 10 villagers from May-lay-ler village, Pa-pun District, Karen State for agricultural work., In addition, the troops demanded 500 thatches of roofing leaves from Ma-lay-ler, 500 thatches of roofing leaves from Kwee-ta-ma village and 500 thatches of roofing leaves from Won-mu village for repairing storehouses of SPDC troops, in Won-mu. (Source: KIC)

On August 23 2000, troops from IB 343 led by column No. 2 commander, Aung Zin Min forced villagers in Kyaw-kay-ko village, Win -yae Township to work both nights and days for 2 days. The villagers were (1) Saw Pa Thein (M, 36), (2) Saw Cha Naw (M, 36), (3) Saw Nay Wah (M, 35). (Source: KIC)

From September 1, 2000 until at least November 7, 2000, troops from SPDC guerrilla battalion 930 were active in western Day-lor area, Than-daund township, Toun-goo District, Karen State, threatening, beating and forcing villagers to work constantly. As a result, villagers from Kaw-law-kah, Sa-ba-lor-khee and Ku-thay-doe villages had to abandon their villages and move either to Than-daung town or flee to the jungle for their safety.
(Source: KIC)

On September 4, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 118, led by operation commander Col. Toe Aung, seized 3 villagers from each village and forced them to cut bamboo and firewood. demanded 2 Viss of pork from Kaw-po-pleh village, Tha-ton District, Karen State. On the same day, troops from SPDC LIB 8 led by officer San Aung demanded from Kya-ta-yaw, Lah-aung-ket, Shwe-yaung-pya, Ka-law-ket, and Ma-yan-gon villages, 8,000 kyat per month. In addition, the (Source: KIC)

On September 5, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 118, led by operation commander Col. Toe Aung, demanded 2 villagers from Kaw-po-pleh village, Tha-ton District, Karen State per week to serve as runners. The runners were required to bring their own food, and serve also as night watchmen at Lay-kay military camp. (Source: KIC)

On September 15, 2000, Battalion Commander Maung Htwe from SPDC LIB 98 demanded 100 pieces of thatch and 100 poles of bamboo from 43 villagers in Mae-cho and Mae-pu-hta villages, Pa-pun District, Karen State in order to construct their army camp. (Source: KIC)

In October 2000, troops form SPDC IB 96 forced villagers from Rai Thaw Khee, Pa Na Deh and Ta Ya Day villages, Shwe Gyin Township, Nyaunglebin District to construct their army base. (Source: KAWU)

On October 19, 2000, SPDC LIB 440 demanded that the villagers in each village tract located between Shwe-gyin and Kyauk-kyi towns, Nyaung-lay-bin District, Karen State, construct 4 charcoal kilns for them. (Source: KIC)

On November 1, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 39, led by company commander Aung Sein, camped at Htee-htaw-mae area, Pa-pun District, Karen State and demanded 2 Htee-theh-lay villagers as runners and forced 2 other Hteeh-law-thi-hta villagers to clear roads for 3 days. (Source: KIC)

On November 10 2000, LIB 32, stationed in Kyar-Inn-Seik-Gyi township, Karen State ordered the villages nearby to supply logs to the battalion.

The following villages were ordered to supply the logs.

1, Kyauk Pon village length 120 feet x width 6 feet

2, Shwe Hla Inn village length 120 feet x width 6 feet

3, Wet Sut village length 480feet x breadth 6 feet

(Source: Yoma3)

On November 11 2000, Maj. Thein Win from LIB 81 ordered each village from Pha-am township, Karen State to send 120 villagers with their own food and tools to carry out summer cultivation for the army’s food supply. The major also asked Than Hle village and Kaw-Zwe village to do harvesting and threshing and to provide fertilizers, water pumps, and diesel for the pumps. (Source: Yoma3)

On November 25, 2000, troops from column 1 of SPDC LIB 118 forced 10 villagers a day from the villages near Kar-meh and A-tet-ywa, in Bi-lin Township, Tha-ton District, Karen State, to work for them. (Source: KIC)

On November 26, 2000, in Toun-goo District, Karen State, Column Commanders Than Myint and Aung Myo Lwin of SPDC IB 75, ordered Klor-mi-doe villagers to send reports to them three times a week and forced the villages in the area to send someone everyday to serve as runners. (Source: KIC)

On December 8, 2000, the SPDC guerilla column commander, Pakay, ordered Play-hsa-lo village, Toun-goo District, Karen State, to send one person per household, with machetes, crowbars and etc. to build a military camp near Play-hsa-lo school. He did the same on December 9, 2000, in the villages of Blor-baw-doe, Yeh-lo, Lay-wor-lo and Paw-pat. He also ordered Ta-ber-kee, Mwe-lo, Kaw-po-lo and Keh-doe village heads and teachers to come to a meeting with his unit, on December 9, 2000. Commander, Tin Aye, of SPDC Southern Command issued instructions to his subordinate units, saying that Kler-la and Gor-thay-doe villages would have to 30 million kyat per truck in compensation, if the trucks of the military columns and tactical commands under him were hit by a landmine. (Source: KIC)

In early December 2000, IB 32, based in Kya Inn Seik Gyi township, ordered the village headmen from the village near Kya-Ein-Seik-Gyi to find and bring large amounts of wood for the battalion’s brick factory. IB 32 had established the factory to raise funds and in order to harden the earth bricks they required large amounts of wood to burn. The battalion demanded 5 tons of wood from Shwe-la-inn village, 5 tons from Kyauk-pone village and 20 tons from Htee-paukho village, and further instructed that the wood be brought to a designated place on the Zami riverbank. The battalions then ordered boats from the villages nearby to carry many tons of woods along Zami river to their factory. Finally, before the villagers had even finished these tasks, IB 32 forced more of the villagers from these villages to harvest the 100 acres of the battalion’s paddy fields. (Source: HURFOM)

From January until April 2000, SPDC LID 88 launched a military offensive against the KNU in the Three Pagoda Pass area. For this operation, the troops arrested many civilian porters from various villages in the area to use as porters. From February to April the troops launched a patrol along the Zami river, and regularly forcibly conscripted porters from 5 Mon and Karen villages, Kyauk-balu, Khasaw-lae, Hnit-ein, Kyaik-san and Kyaik-round. At the beginning, the troops arrested only the men in villages for use as porters for two weeks to one month, and then released them. Later, fearing the hardship of portering, many men fled their village and so the troops then proceeded to also arrest the women. On April 17, the troops also went into three Karen villages, Thapyin-zone, None-panane and Maw-lone-daing, and arrested both men and women in the villages as porters. On April 20, 2000, LIB 541 under the command of LID 88, passed through a small forest near Thanbaya village, Kya Inn Seik Gyi Township, Karen State and arrested 5 loggers. Nai Aung (45 years old), Nai Thar Htee (35 years old), Nai Min Naing (31 years old), Nai Mon Tun Ong (30 years old), and Nai Pwa Gyi (30 years old) were used as porters to carry ammunition and food supplies for one week, and then released near Thanbyuzayat town. During the porter service, the soldiers forced the porters to carry 30-50 Kilograms usually from 10-15 hours per day. The soldiers also gave them little food, so that many villagers took ill due to these conditions. Ill porters were often left behind or even killed by the soldiers. (Source: HURFOM)

On April 7, 2000, troops from IB 73 led by commanders Than Zaw Oo and Yyi Khaing demanded 100 villagers as porters from Nyang-bin-tha, Mae-pa-la, and Kyauk Kyi-pauk villages, Nyaung-le-bin District, Karen State. As the demand could not be provided, the army forcibly seized 50 villagers and sent them to Mone town and continued seizing more porters to carry supplies to Kaw-la-wah-lu camp. (Source: KAWU)

In the third week of April 2000, a group of soldiers from LID 44 arrived to Khay-wee village, Kya-Ein-Seik-Gyi Township, Karen State and arrested about 20 women. The women had stayed in the village while their men had run away to escape from arrest because they had thought the soldiers wouldn’t arrest women to do the porter duty. However, when the soldiers arrived and saw no men, they were angered, arrested the women as porters and forced them to carry the same loads as the men. These women were used by the army for three days and then released when the soldiers could replace them with porters from other villages. (Source: HURFOM)

On April 27, 2000, SPDC IBs 53, 26 and 66 seized 30 people from Kaw-thay-doe village, Tha-ton District, Karen State and forced them to carry food supplies for them. On April, 2000 these battalions seized 20 people from Baw-ga-li village and 45 people from Kaw-thay-doe village and forced them to carry food supplies. (Source: KIC)

In May 2000, IBs 284,283 and 32, based in Kya-Ein-Seik-Kyi township, Karen State started to excessively demand porters in the township for their rainy season operation against the KNU areas in Karen State. Most of the porters were from Chaun-Wa, Da-Dah-Oo, A-Lay-Ywa, Kya-Kat-Chaun, Too Lit Gone, Nat-Chaun, Own-Da-Bin, Tha-Min-Lit, Ka-Sa, Kyo-Sein and Paya-Ngo-Tu villages. Toun-Pount, Paw-Law-Gone and Tayo-Pount were also included. The military demanded 20 to 30 porters from every village and if the village was big, they asked more. (Source: THRF)

On May 6, 2000, troops from SPDC army IB 53 seized Baw-gali and Kaw-thay-doe villagers as porters. As of June 23, 2000, they still had not been released. On May 9, 2000, these troops again seized more villagers and forced them to transport supplies to Bu-Sa-Kee. These villagers also had not been released as of June 23, 2000. In addition to seizing porters the SPDC troops extorted 900,000 kyat from villages in Baw-ga-li area. (Source: KIC)

On June 5 and 7, 2000, IB 61 which is based in Paya-Thone-Zu, Karen State captured nearly 100 men from a group of 237 people which had been deported by the Thai Government to Paya-Thone-Zu. (Three Pagoda Pass) The troops used these deported Burmese migrant workers as porters in their columns. At that time, the IB, which had been temporarily based in Paya-Thone-Zu, had to change bases with IB 343, so it was the right time to capture porters. Along the way, the SPDC troops tied every porter’s hand to a rope, so that each porter was separated 20 inches from one to another. One soldier had to guard two porters and walk between them. In addition, the troops captured 10 people from each quarter of Paya-Thone-Zu City, about 40 people in total. It was reported that when IB 61 arrived, there were 150 porters. Also, in Paya-Thone-Zu City, the military regime has been asking 200 kyat per family in porter fees, whenever they like. (Source: THRF)

From June 10 to 21, 2000, Khin Maung Kyi , commander of operational command 1 of SPDC LID 44 and battalion commander Aung Kyaw Oo of LIB 367 , forced 175 villagers from Mae-waing , Day-lor-pu ,Pway-day, Wah-lor-klo , Wah-tho-lor ,Toe-mer-kee, Mae-ko-ta, Mae-kor-lor and Hto-kaw-sot-khee villages, Pa-pun District, Karen State to carry food supplies ,in the re-supply of 2 battalions under operational command 2. The distance between Mae-waing to Mae-paw-ta and the campsite is a one and a half hours walk. Each villager was forced to carry sacks of rice, weighing 50 kg., 3 times a day. (Source: KIC)

On June 19, 2000, Columns from SPDC army IBs 20 and 23 forced 130 villagers, including 50 women, to carry rice from New Tharn-daung to Leik-tho bridge, in Toun-goo District, Karen State. In addition, the troops forced 20 Ler-gi-bho and 5 Ker-doe villagers to cut bamboo and to build rice barns at one end of Leik-tho bridge. (Source: KIC)

Since June 12, 2000, SPDC officers in Myawaddy  township of Karen state arranged to recruit fifty porters a day and to hand over them to DKBA. According to a villager, U Tin Hla, the chairman of  Myo thit (village) block-4 in Myawaddy town, in collaboration with the military officers of Infantry Battalion (209) ordered the villagers to provide a porter from a house and fifty porters a day routinely. Any family unable to provide a porter  must pay 300 to 500 kyat to the chairman and the military officers. DKBA officers used the porters in breaking rocks, constructing roads and other hard labor. Myawaddy is a border town opposite Mae Sot of Thailand. (Source: MICB)

On June 20 2000, SPDC battalions No. 81 and No. 85 under brigade No. 22 ordered 13 villages to provide them 5 porters by each village daily. The soldiers of the battalion at Yebu camp, between Kadinetee and Kamma Moung villages in Papun township, Karen state have been earning money by selling off all the bamboo and woods, the 65 porters collected daily. The 13 villages in Papun township are (1) Kyun Dow (2) Wa Do (3) Wet Tho Kho (4) Ml Zaing Chaung Pyaa (5) Gwan Ta Hla (6) Kyo Day (7) Lay Pho Hta (8) Tee Thaw Lae (9) Baw Kyo Hta (10) Baw Kyo Lay (11) Ye Bu Chaung Wa (12) Wae gyi and (13) Pyin Ma Bin Seik. (Source: MICB)

On June 22 2000 Battalion commander Nyein Zaw , from SPDC IB 59 , seized 15 villagers from Ka-mu-lor and Playhsa-lor villagers, Thaton District, Karen State to carry supplies as porters to Tha-byay-nyunt base camp. The troops also issued an order saying that any villager found carrying paddy or rice would be considered as an enemy. (Source: KIC)

On June 26 2000, troops from SPDC IB 92 summoned 25 villagers from Klaw-mee-doe village, Thaton District, Karen State and forced them to carry supplies to Baw-ga-li village and forced them to carry supplies to Naw-Soe camp. Moreover, troops from columns 1 and 2 of SPDC IB 35, forcibly gathered 40 villagers from Baw-ga-li and forced them to carry supplies to Bu-sa-khee and Si-hkek-doe villages. (Source: KIC)

In the first week of July 2000, column 3 from SPDC LIB 59 and columns 1 and 2 from LIB 30, demanded that the villagers of Ka-mu-lo, Yu-lo and Play-sa-lo, Toun-goo District, Karen State provide porters. The three villages had to give 15 villagers for a day for use as porters. Similarly, troops from LIB 25 under Operational command 2, columns 1 and 2 of LIB 35, columns 1 and 2 of LIB 53, demanded Gor-theh-doe and Klaw-me-doe village tracts, Toun-goo District, Karen State, to provide volunteer workers, porters and cash every day. (Source: KIC)

On July 17, 2000, at about 4:00 p.m., about 130 troops from SPDC LIB 705, led by the battalion commander and the second in command, came to Shwe-po-hut-ywa-thit village and seized 21 villagers for use as porters. They were all released on August 8.(Their names have been omitted from the yearbook) (Source: KIC)

On July 28, 2000, SPDC authorities arrested two men with many other civilians and sent them as porters  to the front line in the Karen state of Burma. The wives of the two men, from Thayagon village, Hlaing Bwe township of Karen state went to the SPDC authorities concerned and asked them  the whereabouts of their husbands. The SPDC authorities from  Battalion No.339,  who said it was a disturbance during office hours, arrested the two wives and sent also hem to the front line as porters. (Source: MIC)

On July 28 2000, troops from LIB 343 arrested 5 civilians at Hti Photan Village, Kyung Doe Township, Dooplaya District. The five were abducted and forced to work as porters for the soldiers. (Source: DIR, KIC)

On August 2, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 35 and IB 6 seized 16 villagers from Gor-thay-doe village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and forced them to carry supplies to Si-hkeh-doe, Naw-ko-soe and Bu-hsa-kee camps. (Source: KIC)

On August 2, 2000, SPDC IB 20, based at Ler-gee-kho-doe-kho village, Toun-goo District, Karen State seized 30 villagers and forced them to carry supplies from Tharn-daung to San-tin-tharn-shin camp. (Source: KIC)

On August 3, 2000, in Pa-pun District, Karen State troops from SPDC LIB 63, led by Battalion Commander Hla Sein, demanded 50 villagers from Ko-thu-ta village and 65 villagers from Mae-klo village tract for carrying rations to the Nat-kyi military camp. (Source: KIC)

On August 4, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 26 seized 1000 villagers in Baw-ga-li area and 25 villagers from Kaw-thay-doe village, in Toun-goo District, Karen State and forced them to carry supplies to Bu-hsa-kee area. (Source: KIC)

On August 6, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 26 seized 29 Gor-theh-doe villagers of Toun-goo District, Karen State and forced them to carry supplies as porters to Buhsa-kee and clear the road of land mines. (Source: KIC)

On August 6 2000, SPDC troops from IB 26 captured villagers from Gaw Day Deh village, Taungoo District, Karen State. Their names were: Naw Bay Lay, Naw Bay May, Naw Mi Mi, Naw Tu Kaw Paw, Naw Da Nu Nu, Naw Ga Na, Naw Da Gaw Gaw, Na No No, Naw Say Gay, and Naw Tha Ni Ni. These women were used as porters and in addition they were used as human mine sweepers. (Source: KWO)

On August 7, 2000, 50 troops from SPDC LIB 343, led by No. 2 column commander Aung Thein Myint, came to Tee-po-than village, Kyon-doe Township, Doo-pla-ya District, Karen State and seized: (1) Saw Eh Ner, M, 39; (2) Saw Ta Pa, M, 36; (3) Saw Cha Si Nu, M, 42; (4) Saw Pa Hgaw, M, 25; (5) Saw Pah Klu, M, 28; (6) Mahn Pu Lone, M, 45; and forced them to serve as porters. They were released on September 9, 2000. (Source: KIC)

On August 22, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 366 seized 16 villagers from Ka-ter-tee village tract, Pan-pun District, Karen State, for use as porters. (Source: KIC)

On August 24 2000, Company Commander Aung Thay Myit and a Senior Company Commander Aung Thay Oo entered Wiga village, Dooplaya District and nabbed 8 civilians to porter for LIB 343. (Source: DIR)

On September 7, 2000, SPDC guerrilla troops, went to Ler-ghee-ko village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and demanded 30 villagers for use as porters. (Source: KIC)

On September 7, 2000, in Pa-pun District, Karen State, troops from SPDC LIB 366, led by column commander Kyaw Oo demanded 100 villagers from Won-mu village, 35 villagers from Po-ket-ta village and 15 villagers from Nya-sa-hgaw village to carry rations. (Source: KIC)

On September 7, 2000, in Toun-goo District, Karen State, SPDC troops from the Ba-la and Mote-thone guerilla forces took with them 3 headmen from Yu-lo, Ka-mu-lo and Play-sa-lo village and forced them to go along with them for an operation. They also demanded 20 villagers from Yu-lo, Ka-mu-lo and Play-sa-lo villages and forced them to clear the roads for their operations. As of October 12, 2000 they still had not been released. (Source: KIC)

On September 8, 2000, SPDC guerrilla troops, demanded 30 villagers for use as porters in order to carry food supplies from Than-daung to Ler-hgee-ko village, Toun-goo District, Karen State. (Source: KIC)

On September 22, 2000, troops from IB369 led by Bo Min Lwin, active in Mae Waing area, Pa-pun District, Karen State summoned 66 villagers from 11 villages as porters to carry supplies to the tactical command head quarters. (Source: KIC)

On September 22 2000, commander Maung Aye Latt from IB 30 captured Naw Nin Nin, Naw Lwee Lay, Naw Day Lay Ya Paw, Naw Nay Lay, Naw Say Ni Say, Naw Lay Paw, from Gaw Day Deh village, Tan -ta-bin Township, Karen State. Then on September 23 they captured Naw Ju Ju, Naw La Sein, Naw Gu Gu, and Naw Blay. They forced all these women to carry food supplies to Bu Saw Kee village, also in TanTaBin Township. (Source: KWO)

On September 26, 2000, Battalion Commander Myo Aung Soe with his troops from SPDC LIB2 Forced 15 Pohket-hta villagers of Pa-pun District, Karen State as porters to clear and carry land mines. (Source: KIC)

On October 2, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 289 forcibly took 40 villagers from Peh-kaw-doe village and 20 villagers from Maw-ko-doe village to clear land mines and carry food supplies to Ta-aye-khee camp, Toun-goo District, Karen State. (Source: KIC)

On October 6, 2000, in Pa-pun District, Karen State, camp commander Win Aung of SPDC IB 19 demanded 6 Saw-bwe-doe villagers as porters. (Source: KIC)

On October 7, 2000, a combined column of SPDC IB 26, 30, 35 and 53 came into Kaw-thay-doe village, Toun-goo District and seized 30 porters to carry supplies to Bu-sa-khee and to clear land mines. Some of these villagers died while carrying out this forced duty. (Source: KIC, DVB)

On October 7, 2000, SPDC IB 92 based at Klaw-mee-doe, Toun-goo District, Karen State ordered villagers in Klaw-mu-doe village tract to carry food supplies to Saw-hta camp. Villages that did not go had to pay 18,000 kyat for their absence. (Source: KIC)

On October 7, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 289 and IB 39 forcibly took 20 villagers from Kaw-Thay-doe and Baw-gali villages to clear land mines and to carry food supplies to Bu-sa-khee camp, Toun-goo District, Karen State. (Source: KIC)

On October 11 2000, Camp Commander Win Win captured 4 women from Papun District, Karen State to serve as porters, carrying military supplies. They neglected to feed the women during their porter duty. (Source: KWO)

On October 14, 2000, Officers Maj. Mya Tin, Maj. Thein Shwe and Sargent Major Thein Win of SPDC IB 92, forcibly collected 20 male villagers and 10 female villagers from Klaw-mu-doe village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and used them to carry supplies to Pet-let-wa. The troops also ordered nearby villages to give them 10,000 kyat per village per month for porter fees. (Source: KIC)

On October 16, 2000, troops from SPDC IB-20 and troops from the guerilla forces demanded Kaw Law Kah villagers to carry supplies to Peh-kaw-doe village, Toun-goo District, Karen State. On their way back, villager Saw Kyay Ka Rai, M, 30, son of Saw Ta Naw, drowned while crossing Day Lor river. (Source: KIC)

On October 22, 2000, in Toun-goo District, Karen State, Columns (1) and (2) from SPDC IB 48 forced 15 Baw-gali- villagers to carry supplies and clear land mines on the way to Bu-sa-khee. (Source: KIC)

On November 5, 2000, Commander Tin Zaw Myint, from SPDC LIB (340), demanded 20 villagers from He-po-doe village and 16 villagers from Kyo-kho-doe village, Pa-pun District, Karen State, for porters. (Source: KIC)

On November 5 2000, Lieutenant Tin Zaw Myint of LIB 340 took 15 women and 5 men from He Poe De village, Pa-pun District, Karen State and 13 women and 3 men from Kyo Kho De village, as porters. (Source: Yoma3)

On November 6, 2000, troops from SPDC IB (39) led by battalion commander Win Soe and Battalion second in command Aung Lwin seized 15 villagers as porters from Mae-plee village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and as forced them to work in Ma-lar-daw, Pwe-baw-doe and Si-daw-kho villages. (Source: KIC)

On November 7 2000, IB 92 troops ordered 10 female villagers from Ka Law Me De village, Taungoo District, Karen State to bring their food supplies from Pet-let-wa village to Klaw-mee-doe village. (Source: Yoma3, KIC)

On November 10, 2000, troops from SPDC tactical command No.1 seized 20 villagers from Kaw-thay-doe village, Taun-goo District, Karen State, and forced them to carry supplies to Naw-soe camp. (Source: KIC)

On November 10, 2000, SPDC tactical command (1), Southern Division tactical command commander (G-2) Zaw Win and (G-3) Zaw Hla seized 13 villagers, both men and women, from Kaw-thay-doe village, Toun-goo District, Karen State, to carry food supplies and clear the road to Bu-has khee. The villagers seized were Saw Tha Wah, Naw Nay Nay, Saw Eh Paw, Naw Tin, Naw Ma Cho Cho, Saw Ta Ray Lay, Saw Saw, Maung Tin Win, Saw Eh Say, Naw Leh Sein, Saw Po Wah, Saw Tin and Saw Yellow. (Source: KIC)

From November 10 to 13, 2000, Tactical Commander Than Htay of SPDC Division 22 ordered his followers to bring 10 villagers from Maw Ko, Gat The, War Me Kala and Htee Ka Haw villages, Pa-an district, Karen State as porters to carry wounded soldiers. (Source: Yoma3, KIC)

On November 11, 2000, Pa-pun SPDC army camp commander Win Win, demanded 10 Saw-bwe-doe villagers, including 4 women, to porter to military supplies without providing them with food. Also at that time, SPDC troops ordered eight villages from No. (4) section, Pa-pun Town, Pa-pun District, Karen State, to keep night watch, every night. Any villager found dozing was beaten and put into a cell. Moreover, the troops demanded 20 people from every section to constantly work for the army. As a result, villagers could not do their own work. (Source: KIC)

On November 11, 2000, in Toun-goo District, Karen State, two columns of SPDC IB 124, led by battalion commander Myo Aung and battalion second in command Saw Mya Thaung, seized 24 Ku-thay-doe villagers and forced them to carry supplies. As of November 29, 2000 they still had not been released. (Source: KIC)

On November 13, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 124 led by battalion commander Myo Aung came into Ku-thay-doe village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and took 50 villagers as forced porters. As of November 29, 2000 they had not been released. (Source: KIC)

On November 15, 2000, Battalion Commander Tin Thein of SPDC IB (289) forced 10 villagers from Per-kaw-doe village, 7 villagers from Maw-ko-doe village and 7 villagers from Der-doe village to carry supplies to Tha-aye-hta, Taun-goo District, Karen State. Also on that day, troops from SPDC LIB (118) looted 3 baskets of rice, 4 chickens and 1,500 kyat from Htee-si-baw villagers and 2 baskets of rice from Mya-lay village.(Source: KIC)

On November 16, 2000, troops from SPDC IB 124 led by commander Myint Htwe came into Sa-bah-lor-khee village, Toun-goo District, Karen State and seized 17 villagers as porters. As of November 29, 2000, they had not been released. The troops also looted villager’s belongings worth 30,000 kyat and destroyed a paddy barn containing 100 baskets of paddy. (Source: KIC)

On November 17, 2000, troops from SPDC IB (34) led by battalion commander Ye Nyunt, based at Kyo-ta-dah camp, forced 20 Ler-hgi-kho villagers to carry supplies from Than-daung, Taun-goo District, Karen State, to their base everyday. Also on that day, Commander Khin Zaw Htun, from the SPDC guerrilla unit, came into Htee-ta-pu village and demanded one pig. (Source: KIC)

On November 19, 2000, Battalion Commander Myint Aung of SPDC LIB 369, ordered Meh-waing village tract, Pa-pun District, Karen State, to supply 76 villagers as porters. (Source: Inside Burma)

On November 22, 2000, Battalion Commander Tin Maung Aye Hla of IB 30 forced Gor-theh-doe villagers of Tan-da-bin Township, Toun-goo District, Karen State to carry supplies for troops to Bu-has-kee village. The villagers seized were Naw Neet Neet, F, Naw Ka Pee Lee, F, Hsa Mee Thu, F, Naw Day Lya Paw, F, Naw Neh Lay, F, Naw Hser Nay Say, F, Naw Ler Paw, F, and Saw Dah Poe, M. On November 23 troops under the same commander seized the following Gor-theh-doe villagers for use as forced labor to transport supplies for troops at Bu Has Kee: Naw Ju Ju, F, Naw Hla Sein, F, Naw Ku Koo, F, Naw Bleh, F, and Saw Da Kyaw Kyor. (Source: KIC)

On November 27, 2000, troops from the SPDC guerilla group seized 4 villagers from Yu-lo village, 4 from Ka-mu-lo village and Saw San Tin, the village head of Plaw-hser-lo village, Toun-goo District, Karen State for use as porters. As of December 13, 2000 they still had not been released. (Source: KIC)

On December 12 2000, LIB 343, stationed at Phaya Thone Zu, was ordered to return to its base in Ye township. So LIB 343 conscripted 80 villagers from Phaya Thone Zu village, Karen State and forced them to carry ammunition and the soldiers’ belongings. As a result of the portering, U Ye Myint died when the army reached to Ma-Yan-Chaung village. His wife and three children were left alone and were not given any compensation for his death. (Source: Yoma3)

On December 22 200, junta’s military authorities in two townships of Karen state ordered every village in their areas to provide porters for the authorities everyday. Junta’s Military authorities of LIB 336 and LIB 340 ordered all villages in Papun township of Karen sate and Bilin township of Mon state to provide the military Battalions with five porters everyday from every village of the two townships which are unable to supply porters must pay kyat 600 as fine to the authorities. According to a Karen teacher (name withheld), every household in the townships has to supply three porters in a month. Papun township consists of 25 villages and Bilin township has 21 villages. Every village in the two townships consists of around 120 houses to 300 houses. (Source: MICB)

On December 24 2000 SPDC troops, led by Commander Khin Maung Sint from IB 48 captured Gaw Dee Der villagers Naw Mu Mu, Naw Yay Bu, and Naw Gu Gu to serve as guides from Yay Da Gone Base to the Division Command Headquarters in southern Taun Hmu Township, Karen State. (Source: KWO)

On March 10, 2000, SPDC troops issued an order to the villagers of Mar-lar-daw to construct sentry posts from Way-hta to Tha-ba-ko area, Nyaung-lay-bin District, Karen State. Ler-kaw-bler villagers were made to stand sentry day and night at the sentry post near their village. Two villagers had to stand sentry 3 days at a time. (Source: KIC)

In June 2000, troops from SPDC IB 8 ordered villagers to watch the gas pipeline in Thaton district day and night. On July 2 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 8 , based at Ye-thee-man-a-leh-sa-kan ordered villagers of Shway -yaung-pya, Thaton District, Karen State to keep watch on the gas pipeline , 5 persons at a time , for the pipeline’s security. (Source: KIC)

On July 2, 2000, Lieutenant Aung San from SPDC IB 8, came to Shway-daung-pia village, Tha-ton District and ordered the villagers, 5 people at a time, to keep watch on the gas pipe-line near Bo-de-gon camp, and extorted 4,000 kyat from each villager. (Source: KIC)

On August 16, 2000, SPDC military columns in Ker-gweh and Ler-hgee-ko areas, Toun-goo District, Karen State forced the villages in the areas to post 2 villagers from each village to stand sentinel every day. (Source: KIC)

In 2000 in Loikaw City, Karenni State, all families were frequently forced to work by the military authorities at temples, pagodas, lakes and streets without payment. In addition, they were ordered to plant four durable trees in their compound with out fail. The Loikaw residents were ordered in mid 2000 to provide labor at government offices and on main road and all streets every week, as part of the "City Beautification project". Families that failed to work on the labor sites were ordered to pay a fine of 100 kyat to the authorities. Forced labor was also common whenever there was news of SPDC Secretary One, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt visiting the state. (Source: KNAHR)

In eastern Pekon Township, Shan State and western Karenni State, over 30 villages including Kaw Mine, Gwan Lone, Now Hlein, Heh Gwee, Yan Kham, A Lway Yin Mingala, and Nan Pae villages and people from Mobye and Pekon towns have been forced to grow rubber and "jone" trees on plantations owned by LIB 421 and 422. This order came from General Maung Bo, the commander of the Eastern Division Command over 2 years ago. As of November 1 2000, the villagers were still being forced to do this labor. Each family was required to grow 60 plants and to bring their own food supplies. Then the families were required to dig fire trenches around the plantations and clear the dry leaves from under the trees to protect the 2-year-old tree saplings from fire. (Source: DVB)

In the year 2000 it was reported that the village secretary of Ttee Lon village tract, Karenni State is ordered to come every Sunday to the military base of IB 54 and inform the army of the village security conditions and rebel activity around the village tract. (Source: KNAHR)

2 years ago, LIB 102, based in Demawso town, had seized over 100 acres of fields from the area surrounding Demawso. Since then, they have been forcing the former owners of these fields to cultivate and their own fields for the army. In addition, they force the people of Demawso town to give free labor to assist in the harvest of these paddy fields. (Source: DVB)

On January 15 2000, IB No. 54, based in Loilin, Karenni State, led by Captain Aung Kyi, commanded Tee Lon village tract secretary, Ai Loon, to monthly collect 500 kyat in cash from each family in this village tract. Captain Aung Kyi explained that he needed to purchase planks, nails and bamboo for his military barrack expansion. However, the people are forced to bring such building materials and built the barracks themselves for the troops. Moreover, the troops force people to sell rice to the military and then they never pay for the rice. If people ask money for their rice, they are badly tortured and threatened with death. (Source: KNAHR)

On January 23, 2000, SPDC troops from IB281 forced the villagers of Pha Sawng village, Murng-Luay tract, Murng-Yarng township, to fetch water and bring it to the military camp for the soldiers. The villagers were required to bring water to the camp for 7 days. Members of 3 households were required to work each day. (Source: SHRF)

On February 2 2000, Commander Maj. Kyaw Moe of LIB No. 531, encamped at Markrawshe village, Prusoe Township, Karenni State convened villagers at his base. At the meeting the commander gave a verbal order for each family to bring two posts for an electricity power supply line and 100 pieces of thatch for roofing military barracks. He ordered the villagers to deliver within one week. He also ordered that the villagers must voluntarily provide labor for any project of the military. (Source: KNAHR)

On March 3 2000, Maj. Maung Maung Soe, a commander of Daw Tamadu based IB No. 72, gave a verbal order to eight villages heads to contribute the military’s building materials. Each family from the 8 villages was required to provide 40 12-feet-long rounds of bamboo, 17 thatches, 17 9-feet-long hard wood posts and 18 fence posts within seven days. Some villages had to walk 8 hours to bring these supplies from their villages to the military base. Families from these villages have been required several times to provide various sorts of materials and work for the military The battalion normally dismantles their barracks when they leave their base and order villagers to re-build it again when they return. Villagers have received nothing for their work, instead they have to bring their own food while they work at the military base. (Source: KNAHR)

On March 15 2000, Markrawshe based LIB No. 531, led by commander Maj. Kyi Win, ordered the Markrawshe village head to send one messenger from each family every day to the military camp. This is a big challenge for widow households and those who can not afford to send or pay for a messenger. Families that failed to send a messenger were demanded to distribute chickens, wine and whisky to the Burmese troops. (Source: KNAHR)

On March 23, 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 531, led by Commander Kyi Win, based in Markrawshe, Karenni State, ordered the Markrawshe village head that each family in the village was required to send one messenger every day to the military camp. It was further commanded that families who failed to send a messenger had to distribute chicken, wine and whisky to the Burmese troops. This is a big challenge for families, especially widow families, who cannot afford to send the messenger or the substitution of the messenger. (Source: KNAHR)

In May 2000, troops from LIB 530 seized land from farmers in Hteepawso village tract, Karenni State. They then forced the villagers living in the village tract to plough and sow the crops on the military farms made on the seized land. The villagers, who were still being forced to work the farms as of August 2000, had not been provided with anything for their work by the military. Villagers who failed to work on the farms were forced to pay a fine or work on the military base. (Source: KNAHR)

Beginning in late May 2000, troops from LIB 430 ordered each of over 200 families living in the Namphe forced relocation camp, Karenni State to provide the army base with 10 rounds of bamboo, 10-ft-long posts and 2 bundles of thin bamboo strips. The materials were for the new military base built 8 miles from Nample town. In addition, people were forced to build the military base in the beginning of June. The army provided nothing for the laborers and ordered them to finish the base as soon as possible. (Source: KNAHR)

Since the beginning of June 2000, about 130 families from Daw Sophya village, Demawsoe Township, Karenni State have been forced to daily carry 20 tanks of water to the Burmese military base that is temporarily stationed at Daw Tamadu. In December 2000 the people complained that they could no longer carry the water. In return, Capt. Aung Min forced them to pay 5,000 kyat every month. (Source: KNAHR)

In the second week of June 2000, troops of LIB 428 seized about 30 acres of farms owned by farmers from Hteepawso village tract, Karenni State. In addition, each family was ordered to come and plough with their own buffaloes in these seized fields for five days for the Burmese troops. Women were also forced to work and families that failed to come out were ordered to work longer than others on the seized farms. (Source: KNAHR)

On June 21 2000, Lt. Aung Shwe, commanding officer of LIB 51 based in Htarleh village ordered villagers to supply the army base with 100 poles of bamboo. The bamboo was for army barrack extension work. (Source: KNAHR)

In mid 2000, villagers living in LawKuKu, Daw Takleh, Lawlyaku, Hteebyanye and Daw Byaku, Karenni State were being ordered to report in rotation to LIB 102 based at Hteeklu Daw as messengers. The messengers were required to bring their own tools and work in the military camp for three days. (Source: KNAHR)

On July 9 2000, Commander Ne Myo Aung of Markrawshe based LIB 428 ordered the village head of Hteeseku village, Karenni State to send vegetable, groundnuts and meat every five days to his assistant Sergeant Myint Thein without fail. The headman was further told that if he failed to do so, he would also have to send whisky and wine along with the other demands. (Source: KNAHR)

On September 6 2000, villagers from Htee Kludaw, Karenni State were ordered by LIB 428 to provide 40-poles of big-size bamboo, 20-poles of medium-size bamboo, and 50 small poles of bamboo for the military base construction. Moreover, on September 10, 2000, the SPDC soldiers demanded 350 kyat for the repair costs of the meeting hall and another 350 kyat for long term plantation projects from the village. (Source: KNAHR)

On September 10, 2000 an combined troop from LIB 427 and IB 102 ordered villagers from the village tract of Htee Paw Hsoe and Myo Ma, Karenni State to provide labor at their new military base on Khaw Ta Maw village hill. The villagers were forced to cut stumps and clean the land for the military base. On Sept. 11, 2000, the SPDC troops forced thirty villagers from Law Khu Ku village and a person from each household of Kaw Ta Maw village to provide free labor. On Sept 12, 2000, villagers from Lawjar and Htee Thaw Taneku villages were also forced to work on the same military base construction site. All the villagers, who had to do the work for the military were ordered to bring their own food and their own materials. (Source: KNAHR, TIR)

On September 26, 2000, Kawthamaw based LIB no 427 summoned ten villagers from Lawkuku village to their base. They were forced to fetch water for the troops daily for uses such as drinking, cooking and bathing. The Hteeklu Daw base of Burmese troops IB no.102 ordered six villages within Myoma tract to send a messenger from each in turn to the military base. If they failed to do so, the respective village would be required to pay a fine in cash and receive punishment. The messenger must appear to the military base with report from his/ her villages’ chief as a daily messenger. (Source: KNAHR, KAWU)

On September 27 2000, commanders from LIB 427 and IB 102 ordered villagers from Lawjar, Karenni State to provide labor at their military base. The troops forced them to dig trenches, fetch water, collect stones and make fences the entire whole day and night without rest. Villagers were ordered to come with their own food while working at the military base. (Source: KNAHR)

On September 29 2000, the 90 Burmese soldiers from IB 261 led by commander San Shwe temporarily stationed 2 furlongs north of Daw Takleh village, Kaylya Township, Karenni State ordered the villagers to daily fetch water for their military base. The troops also sneaked into village at night and stole chickens and eggs. (Source: KNAHR)

In October 2000, LIB 430, based in Bolekay Township built a camp on a mountain, about an hour away from Nan Pay village, and forced the villagers to build the camp for them. (Source: DVB)

On October 8, 2000 , Hteeklu Daw based IB no. 102 ordered Daw Byaku villagers to cut 160 round of 18-long bamboo on for their base buildings. And Daw Takleh and Htee Byanye villages were orders to transport such bamboo with their own bullock curt to the military base. (Source: KNAHR)

On October 10 2000, Cpt. Win Myint of IB 72, based in Daw Ta Ma Doo, ordered villagers of Daw Ta Ma Doo village tract, in Demawso Township, Karenni State, which consists of over 100 villages, to build new army barracks for them. Since then, 2 people from each of 20 villages ( a total of 40 villagers) have been forced go daily to labor as "servants". The villagers are forced to dig and move dirt for the army camp road, build fences, cut firewood, etc.. The villagers are required to come with their own food supplies. (Source: DVB)

On November 1 2000, Captain Win Than from LIB 531 ordered Lawkuku and Kawthamaw villages, Kaylya township, Karenni State to provide his troops with 500 rounds of bamboo and 30 banana trees. After the Captain received the bamboo, he transported them to the market to be sold. Then again on November 6 he demanded of the villagers that each family provide him with 2 sacks of manure. (Source: KNAHR)

On March 8, 2000, troops of IB No72 forced 38 villagers from Daw Tamadu village tract, Karenni State to serve as their porters. It was unknown where the troops took the villagers. (Source: KNAHR)

On June 2 2000, a combined force of troops from LIB 337 and the KNPLF entered Phukraku village, Kayla Township, Karenni State and ordered 5 villagers to carry rations to the Htarleh base. On their return, one of the porters, Pray Reh, age 43, stepped on a landmine and his leg was seriously injured. After this incident, a LIB 337 officer arrested 7 Phukraku villagers and tortured them. (Source: KNAHR)

In October 2000, the SPDC demanded villagers in Karenni State to provide porters for their army offensives. Due to the dangers, and to landmines, several of the porters died. Villagers who are unable to serve as porters are required to pay 3,000 kyat to hire a substitute. Troops from LIB 337, based in Bolekay township, seized 16 porters from Poukeya Khu village. Ko Pray Yay, one of the 16 people seized, died after stepping on a landmine. He was 30 years old. (Source: DVB)

On November 20 2000, about 80 troops from LIB 428, allied with the KNPLF, rounded up villagers in Weithutaw village, Karenni State in order to catch porters. Most of the villagers managed to escape when the troops were approaching the village, but 5 were captured and forced to serve as military porters. As of December 2000, no one knew where the troops had taken them and they had not returned. (Source: KNAHR)

According to escaped prison laborers, people along the Pahukku-Gan Gaw-Kalay railway construction site are forced to work on that construction. (Source: FTUB)

Since the end of 1999, the Mandalay- Lashio motor road linking Mandalay division to the Northern Shan State has been under repair and widened. Major General Ye Myint (Commander, Central Command) has been personally supervising the road repairs of the Pyin-u-lwin portion of the road in Mandalay. Under his authority there has been no sparing of money, labor, motor vehicles etc. for the completion of the project on time. For six months, thousands of residents from 19 groups of villages (Aung -chan-tha, Nyan-nyin-tha, Kan-gyi-kan, See-tha, Wa-boe-ye, Tha-bye-kyin, See-ga, Twin-nge, Inn-gyi, Inn-gone, Dha-thwe,kyauk, Kyin-ga-naing, Thone-taung, Kyauk-pe-pya-doe, Pyin-sa, Tha-bye-kyin, Kun-lein, Than-daung, A-ne-sa-khan) which lie along the Pyin-u-lwin, Mandalay motor road, were used as forced labor. These villagers are extremely poor cultivators of farms and gardens and other odd jobs. They have to eke out a living. Township administrative authorities, village administrative authorities and members of the USDA summon and force the people to work. Up to kyat 500/- has to be paid for failure to give forced labor. Punishment for failure to pay the fines is arrest and imprisonment at the police stations.

Different types of motor vehicles ply between Mandalay, Pyin-u-lwin, Lashio, and Shweli. On the Mandalay/Pyin-u-lwin road, there are 8 transport associations. Every day at least 50 vehicles are commandeered. In order to be exempted from this, kyat 2500/- to kyat 5000/- a month has to be paid. Also a road toll of kyat 2500/- is collected.

Those who know about the forced labor, penalties, exemptions and road tolls are threatened with imprisonment if the information is divulged to outsiders, including foreign tourists. Forced laborers have been instructed to say that they are happy and contented and that they are being adequately paid for their labor. (Source: NLD)

In 2000 the villages from Kyaukse, Meikhtila, Myingyan and Seikpyu townships were ordered to grow teak and eucalyptus trees. Each family in those areas had to grow 15 eucalyptus trees and 15-25 teak, take care and water those plants. To water the plants was a hard duty as the water was not enough in central Burma. Those plants were grown along the roads, in rice fields and farms. The forestry department inspects the plants monthly and if a plant dies, the family responsible to take care had to grow again. If someone cut down the plant, he or she had to serve 3 years imprisonment. Villagers received no benefits for growing trees, and authorities said it was for the country. There was no proper distribution of knowledge of growing eucalyptus, tree’s consumption of water and nitrate from the ground. (Source: FTUB)

In March 2000, government authorities and SPDC troops from LIB No. 299 ordered some hundreds of Mon villagers from 7 villages in southern part of Ye Township to construct a road 12 miles long to connect two main Mon villages, Hangan and Khawza. Around 200-300 villagers were forced to work daily on the construction site, doing various duties such as collecting stones in nearby forests and streams, crushing these stones into gravel, moving the gravel, and then laying the gravel on the road. As of April 2000, the road was still under construction with the use of forced labor. This road construction is under the SPDC’s border area development program (BADP) and the government officially ordered the headmen to help the authorities in constructing the road. In January 2000, the BADP had also ordered the local villagers to provide money for the construction. Over 5 million kyat was collected by the authorities, of which 2.5 million was given back to the village headmen in 7 Mon villages to hire trucks and buy the stones necessary for the road. However, even without paying the villagers, this budget was not enough and the villagers were forced to give money again for the road construction, in addition to their labor. (Source: HURFOM, Mon Unity League)

From July 2000 until at least the end of October 2000, with objectives of area security, LIB No. 299 conscripted the forced labor of villagers to clear bushes along the part of the Ye-Tavoy motor road in Ye Township. Villagers from villages including, Hangan, Kalort and Kaw-hlaing villages, have been constantly subjected to this forced labor. (Source: HURFOM)

In late 2000 Maj. Gen. Sit Maung ordered the district and township authorities in Moulmein area, Mon State to force a member of each family to prepare the sports-ground and to build buildings for planned Student Sport Festival to be held in Moulmein in 2001. He specified that the families who failed to obey the order would be fined 500 kyat each.
(Source: Inside Source)

From October 2 to 10, 2000, Paung Township PDC authorities forced the civilians of all villages along the Paung Township portion of the Mottama-Rangoon motorway to clear bushes which had been growing beside the road. Even primary school students were forced to contribute their labor. (Source: HURFOM)

On October 28, 2000, Paung Township authorities demanded 50 people from each of the 4 quarters in Paung town to clear bushes and grass from an area in order to cerebrate a pagoda festival in the place. The authorities provided no transportation for the villagers who had to come a long way, and the villagers had to take their own food and tools. Police, USDA members and township authorities guarded the 200 villagers as they worked for the whole day. (Source: HURFOM)

In June 2000, the commander from LIB 299 forced villagers from Koe-mile village (Ye Township) to do cultivation in their confiscated fields. The army forced the former land owners to come with their oxen oxen to plow, plant, and cultivate the 15 acres of land which the army had confiscated from the villagers. (Source: HURFOM)

For the entirety of the month of June 2000 and the first 2 weeks of July, when the rainy season started, Southeast Military Command forced the Mon villagers from ten villages in Kyaikmayaw Township to plow and plant 100 acres of army lands in the township area. (The army had confiscated this land in 1997 from Kha-yone and Kyone-wan villages.) The 10 villages were: Damatha, Than-ga-laung, Tarana, Kaw-thut, Kha-yone, Let-pan, Ywa-thit, Kyone-wan, Kyone-manin and Kyaik-paran. From these ten villages, the village headmen sent 60 men, 60 pairs of oxen and 60 man-made plows to the work-sites every day. The plowing was completed after 2 weeks, and then the army ordered the village headmen from the same villages to send villagers to sow the paddy of the newly plowed land. On a rotation basis, the village headmen had to manage to send about 800 villagers in total to do this labor. In general, each of the 10 villages took responsibility for 10 acres. Some of the larger villages were able to send more villagers to work on the land, while some smaller villages were unable to complete their share on time. This was also a busy time for the villagers, who needed to plow and plant their own fields. Some of the villages were unable to provide the required oxen and had to hire oxen and plowing equipment at 1, 200 kyat per day. Some villages also had to hire laborers by paying 350 kyat per day. According to estimation by village headmen, this forced labor requirement cost the villagers around 3 millions kyat, after the expenses of hiring laborers, oxen and equipment. Some villagers had to spend about 100, 000 kyat to hire labor, oxen and equipment and the village had to collect this fund from the villagers. (Source: HURFOM)

With an order dated June 30, 2000, Ye Town based SPDC’s army battalion, LIB No. 343 gave an order through letters and wireless to headmen of 9 Town sections and 19 villages in the southern part of Ye township to immediately provide 121 "Military operations Laborers" who would be used to carry ammunition and food in an offensive against an active Mon armed force. The order further stipulated that the 9 town sections provide 2 to 5 porters each, Larger villages were asked to provide 10porters and village with less then 50 households had to provide at least two porters. These porters, as they were used for military operations, were required to porter for a term of at least a month up a term of the duration of the operation. Many villagers did not like to go with this military operation because it would be long, yet they could not refuse the headmen’s management, who sent them on a rotation basis. (Source: HURFOM)

On December 9, 2000, LIB 31, stationed at Pha-ya-thone-zu, conscripted five villagers from Than-pa-ya village, Mon State to serve as porters on its security mission in the area. (Source: Yoma3) Note: The battalion is responsible for providing security in the region.

From the beginning of dry season in September 1999 until at least the time of this report in March 2000, under the instruction of Township PDC and the local military battalions, 4-5 villagers from each village in Ye Township have been forced to take security along the Moulmein-Ye and Ye- Tavoy Railway lines. As the railway authorities and military battalions in this area worry for the possible destruction of the railway due to land-slides and sabotages done by rebels, they have forced the local villagers from every village to build at least one hut per village in the designated places and instructed them to take security on a rotation basis. The headmen of the villages have been ordered to provide 4-5 people for each 24 hour shift. Each family must participate. Besides waiting in the huts, the villagers were ordered to walk along the roads and report any unusual activity to officers in the nearest railway stations, and to check for sign of landslides. The authorities often performed surprise checks on the forced security guards to ensure they were doing their duty, and if the villagers had failed to take security according to instruction, they were forced to pay a fine of 500 kyat. The small villages in the northern part of Ye Township such as Sontalin, Pingone, Thingun-taw, Saung-phan and Pharan-maw faced many difficulties, as the villagers had less time to do their own work. Including the time taken to travel to the security hut sites, those from small villages had to spend nearly 10 days every month doing this "duty". (Source: HURFOM)

On December 12 2000, LIB 61 of Ye township issued an order to Taung Zun, Ahparal, and Sone-netha villages, Mon State. The order stated that each village was required to send two villagers each day to provide road security for the Ye-Tavoy highway. The order also specified that any villager who failed to carry out the order would be required to pay 200 kyat per day in fines. (Source: Yoma3)

In early 2000, people from the villagers of Pyun-pauk, Htaung-hmin, Kyaik-pa-laing, Ta-wa, Sint-oh-pho, West Tagoon-daing, Kyaik-me, Moe-khaing-lay, Hla-sin-taung and Zee-bin have been forced to dig up earth to make a connecting waterway (chaung) between Kama-se and Htat-kha-naing villages in Thanat-pin township in Pegu division. Every landholding cultivator was ordered to dig 35 pits and those not holding any land 22 pits. It was dictated that those who could not supply labor would have to pay kyat 200 per pit in substitute fees, which amounts to 7000 kyat for 35 pits and 4500 kyat for 22 pits. (Source: NLD)

Water Canals near Pegu City

From the beginning of March until May 2000, the Pegu Township PDC authorities forced both town residents and local villagers to contribute free labor in digging water canals in the rice-farms and outside of Pegu town in order to prevent flooding during the rainy season. There was no machinery provided for the work, it was all done with the use of forced labor. People living in Pegu City had the option of working or of paying 150 kyat per day in substitution, but people from 1) Mokala, (2) Naing-tee, (3) Oh-poe and (4) Kama-nat villages near the city were forced to labor without option. About 1, 000 families from Pegu City, who weren’t able to pay the substitution fine to the authorities, and another 1, 500 families from the 4 villagers near Pegu town were forced to share the labor duties on a rotation basis. The responsibility of the work was passed down from the township authorities to the city and village leaders and then on to the families. Non-farmer households were required to dig out and carry away 15 Kyin of earth from a 20-50 meter length of the canal, and usually had to work an average of 5-7 days per month on the site. Farmer families with their own oxen-carts were required to dig out 20-30 Kyin of earth, usually working 15 days per month. For day laborers, who work as trishaw drivers, truck drivers, paid day-laborers it was quite difficult to have enough time to do their own work. For the farmers, they also had less time to work in their farms. The people were required to bring their own food, medicine and tools from their homes and the authorities provided no assistance. If a villager was sick, he/she had to hire a substitute labor. (Source: HURFOM)

To protect the damn at Tapoon chaung and Kee-mun-chone chaung in Khayan township, Rangoon Division from the flow-in of tide waters, neighboring villages have to reinforce the embankments every year. This year approximately 1200 pits were ordered to be dug from the vicinity of Pyin-din-ne-kan village for the Tapun damn and about 700 pits from the vicinity of Kee-mun-chone village for the other damn. Every household that could not give this forced labor was forced to pay kyat 500. (Source: NLD)

On June 19, 2000, the chairman of Ye-da-she village in the Myauk-chaung-village tract of Kaw-hmu township, made five persons from every ten households clear the forest behind the village and remove the branches and trees to the road at the front of the village. (Source: NLD)

Beginning on July 4, 2000 the work of breaking and carrying stones for the road that links Ye-baw-thoung and Taw-la-ti villages in Taik-gyi township is being done with forced labor in rotation by villagers from the village tracts of Taw-la-ti, Baw-la-kwet, and Min-hla-wa. No wage is paid. Penalty for failure is 500 kyat per day. Prisoners from Ba-wa-thit prison in Sin-kyan village tract, (Taik-kyi township) are also made to work on the road construction.  Villages from the vicinity have to supply rice packets daily for them. The villagers and farmers here are experiencing great hardship because they need to be plowing their fields at the beginning of the rainy season to prepare for cultivation of their crops instead of which they are forced to work on the road. Failure to give forced labor means a penalty of 500 kyat.  (Source: NLD)

In January 2000, the inhabitants of the wards and villages in Katha township, Sagaing Division, were forced to provide labor without any payment for the purpose of  repairing  the main road in the town of Katha. The authorities forced them to collect big and small rocks from a point about 2 miles from Katha, which had to be taken to the main road and deposited on the left and right sides. Households that couldn’t provide labor were forced to pay 250 to 400 kyat to the Ward PDC. Motor vehicles owners had to pay 5000 kyat per vehicle for this purpose.  Each truck had to carry rocks excavated from two pits without payment. Any resulting damage to the trucks was not compensated. Horse-drawn vehicles too were requisitioned.  One pit-full had to be conveyed on three horse-drawn vehicles. Each ward/village tract quota was 42 pits. (Source: NLD)

From early February 2000, a new road from Monywa to Kalewa running along the Chindwin watercourse and a bridge crossing the Myittha river in Sagaing division has been under construction. The entire area is full of cliffs, ridges, chaungs and rivulets across which tree trunks have to be laid for crossing. Residents from the townships of Monywa and Ka-ne (Monywa District), Min-kin township (Kale District), Kalewa township are summoned in writing to give forced labor and money by a method of apportionment.

Approximately 1000 people from each township are forced to bring 200 kyat each and provide their labor. The money is to be used when necessary while working on the road. 500 to 1000 kyat has to be paid for inability to give forced labor. Villagers in the vicinity, as well as their cows and buffaloes are commandeered for use on the road. Though these animals are required for the cultivation of crops on the villagers’ own farms, they are not spared. The people of the region are extremely hard pressed for their livelihood. These workers are abused and driven like slaves by those in command. The area is infested with a type of insect having the capability of killing elephants and malaria injecting mosquitoes and other insects and microbes that are harmful to humans.

Most of these forced laborers suffer from malaria and there are times when many lose consciousness while on the job. No medical aid whatsoever is provided by the authorities. Medicines have to be bought from outside by the patients themselves. No compensation is given for injuries or even death as a result of accidents at the workplace. (Source: NLD)

Since the end of May 2000, the SPDC has been using the forced labor of the residents of Mawlaik township for the repairs to the strategically important Thet-care-kyin/Homalin road, a road that branches off the Ye-U, Kalewa motor road in the Mawlaik township (Sagaing Division).  Forced labor is also being used for building bridges to cross streams and indiscriminate collection of  money from the people is being practiced. Cultivators living in the Mawlaik region including those from Sha-bin, Tain-tha, Kin-tat, Kya-inn, Tat-kone, poverty stricken farm coolies and hired hands have all been forced to work in repairing bridges and roads, carrying stones and rocks, digging soil and doing other manual labor for this strategically important road.  Those unable to work have had to pay 300, 1000, or 2700 kyat, as prescribed. Bridge toll is collected by the PDC in Ward 1 and 2 (Mawlaik town) of 300 kyat per household.  Forced labor for clearing drains and digging gutters in the town is also used. Private motor boats and other craft that arrive at Mawlaik jetty are forced to give free of charge one gallon of diesel oil supposedly for the strategic road.  Before they are allowed to proceed a sum of about over 2000 kyat has to be paid to the six different authorities that await them at the motor boat association.  These authorities include the  Police, La- A-Ka, Forest, Military Intelligence and Bureau of Special Investigation.

Authorities who are steeped in the practice of "forced labor" have reduced the lives and plight of the Mawlaik farmers to that of. slaves who day and night have to work wherever, whenever, whatever forsaking their own needs, their health, their fields, their cultivation. (Source: NLD)

As of June 2000, under instructions from the township authorities of Sagaing Division, the village authorities in De-pe-yin township, specifically U Myint Maung, Chairman of the Taung-pyin ward and the members of the council demanded that the farmers dig the Mu river which runs along the east of Taung-pyin.  Non-compliance resulted in a penalty of 300 to 500 kyat per household.  Some elderly farmers who failed to satisfy the chairmen were forced to work two or three times even though it was the beginning of the rainy season. (Source: NLD)

Beginning in mid 1999 and ending on March 23, 2001, forced labor and donations were collected in Kawlin Township, Sagaing division, to build a pagoda in Taw Shaw village, Wuntho township. In 2000, authorities demanded forced labor from the administrative regions of Nankhan, Gyo-taung, Kin, Taung-gyan, Nauk-chan, A-sshasi-chan, and Maing-thone-chaung-phya village group in order to complete construction of the 108 feet high pagoda on Shaw-bin hillock, (Magyi-bin village tract, Wuntho township, Sagaing division) by June 2000. The labor force was inadequate for the task.  People were required to dig, carry bricks, sand and stones, cut down trees and bamboo and transport them for use as fuel for baking bricks. The villagers had to bring their own supply of food to last them a week at a time. Those who had to travel from far away areas experienced great hardship. No medical services were given to those who fell ill. Penalty for failing to give forced labor was 1,400 kyat and 2 pyi of rice. Inability to cut and supply wood resulted in a separate fine of 1,400 kyat per stack. Attendance to matters relating to death and other personal affairs had to be postponed until after completion of this work.

In addition, the adjoining townships of Katha, Indaw, Ban-mauk, Hte-jiane, and Pin-le-boo had to contribute seven hundred and fifty thousand bricks each and transport them to the base of the pagoda site. Motor vehicle associations also had to contribute 14, 500 kyat per heavy vehicle and 3,000 kyat per lighter vehicle.  In some townships more was demanded. This forced labor was referred to not as "voluntary labor" but as meritorious giving of "dhana" function. 

On the final day of building, March 23, 2001, the local people were ordered to attend a ceremony marking the event. Prior to the ceremony 940 local people had to clean around the pagoda, including roads and bushes, and build 3 helicopter landing pads for the arrival of military leaders. Even though they had a budget to build the landing pads and soldiers to do the construction, the authorities pocketed the money and used the forced labor of the people. High ranking police officer, Colonel Soe Win; Kyi Win, highest ranking officer in Ka Tha district; and Khin Maung Aye, local SPC leader in Wuntho township, were responsible for the project, including the conscription of forced labor and donations. (Source: NLD, AAPP)

In the year 2000, forced labor was used to convert a 28-mile long stretch of road into a tarmac road from Bamauk to Indaw in Bamauk township. Every household in the Bamauk township was responsible for filling up two and a half Kyin (each Kyin measuring 25’x10' and one foot high) with small stones which they had to first pound into pieces measuring 2 to 4 inches. People from villages that were not accessible to the big rocks had to go to the hills where rocks had been dynamited and transport them to the site. 2,500 kyat per household was the fine for inability to do the rock pounding and 300 kyat for not collecting the rocks. In addition to this, those who lived in the vicinity were forced to provide labor and building materials such as planks, wooden posts, bamboo and money as apportioned by the village PDC for the construction of the Ma-Htone police station in Bamauk township. (Source: NLD)

In the first week of November 2000, the chairman of the Tamu township PDC issued an order to the farmers in the lower area of Tamu township, Sagaing Division to reap the rice paddy harvest of Htinn Zin New Life paddy fields, Pan Tha paddy field and Kalarkone paddy fields. The farmers were ordered to harvest the crops quickly, within the period of November 11 to 20, 2000. The farmers of lower area of Tamu township such as Sun Lai group, Minthamee group, Htinn Zin group, Kham Park group, and Kyundau were therefore forced to send one person from each household to the Htinn Zin paddy field. They had to bring their own buffaloes, cows, bullock carts, and food rations. Similarly, the farmers of Witork group, Pan Tha group, Khameit group, Mantmaw group and the farmers of urban areas in Tamu also were forced to labor. They were supervised by police forces while working, and these police gave punishments to those who did not work well. Each group of farmers, based on their population and number of houses, was forced to harvest at least 100 to 150 acres. Then, not only were they forced to reap the harvest, but they were also forced to thresh the paddy with their own buffaloes and cows. Then they had to send the threshed paddy to the houses of the village PDC chairmen where it was left in the sun to dry. For instance, the 10,000 baskets of paddy which was threshed from the Htinn Zin paddy field was sent to U Aung Matt, the Village PDC chairman. These forced labor duties caused great difficulties for the farmers because during the harvest time, they also have an urgent need to reap and thresh their own paddy from their own farms.

In addition, the Tamu township PDC gave an order that, starting from November 11 2000, each village in the township would be required to cut 1,000 to 5,000 pieces of bamboo every month. Farmers from Thee Thain Yan and Twe Van villages therefore had to cut the bamboo and pile it beside the local car road. According to the one of the villagers, the bamboo was to be used to build granaries to store the collected paddy. (Source: HRDU)

In mid-2000, villagers from 12 villages from Naga Hill Land were forced to build a 5-mile highway between Leshi and Summara, which is located on the Indian border. The road is for the utilization of the military personnel stationed at Summara. For the Leshi-Summara highway construction, each of the 12 villages was required to supply 100 laborers in rotation, with their own food and clothing.

Each family was asked to make 35 trenches of split rock measuring 6' x 6' x 14'. Women and children were forced to carry the split rock to the construction site over a distance of half a kilometer. Those unable to work were given the "duty" of paying 3,000 kyat (through the head of the village/ ward) to township authorities concerned. The villagers suffered from malaria and dysentery as a result of the continuous heavy rains. "Laborers have to get up early, cook their breakfast and lunches, go to work up to 5 p.m. in the evening" said a woman interviewed on the border. (Source: Mizzima News Group)

In 2000 the 60 mile-long Htamanthi-Layshi Road is one of the motor roads where the Burmese army continues to use forced labor in the Naga Hills. (Source: NNLD)

On November 4 2000, SPDC troops based in Kan Dee Township, Sagaing Division ordered 60 villagers from Homalin Township and 200 villagers from Kan Dee township in the remote Naga Hill land area of Sagaing Division to construct a 3-mile stretch of road 3 furlongs wide along the Kan Dee to La Hel and Tha Man De to Layshi motor roads. They worked until December 31 2000 without payment or provided food. (Source: Inside Burma)

The strength of the army in the border has increased more and more and the villagers, mostly ethnic minorities, are the ones who suffer. The villagers are forced to carry rations and all eatables for the soldiers, of course, free of charge. One villager is always on duty to carry army rations, reports and for other purposes. In addition, the villagers cut trees and bamboo, and make thatch and blocks for the army personnel. Unable to bear these hardship and difficulties anymore, some Naga families fled in mid-2000 to India, particularly to the Naga areas in India. (Source: Mizzima News Group)

In January 2000 Palaung villagers in Shan State were ordered to begin construction on the Namtu-Mang Tong road. Capt. Nay Oo from LIB 324 had received 1 million kyat for the construction, yet he forced the villagers to work during the time of the tea harvest without pay. Villagers living along the route were forced to sell 10 Kyin of stone to the military, at only 400 kyat per Kyin. (The current price is 2,500 kyat per Kyin) In addition, one person from each family was forced to work at the road construction site, digging drains, building bridges and constructing the road. This was done without payment. The military also forced owners of local tractors to move 20 Kyin of stone, or pay 50,000 kyat in absentee fines. The villagers were ordered to finish the work within 20 days.
(Source: PYNG)

Since January 2000, acting under the authority of the SPDC in the area, USDA members have been forcing the townspeople to sweep and clean the roads and streets in Ta-Khi-Laek town every Saturday. One person from each house was required to work or else pay 100 baht to the USDA. (Source: SHRF)

From the beginning of year 2000 to 2001, SPDC troops from the 99th Brigade, which recently set up a base at Kho Lam, have been forcing the villagers who are located near their base, to build the new road to Wan Zing village and a dam on Nam Mawng river to let the water run through Wan Zing. SPDC have forced not less than a hundred people to work for their programs daily, and the Shan people have been forced to work without payment or food. Burmese people in that area were paid 250 kyat a day. Shan who are able to pay for workers had to hire Burmese. (Source: Inside Burma, Freedom News)

On March 13 2000, IB 332 based in Mong Pan, Shan State forced local villagers to cut and clear the sides of the highway. When they had finished, the soldiers scolded the people for not doing their duty well, and forced them to give the troops 5 viss of chicken and 5 bottles of cooking oil. (Source: SSANews)

In early 2000, repairs continued on the NamSan to Mandalay highway in Shan State with the use of forced labor. Since 1999, Palaung villagers from Nan Sai, Namshan Taung Ma, Sakan Tha, Zeyan Gyi and Moe We villages have been forced to work as laborers after local SPDC authorities pocketed the funds which had been allocated for the road repairs. The government had granted 2.1 million kyat a year to repair the road to LIB 503 and 504.
(Source: PYNG)

On March 12 2000, Captain Tin Win, the Chairman of the Nam Khan Township PDC ordered villagers from Man Set village tract, Nam Kham Township, Shan State to repair the road from Man Set village to Lan Kar village. The work section was about 2 miles long and villagers were responsible for their own food and drink. They were required to produce 500 stones in order to repair the road and were ordered to finish before the end of March. This road is a part of the Ho-Nar feeder road to Pan Sae village which has been under construction with forced labor since 1999. The villagers were originally promised 100 kyat per day (the average daily wage at 500 kyat) by the former Chairman of the Nam Kahn Township PDC, Captain Aye Maung, but he transferred to become Chairman of the Muse Township PDC and didn’t pay anything. In addition, although the villages of Pan Sae, Tar Kink, Rar Pan Kohn, Shat Pan Koung, Ar They Se Tang, Kon Kan, and Naung are located along the road, they were not required to provide forced laborers as they are growing opium. (Source: PYNG)

Since June 4 2000, the SPDC’s 65th and 225th IBs from Mong Ton have been forcing the local people to work for them without payment on the motor road construction between Mong Kyawt and Mong Htar, in Mong Ton township. About 30 to 40 villagers have been working on the construction of this motor road and those who resisted are being arrested, fined and beaten up. Since most of the villagers are farmers and it is the season to till the land and sow the seeds, they are being hindered to go about with their routine works. Besides, they also have to worry of the bad harvest, due to the late planting caused by this unpaid forced labor. (Source: RSO)

In the construction of the Kaung-bo road in the township of Pin-da-ya, Taungyi district, Shan State forced labor was required of male and female residents of the following villages :- Shwe-pa-hto, Thein-kone, Ohn-ai, Pha-nan, North Patho, Inn-nge and Kaung-bo.  In addition to having to provide their own food and water at the workplace, each household had to contribute kyat 300 and 2 Kyin of rock. Penalties were imposed for inability to supply the forced labor. No medical aid was supplied. It was the commencement of the rainy season when peasants cultivate their crops.  This had to be left unattended while forced labor had to be given for the road construction.  (Source: NLD)

On July 5, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB509, led by Maj. Tin Aung, went to Nawng Kham village in Nawng Kham tract, Tarng-Yarn township, and used the unpaid forced labor of the villagers to repair the market grounds and the road from the market to the village monastery. (Source: SHRF)

Starting from July 24, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB520 led by Capt. Kyaw  Win have conscripted 6 civilian trucks and 108 forced laborers in Murng-Pan township and forced them to fix and clear the sides of the  Murng-Pan - Larng-Khur main road. The laborers had to fill up cracks and potholes in the road with  stones, rocks and earth gathered by the civilian trucks, and clear the  bushes on both sides of the road, from Murng-Pan all the way up to Larng-Khur town. (Source: SHRF)

Starting from July 27, 2000, SPDC troops from Company No.3 of IB99 led  by Capt. Aung Phe had conscripted 5 civilian trucks and 163 forced laborers in Larng-Khur township and forced them to fix the main road and clear the bushes on both sides of the road, from Larng-Khur up to Murng-Nai  town. (Source: SHRF)

Starting from August 5, 2000, SPDC troops from Co. No.5 of IB248 led by Capt. Saw Hpyu had conscripted 3 civilian trucks and 87 forced laborers in  Murng-Nai township and forced them to fix and clear the bushes on the sides  of the main road, from Murng-Nai all the way up to Nam-Zarng town. (Source: SHRF)

Starting from August 19, 2000, SPDC troops from Co. No.4 of IB225 conscripted 8 civilian trucks and 120 forced laborers in Murng-Pan township and forced them to fix the road starting from the base of IB225 at  Wan Naa village in Murng-Pan township. A new shift of trucks and laborers  would replace the old one every 15 days. All the forced laborers had to bring and use their own tools such  as hoes and spades in road fixing and their own knives to clear the  roadsides. They had to provide their own food and received no pay, no  matter how long they had to go for the forced labor. (Source: SHRF)

On August 19, 2000, SPDC troops of IB244 forced the villagers of Wan Lawng village in Murng Zaem tract, Kaeng-Tung township, to fix and renovate the  2-furlong-long driveway between the main road and their base.  According to the local people, the SPDC troops had already forced people from several villages in Murng Zaem tract many times to take turns  and build the driveway but it did not seem to be finished  One person from each of the 27-28 houses in Wan Lawng village had  to get up early, prepare some food for midday meal and go to work from  07:00 hrs in the morning until 17:00 hrs in the evening, stopping only a short while around mid-day to eat the day meal. While the villagers were working, about 25 fully armed SPDC troops  from IB244 were always present, overseeing the work site and guarding the villagers as if they were prisoners. (Source: SHRF)

On September 17 2000, Maung Bo, of Eastern Division Military Command ordered over 100 villagers in Pekon Township to plant trees to beautify the area, including Pekon town. Each household was ordered to plant 60 tree saplings. The Government of Agriculture provided the 10-inch tree saplings to the villagers, but in order to plant the trees, the villagers had to dig holes 1 ft. deep and 1 ft. wide. If the villagers were not able to labor, they had to hire others to do the job at 200 kyat per day. Therefore, the villagers have been facing many difficulties. (Source: DVB)

On November 20 2000, people in Kyawk Teng and Thapye Kong village tracts, Shan State were forced to fix roads by Pa-O militia, formerly a Pa-O cease-fire group under Aung Hkam Hti, in the area under their control. One person from each house in the said 2 village tracts was required to provide their own food and fix the roads starting from Taunggyi to Nam Pan village, to Kyauk Long Gyi village and down to Pang-Lawng, a road 10-miles long. A written order was sent to village tract leaders by the village tract level Pa-O militia officer in the area on November 19, stating that anyone who failed to turn up on the given day would have to face punishments as the militia deemed fit. (Source: SHRF)

For the year 2000, people living within the area from Phra Kao Su mountain to Loi Maw mountain range in Ho-Pong township are being ordered to grow opium by the SPDC troops in the area. Every household is required to grow it and the opium seeds are being provided by the SPDC troops themselves.  The land area in which opium is to be grown is about 15 square-miles. No household is allowed not to engage in this enterprise, all have been forced to do so whether they like it or not.  The growers are obliged to pay, as taxes, 30,000-50,000 kyat to the military for each acre of the land used to grow opium, and thus creating one more source of extra income for the military. About 30 square-miles of land between Loi-Lem and Murng Pawn towns in Loi-Lem township are also being used to grow opium by the military and about 3,000 civilian laborers would be needed to do the job, from clearing the land up to harvesting the produce. (Source: SHRF)

The civilian population of Murng-Ton township is regularly being forced to work without pay for the SPDC troops for at least 15 days per month. Each month, every household, working in rotation, has to provide workers to work for the military in the following categories of work:1.Guarding roads —- 2 days and 2 nights

2.Serving as porters (actually serving or standing-by) — 7 days and 7 nights3.Waiting on stand-by at military camps (for running errands, etc.)— 2 days and 2 nights

4.Working in military farms and fields— 2 days

5.Making fences, chicken shacks and pigsties, etc.— 1 day

6.Clearing military compounds and drainage, etc.— 1 day

Each civilian truck or car in the township has to wait at the military camps on stand-by for 7 days per month to do various kinds of transportation. Any truck or car, even though its turn for serving the military is not yet due, is subjected to conscription at any time in an emergency. The owners have to provide their own fuel for their vehicles. Mini-tractors are often forced to work or borrowed ‘for free’ by the military for several days at a time and the soldiers take no responsibility for any damage done to the tractors. Video tape recorders are also often borrowed by the soldiers, either to entertain their families or for their own enjoyment, sometimes for several weeks and are usually returned only after they have broken down, and the owners have to pay for the repair. Small shops selling consumer goods are taxed 1,500 kyat per month by the military authorities and bigger shops selling clothes and other goods are taxed 3,000 kyat and upwards. During occasions when there are visiting senior military authorities, or transferring of troops or military units, soldiers often take things from the shops without paying. Apart from the regular provision of many kinds of forced labor, there is often random conscription of laborers, especially porters, whenever so-called emergency cases arise. (Source: SHRF)

On January 8 2000, SPDC troops from IB 524, led by Capt. Khin Maung Nyo bought an ox worth 10,000 kyat for only 6,000 kyat from the villagers of Kali village, Kali tract, Kunhing Township, Shan State. It was butchered and the people were forced to buy the beef. He also ordered 4 villagers from each village in the tract to make charcoal for his battalion without payment. (Source: SSANews)

On February 19, 2000, villagers of Yaang Khwaai, Wan Tap and Nawng Hoi villages in Murng Luay tract, Murng-Yarng township, were ordered to provide firewood by SPDC troops of IB279 and IB281. Each village was required to bring to the military camps 5 arm-span stacks of firewood within 10 days. To be able to gather enough firewood within the given time, the villagers had to abandon their own necessities and work cutting and transporting firewood to the military camps. (Source: SHRF)

In 2000, SPDC troops of Military Tactical Command stationed at Kaeng Ka village, zone 2, in Kaeng-Tung, confiscated the villagers’ pineapple gardens and forced them to grow other kinds of vegetables for the military. The villagers were made responsible for virtually every aspect of cultivation, from the planting until the produce was transported to the military base either by portering or by truck. In March 2000, a Major from the Military Tactical Command came to Kaeng Ka village and ordered the villagers to gather. He told them that the regional commander wanted to help them make a livelihood and ordered them to grow vegetables in the fields in front of the village. He said that they would be able to sell the vegetables and share the profits among all the villagers. However, when the time came to sell or eat the vegetables, no one was able to take them. In addition, the villagers had to take turns and keep watch over the gardens to keep away animals because if any of the vegetables were destroyed by pigs or cattle they had to pay for them. (Source: SHRF)

On March 10, 2000, a patrol of 7 SPDC troops from IB244 shot dead a cow and forced the villagers to cut up meat for them at Wan Saao village, Kaad Thaai tract, Kaeng-Tung township, Shan State. Zaai Saam Long (m), aged 46, lost one of his cattle which could easily fetch 17,600 kyat in the market. (Source: SHRF)

On March 12, 2000, SPDC troops from IB278 stationed at a camp near Wan Zaang village in Murng-Yarng township ordered the villagers of Wan Zaang to catch 20 viss of fish for them by the next day. It was virtually impossible for a small village of only 11-12 houses like Wan Zaang to catch that much fish in just one day, so villagers begged the soldiers to reduce the amount to 5 viss. The soldiers, however, refused to change the quota and the villagers had to collect 5,300 kyat amongst themselves and buy all the fish from a fishpond in Murng Luay to give to the SPDC soldiers.

On March 21, 2000, SPDC troops of Murng-Khark-based LIB327 issued an order requiring the villagers of Wan Phaai Tai village and Wan Phaai Nur village to provide 3 arm-span stacks of firewood from each village within 3 days. Because of frequent and extensive cutting over the years, wood had become scarce and the villagers from both villages were only able to gather 3 stacks of wood within the 3 days. The troops then ordered each village to provide 6,000 kyat in cash for the remaining quotas of firewood. The villagers explained about the scarcity of the wood and tried to ask for 7 more days to fill their remaining quotas, however the troops said that their time was up and demanded that they bring the money. The villagers collected the money amongst themselves and handed it over in order to avoid more severe punishment. (Source: KIC, SHRF)

On March 23, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB316, based in Ta Lur, forced the people of Kawng Khi Laek and Nam Laan villages, Pa Leo tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township, Shan State to clear trees and brush around their military camp, and gather firewood for them. The villagers worked from 9:00 hrs to 18:00 without a break and without pay. They were not provided with food or water and had brought little food with them from home. (Source: SHRF)

On April 5, 2000, SPDC troops of Ta-Lur-based LIB316 issued an order requiring the villagers of Huay Tai village and Pa Saang Mai village in Ta-Lur tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township, to prepare the ground of the military farm for cultivation for 3 days (April 6-8 2000). Some villagers, confused over why only their 2 villages were required to go and not the other villages in the tract, went and asked the Commander of the troops, only to be angrily scolded by him and told that they had no right to question his orders. (Source: SHRF)

Since early 2000, SPDC troops of Kun-Hing-based LIB524 have been conscripting ox-carts from the civilian population in the Kaeng Tawng area of Murng-Nai township in order to transport teak lumber from Kaeng Tawng to Kun-Hing town in Kun-Hing township. About 30 ox-carts from Kaeng Tawng are being used at a time and at least 2 times per month. The owners and the drivers of the ox-carts get nothing for their service but are scolded, fined and punished if they fail to fulfill their forced labor obligations. Those who can not work fast enough to meet the demand of the troops are often scolded and beaten; sometimes even the oxen are beaten to death. (Source: SHRF)

In early 2000, temporary Battalion Commander Khin Maung Shwe from LIB 130 based on Man Ton, Shan State used forced labor from villagers for building a new military camp. In fact, 200,000 kyat had been budgeted for building the new military barrack. But the LIB ordered to villagers to build it with just 15,000 kyat. They also forced the villagers to clear forests, level ground, and build roads for the new camp. (Source: Inside Burma)

Since June 2000, SPDC township level authorities in Kaeng-Tung township together with authorities in the Golden Triangle Special Regional Command have been confiscating land, on both sides of the Kaeng-Tung - Murng-Khark main road, from Nam Khern bridge up to Wan Kaang La Murng village. The confiscated land has long been cultivated by the local people in several village tracts, such as Wan Mao, Yaang Long, Yaang Hok, Kaad Tao and Wan Kaang La Murng. The villagers in the area are being forced to grow crops for the military on the land that has been taken from them. Over 800 acres of land has already been confiscated and distributed among the SPDC government departments, each getting about 30 to 40 or 60 to 100 acres. The Forestry Department, located in Kaad Tao village tract, got about 40-50 acres and the people in Kaad Tao village tract are being forced to grow crops for them on it. As of October 2000, the crops forced to be grown were mainly potato, Soya bean and other kinds of beans. For the cultivation of any crop, the villagers have to take responsibility from the beginning to the end, from clearing the land up to the transporting of the produce to the Department. The SPDC troops and the Department’s workers do little more than make sure that the villagers do their assigned job properly. (Source: SHRF)

On June 7, 2000, SPDC troops from Loi Muay-based IB226 issued an order requiring the villagers of Wan Zawn village in Murng Laab tract, Kaeng-Tung township, to provide 40 arm-span stacks of firewood for the military within 7 days. The villagers had to use their own money to hire trucks to transport the firewood to the military camp, which was 6-7 miles away. (Source: SHRF)

From June 2000, SPDC troops of LIB327 have been forcing the villagers of Kaeng Pin village in Murng-Khark township to grow an acre of  chillies for them. The villagers have to use a part of their cultivating land for it and have to do the work from the beginning until the end of the cultivation  — fencing, tilling, sowing, planting, weeding and up to harvesting of the crop. In other areas such as Murng Nung tract and Nam Wok tract,  villagers are also being forced to cultivate chilies, vegetables and cucumber farms for the military. (Source: SHRF, S.H.A.N.)

On June 27, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB 327 ordered the villagers of Pa Non village in Murng-Yarng township, Shan State to provide 20 viss of fish for the military. On that day, 3 troops from LIB327 came to Pa Non village and summoned the village leaders to go to see their commander at the military camp. At the camp, the commander told the 4-5 village leaders to go back and tell their villagers to catch 20 viss of fish and bring it to the camp on 29.6.00. The village leaders explained that it was time for rice cultivation and all the villagers were very busy tending their rice fields and trying to get enough rain water for them, and requested the commander to let them provide the fish after the rice cultivation. But the commander only scolded the villagers, "Our troops are stationed here to protect your interest, and yet we do not have enough curries to eat and nothing was sent from the HQs. It is your responsibility to see that we have enough good food. Say no more and go back, and make sure the fish is here on 29th". For fear of further and harsher abuse the villagers had no choice but to comply. They had to abandoned their work at their rice fields for one whole day in order to catch the 20 viss of fish for the SPDC troops. (Source: SHRF)

On July 3, 2000, 7 SPDC troops from Murng-Khark-based LIB327, led by Lt. Nyan Lin, issued an order forcing the villagers of Huay Long, Nawng Yaao and several other villages in Nawng Long tract to cut bamboo and build fences for their military base. The villagers were required to cut 50 bunches of bamboo sticks, each containing 100 bamboo sticks about 6 feet long and about 2 inches thick. They had to be finished before July 13, 2000. They were forced to build the fences for 3 days, from July 19 to July 21, and each village had to provide 6 workers for each day. All the work had to be done using the villagers’ own tools and eating their own food without any pay or compensation. (Source: SHRF)

On July 9, 2000, 2nd Lt. Kyaw Win of the ‘Wa’ army, acting under the instruction of SPDC tactical command No.3, forcibly conscripted 25 villagers in Nawng Kham tract to work as unpaid laborers on their pineapple plantation. He did the same on August 15, 2000, when he conscripted 20 laborers. (Source: SHRF)

On July 27 2000, SPDC troops from IB246 dismantled several temples and  monasteries in the forced relocation areas in Kun-Hing township and took  away the tin roofs and the lumber. On the day of the incident, about 80 SPDC troops from IB246 led by  Capt. Min Oo forcibly recruited 54 young men, aged between 20-35, and 14  trucks in Kun-Hing town and drove them to Wan Lao tract where there were  many deserted villages that had been forcibly relocated to other places in  1996-97. The troops then forced the 54 men to dismantle deserted temples and monasteries in 6 deserted villages in Wan Lao tract and trucked the lumber and tin sheets roofing back to IB246 military base. The 54 workers  and the 14 trucks received no pay whatsoever. Later, on August 4, 2000, the same troops again forcibly took some workers  and trucks in Kun-Hing town and went to deserted villages in Ho Yaan tract  that had also been forcibly relocated a few years ago. The troops disassembled deserted temples and monasteries in the following 6 relocated villages and trucked away the lumber and the tin  sheet roofing to the IB246 military base. On August 10, 2000, the same troops again conscripted 87 workers from  Kun-Hing town and forced them to build a big tent-like building to house the lumber and tin sheets roofing from the dismantled monasteries in the  base of IB246. (Source: SHRF)

On August 2, 2000, Tarng-Yarn township authorities extorted 650 pieces of bamboo from the people of Long Mong village tract. 3 days later they extorted 1200 pieces of bamboo. The villagers were required to cut and transport the bamboo to the village monastery at Long Mong village. (Source: SHRF)

From August 10 to 15, 2000, local people were forced to work free of charge on a peanut farm belonging to the SPDC in Mongton, Mongshat District, Eastern Shan State. One member from each household was required to come to labor, and bring their own food and tools. (Source: LNN)

On August 17, 2000, SPDC troops of Murng-Yarng-based IB279 forced each of the villagers from Wan Yaao, Wan Pung and Wan Pa Hai villages in Murng Luay tract, Murng-Yarng township, to do sanitary work in the military base from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. without pay. The villagers had to provide their own food and tools and were not given drinking water. (Source: SHRF)

On August 25, 2000, SPDC troops from IB226 based in Loi Muay in Kaeng-Tung came to Wan Hud village, Murng Laab tract, Kaeng-Tung township and told the headman, Lung Sai, to go and see their commander at the base immediately. In order to get to the military base as soon as possible, the headman and 2-3 villagers hired a car and set off right away. When they got to the base, the commander ordered the headman to tell his villagers to bring 60 bunches of bamboo pieces for making fences by August 30, no matter how they got them, and dismissed them immediately without letting them speak. Each bunch of bamboo contained 100 pieces of 2-inch-thick and 6-feet-long bamboo sticks. The village headman had no choice but to call a village meeting and allot the duties among his villagers. Since there was no wild bamboo that could be cut for free in the area, the villagers had to buy from other villages, some as far as 20 miles away. The villagers managed to meet the deadline by working very hard and squeezing out 300 kyat from each family’s meager income to pay for the bamboo and the car rent. In addition to their free labor, the villagers had to provide over 8,000 kyat to fulfill the demand of the military. According to the local people, every village in the area often has to do one kind of forced labor or another all year round, and no village or family is spared. (Source: SHRF)

On August 25 2000, SPDC troops of LIB 508 ordered the villagers from Wan Hai Khai, Par Kee tract, Murng Paeng township Shan State to carry planks for use in their base. They ordered that the village had to carry two cartloads and if they disobeyed, the villagers would be punished seriously. (Source: SSANews)

In August and September 2000, local people in Mongton, Shan State were summoned to labor in several tasks, such as construction of chicken  coops pigstys and Chinlong (Takraw) courts, digging latrine holes, mending  and constructing latrines, and pulling weeds in army’s bean fields and corn  fields. (Source: SHAN)

Since September 1 2000, at least a hundred people from each of the 15 villages in Hsipaw Township were summoned by the IB 23 to join in this year’s corn-harvest in the 100-acre Army’s land at Kawngwa, between Pangniu  and Nakang. The villagers were also required to bring their own food. There was no talk  of compensation from the military authorities. Instead, "absentees are  punished by having to pay for diesel-fuel for the Tolajis (farm tractors)" The 15 villages that were forced to participate in the harvest were Namon,  Pangniu, Kawnghai, Nawng-nyawng, Namzam, Koongpong, Nampien, Kawgteng,  Pangmoed, Khaihsim, Poogpak, Nakang, Namhukad, Khahiao and Khoknam. One of the villages, Khaihsim, is the headquarters of Shan State National  Army aka Shan State Army Central, commanded by Gunyawd. The group enjoys a  cease-fire agreement with Rangoon. (Source: SHAN)

In September 2000, thousands of bamboo pieces were forcibly taken from the people of Tarng-Yarn Township. Unpaid forced labor was used to cut and transport them to the military camp at Wan Kaad village to be used for building a military training camp. (Source: SHRF)

On September 7, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB326 came to Ho Mang village in Ho Mang tract and forcibly took away 500 pieces of bamboo, using the unpaid forced labor of the villagers to cut and transport them. They did the same on September 11 with 400 pieces of bamboo. (Source: SHRF)

Since September 19, 2000, SPDC troops of Tachilek-based LIB526 have been forcing the villagers of Wan Saa Laa and Wan Noi villages in Fang Min tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township, to grow several kinds of crops for them at farms near the 2 villages which were confiscated from the villagers in 1998. The troops provided the seeds and the villagers have had to do all the rest, from clearing, tilling, sowing, weeding, up to the harvesting and transporting the produced crops to the military base. The villagers would also be held responsible for any loss or failure. The crops the villagers have been forced to grow include potato, peanut, sesame, pea and different kinds of beans. Since there are only about 20-30 houses in each of the 2 villages, the villagers have to work in frequent rotation and have very little time to work for themselves. (Source: SHRF)

On September 22, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB326 forced the villagers of Ho Mang village to provide 607 pieces of bamboo. (Source: SHRF)

On September 26, 2000, a patrol of 80-85 SPDC troops from LIB524 led by Maj. Maung Maung burned down a Buddhist temple and monastery at Paang Hok village in Wan Lao tract, Kun-Hing township. The monastery was a big and well established one, built in 1958 of the best hardwood. It was once supported by 200 households of devotees before they were forcibly relocated by SLORC/SPDC troops in late 1997. In May 2000, Capt. Hla Khin, commander of Co. No.3 of LIB524, conscripted 24 ox-carts and 20 civilian forced laborers in Kun-Hing town and went to the deserted village of Paang Hok. He then ordered them to dismantle many of the wooden planks and timber from the walls, floors and framework of the monastery and carted them back to the base of LIB524. They were later brought to No.6 military base in Nam-Zarng. The SPDC troops burned down the remaining structure of the monastery to completely destroy all the evidence that a structure of worship of the Shan villagers had ever been there. (Source: SHRF)

On September 29, 2000, SPDC authorities in Tarng-Yarng township forced the villagers of Nawng Kham village tract to provide 350 pieces of bamboo and transport them to the military camp. (Source: SHRF)

On October 1, 2000, SPDC troops of Murng-Ton-based IB65 issued a written order to all the village tract headmen in Murng-Ton and Murng-Sart township forcing the farmers in the areas to grow rice and other crops for the military. The order required the farmers to buy rice seeds, which had been brought up from the lowland in southern Burma by the military, and grow them for the military as the second harvest in the villagers’ rice fields after the harvest of the rainy season crops. Soya bean seeds and another kind of bean seeds were also required to be bought by the farmers. The farmers would be held accountable for any loss and failure. The order said that the paddy seeds were to be bought immediately and kept by the farmers, and were to be cultivated as soon as the current rice crop had been harvested. The paddy seeds would be sold at the rate of 3,500 kyat per basket, and both kinds of bean at the rate of 10,000 kyat per basket. The following rates of production were expected:

— 1 basket of rice seeds must produce 100 baskets

— 1 basket of Soya bean must produce 400 baskets

— 1 basket of a certain bean must produce 500 baskets

If these requirements were not met, the farmers were responsible to fill the

quotas. The 8 village tracts in Murng-Ton township were required to buy from 1 to 3 baskets of each kind of the seeds in proportion to the sizes of their cultivating land areas. (Source: SHRF)

During the year 2000 and the beginning of 2001, SPDC troops from IB99 and LIB525, manning a military camp at Muay Taw village temple, routinely extorted food and money and demanded forced labor from the people of Wan Zid, Haai Kuay and Nawng Long village tracts, Larng-Khur township. The villagers were forced to provide the troops with food stuff such as rice, salt, pickled Soya bean, cooking oil, chickens, coconuts and lemons, etc., at least 1-2 times per month. According to one villager, "They ask for almost everything you eat". In addition, at least 1 ox-cart had to fetch and transport water to Muay Taw camp every day, 5 times per day. At least 7 people had to report to the camp every day; 2 for running errands and 5 on standby to serve as porters. Anyone who turned up later than the specified time was fined, either money or rice or chickens, etc.

Occasionally, the villagers were forced to provide firewood, using their own ox-carts and mini-tractors to transport it to the camp and Larng-Khur town for the troops’ families.

Certain behavior of the troops also upset the local people. For example, despite the fact that the troops lived in the compound of a Buddhist temple, they kept pigs and chickens and often killed them there and often brought their wives to sleep over; behavior from which Buddhists are supposed to refrain. (Source: SHRF)

On December 8 2000, SPDC troops from the 64th IB led by Major Tun Hla ordered the people in the area of Wan Hti tract, Lai Kha township, Shan State to cut down and send 10 poles of bamboo, a bullock cart load of firewood, and 2 viss weight of chicken to their base in Lai Kha. The ordered things had to be at their base not later than 10th December 2000. (Source: Inside Burma)

On January 2 2000, troops from LIB 422 used 2 trucks and 5 horses belonging to local villagers to carry dry rations to Ta Hway Pa near the Thai Burma border. 8 villagers from Mae Aw Gyi, Shan State were forced to move the supplies between Homung and Na Moon Long. It took them 3 days to complete the 38-mile journey there and back, and they were given nothing. (Source: PYNG)

In January 2000, on a military operation in Murng Khur tract area, Si-Paw township, a column of about 100 SPDC troops from Nam-Lan-based LIB506 led by Maj. Kaung Kyaw forcibly took several civilians to serve as porters for several days. The following is an account of one of the porters who had to serve the military for 13 days, from January 10 to 22. On January 10, Ai Zaam, aged 26, a Palaung villager of Naa Mawn village, Murng Khur tract, Si-Paw township, was seized at his village by a passing column of SPDC troops from LIB506 to serve as a porter. He was forced to carry rice and some backpacks of the soldiers. There were about 30 civilian porters with him at the time. It was said that the troops came from Paang Hung village early in that morning, drew their rations at Ho Kho village military camp and came to Naa Mawn village where they took Ai Zaam. For several days, the troops searched along the route which went through several villages, somewhat in a circle, in Murng-Khur tract. On January 22 at Paang Hung village, 12 porters were released, including Ai Zaam, after serving for several days and were suffering from badly injured feet and shoulders. But the same number of new porters was taken to replace them, in addition to an ox-cart. During the 13-days period in which Ai Zap had to serve as a porter, the troops took 7 more civilian porters at different points and 4 of the soldiers from Company No.3 deserted. While traveling, several porters were beaten, particularly those from Murng Tung. All the porters were tied to their loads, and were untied only at eating and sleeping times. In the villages, the troops took the chickens they wanted without paying. They bought 2 pigs for the troops on the way, enough to distribute 1 viss of pork to each soldier. The rice they fed the porters was rotten and had a horrible smell, and was given with only salt. Only when they happened to be eating in a village, could the porters ask for some dried or pickled bean or vegetables from the villagers. As a result of 13-days portering, Ai Zap suffered from extreme weakness and badly injured feet and shoulders. (Source: SHRF)

On February 29, 2000, a column of 30 SPDC troops from IB245, led by Capt. Sein Win, came to Naa Le Kao village in Tong Ta tract and forcibly took 6 villagers to serve as porters. They later took another 4 villagers from Naa Le Mai village in the same tract. Although they were first told to serve as porters for 1 day, the villagers had to serve for 5 days, through Murng Sen, Murng In and Murng Paeng tracts. The porters were fed rice twice a day and at night slept on the bare ground while tied together. (Source: SHRF)

On March 11 2000, at 8 AM, 28 SPDC troops on patrol from Laikha Township captured 4 innocent villagers in their paddy fields at Pang Oo Sae tract, Laikha township, Shan State. The victims were tied up and beaten with rifle butts and sticks. They were then tied up in pairs until March 12, when they were forced to follow the troops as porters to carry rice. The 4 victims were:

- Loong Phit, age 48, whose arm was broken due to the beating

- Aw Ta, age 25

- Sarng Loo, age 18

- Sarng Lu, age 35

As of the end of April 2000, no news had been received of their whereabouts after they were taken as porters. (Source: SSANews)

On April 1, 2000, 7 Palaung male villagers from Wan En village were forcibly taken as porters by SPDC troops from LIB527, in Murng Lung tract, Murng-Sart township. The villagers were seized by the troops in their village and made to carry military things as well as lead the way to Murng Pak village tract area. The villagers led the troops by a shortcut route, which went through forests, brush and undergrowth. After some time the Commander became quite angry because of the difficulty in following the route and accused the porters of deliberately leading them through a difficult route. For this reason, he called one of the porters, Ai Zaen, who was also one of the village leaders, and punched him in the face with his fist. He was hit in the eye which caused a painful bruise. The villagers were released on April 3, 2000. (Source: SHRF)

On the morning of April 12, 2000, a column of about 60 SPDC troops from LIB527 led by Capt. Tin Kyaing forcibly conscripted civilian porters from Yaang Kham, Wan Nawng and Waeng Laek villages in Murng Lung tract, Murng-Sart township. Altogether 23 villagers were seized, 7 from Yaang Kham, 11 from Wan Nawng and 5 from Waeng Laek.The villagers were forced to carry heavy packages of different shapes without knowing the contents. They started out at about 15:30 hrs towards Murng In tract and did not stop until 22:00 hrs when they stopped for the night near Nam Yaang village in Murng In tract. During the journey the troops pressed the porters to go as fast as possible and did not let them rest or eat. The beat and kicked those who lagged behind as a result of feeling weak. The next day at 6:30 a.m. they continued on after a second meal of rice and salt. Again they were kicked and beaten all the way until they reached Nam Phoi village in Nawng Tao tract, at about 18:00 hrs in the evening. At Nam Phoi village, they were released without being given any food and replaced by a new batch of civilian porters. All the porters suffered from bruises and pains and 2 of them, Ai Saam, aged 41 and Ai Kawng, aged 26, had been so repeatedly beaten and kicked with army boots that they were virtually dead. (Source: SHRF)

On June 21, 2000, a column of about 60 SPDC troops from IB245 conscripted civilian porters in the area of Loi Ko, Paang Mu, Yaang Mu, Wan Son, Kiu Khi Kai Tai and Kui Khi Kai Nur villages. Altogether 37 villagers were unexpectedly and so suddenly seized where they happened to be that they had no time to take their food and put on proper clothing, and many had to go barefoot. The porters were first taken down to the main road where there were trucks loaded with military things, which were divided and distributed among the porters to carry on their backs and shoulders. On the same day the troops set out again up into the hills away from the main road and the porters were ordered to carry their loads and go with them, towards the area of Murng Sen and Murng In tracts. (Source: SHRF)

On June 23, 2000 porters were released after serving the military for 51 days without pay or any other kind of compensation. At the time of this report, out of 24 civilian ports that had been conscripted, only 13 have returned home.   In early May 2000, a column of about 80 SPDC troops of Company No.5 from LIB514 led by Capt. Hla Myint conscripted 24 civilian porters for 51 days during which they killed at least 4 porters and wounded or killed many others while on patrol in the rural areas of Murng-Kerng township. Most of the civilian porters were originally from Kung Yom village in Ham Ngaai tract, Murng-Kerng township, who had been forcibly relocated to a relocation site in the outskirts of Murng-Kerng town by the SLORC/SPDC troops a few years ago.  After having to carry heavy loads for 37 days with inadequate rest and food, 4 of the porters became so weak that they had to stop at every 20-30 yards, but the troops thought they were just feigning and angrily beat them until they all died. A few days after that, 3-4 other porters who had became too weak to go on were also beaten and left lying along the way, without any care whether they were dead or not. Since they have not returned until the time of this report, they are presumably dead. Many other porters were also beaten along the way.  (Source: SHRF)

On July 22, 2000, Akha villagers of Phaa Khaao village in Murng-Paeng township were forcibly taken by SPDC troops to serve the military without pay.  On that day, a column of about 60 SPDC troops from IB245  surrounded Phaa Khaao village in Si Paw tract, Murng-Paeng township, and  forcibly took 13 Akha villagers to serve as porters for the military.  On the same day, the villagers were forced to carry heavy  baggage, the contents of which they did not know, and set off towards  Murng Sen and Murng In tracts in Kaeng-Tung township. The troops went through several villages and tracts for 3 days until they reached Murng-Kok village in Murng-Sart township where they released the porters without paying them anything. During those 3 days, the troops forced the villagers of the villages they were passing through to cook meals for them to eat  immediately as well as put into packages for them to take away to eat on the way. The porters, however, only received a very small amount of food per day and were scolded, kicked and beaten along the way when they slowed down due to hunger and weakness.  (Source: SHRF)

On August 7 2000, SPDC troops of Co. No.4 from LIB524, led by Capt. Soe Nyunt forcibly conscripted the following 10 civilian porters from Kun-Hing town relocation site:

1. Lung Saw (m), aged 51, originally from Waeng Kum village, Naa Poi tract
2. Na-Ling (m), aged 50, originally from Huay Poo, Saai Murng tract
3. Saw-Zing (m), aged 36, originally from Mai Maw Lao village, Saai Khaao tract
4. Lung Moo (m), aged 53, originally from Kung Laang village, Loi Khio tract
5. Wi-Ya (m), aged 55, originally from Paang Hok village, Wan Phui tract
6. Zaai Win (m), aged 21, originally from Naa Khaa village, Naa Teng tract
7. Naang Lu (f), aged 36, originally from Naa Keng village, Loi Keng tract
8. Naang Paang (f), aged 33, originally from Naa Yaang village, Saai Khaao tract
9. Naang Nyunt (f), aged 28, originally from Nam Hoo village, Saai Khaao tract
10. Naang Ung (f), aged 25, originally from Naa Waai village, Wan Lao tract
These 10 porters were seized while they were working at a farm and forced to carry military things and go with the troops while they patrolled the deserted villages in the relocation areas, camping wherever they were when night fell, sometimes stopping for 2-3 days at a place. According to the porters themselves, they did not have to carry very heavy loads, but the women were raped almost every night by one soldier or another. After 1 month and 5 days, a porter named Zaai Win tried to escape but was captured by the troops. He was beaten and tortured, including by a bamboo stick being rolled on his shins, in front of the other porters. In 3 days, the wounds in his shins were full of pus and the troops beat him to death.

The other porters were forced to go on until 20.11.00, when they reached Kun-Hing town and the troops released them. These civilians had been forced to serve as unpaid military porters for a straight period of 3-1/2 months, from 7.8.00 to 20.11.00, during which time the women were also forced to serve as sex slaves. (Source: SHRF)

On August 23 and 24, 2000, SPDC troops from LIB360 conscripted 21 villagers in Pet Kaang tract, Murng-Paeng township, Shan State to serve as forced and unpaid porters for the military. A column of about 60 SPDC troops from LIB360 came through Pet Kaang village tract and seized 6 villagers from Kung Sa village, 9  villagers from Wan Tong village and 6 villagers from Nawng Kaa village.  The villagers, 21 in all, were taken to Tong Ta village where they were forced to carry heavy loads and headed towards Murng Sen and Murng In  tracts.  Most of the things the porters had to carry were dried food, ammunition and clothes of the soldiers. Though they had dried food with them, the troops did not eat it, but forced the villagers of the villages  where they stopped for meals to cook and provide food for them and the porters. The troops went through several villages and tracts and, after 4 days of strenuous journeying, they released the 21 porters at Wan Mawn  village in Nam In tract without giving them anything.  All the porters were suffering from severe shoulder wounds at the time of their release and they did not know the purpose of the troops and  where they were going to. (Source: SHRF)

On September 28/2900, a column of about 60 SPDC troops from IB49 seized 6 villagers from Wan Long village, 8 villagers from Wan Hung village and 3 villagers from Wan Pen village in Murng Lung tract, Murng-Sart township to be used as unpaid porters. These villagers were forced to carry heavy bags, without knowing the contents, from a remote place north of a village called Nawng Leo down to Phak Tu Murng village near the main road. The 2 places were quite distant and the villagers could transport the bags only 1 time per day. It took them 2 days to carry all the bags. The bags the porters had to carry on their soldiers were about half the size of a regular rice sack and the contents felt like some sort of seeds or grains, and were quite heavy. It was later learned by some of the porters that the contents were hundreds of thousands of amphetamine tablets, produced at remote places in the jungle in Murng Kok and Murng Lung areas by dealers, but protected by SPDC troops. In this particular shipment, the merchandise was produced and owned by a Chinese trader named Aa Jung. The SPDC soldiers were taking responsibility for the safe passage of the drugs. Some SPDC authorities are making good money from giving protection to the drug trade, and more so by using free forced labor. (Source: SHRF)

In the month of September 2000, SPDC troops of the 99th Brigade who are based in Parng Sarng tract, Lai Kha township issued a martial law to the villagers in the area. The order says:

1. Never run away from SPDC troops wherever villagers meet them, if not they will be shot to death.

2. Whenever SPDC troops need porters or laborers, they have to be provided in time.
3. If the porters are not presented according to the order, the villagers will not be allowed to work in their farms. (Source; Freedom News)

On March 14 2000, 6 soldiers from IB 99 who had been posted to stand guard near the Nam Teng bridge went to nearby Wan Sit village, Langkho Township, Shan State and ordered the villagers to bring them supplies by March 17, or else face severe punishment. The soldiers ordered the villagers to bring them teak logs, 7 viss of betel nut, 10 bottles of cooking oil, 10 viss of chicken, 10 viss of pork, and 6 bullock carts of dried firewood.
(Source: SSANews)

Villagers from Pekon town are forced to daily guard the Loikaw to Mo Byay electric pole route. The electricity along this route is carried from Lawpita hydroelectric Power Plant in Karenni State. The people were originally ordered to take security for the route following incidents where the KNLP had blown up portions of the line. Yet even though the KNLP has signed a cease-fire with the regime (in 1994), the people are still forced to guard it. Villagers unable to perform the security duty are forced to pay fines, of 500 kyat per night, to LIB 421 and 422, who are sharing the profits from these fees amongst themselves. In addition, the people from Pekon Township are forced to take security along the AungBan to Loikaw Railroad line. Every family is forced to go once a week for this duty, and if they are absent, they must pay a fine of 200 kyat per day. (Source: DVB)

Villagers from Taung-thone-lone village, Tavoy District are required to work at the construction site of the Kyauk-meh to Myin-khan-baw village road every other ten days. This road construction started in 1997 and was still going on up until at least July 2000. (Source: FTUB)

From November 1999 until February 2000, villagers from The-chaung village tract, located near the Yadana on-shore gas-pipeline area, have had to contribute free labor in building a road 6 miles in length from The-chaung to Kin-taung, under the order of LIB No. 273, which received an agreement contract from France’s oil and gas company, TOTAL. The-chaung village tract consists of 6 villages: 1) The-chaung, 2) Talaing-myaw, 3) Thingun-taw, 4) Taput-chaung, 5) Kadot-chaung and 6) Kin-taung. In these villages, there are over 700 households which are made up mostly of Mon and Tavoyan inhabitants, who have occupations as farmers and fishermen. LIB No. 273 battalion commander Col. Htin Kyaw, and his two column commanders, Maj. Ngwe Lin and Maj. Kyaw Win were in charge of the villagers’ forced labor. They required that every household send at least one person, and 30-50 villagers were then forced to labor everyday for 3-5 days, in rotation shifts. They had to bring their own food and tools. The villagers who failed to go to the designated construction site, had to either pay 500 kyat per day in fines to the army or 500 kyat to hire a substitute. The villagers were forced to level the earth, collect, crush and transport stones, build the road embankment, and build bridges. For carrying of stones to far places on the embankment, the army also conscripted ox-carts from every village. If a family was unable to provide the requested ox-cart, they were forced to pay 1,000 kyat to the army. According to villagers, although they knew that LIB 273 had received funding from TOTAL company for the construction contract, the army never paid them for their labor or fed them while they were working. The road is directly supportive of the oil and gas companies in the area including Unocal and Premier Oil, and was build to better their transportation of staff, workers and facilities. (Source: HURFOM)

In April 2000, the military ordered the villagers of Tha-Jet-Taw village, Tenasserim Division, which has about 2,000 houses, to build a new road beside the LaungLon to Tavoy road. For this forced labor, the military ordered that one person from each family go to labor. Families who were not able to send the required person for the labor had to pay a fine of 500 kyat. The villagers also had to "donate" money for porter fees, 1000 kyat for 15 days.  (Source: THRF)

Bongti-Tavoy Highway Project

In the beginning of May 2000, SPDC Tactical Command No. 2 Commander Colonel Khin Maung Myint, under command of Operation Commanding HQ No.9, ordered the battalions under his control to expand the road from Myitta village to Bongti, on the Thai-Burma border. He ordered the road to be expanded by 50 feet on both sides of the road. To do this, the SPDC troops forced the villagers from Myitkanbaw village tract, Myitta village tract, Paungdaw village tract, Heinda, Taung Thon Lon, Kyauk Me Taung, Bawatpyin, Bawatgone, Myinkanti, Pagayi, Kanainda, and Zalome to construct the road. Every village was forced to work 7 days shifts, sending 70 to 100 people. It is estimated that at least 500 villagers were forced to work on this road in each shift. The battalions responsible for the construction also demanded 5 chainsaws and 100,000 kyat cash from Paungdaw village tract, 5 chainsaw and 100,000 kyat from Myitkabaw village tract, and 3 chainsaws and 100,00 kyat cash form Myitta village tract. According to the information received, the troops responsible for the car road construction and to oversee its security are LIBs 275, and 379. The villagers had to fell the trees, clear the stubs, level the damaged road, dig out the fallen earth, and dig drainage beside the road. The villagers did not receive anything for their labor and they had to bring along their own food and tools. Those who failed to show up for their shift were required to hire someone else at a 7,000 kyat substitution cost.

At the beginning of September 2000, Burma Army’s No.8 Operational Commanding Headquarter ordered No.2 Tactical Command under its control to examine the damages of Bongti-Tavoy road cause by erosion during the rainy season. According to the field information the damages between Tavoy and Myitta village are minor and there are at least 15 damages between Myitta and Sinbyudaing (Kasawwah) villages. In some parts the soil slid away and left only rocks, which would need to be blasted in order to recreate the roadway through those rocks. The damages were reported back in detail by No.2 Tactical Command to No.8 OC HQ in the mid of September and No.2 TC was ordered to take responsibility to repair the damages. To finish its task, No.2 Tactical Command summoned villages from the eastern part of Tavoy township such as Myitta, May Kan Baw, Taung Thonlon, Heinda, Hpaungdaw, Bawagon and Pa Kayi village tracts to send labors: at least 100 persons per 7 day terms starting from 1st October. The orders were sent through its frontline headquarter. The mentioned village tracts have been forced to work on that road every year after the rainy season when the road gets damaged due to the heavy rains. The villagers earn nothing by working under the order of the responsible troops and instead they have to bring along with them their own tools, food, cooking utensil, medicine (for in case of sickness by working under the summer sun in malaria infested terrain).

The Bongti-Tavoy highway project is the project which will connect Tavoy in Burma and Kanchanaburi in Thailand. The plan is to develop a transport route for eco-tourism, and cargo transportation purposes that have connection with the project of Tavoy deep-sea port. The project recently dealt by Burma, Kyaw Lynn Naing Company and Thailand, Kanchanaburi Tavoy Development Company. Because of the lack of security, the project has been delayed. The road is now being used by the SPDC as a military transportation route to send supplies to the front line troops. (Source: TIR)

In June 2000, SPDC township authorities in Nasaik village, Thyetchaung townhsip, Tavoy district, Tenasserim Division ordered Nasaik villagers to build an earthen dyke along the Tavoy River to protect rice fields in Naseik village area from floods. Every household had to provide one person for the work everyday. Those who could not go on their duty had to pay 300 kyat per day in substitution. The surrounding villages also were forced to do this work. (Source: TIR)

In November 2000, 30 villages along the Ye-Tavoy road construction sites were asked to send 50 villagers each to provide labor in the construction. No wages, food, or medication was provided. Those who failed to come for the work duty were forced to pay 3000 kyat to hire a replacement. Many villagers could not afford to pay because the army had seized their paddy fields. Rice production is the major source of income for these peasants. However, the Village PDC pressed the villagers to pay the fees. The villagers suspected that the Village PDC used the money for personal income. (Source: Yoma3)

IBs 403,404, and 405, based in Thayay-Chaun Township, Tenasserim Division have been building camps for the military, constructing new roads, and repairing old roads in Thayay-Chawn area. The road between Saw-Pha and Tha-Pru-Chaun in Saw Pha district, Thayay-Chaun Township is one of the roads that the military units have been building.

The road is over 100 miles long, and even though the SPDC began construction on the road at the beginning of 2000, it is still uncompleted due to storms and falling trees. Villages located near this road had to labor for its construction, because the road is a forest road. The villages are: Tha-Phru-Chaw, Law-Min-Pa, Tawn-Zin, Big Pa-Dac-Chawn, Ka-Tee, Ka-Tee-Wa, Saw-Pya, In-Pha, Pane-Pone-Aye, Khaw-Lay-Kar, Kin-Shai, Mu-Shew-Kuu, Kar-In, Sal-Ain-Kaw Pa-Dawt and over villages.

In April 2000, they re-started the road project. For this forced labor, each family had to work for 7 days with their own food supplies. Families which weren’t able to go and work were forced by the military to give 500 kyat. The military took no responsibility for workers injured from the forced labor. In addition, other villagers were tortured by the military. About 300-400 villagers from these areas were forced to go and work each day because of the military order. (Source: THRF)

‘Tha Ban Chaun Mountain 30’ Road

‘Tha-Ban Chaun Mountain 30’ is being built over the Tenasserim Mountain Range, which marks the border of Thaya-Chaun and Tavoy Townships. This road construction is both very difficult and very dangerous. It is also common for fighting to occur between the SPDC troops and KNU, MDUF members in this area. Even though the SPDC began building the road in 1999, as of August 2000, it was still unfinished due to the many battles. So the SPDC demanded many force laborers from nearby villages to come with their own food supplies and work. For most of the first half of 2000, there were between 400 to 600 people forced to labor every day on this road. (Source: THRF)

On July 2 2000, SPDC’s LIB 561 Commander, Lt. Col. Min Din, ordered villages from Thagyet, Nyaungbingwin and Thebotleik village tracts of Mergui District, Tenasserim Division to construct a road between Taninthayi town and Naungbwa. Every day 3 persons from each village were required to go and work on this road construction in turns. This road was a part of the Mergui to Prakuabkirikan road. (Prakuabkirikan is a coastal town in Thailand) (Source: TIR)

On November 13, 2000, troops from SPDC Tactical Command 4 came to Thee-ko village, Mer-gui-Ta-voy District, Tenasserim Division and summoned the village heads in the area. They ordered them to instruct the villagers to grow 2 acres of oil palm per household for the "Myanmar Myint" company. (Source: KIC)

On November 18, 2000, Burma Army’s LIB 559 and 560 ordered the villagers from Kay area, Kyeinchaung village tract, Tenasserim township, Tenasserim Division to construct a new road from Htee Wah Throke military camp. As of late December 2000, 100 villagers from Kay area have to serve as in-turn forced laborers everyday since the date they were ordered. (Source: TIR)

On November 20 2000, 20 villagers each, from Mee-ta, Mu-tor and Seik-ku, Mer-gui-Ta-voy District, had to work, at their own expense, building a road from Mee-ta to Kwee-wor-wa. They were ordered to do this by Tactical Commander 2, Ye Aung, under SPDC Operation Command 8. The village head of Dah-bler and the village head of Kay-tah, U Ye Tun Naing, had to collect of donations from the villagers to fund the road construction. The villagers were instructed to finish the road before the end of the dry season. The villagers had to bring their own food supplies to work (Source: KIC)

In November 2000, villagers from Pyin Gyi village, Laung Lone Township, Tenasserim Division were asked to establish a bank to prevent flooding. They were fined 3000 kyat each if they failed to do so. (Source: Yoma3)

In March 2000, IB 104 ordered 20 villages in Tha-Jet-Taw tract, Tenasserim Division to labor in the army’s rubber and coconut plantations which are located beside the Tavoy to LaungLon road. The military ordered that one person from every family work for 7 days. The military took no responsibility for those wounded on the work site and also tortured the workers. In addition, the soldiers would summon women for "emergency work" and when the women would arrive, there would be nothing and the troops would rape them. (Source: THRF)

In preparation for joint military exercised of China-Burma held in July and August 2000 in the Coastal Region Command between Tavoy and Mergui, local villagers were asked to contribute  labor for the building of the temporary military lodgings for Chinese and Burmese military  personnel who took part in the exercises.   Village peace and development councils in Mergui and Tavoy Districts required each  village to provide 50 volunteers. Villagers living near the site of the military exercises  were required to work as volunteers to build huts and those living far from the site to cut,  gather, and send timber and bamboo. (Source: DVB)

On July 17 2000, SPDC’s LIB 561 Commander, Lt. Col. Min Din ordered Hti Hpo Wah villagers of Mergui District, Tenasserim Division to go and work for a military building construction at Hit Hpo Wah village. (Source: TIR)

On July 27, 2000, SPDC’s LIBs 557 and 558 had ordered villagers from Thagyet and Yeinchaung village tracts, Tenasserim Township, Mergui District to work for military oil palm plantation at Kyeinchaung area. 70 persons from hagyet, 50 from Nyaungbingwin, 30 from Thebotleik, 50 from Kamukru, 30 from Kyauktalone villages were demanded to go and work in turn. That oil palm plantation was about 55500 acres and it was led by Ko Aung and Ko Soe Naing as managers (Source: TIR, KIC)

In 2000, the Col. Hla Moe led Military Strategy Operation group confiscated paddy fields around its base in the cultivation season. The villagers from the nearby nine villages were summoned to provide voluntary service to cultivate the crops for the military. Kya-in gyi , Shwe Doh , Dagay ,Mee Laung Chaung, Sel Ein Su , Shwe Taungbo ,Thone tine ,Shwe Lin and Kye Tu Vwei Taung villages were ordered to send 10 to 15 persons each with their own foods and tools to do the cultivation. The villagers were to work the whole day to complete the cultivation. No wage was given for their labor. (Source: Yoma3)

On September 20, 2000, Burma army’s IB 280 Battalion Commander Khin Maung Aye forced the villagers from Kleh Mu Htee area (northern Palaw township and southern Theyetcahung township) to build a new military base and a car road. The villagers have to bring along their own tools and food.  (Source: TIR)

At the beginning of October 2000, SPDC’s LIB 408, based near ‘No. 1’ rubber plantation in Yebone township, demanded bamboo and laborers from Yebone village. The villagers were forced to substitute the barbwire fencing outside their headquarter compound with a new fence. Village PDC chairman Oo Thein Aung ordered his village to provide 100 bamboo pieces per household and then sent the bamboo along with one person from each household to the army base. The villagers were forced to build the new bamboo fence, which required 10 days. Fees for labor absence were 500 kyat per person per day. (Source: TIR)

Army Rice Cultivation Project, Yebyu Township

Since September 1999, villagers in Yapu village tracts in Yebyu Township, Tavoy district, Tenasserim Division have been forced to worked on a SPDC rice cultivation project. SPDC IB 406, 407, 408, 409 and 410 (under control of SPDC Operation Commanding HQ No.8) has a rice cultivation project site 8 miles east of Yapu village tract. This rice field was planned and started in the end of 1999, and consists of at least 500 acres. Each battalion owns at least 100 acres of the land. To accomplish the project work these five battalions formed a committee, and in September 1999, the military authorities ordered Yapu village tract to work on this project. There are seven villages in Yapu village tract. They are Mayanchung village (30 households), Yapu village (300 households), Upper Yapu village (20 households), Kywetalin village (100 households), Kyaukkadin village (150 households), Lawntheik village (80 households), and A’le Sakan village (100 households). Each village has to provide 20 to 70 people for each one-week shift, for a total of more than 300 villagers forced to work on the work-site each week. The villagers have had to labor for every step in the entire work of cultivation. Iin May 2000 they were ordered to dig canals and do other necessary things for the rice fields, plowing the land and planting the paddy. For planting the paddy, SPDC Operation Commanding HQ No.8 ordered each household to bring one tin of paddy. Those who did not have extra paddy had to buy from others’ at the cost of 1,000 kyat for one tin. The villagers have had to work from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM without rest, and bring along their own food and tools. Those who fail to labor in their shift have to pay 4,000 kyat in substitution. In addition, Yapu villagers are regularly forced to work on other SPDC development projects. Each month, they are forced to provide 15 men to work on these other development projects.  (Source: TIR)

The SPDC has been regularly forcing hundreds of villagers from Nasaik village in Thyetchaung township, Tavoy district, Tenasserim Division to transport military supplies to the frontline base Aunthawara. According to a local villagers who arrived to the Thai-Burma border on June 27 2000, there are 1200 households in Naseik village, divided into 24 administration quarters. Once a month SPDC’s village headman U Win Sein orders the villagers to transport military food supplies. Each quarter is forced to provide 20 to 24 people, therefore in Naseik village alone 720 people monthly have to serve as military porters. The porters are sent to IB 285 base in Palauk village, and forced to carry military supplies from Palauk to the military frontline camp Aunthawara in the Tenasserim river area in the east. The journey takes more than 6 days walking by foot in the jungle. Each porter has to carry one tin of rice (weigh 16 Kegs), 4 meat-cans, one Viss of sugar, 4 milk-cans, and other food weighing more than one Viss. The porter group is usually half female and half male. Those unable to serve on their term are sent by the SPDC village authority to Nasiak village police station and detained. When some villagers avoid their terms and disappear from their houses, the SPDC authorities lock up their houses and usually wait three months for their return. If they do not return the authorities sell these houses. Those who do not want to serve their terms have to pay 7,000 kyat for seven days (one term) in substitution.

The villagers have to take along their own food and pay for all expenses. From Naseik village to Palauk, the carfare is 500 kyat each. They have to pay all these expense to the SPDC village headman before they leave to serve their term as porters. The army sends along with each porter a list of the supplies that they are transporting to the destination camp. At the destination camp, the soldiers check the supplies with the supply list and if they find something lost, they take action against the porter. The porters have to pay compensation for the lost items. For example if 4 kegs of rice was lost they have to pay 150 kyat compensation, 500 kyat for one milk-can, and 500 kyat for one meat-can. Those who cannot pay the compensation are tortured by the soldiers, not allowed to return to their villages, and punished by being forced to serve as porters on military operations, which are far more dangerous. Female porters have to take along 3,000 kyat with them for fear of punishment. The soldiers often accuse the porters of lost supplies, ask compensation and punish them. According to the local villager, many people get sick after serving as porters. In May 2000, 40 people were admitted to the regional hospital for this reason, which was overcrowded and some patients were sent to Naseik village monastery where the authorities set up a temporary health care. During the last two years, at least 40 villagers have died because of sickness after portering. (Source: TIR)

Note: There are at least 25 battalions of SPDC’s troop assigned for the frontline areas in Tenasserim River region in Tenasserim Division. During and after the SPDC’s troop occupied this area in 1997, the only military transportation was forced local villagers for their transportation needs. Villagers were regularly forced to carry military food and other supplies to those frontline camps. In addition, they were forced as porter for military operations. Being a porter for military operation is danger than being military regular porter. There are three major military camps, where the villagers were forced to transport the military supplies. Those are Htee Hta camp, Katawnni camp and Aungthawara camp.

According to local people from Meelaungchaung village, the people of Ek Ek village tract have had to serve as porters monthly, sending military supplies to Aungthawara.

Villages in this tract were :

1. Ek Ek village 110 households

2. Lebyingyi village 100

3. Kyauktakwa village 100

4. Meelaungchaung village 30

5. Malakachaung 120

Aungthawara is a deserted village on the bank of Tenasserim river now used as front line depot center by SPDC troops. Every month 50 men from Ek Ek, 40 from Kayuktakwa, 40 from Lebyingyi, 12 from Meelaungchaung and 50 from Malakachaung, a total of 192 villagers, are conscripted to Palauk village, to the IB 285 headquarters in Palaw township, Mergui district. Those unable to go have to hire another person at the cost of 7000 kyat per 7-day term. The conscripted porters have to bring their own food for the 7-day trip from Palauk back to Palauk.

The porters are sent to the camp without an escort troop, or SPDC troops to oversee them. Instead, the SPDC sends a list of the supplies along with the porters. Although the villagers care well for the supplies they are carrying, they often meet soldiers from outpost camps or patrolling troops who take whatever they like from the porter’s load. Then when the porters arrive to the depot camp Aungthawara, the officials there check the supply list and fine them for any lost supplies, despite the porters explanation that the supplies were taken from them from soldiers they met on the way. Every trip each village tract pays 50,000 kyat to 100,000 kyat in fines for the supplies taken from soldiers on the way took away which cost them.

At the same time, every month five village tracts in Theyetchaung township have to send their villagers to serve as porters to the Aungthawara depot camp. The total numbers of the porters is usually 1000.

The difficulties the people face serving as porters on the 7-day rough journey are not only fines for missing supplies, but also malaria is a major disease which has killed some of the villages on the journey or after the journey. Most of the people have to treat such sickness at their own expense, in addition to leaving their income work for the 7-9 days of portering. (Source: TIR)

In March 2000, LIBs 407, 408, 409 and 273 began a small operation against a Mon insurgency in Tavoy district, Ye-Phyu Township, Tenasserim Division. These LIB columns captured and used Mon and Tavoy villagers as porters. They captured both women and men for use as porters, and if the porters were unable to carry as they had been ordered, they were tortured and beaten. (Source: THRF)

On April 24, 2000, SPDC Division 33 demanded civilian porters from Tahpohta (Tharabwin) village tract, Tenasserim Division. ‘Pyi Thu Sit’ (SPDC’s village defense force) was unable to find male porters in the area because all the men had escaped after learning of the order. Therefore, the Pyi Thu Sit captured women to fulfill the duty. They captured 43 old and young women from Kin Inn village and 27 from Kaw Daw village and sent them to Tahpohta. Those women were kept waiting at Tahpohta to serve as frontline military porters for Division 33. Tahpohta village situated to the east of Mergui town in Tenasserim Township, Tenasserim Division. Division 33 is a light infantry division, assigned to Tenasserim Division to serve under the control of the Coastal Military Command (CMC). (Source: TIR)

On July 5 2000, the village chairman of Taung-thone-lone village, Tavoy Province, Tenasserim Division provided 15 porters for IB (104). There were about 200 soldiers in that column with 70 porters form other villages. The porters had to carry army ration supplies and artillery shells all weighting about 30 viss for Capt. Tin Win from company No.(1). They started at 8:00 am from Taung-thone-lone for Myit-kan-baw village to which they had to walk for about 6 hours. They acquired 10 more porters there through people’s militia leader U Dar Ba Leh and spent that night at the village called Kin-mon-chone. They had to sleep on the ground and for toilet, the soldier escorted them individually. Smoking was not allowed and they could only whisper as the soldiers scolded them when their voices became loud. A flat bamboo ladle full of rice, without any curry was given as food but at this time with a bit of fish paste. After 4 days of a tiring march to the east, they came to Thu-kha. There were no village on the way and they had to sleep in the jungle. On the way 10 villagers including this witness were beaten because they asked for a rest as they were almost exhausted carrying the heavy loads. They were kicked and stamped with the butt of the guns. (Source: FTUB)

On August 5, 2000, Lt. Col. Min Din from LIB 561 ordered his troops to join the SPDC village militia and capture villagers as military porters. The combined troop captured 30 people from Kywe Htein Gon, 40 from Moseikkwin and brought them back to Nyaungbingwin village in Mergui District of Tenasserim Division where the troops were stationed. (Source: TIR)

In mid-August 2000, SPDC troops forced villagers in Pawklo (Banchaung) and Kamothwe (Kamaungthwe) areas in the east of Tavoy, Tenasserim Division, to transport military food supplies to their frontline camps. SPDC Operation Commanding HQ No.8 ordered its Tactical Command No.2, to take the responsibility of transporting more than 1332 sacks of rice, (One sacks = 50 Kg.), and 5,749 meat cans (one meat can = 1 ounce) from Myitta village to deserted Karen village of Kwe Waw Wa where their force camped. Those food supplies were for three months ration for their frontline troops at Thuka border area. On August 19, 2000 military trucks loaded with the food arrived to Myitta village. To transport the food supply to Burma Army’s Tactical Command No.2, Commander Major Nay Lay forced the villagers from Paungdaw village tract’s in Pawklo (Banchaung) area and Kaw Paw (Myaykanbaw) village tract in Kamothwe area. He demanded 20 engine boats from the Paungdaw village tract and 20 engine boats from Kawpaw village tract to transport the food supplies along the Tenasserim River. According to the order, the village elders were required to send 20 engine boats on August 20, 2000 without fail. The villagers had to bear the cost of fuel and transportation expenses. Besides this, the commander demanded five people from each of the local villages to transport the food supply. Those who did not want to serve had to pay 5,000 kyat in substitution fees, or else hire someone else. The villagers had to carry the food from Myitta to Kwee Waw Wa village, which took one day by foot. Some of the boats which transported the military food supplies were attacked by KNU soldiers on their way and the KNU soldiers destroyed the foods they were transporting. The boat owners who had been forced to transport the military food that had been destroyed, and their respective village s were then held responsible for the lost supplies, and were ordered to repay the army the value of the food that had been destroyed. (Source: TIR)

In November 2000, troops from SPDC LIB 552 and LIB 566 forced villagers to carry food supplies to Chaung-chi army camp, Mergui-Tavoy District. Villagers who were unable to go had to pay 7,000 kyat. (Source: KIC)

On November 2, 2000 a column of 100 men from SPDC IB 17 led by Major Aung Kyaw Than entered Theindaw village, eastern Mergui town, Tenasserim Division. The Major ordered Theindaw village headman U Kyi Shein to arrange 30 porters for his troop. When U Kyi Shein could not find 30 porters as ordered, Aung Kyaw Than ordered his troop to go around the village and capture anyone as porter. That troop captured 75 men and 15 women in Theindaw village and forced them to carry military supplies for their military activities against Myeik Dawai United Front (MDUF). Upon arrival to Kawk Ma Pyin village they captured 20 more villagers and forced them to be porters. During their operation there were two clashes with the MDUF. It was learnt that two porters from Kawk Ma Pyin village died due to illness and beatings by the troops and five female porters from Theindaw village were raped during this military activity. (Source: TIR)

On November 2, 2000, LIB 561 combined with village militia from Nyaung Bin Gwin village arrived to Taket village tract, Tenasserim Township, and captured 50 villagers and took them back to the military camp in Kauk Yo village. Their intention was to make the villagers transport the military supplies. On November 3, 2000, LIB 561 arrived to Thabawleik and Ban Law villages, Mergui District, Tenasserim Division and captured more than 70 villagers and forced them to served as porter to carry their military supplies. (Source: TIR)

On November 8, 2000, a troop of SPDC LIB 101 arrived to Meelaungwin village, Tenasserim township, Mergui district and demanded 80 porters from village headman. The demand was to send the 80 men to their camp not later than November 25 2000. (Source: TIR)

On November 15, 2000, Burma Army’s LIB 561 commander Lt. Col. Min Din informed the villages in Pawat area, Tenasserim township, Mergui district: Tagu, Aleman, Yengangyi, and Shwegenyo villages to send him 900 porters to his battalion headquarters not later than November 25 2000. (Source: TIR)

On November 15 2000, villagers who live in Manorone area village tract, Tenasserim Division were ordered to transport military rations to Chaung Chi outpost Camp on the Thai-Burma border. Those who were unable to serve were required to pay 7000 kyat (about US$ 17.5) in substitution. (Source: TIR)

On November 15, 2000, Burma Army’s LIB 559’s commander Lt. Col. Kyi Shein and LIB 560 commander Lt. Col. Htay Win forced the villagers in Manorone area in Mergui district (who had not served as porter as ordered) to give money instead. The villagers are from Manorone, Klaw Thoo Wow. Lahpoonge, Mukwah, Hkechaung. The officers ordered the village tract chairman U Maung Oo to collect 7,000 kyat from 20 households and sent it to the commanders. Those who unable to give the requested money were taken and forced to serve as porters in the frontline SPDC military camp Ko Thet Loo. A total of 60 men who were unable to pay were taken to the frontline, including 30 men from Manorone, 15 from Taung Nge, 5 form Lahponge, and 10 from Hkechaung. (Source: TIR)

On December 1 and 2, 2000 Battalion Commander Col. Aye Tun of LIB 299, based in the southern part of Ye Township, ordered the village headmen from 11 Mon villages in the southern part of Ye area to send villagers for use as porters. The porters were demanded for LIB 299’s military operation to Paya Thone Zu (Three Pagoda Pass, on the Thai border) where they also planned to deploy a base. The number of requested porters depended on the size, population and household numbers of the villages. He demanded 5 villagers from Koe-mile, 6 from Kalort-gyi, 8 from Hangan, 2 from Ba-round, 4 from Kaw-hlaing, 3 from Singu, 3 from Toe-tet, 4 from Ying-ye, 4 from Yin-dein, 4 from Kabya and 8 from Kapyar village. The commander also demanded 100,000 kyat from these villages for the expense of feeding the porters during their military operation. The deadline to send these porters was December 3, 2000. After the battalion had gathered the required total of 43 civilian porters and collected their porter fees, they left from Ye towards the border, taking trucks as far as Thanbyuzayat town. After this, to avoid ambushes from KNU/KNLA troops, the troops walked and civilian porters had to carry ammunitions and food supplies along the 60-mile Three Pagoda Pass - Thanbyuzayat motor road. During the 3 days it took them to reach the border they were attacked twice by KNU/KNLA troops. No porters were killed, and some soldiers were injured. After arrival, LIB 299 transferred the porters to LIB 343, which needed to return to Ye township. When LIB 343 returned to Ye township, the 43 porters were not released and were forced to carry ammunitions and food supplies for LIB 343 again for another 3 days to reach their battalion base in the northern part of Ye township. The porters were used for two battalions and were taken for over one week for their homes, yet the battalions never provided them with any payment. The NMSP sent a complaint letter to the appropriate Strategic Commander of IB 61 and pointed out the order issued from MOI dated October 27, which had banned the use of forced labor, and send a copy to Southern Command. However, NMSP received no reply. (Source: HURFOM)

Sex: Male

Age: 30 Yr.

Ethnicity: Burmese

Occupation: Farmer

Religion: Buddhist

Father’s name U Chit Tin, Daw Ohn Shwe

Address: Chaung Wa Byin village, Thayetchaung township, Tavoy District, Tenasserim Division

Date of Interview: June 26, 2000

Source: TIR

I and three other villagers from my village started to serve as intern (regular) porters on May 3, 2000. We, along with other villagers from neighboring villages, were sent to the Light Infantry Battalion 404 base in Thechaung Gyi village. There, more than two hundreds porters had already arrived at that military camp. On May 4, we, more than two hundred porters, were forced to carry military food supplies from Thecahung Gyi to the east of Thayetchaung township to Katawnni village where the Operation Commending HQ No.9 based. 

Only the porters traveled, there were no soldiers guarding us. When we left, the SPDC authorities gave us the list of the supplies we had to carry. When we arrived to the destination camp, the SPDC soldiers inspected the load and the list. If the list do not match with the load, we, the porters would face severe action. The SPDC soldiers punish porters by kicking, beating, and punching. In addition, if the list did not match the load, when the porters arrived back to their village they have to pay in compensation double the value of the losses. Therefore, there is no easy way being a porter. We have to carry our own food while serving as porter. Some villagers (porters) have their own food to carry, but some who have difficulty to earn their living can not. Porters are not allowed to take any bit of the military food they are carrying. Therefore, some poor villagers who could not carry their own food have taken a small amount of the military food to eat on the way. Those who have done this did face the SPDC’s official punishment. Also, it is often the case that other SPDC patrols take what food they want from the porters, or that KNU troops confiscate or destroy the food the porters are transporting. If this happens, the porters are still held responsible for the lost supplies.

After the term of service, porters are allowed to return to their villages. However, anytime during the term, there is the possibility that SPDC soldiers will conscript the porters to act as front line porters. I and U Aung Than, 47 yr. were conscripted as frontline porters after we arrived to Katawnni village.  On May 10, we left from Katawnni village with 50 porters, following a military column of Light Infantry Battalion 376 to Htee Hta village in the east Tenasserim Riverside. Each porter was forced to carry 24 Kilograms of rice, three milk-cans, three meat-cans, and two bottles of fuel (One and half Litre. 2 kilo. weigh included bottle). From Katawnni to Htee Hta it took four days walking on foot. Some porters who walked slow and did not catch up to the military column were beaten, kicked, and punched. Those who got sick had no chance to rest. After we arrived to Htee Hta we were not allowed to return. Instead, we were further used as military field porters. Those who got sick did not receive any treatment from the military. Instead, we had to buy from the soldiers at the price of 5 kyat for one Paracitamol tablet. Those who had no money had no chance to get any medicine. In the camp, malaria and sickness was severe and people died almost every day. My fellow U Aung Than died at Htee Htan camp because he had contracted malaria and was unable to get any treatment. 

I stayed at Htee Hta camp for more than ten days. Every day we were forced to work for the soldiers, clearing the bushes around the camp. On May 31, the troops from Operation Commanding HQ No.8 arrived to the camp and we the porters were forced to go along with the Operation troops. Commanding HQ No.9 left for Myitta village. On June 4, we arrived in Myitta village. On that day, I ran away because I feared that they may again force me to serve as a porter. After I ran away, I decided not to return to my village because I had not received the recommendation sheet from the military which stated that I had done my porter duty. If I had returned without this paper the village SPDC authority would have accused me of running from my porter duty, arrested me and forced me to serve as porter again. Therefore, I decided to come to Thailand and try to earn my living for a while.

Name: Daw Hla Sein

Sex: Female

Age: 52

Ethnicity: Tavoy

Religion: Buddhist

Address: Tha-Jet-Tal village, LaungLon Township, Tavoy District

Date of Interview: Mid-2000

Source: THRF

Q:Why did you flee to the Thai- Burma border?

A: The reason I fled is that I cannot survive in my village.

Q: Can you explain why you cannot survive in your village?

A: All right!

In my hometown there are two Burmese battalions, LIB 25 and 104, which give trouble to us villagers. These soldiers take the villagers as force laborers, and they order the villagers to porter for military affairs too. We have to work without payment, food or medical care. We have to bring our own food to work for them. We have to work on their rubber plantations, coconut oil plantations and on road construction. The rubber plantation is 500 acres, and is near Tal-Shee village, beside the LaungLon - Tavoy highway. The coconut oil plantation is near the rubber plantation.

Q: Are women, children and old people included in this forced labor?

A: Sure! Most of the forced laborers are children, women and old people because the men have to work for family survival. Before I left my home village, I had to work on the LaungLon- Tavoy highway construction.

Q: When you go to work, do the military authorities ever pay money?

A: Never. We have to bring our own supplies including medicine. If someone is injured they don’t pay for any treatment. If someone stops working because of injury, the soldier don’t even him or her stop. Sometimes they beat if someone stops working. As I was scared, I dared not to stop when worked, even though I felt tired and sore. I restrained my pain.

Q: Besides taking villagers for forced labor, is there any arresting of porters for military affairs?

A: Sure, there is. Sometimes I don’t know where they take our villagers. There are two categories of taking porters as forced laborers for the military. One is as permanent porters and the other is as porters by turn. We have to provide two porters as permanent porters. The Chairperson of the village administration committee has the responsibility to collect the money to hire these two permanent porters. Every house has to pay for between 200 -800 kyats for this, depending on the family situation. My family had to give 400 kyats. Even widow families weren’t exempt from paying these porter fees. Even though our village had provided two porters for the military, if the soldiers asked for more porters we had to provide them with more. For example, if there are military operations in our region, more troops come and we have to provide some porters. So the families in my village, by turn, are chosen to go in a lucky draw. If the family wins the lucky draw, this family has to send a member to go as a porter for military affairs. If the family can not go, they gave to hire some body. The price for hiring porters is around 20,000 to 25,000 kyat. These are temporary porters. Sometimes troops come to our village and arrest all the people they see as porters. They arrest more than they need because they want to make money. For example, if they need 3 people as porters they arrest 10 or 11, and then make the others pay for their release. We have to (regularly) pay porter fees twice a month. I already mentioned that my family paid 400 kyats per time, so it was a total of 800 kyats in a month. Yet although we pay porter fees, we are not free from arrest as porter. We must run when they arrest porters.

Q: In conclusion, please share with us any other thoughts you have

A: Its so hard to hear how we, as old people, have to flee to the border. The root cause is the oppression of the military rule. On the way to the border my husband died because of sickness. After my husband died, I had to rely on other people. I have faced so many troubles and difficulties. As you know, everybody is suffering from numerous hardships on the border. Although I left from my native land to escape horrible oppression, I am still in trouble. I would like to urge all to please collaborate and topple these soldiers who are creating such bad things.

Name: Aung Kyaw Phru

Age: 37

Sex: Male

Ethnicity: Arakan

Religion: Buddhist

Occupation: Farmer

Family situation: Married with 5 children

Address: A Pauk Wa village, Kauktaw township, Arakan State

Date of Interview: September 2000

Source: Arakan Liberation Party

I have 4 children and earn my living as a farmer. My children go to school and the family depends upon my income. Including this last time, I have been forced to work on long term forced labor projects nine times.

The times that I have had to go and work without pay on short term forced labor projects at LIB 374, and 375, which are based in Kyauk Taw are unaccountable.

Those who do not want to be taken along on long term forced labor projects have to pay 7,000 kyats and those who can’t pay the fine are told they will be jailed for six months. As no one from my family could go, I paid 7,000 kyats each time for two periods.

Those who couldn’t travel far were made to work on the maintenance of the barracks, digging trenches and cleaning the compound and the perimeters of the military compound.

Men were made to clear jungle undergrowth for roads, find routes for the road, dig earth, look for gravel, and look for and carry bamboo and wood for constructing bridges. The work started at 7 in the morning, lunch break was from 12:00 to 12:45 and then we had to work again until 5 in the evening. Food had to be brought by the people.

I usually had to work 30 to nearly sixty days on forced labor projects. This last time, I was forced to work from July 9 until the time I ran away with Kyaw Tun Aung on the 26th of August 2000.

Name: "Than Htun"

Sex: Male

Age: 46

Ethnicity: Karen

Religion: Buddhist

Occupation: Laborer

Family Status: Married, three children aged 5 to 12 years old

Address: xxxx section, Mandalay Date of Interview: June 2000

Source: KHRG

Q: Can you tell me how you arrived here?

A: I was sentenced to prison for a year because I gave someone a bicycle as collateral to borrow money. I did it for a friend, but it was a stolen bicycle. My friend had brought someone’s bicycle with him and said, "Ko Gyi [Big Brother], pawn this bicycle for me, it is my bicycle." I believed him and did it for him. My friend was a Burman named aaaa. He is about 18 or 19 years old. The police came and arrested me because it was a stolen bicycle, and they accused me of profiting from stolen goods. I was punished by being sent to prison for a year. My friend also had to go to prison in Mandalay. I had stayed there for seven months already, but at the beginning of the eighth month, they sent me here because I could not give any money. They [the Army] came and called us from the prison.

Q: What did you have to do in prison?

A: When I was in prison I had to dig the ground and plant and water flowers, cabbages and other vegetables. Those are the only things we had to do in prison.

Q: Could you eat what you had planted?

A: Yes, they cooked them for other people. We had enough food in prison, but it was not very good food.

Q: Did they beat and kick the prisoners?

A: Yes, they beat and kicked people if they didn’t listen to orders. They asked the other prisoners to beat us.

Q: Did the Army or the Police take you from the prison?

A: All of the prisons sent prisoners, so there were around 500 people. They divided us and sent 25 people to each battalion.

Q: How much money did you have to give to not go?

A: If we could give 5,000 or 10,000 kyat, we didn’t need to go. In two more months I would have been released. I was to be released after ten months because they had decreased my sentence. I just needed to stay there for two months to be released, but they sent me here.

Q: Where did they divide you?

A: After we left the prison, we went to the Army camp to be divided. They gathered all the prisoners from Mandalay and Meiktila prisons together. There were about 500 prisoners at that time. They divided us at Pa’an Won Saung 2. They divided all of us and gave us to the Army units, so the Army units took us and ordered us to carry loads over the mountains. They ordered us to carry shells, bullets and rations. If we could not climb up the mountains, they beat and abused us. Some of the porters’ arms were broken and one porter died at that time.

Q: How heavy was your load?

A: We had to carry 30 or 40 viss [48.99 kgs / 108 lbs or 65.32 kgs / 144 lbs]. We had to carry shells, bullets and bags of rice. There are about 8 bowls of rice in a bag [12.504 kgs / 27.56 lbs].

Q: Did they take the bags of rice from the villagers or their Army camp?

A: They got those bags of rice from over there [the Army camp they left from] as their rations. After we arrived at their Army camp, they ordered us to gather all the paddy from the Karen villagers’ hill fields and to take it to the top of the mountain. They ordered us to pound that rice on the top of the mountain.

Q: How many soldiers were in the unit you went with?

A: There were approximately 200 soldiers. That is including the majors, captains and sergeants. There were 25 [prisoner] porters for them and 25 villagers carried for them also.

Q: Do you know the names of any of the soldiers?

A: We don’t know and we couldn’t ask their names because if we asked their names they scolded us and asked us why and slapped our faces. They shouted at us, "Ma Aye Loe [Motherfucker]. Do what we order and what you need to."

Q: Were you the only Karen among the prisoner porters?

A: Yes, among the 25 prisoners I was the only Karen person, but I stayed with the Pa Tee [Uncles; a Karen term referring to middle-aged men] and villagers on the way. Those Pa Tee and villagers ran to escape also. They were the Karen people who stayed in some of the villages here. They were also captured by the Army unit.

Q: They had prisoners already, but they also took villagers?

A: Yes, they also captured people from the villages. They were mostly men. They had also called women to go with them and at one time they had over 50 women with them. There were 25 or 30 women with them from the villages and they were ordered to carry rice bags. At the monastery where their Byu Ha [Operations Command] camp is, they released them. The soldiers did not order them to carry through the forest, but they ordered them to carry through the villages and took them from those villages. The name of the village where they took the women is Ngan Kyeh village, but I’m not sure exactly because I have never been here before. It sounded like Ngan Kyeh village, but I’m not sure. It is very far from here to the west. It is a Karen village.

Q: Did they call those women or capture them?

A: They went and talked with the village head first. Some people didn’t want to go, but they were forced to go. They had to continue carrying for three days until they arrived at the place where there were no villages and then they were released to go. The men had to continue carrying to there. The women asked the villagers in the village where they were released to send them back step by step through each village.

Q: How did the women sleep?

A: They told the women to sleep in the same place [in the same temporary camp] but separate from them [the soldiers]. Their soldiers guarded next to that place.

Q: Did you hear if they raped any of the women?

A: I don’t know because we had to sleep in a different place from the women.

Q: What were the ages of the women porters?

A: Most of the women were between 30 and 40 years old, but there were some 18, 19 and 20 year olds. Most of the young women were 18 or 19 years old.

Q: What about the men?

A: The youngest of the men were 20 or 25 years old. There were no very old porters.

Q: How old were the oldest porters?

A: The soldiers did not care about the age. They even saw an old man with two children and they ordered the two children to stay away and pulled the old man to go with them. Those children were left there crying. It was in one of the Karen villages. That old man was about 60 years old, but they took him as a guide to show the way and ordered him to carry two backpacks. They thought that if they are comfortable, then that is fine for them. They shouted at the children to leave the old man, so the children were afraid and crying. When they arrived at their camp they released him. We felt sorrow for them [the two children] when we came.

Q: How far did you walk?

A: The distance was very far because it was a whole day’s walk. We had to start walking in the morning and set up a small camp in the evening.

Q: Did they only feed you boiled rice?

A: Yes, we only had boiled rice. They didn’t put salt in the rice, they just boiled it. It was tasteless. They fed each of us just a small tin of that boiled rice. They fed us one time in the morning and another time in the evening.

Q: Did you have to boil the rice yourself?

A: We had to pound it and boil it ourselves. The rice we pounded, we also had to cook for them. After we cooked rice for them, if they asked us to put the rice in their bowls, we had to do that also. They just washed their hands and ate. After they ate, we had to wash their bowls, gather them and put them in the right place. They were very rude because at that time we were in their hands so we had to fear them and couldn’t stay without fearing them. If we didn’t fear them they slapped our faces and we couldn’t speak anything against them. We had to do what they said and stay where they let us stay.

Q: Did they burn down any villages?

A: After we passed through the villages, we heard that the soldiers burned them down. After we fled, that man [indicating another porter who fled later] told us they had burned down the villages. I don’t know the names of the villages, but they are just on the other side of this hill. There are some small houses they burned down. They didn’t burn down the villages when we were with them.

Q: Did they go into the villages and steal things?

A: Yes, they stole, ate, beat and demanded people, even women.

Q: What about the chickens?

A: They stole the chickens to eat. Even if they had asked, those Karen people could not understand or speak Burmese, so they just caught the chickens, cooked them and ate them. We had to cut and cook them for the soldiers, but we could not eat it [the chickens].

Q: Did they shoot any villagers?

A: They didn’t shoot any villagers, but they did scold the villagers and shouted at them.

Q: Did they rape any women in the villages?

A: We did not see that in front of us, but maybe they did it in a secret place. Their behavior and attitude was awful and they never had pity or a sympathetic heart. They [the Army] say the Army was founded by civilians, but they are not of the civilians because they only know how to oppress the people and to use their anger. They are carrying guns, so they want people to stay under their hands and do whatever they demand without thinking and eat what they provide without question. They always behave like that so we can’t do anything about it.

Q: Did the soldiers try to frighten you when you went with them?

A: Yes, they threatened us, like: "If you run to escape, the Karen Nga Pway [‘Ringworm’ - a derogatory term used by the SPDC soldiers when referring to the KNU or KNLA] will kill you and we also will shoot to kill you if you run. Ma Aye Loe Dway! [Motherfuckers!] Be careful with yourselves, you don’t need to think about going to run." If two people were standing up to urinate together not far from each other, they kicked us and shouted at us, "None of you stand up." They did not allow us to stand up. If they allowed one of us to urinate, we had to stand up very close to them to urinate. They did not allow us to urinate at the same time. They allowed us to urinate only one at a time. You can’t go very far to urinate, you have to urinate very close to your sleeping place. If we wanted to urinate while we were walking with them we had to wait until we reached the place where we sat down.

Q: Did the porters walk separately from the soldiers or between the soldiers?

A: They put a soldier between two of the porters while they were walking. Some of the soldiers went ahead and didn’t carry their backpacks with them. For us, we had to follow the group that went ahead of us and if we could not follow them they beat us with the butts of their guns, kicked us with their boots and slapped our faces.

Q: How many hours did they walk between breaks?

A: At first, we would get time for a break after walking two or three hours. After we came to this area it wasn’t the same. We couldn’t take a break, just carry up and down, up and down over the mountains. If we could not walk and joined them late, they ordered their soldiers to wait for a while, but we did not have a break time [once the porter group caught up with the rest of the soldiers, they just continued walking].

Q: Did they wait for you when you couldn’t carry?

A: Some people who were carrying were very far behind and faced problems, so they asked us to wait but the battalion commander told the commander to start walking again and we had to start again. We did not have much time to take a rest. We just waited a while and then started again. We did not have a special time to take a rest.

Q: Did anyone get sick when you were portering?

A: Yes, there were some sick people who were staying on the top of the hill [at the Army camp]. They threw the dead down the hill. The soldiers also left some people along the way because they couldn’t go on anymore, such as the people they had beaten and their arms were broken. We don’t know the people whose arms were broken, but there were two of them and they were from Meiktila Prison. The soldiers had beaten them with the butts of their guns. If people collapsed on the mountain, they beat them.

Q: Did they give you medicines if you asked for them?

A: They didn’t give us medicine or treat us. We went to ask them for some medicine to drink or smear on our wounds. My back is broken and split like this because I had to carry a lot of shells and because I am a Karen. If other people had to carry five shells each, I had to carry seven shells. They told me it was because of my Karen people that they had to face problems and the said, "Nga Loe Ma, Nga Pway, better to die!" [‘I fucked your mother, Ringworm’; Ringworm being the derogatory term used by the SPDC Army for the KNLA or KNU] I had to face problems even though I have no contact with the KNU, so I could not tolerate it anymore and I thought if we have to die, we will. Three of us then ran down the hill and passed through some very thick brush and crossed this river [the Moei River, border with Thailand].

Q: Did they give the soldiers medicine?

A: They said they did. We carried medicine for the soldiers who got sick. One of their Saya Gyi [‘Big Teachers’, i.e. senior officers or Non-Commissioned Officers] told us, "This is not for you, if you want to die, you die. We already see you as dead people."

Q: Do you know how many porters were left on the way?

A: There were two porters whose arms were broken and one porter whose forehead was cracked and another who was sick.

Q: How did the porter crack his forehead?

A: They said he fell down, but some porters said the soldiers had beaten him with the butt of a gun. The sergeant told the battalion commander he collapsed off the top of the mountain and his forehead was cracked, but really they beat him and it was broken. Because as we were carrying everything on our shoulders, if we collapsed accidentally off the mountain, our entire body would be broken also, not only our forehead.

Q: Do you know the name of the dead porter?

A: I don’t know the name of the dead porter because he was from a different prison. As for us, they took us to their Army camp and on the way ordered us to carry paddy from the villagers’ fields or huts. They ordered us to pound it for them after we had dug holes in the ground [to use as mortars to pound the rice in]. They fed us boiled rice and ordered us horribly.

Q: Did they tell you they would release you when you arrived at their Army camp?
A: Yes, they said they would release us as soon as they arrived at their Army camp, but when they arrived there, they said, "If we have to stay for 6 or 8 months, you also have to stay with us and you can go back when we go back." I just had two months left before completing my punishment but now I’d have to stay for 6 or 8 months there, it would be extra. As for the extra time, it would be better to run and escape because staying there I was starving and had nothing to eat or drink and my wounds on my back were very painful. Because my back was cut and very painful, I thought it better to run, so I organized some friends and three of us ran to here.

Q: How many days did you have to carry as a porter before you escaped?

A: We had to carry for 9 or 10 days if you include sleeping in the villages. They let us sleep separately from them, but when we started travelling, they ordered us to sleep together under the monastery.

Q: Which monastery?

A: One of the Karen monasteries, but we don’t know its name because we have never been here before. When we arrived at this Army camp [Pu Lu Dtu Army camp] we didn’t have huts, but they had tents with them. They gave us a very small piece of plastic sheet and we had to cover ourselves with that while sitting together in the same place. We had to sit with bent heads in the rain until morning arrived.

Q: Did they guard you when you were sleeping?

A: When they were sleeping they had some guards for their security. We couldn’t urinate when we wanted to or shit as we wanted to. They stopped us and were oppressive like that. If we wanted to urinate, we had to do it in the place where we were sitting. As for shitting, we had to do it in a plastic bag and throw it in the forest the next morning.

Q: Can you tell me how you escaped?

A: They had ordered us to cut bamboo and when they started to patrol on their operation to fight the rebels [KNLA], they asked us to carry paddy and heavy things. They were staying at the top of the hill and carried nothing themselves, and if we couldn’t carry they beat us. After we arrived at the top, they kicked us with their boots and beat and swore at us and asked us to dig holes in the ground and to pound the paddy for them. After that we had to boil the rice and had a small tin of boiled rice to eat, but they ate the rice which we had pounded. That is why we ran, we knew we were going to die soon and we couldn’t tolerate it anymore. If our wounds became worse and we asked for medication, they said, "Die if you have to, but we do not have medicine for you. We only have enough for our soldiers. We see you as dead people."

Q: Did they have a medic?

A: Yes, they have medics among the soldiers, but they did not give any medicine for our wounds. Afterwards we could not tolerate that so when they ordered us to carry water for them and pointed where to go, we thought, if they are going to shoot, let them shoot, and we ran down the hill quickly.

Q: Where?

A: At the frontline camp over there. We don’t know the name of the camp, but we slept there for two nights. After we slept there for two nights, we started to run down to here.

Q: How many people escaped with you?

A: Three of us, but another friend fled after we escaped because he couldn’t stay there anymore also. Four of us arrived here, but five or eight people ran from the top of that mountain. There are only three or four people still in the Army camp.

Q: Can you tell me the names of your friends?

A: They are "Naung Soe", "Tin Hla", "Myo Lwin" and "Than Htun" [not their real names; see other interviews]. Two of us are single and two of us are married. "Naung Soe" has a child and I have three children. All of us came here at the same time. One of us is a Kalah [an Indian], one is Karen and two are Burman. Three of us are from Mandalay Prison and the other one, "Naung Soe", is from Meiktila Prison.

Q: Did they see you escape and try to find you?

A: They told us that if they found us, they would kill us. They tried to find us, but we were afraid so we hid in some bushes. It took us one day of walking to come here. We started to run at 12:00 noon and arrived here in the evening.

Q: How do you feel about the KNLA now as opposed to what the Burmese told you?

A: If we compare them [the SPDC soldiers], the people here [the KNLA] are much better. They have more pity and sympathy than them [the SPDC soldiers] and treat us like their family. Really, they [the Burmese soldiers] are very bad and only have the attitude to oppress and torture us because they have guns in their arms. They never think about how to feed people, just how to force us to work. They kept us like cows and dogs, but the people here [the Karen resistance and villagers] do not divide us by our skin or appearance. They just deal with us as their siblings and eat, sleep and live in equality and they have good hearts.

Q: How were you treated when you arrived here?

A: We have had a good time here with the Karen people because as soon as we arrived, they called us here and gave us clothes and fed us rice. They cooked us enough rice to feed us and then gave us a very comfortable place to stay. They gave us some medicines for our wounds also. We have a good bed to sleep on. They have given us a good place because they have good character, they treat us as people from their country and do not separate us, they have pity on us.

Q: What do you plan to do now?

A: I think I will ask for help from the people here and then go back to my place.

Q: Do you dare to go back?

A: Yes, I have to go back whether they arrest me again or not, because if I stay here, one day I will die. I can’t be happy or provide for my family because my wife’s health is not good and she has heart disease. My eldest son is just 12 years old, the next one is 8 years old and my daughter is 5 years old and all of them have to beg from other people to eat. They can’t go to school and had to leave school because their mother has heart disease and she doesn’t have any relatives in the town she moved to. My wife lives in xxxx. My parents-in-law live in yyyy [village], Monywa [Sagaing Division] and it is very far from there [Mandalay]. My parents live in zzzz [in the Irrawaddy Delta] and I live in xxxx and they are very far from each other so we can’t contact each other.

Q: What will you do for a living when you go back?

A: I am a ground digger. When people want to build a building, I have to dig the holes for the posts. I got 300 kyat per day for it and it is just enough for a day. I never have extra money because goods over there are very expensive. For one ‘bowl’ of rice it is 170 or 180 kyat. We have to buy rice and other food to eat so that money is really not enough for us. The price is going up so we can only afford a little bit of food for ourselves.

Q: What do you think your wife and children are doing now?

A: The news I heard when I was in prison before I came here was that they have to beg from other people’s houses for leftover rice and rice soup. I had thought that it would be better if I could be released, so I didn’t care what happened to me and agreed with them to go to the place they sent me. The Army and the officials said as soon as we arrived there after carrying loads for them, they would release us. When we came there [to the Army camp] they told us that if they had to stay for eight months then we also had to stay for eight months. We could go back when they could go back. They didn’t release us to go back, but tortured us and gave us only boiled rice without salt in a small tin. They beat us and we didn’t have any medicine to heal our wounds and we could not sleep very well. If it rained, the plastic sheet they provided for us was not enough to cover ourselves and they didn’t make a hut for us. We just had to sit like that. It was also not easy to urinate or shit. We thought that it was the same as being dead, and it would be better to escape, so we made up our minds and ran to here. Every time I think about my family, I see my troubles and that my children are faced with troubles too, so I thought, if I have to die, it is better to die after I have had some good rice. We didn’t care whether the Nga Pway [KNLA] killed us or not, so we struggled to run here.

Q: How will you go back?

A: We really want to go back, but after arriving here we didn’t know which way we had to go. We don’t know the way, so we don’t have any ideas about how to go back. All of us rely on the Bo Gyi [one of the KNLA officers] and do what he asks us to do. If he has work he asks us to do it, but we apologized to him and asked him to send us back and to show us the way.

Q: Do you think the Army or the Police will arrest you again?

A: I need to stay two more months in prison, so maybe they will arrest me again, but at the moment, because of my wife’s health and the problems my children are facing, I would go back even if they arrest me. I don’t want to die here without any benefit, so I decided in my heart that I would go back. When I started to come here I was unhappy and when I arrived there [at the Army camp] I also had to face many problems, so I thought nothing was different there. Before, I tried to be patient and work for them [the SPDC soldiers] as I could and they said they would release us when we arrived at their Army camp, so I worked for them for two days at their Army camp also. I did everything they asked me to do.

Q: What was the situation when you were staying in the town?

A: When we stayed in the town all the civilians had to work to afford meals and if we were tired from working and drank alcohol and got rowdy and made noise, the police would come and arrest us. They sent us to court and sentenced us to jail. Sometimes when we were late in coming back from work and it was dark, they accused us of Maung Yake Koe Muh [committing a crime by doing something in the dark of night] and then arrested us again. All of the civilians have to face problems and we have to work hard jobs to earn money, so sometimes we get tired and came back late from drinking. Like me, I am a ground digger and sometimes I drink alcohol, then they said I was drunk and annoying people so they took me to the police station and sentenced me to jail. The police arrest us and send us to jail and when we arrive at the jail, they send us to work camps and order us to do what they want us to do. Some of the Chinese people can give money, so they have good places to sleep in the jail, but for the people who do not have money, they have to sleep on the floor with no mat. I would like to say that as we are human, we would like them to have sympathy and pity and do not divide the ethnic groups in our country and let all of us stay with love and peace.

Q: What else do you want to tell to other countries about your feelings?

A: If I give my thoughts freely about the SPDC, I don’t think they rule the country peacefully and with equality. They do not have pity on the people and do not act like parents towards us. Why do I speak like this? Because they are Thu Min Thu Kyin [‘their government for themselves’, the government helps only itself]. When they call the civilians, they don’t need to oppress them. If they need help, they just have to ask for help, but instead of asking, they torture, abuse and make problems for the civilians. They live, eat and sleep in very good conditions but we do not get good food to eat, just boiled rice, and we were beaten and made to carry very heavy loads. We want to ask them to have pity in their hearts, sympathy, see our needs and to change their rules and laws.

Q: What else do you want to say?

A: We have never liked this government because they don’t have good behavior like our parents. They are the high leaders but they oppress the grassroots people, so we can’t agree with this government. We don’t like their policies also because they do what they want to do. They think they have power and weapons and they will do what they want and demand from the people what they want, beat as they want and kill as they like. They have this policy of no sympathy for other people, and we can’t agree with the policy.

Q: Do you have anything else?

A: I don’t have anything else to tell.

Q: Thank you very much.

A: Thank you.

Name: "Than Aung"

Sex: Male

Age: 28

Ethnicity: Burman

Religion: Buddhist

Occupation: Day Laborer

Marital Status: Married, two children, ages 1 and 3 years old

Address: xxxx section, Pegu town, Pegu Division

Date of Interview: July 2000

Source: KHRG

[He had been a prisoner in Lashio Prison in Shan State. He was interviewed after escaping from portering in Dooplaya District.](HRDU note: for first part of interview regarding prison conditions in Lashio prison please refer to the chapter on arbitrary arrest and detention)

Q: Did you come to porter after you were in prison?

Q: How did you know it was Won Saung 1?

A: All the people from the prisons called it that. I saw it written, "Won Saung 1."

Q: How many prisoners came from Lashio to porter?

A: There were 150 prisoners. They limited the number of prisoners from Lashio who had to come to be porters. There are 150 in a group.

Q: Couldn’t you say something?

A: We couldn’t. We also didn’t have any money to pay [to get out of having to go].

Q: When they wrote down the names in the register, was there anyone who didn’t go?

A: Many people wanted to go. When they called us they said if the sentence was for one year, it would be reduced by four months. They told us, "We are releasing you from prison." After they said that, we were confused. We thought they had released us, but later it wasn’t true. They shackled our feet with iron chains and took us by truck. The car looked like a pig truck [trucks commonly used to transport pigs in Burma]. They closed the door and took us. There were 22 prisoners in each truck. There were no soldiers guarding us, there were three guards from the prison. They didn’t allow us to go to the toilet. They gave us one plastic bag for each of us and the one who had to go asked for it from them and we had to go inside. After we finished we had to throw it out, beside the car road.

Q: Did the prison give you anything when you left?

A: Lashio Prison gave us one blanket, one tarpaulin, the standard flat plate and slippers. They also gave us two sets of prisoner’s uniforms. They were not the ones we had worn in prison. They gave us blue uniforms when we went out [prisoners in Burma usually wear white uniforms].

Q: Did you bring the uniform here?

A: No, I didn’t bring it. The villagers were worried the Army would see the blue colour of the prisoner’s uniform, so they gave us civilian clothes and asked us to burn the uniforms.

Q: Do you have the blanket and plate?

A: I didn’t bring them. The warders at Pa’an Won Saung 1 confiscated it all.

Q: Please continue telling about it.

A: We arrived at Won Saung 1 at night and then they took off our feet chains. The dawn came while they were still taking them off. That morning, after they had finished taking them off, we had to follow the battalion.

Q: Were there other prisoners from other prisons like you at Won Saung 1 when you arrived?

A: Yes, there were. Some were from the 100 prisoners sent from Mandalay. They sent at least 100 prisoners from the other prisons, some form Moulmein. There were all about 500 prisoners there.

Q: Were there any political prisoners who went with you to porter?

A: No, they didn’t include the political prisoners.

Q: What was the most common offence among the prisoners?

A: Drug offences.

Q: Were there any Army deserters among the prisoners?

A: Yes, there were. There were about 20 from Lashio Prison. They are still staying with the column because they don’t dare to run away.

Q: Continue telling about it.

Q: What did you have to carry?

A: They said the load I had to carry was mines. They were shaped like a rectangle [claymore mines, command detonated mines used to spring ambushes or for perimeter defences at camps]. They put 12 mines in my basket and put in 5 bowls of rice on top [7.815 kgs / 17.225 lbs]. I think it weighed about 20 viss [32 kgs / 70 lbs]. I couldn’t carry it. I couldn’t stand up myself with the basket. We asked them to hold it up so we could stand up.

Q: When did you leave from there to go porter?

Q: Do you know the battalion you had to go with?

Q: How many porters went with LIB #708?

A: There were about 50 prisoner porters who went with #708 [LIB]. There were only 7 porters in our column and about 180 soldiers. [SPDC battalions regularly divide into columns when on operations. His column had only 7 porters but many more soldiers. The battalion took 50 porters with them in all.]

Q: Who led the convict porters?

A: He is a soldier with 3 chevrons on his arm and one small star [sergeant major]. I didn’t know his name.

Q: How did the soldiers treat you?

A: At first, when they called us, they treated us well. They told us to live and eat as they did, but when we started to carry from Kya In Seik Gyi, they kicked our buttocks. When we couldn’t climb or follow them, they beat us.

Q: How did they feed you? Did you eat as the soldiers ate or separately?

A: They fed us separately and there was not enough. After one plate of rice we couldn’t get any more. There was only 1 milk tin of rice [a condensed milk tin] for three people. They fed us sometimes with raw fish-paste and sometimes with beans. They cooked for themselves in their mess tins. For us, they put it in an aluminium pot for each group of seven people. We ate little, but they ate well.

Q: Did anyone get sick?

A: Yes. People went to ask them for medicine, but they didn’t give it. Sometimes, when the porters had a serious fever, they were given half a tablet, but that was all. Some people couldn’t walk.

Q: What happened to the people who couldn’t walk?

A: When you couldn’t walk, they punched, beat you with a stick and kicked you from behind. I not only saw this, I suffered it myself.

Q: When could you take a rest in the jungle?

A: They didn’t have a time limit. If it was dark, we slept. We slept in the jungle. When we slept, the prisoners had to sleep in one group. After we were asleep, they took security beside us. If it rained while we slept, we didn’t have a tarpaulin. We had to sleep like that on the earth, on the grass. As for the soldiers, they built a shelter with their tarpaulin and they were comfortable. When their soldiers rested, I had to fetch water and cook. After they got up in the early morning at 5 a.m., they queued their troops and I had to carry the basket of mines again.

Q: What about when you had to pass urine or stool?

A: We had to do it there [where they sat].

Q: Did they say they would give you any money?

A: They told us they would give us 100 kyat per day, but I don’t know if they [the other porters] got it. I don’t think they [the porters still with the column] will get it. There were big brothers who were imprisoned before us and some of them came back and said they didn’t get it.

Q: How many days did you have to carry for?

A: For two days.

Q: Tell me about the person who died on the path.

A: He was a Chinese sent from Lashio. I don’t know his name. He was a drug offender, but I don’t know his sentence. At first he was also carrying. He carried whatever they forced him to carry, but he couldn’t do it. They kicked, punched and beat him. Later, when he couldn’t carry any longer, they kicked his head and beat him with a gun. He fell down and was shaking. They tried to force him to carry but he couldn’t. When they couldn’t force him to carry at all, they kicked him with their heels. I passed him at that time. We asked the porters who came behind us, "Is there a young brother who fell behind?" They said he was dead. The porters said it to each other, I didn’t see it [see also interviews #4, #7, and #1].

Q: Were there civilian porters also?

A: I didn’t see that. They had some big weapons, very big. It looked like a blowpipe [a large mortar, probably 120mm]. They carried them on bullock carts which they demanded from Kya In Seik Gyi village. They also carried very big bombs and rice sacks. The column demanded 2 or 3 bullock carts. The villagers were not happy to go [the bullock cart owners have to go along to drive the carts].

Q: Why weren’t they happy?

A: When they couldn’t drive their bullock up a hill, the soldiers behind them said, "Drive like you mean it." Sometimes the nose harnesses [ropes through the bullocks’ noses used to pull them] broke, but the bullock still didn’t go. The Burmese forced them to work, they forced them to drive. They said, "If it is going to die, kill it and eat it."

Q: Did you see the soldiers give them any money?

A: I didn’t see that.

Q: Where did you arrive at?

Q: What happened after you lost consciousness?

A: I lost consciousness in the evening, after 6 p.m. It was a little dark. When I regained consciousness in the morning I was in the flat fields and there were some huts. The big brothers from the huts in the flat fields helped me. One of them told me, "Yesterday we saw you on the path and brought you here." When he saw that I was wearing the blue prison uniform, he asked me, "Are you a Won Dan [‘servant’, meaning porter]?" I told him he was right and I explained my story to him. He asked me, "What are you going to do? Do you dare to go back the way you came?" They [the soldiers] had beat me and I was in pain, so I couldn’t go anywhere. He said, "You can’t stay here any longer. Their troops are moving about. If they know about you, they will kill you." That big brother gave me his torn shirt and sarong. He burned my prison uniform.

Q: What was their nationality?

A: They were Karen. They were talking in their own language and when I regained consciousness they fed me rice and medicine. In the village they said, "The soldiers also come to this village and in the forest. It is no good if they see you. You will be killed. It is also not good for us. You will go straight away to xxxx." [Some details of his escape are omitted here to protect the people who helped him.]

Q: How long did you stay at xxxx?

A: I stayed there for more than six days. When I had stayed there for three days, these brothers [indicating "Myo Myint" and "Phone Shwe"] arrived at xxxx. After six days the Karen soldiers arrived. When the Karen soldiers arrived, the villagers from xxxx told them a group of porters was staying there. They came to call us nicely.

Q: How did you know they were Karen soldiers?

A: The others told me. They also had guns and wore uniforms. I don’t know the name of the first unit which called us.

Q: How did you feel when you saw the Karen soldiers?

A: I was afraid. The Burmese soldiers told us this when they took us: "Don’t you escape. If you escape and the Karen soldiers capture you, they will cut your throats." They said that. They told us that because they didn’t want us to flee. They gave us this speech when they took us from Won Saung 1.

Q: How did the Karen soldiers deal with you?

A: They treated us well. They told us, "We are going to send you, tell us where you want to go." They were going to take us themselves. They called us to here. At first they didn’t believe us in their hearts. We were also afraid of them because they tied us with ropes at first. After they tied us we came to a small village. When we arrived, they untied the ropes and fed us well with rice. When we got sick they gave us medicine. Step by step, in the hands of these Karen soldiers, they sent us here.

Q: How many days were you tied up?

A: They tied us up for four days. They questioned us but didn’t do anything to us. They questioned us a lot, but they didn’t beat or scold us. They just didn’t trust us.

Q: Where did you arrive to?

A: We crossed to this side of the river where the Karen soldiers summoned a Karen man we called "Bo Gyi". We went with Bo Gyi and Saya aaaa. When we got here, the Saya [term of respect for teachers or leaders] from here gave us clothes and treated us with medicine.

Q: How many days has it been since you fell down until now?

Q: Do you dare to go back?

A: Right now, I can’t go back. For that reason, if there is work here, I will work and then save some money. I will go home when I decide.

Q: What kind of work can you do?

A: I can do masonry work.

Q: Does your wife know you are here?

A: She doesn’t know. I don’t have any contact with my home. If I had contact, I could go back.

Name: "Hla Shwe"

Sex: Male

Age: 26

Ethnicity: Burman

Religion: Buddhist

Occupation: Construction Worker

Marital Status: Single

Address: Mandalay city

Date of Interview: July 2000

Source: KHRG

(HRDU note: For the first half of the interview regarding prison conditions in Lashio prison, refer to the chapter on arbitrary detention)

Q: How many prisoners from Lashio had to porter?

A: There were 150 prisoners. They chose the prisoners who had sentences less than five years, but they didn’t get enough people. When they chose people who had less than 10 years, they were able to get the 150 people they wanted.

Q: Did they give any choice to the porters?

A: They asked, "To whom are you going to donate your life? Really, when you die, to whom are you going to give your heritage?" Some people who had a mother and a father said, "To my mother and father." They asked this since the time we stayed in prison. They specified that we would get 100 kyat per day. We ran away [they fled from portering] so we didn’t get it. If we hadn’t run and had stayed nicely, we would have gotten it. They said that, but I never saw whether anyone actually got it or not.

Q: Did they decrease the sentence?

A: They decreased it by half. If the sentence was for three years, they reduced it to one and a half years. I was imprisoned only this one time so I don’t know if it is true or not. The convicts and deserters who ran away from the Army never came back. Now we have run. Only the people who are not clever go back to the prison. On the path there were about 100 prisoners given as convict porters. Only two people went back [to prison].

Q: Where did you leave from to follow the soldiers as a porter?

A: I followed them from Pa’an Won Saung 1. We started to porter from Kya In Seik Gyi [they were taken by truck to Kya In Seik Gyi, then began walking from there]. I don’t remember the Army unit, I only know Company #1.

Q: How many days did you have to carry from Kya In Seik Gyi?

A: We had to carry 3 days from Kya In Seik Gyi to Azin.

Q: What did the soldiers force the convict porters to carry?

A: Mostly, they forced us to carry the shells for the big weapon. They also forced us to carry rice pots and rice.

Q: What did you have to carry?

A: I had to carry 7 shells for the big weapon [mortar rounds], 5 bowls [7.815 kgs / 17.225 lbs] of rice and 3 small bombs [probably grenades or mines]. It was between 30 [48.99 kgs / 108 lbs] and 40 viss [65.32 kgs / 144 lbs]. I couldn’t stand up by myself. They had to lift it for me.

Q: How many convict porters followed the Army troops you went with?

A: There were over 20 prisoners who came together with us. In all there were 30 or 40 people. There were only six porters with 30 soldiers.

Q: What were most of their cases?

A: Mostly they were opium smoking offences or soldiers who had run away from the Army. There were about 20 deserters. They don’t dare to run. If they run and don’t go back, it will be worse for them.

Q: Were there any political prisoners with the soldiers?

A: No.

Q: How did they feed the convict porters?

A: They cooked and after the rice was cooked, they called us and fed us. They fed us beans. They fed us enough. We ate together with them.

Q: Did they give you tarpaulin, clothes and blankets?

A: They didn’t give them. They gave them to us when we stayed at Lashio prison, but when we arrived at the Won Saung they took it.

Q: You ate together with them, but didn’t they give you anything when you slept?

A: It was not the same when we slept. We had to sleep in the rain. We didn’t have tarpaulin or anything. We got wet and sometimes we sat in the rain and slept. We didn’t have anything. We slept on the earth. They didn’t guard us, but they did keep a sentry. We slept where we wanted. We sheltered in a hut and slept. If there were three people, we slept three people, and if there were two people, we slept two people. When they told us to sleep, we had to sleep.

Q: Where did you keep your basket?

A: When I arrived at the place where we would rest, I took it off. I slept in one place and kept the basket in another place. If a battle occurred, I was to go to take my basket, but I wouldn’t have taken it, I would have run.

Q: What did they do for you when you were sick?

A: They did nothing for us. They had a medic but we couldn’t ask for help from him.

Q: What did they do for you when you couldn’t carry?

A: You must carry. When the people couldn’t get up, the soldiers gave them a walking stick and ordered them to go on.

Q: What did they do when you couldn’t get up and walk anymore?

A: I never suffered this, but I saw it. They kicked him and said, "Nga Loe Ma" [‘I fucked your mother’]. The convicts had to carry their things and they punched them with their fists.

Q: Did you see anyone die on the way?

A: I saw two people who died. I didn’t know them. I saw it with my own eyes when I came up the path. I don’t know if he was dead or not, but he had fallen down. He was lying on the path because he couldn’t carry.

Q: What do you think his nationality was?

A: I think he was Burman. He couldn’t carry. On the first day, when we were climbing up. Nobody could climb and carry. We had to climb for a long time. Nobody could climb the hill. Even me, I had to climb on my hands and knees. It was not a car road. It was very rough. He [a Burmese soldier] said, "You can’t carry and go." Then he kicked him, "Dine" [making the sound of the man being kicked]. I don’t know if he fell down or not. They kicked him off the side of the mountain. I think he is dead. He was about 45 or 50 years old. It was when we left Kya In Seik Gyi and were climbing up [into the mountains].

Q: Was it a soldier or the commander who kicked him?

A: A soldier. He kicked him with his military boots.

Q: Didn’t the commander see it?

A: The commanders pretended as though they didn’t see it.

Q: Didn’t the commander stop when the soldier did that?

A: They didn’t say anything. They also didn’t say anything when the soldiers punched us. They didn’t say anything when the soldiers reviled us, "Nga Loe Ma Tha [I fucked your mother]". The soldiers reviled us more in front of them. When the officers passed in front of them, the soldiers reviled and kicked us.

Q: Did you see them kick the prisoners?

A: I saw it many times. I saw them do this to many people along the road. They also kicked me two or three times in the mud. When I protected myself, he kicked me again. They tried to kick my face, but I didn’t allow it and protected myself. They kicked my face about three times. If they want to kick, kick somewhere else on the body. Isn’t that right?

Q: Do you think it is just?

A: I don’t think that is just.

Q: Was your back bruised?

A: Yes, here. It looks like there is pus, and also on this side. It is bruised in three places. I couldn’t endure the weight of the basket.

Q: Did they put medicine on your wounds?

A: They didn’t have any medicine. When we were following them, there were a few people who had wounds. They just stayed like that.

Q: If the soldiers had wounds, did they give each other medicine?

A: I didn’t see it.

Q: Who was in charge of the porters?

A: Saya Gyi Sit Kyu controlled the convict porters. He had three chevrons and one star. He is a Sit Kyu. He is not a sergeant and not a sergeant major yet [he may be a Deputy Warrant Officer]. He said, "If you are faithful, you can do it. It is very important that you must be faithful to us." Later they didn’t deal with us on the same level. Slowly and slowly we were becoming farther and farther apart. They weren’t interested in feeding us. At first they fed us but later they were groaning about it. Later, we couldn’t eat together with them.

Q: Did any battles occur when you were portering?

A: A battle never occurred. After I fled I constantly heard the sound of shooting, "Dine, Dine, Dine, Dine."

Q: Did you ever rest in any of the villages?

A: We took a rest for only three minutes. We never took a long rest.

Q: What other work did they force you to do?

A: They forced us to fetch water. Always they were travelling. That is all the daily work. When we took a rest, they cooked rice. If they asked me to find firewood, I had to find it. If they asked me to take this or take that, I had to take it. If they asked me to fetch water, I had to run and fetch it.

Q: Did you arrive at Azin?

A: Yes, I arrived at Azin.

Q: Where did you flee from in the end?

A: I fled from xxxx village.

Q: How did you get to xxxx [village] from Azin?

A: Their operations troops went to the frontline. There were about 30 soldiers.

Q: Why did you flee from them?

A: I had walked for 10 days and my legs had become big and swollen. Then I went to tell the medic to treat them. I asked them for medicine. "Saya, my shoulder is bruised, my feet are very swollen and I can’t walk." He told me, "Hey, Kaung! [a Burmese term used only for animals] No, you have to walk. Smear it when you arrive there." I said, "No, I can’t. I must smear it now." Then they kicked me. They pushed me from behind and forced me to go with the basket. Then I tied my legs with rope tightly and carried the basket. I put the basket on my back and picked it up. At that time a soldier said, "Hey, get up, get up, get up, let’s go." I told him, "Don’t you see here? Saya, I can’t continue going." He said, "The Colonel will come. Get Up." Then I got up and he told me to walk quickly. I said, "I can’t walk anymore." He said, "No, you can’t stop. Walk until you can’t." Then I said to myself, "Nga Loe Ma Tha! [Fuck your mothers!] You have only one of me to force. The other people have fled." And I fled [he actually fled later].

Q: How did you escape after that?

A: I thought that if I continued, I would become swollen and I would get a problem. That is why when they [the soldiers] were sitting down, I fled. I went to shit in the jungle and looked at the situation. I was alone. They were sitting and talking to each other in a long, low building. I entered the jungle. When I fled I lost my way in the jungle for two hours. I climbed up the highest mountain and in the afternoon, at 2 p.m., I looked down and saw a hill field. Then I came across a path and I saw two Karen people. They asked me, "Did you run away from portering?" I said, "Yes." The daughter of the field owner stayed and her brother-in-law went to call someone who could speak Burmese. I was hungry then. I told him I hadn’t gotten any food to eat. He said, "Here is some rice. Cook and eat it. Don’t worry about anything." They told me, "Tonight sleep here. Eat and drink and you will be well again tomorrow morning." [Some details of his escape are omitted here.] Then I came to the Nga Pway [a derogatory term used by the SPDC to refer to the KNU/KNLA].

Q: What did you bring with you when you fled?

A: I brought only the set of clothes on my body.

Q: What was the uniform you were wearing?

A: The prisoners’ uniform.

Q: When did you flee?

A: In the middle of May [2000].

Q: Who did you meet with?

A: I met with the Nga Pway. I fled one day and on the next day, I met them. They dealt with me nicely. They asked me where I live and where I stay. They fed me the same as they ate.

Q: Were you afraid when you met them?

A: I wasn’t afraid. They are very different from the Burmese soldiers. When the Burmese fed us they forced us to go and come, it was very different. Sometimes, the Karen soldiers would carry the loads that we couldn’t carry. Later, the Chinese man and the Shan man [other escaped convict porters] arrived. They were fleeing. I thought they were good friends, so when they came here I followed them. We collected the people [other escaped porters]. One is Chinese and one is Shan. The other four arrived in the night. Later, I came here. It was about three or four days ago.

Q: Who sent you here?

A: The resistance people. They said they were the resistance people. They treated us well.

Q: Did the other porters flee?

A: The other porters fled. Before I fled there were only four porters left in our unit.

Q: How did you know they fled?

A: I didn’t know they had fled, but the villagers said that all of them had fled. Nobody was there. I heard that but I don’t know exactly.

Q: Where do you want to go?

A: I want to go to a good place. On this side I don’t have any contact with home. If I have contact, I want to go back. I’d dare to go back and stay.

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