* Guilty of listening to the BBC
* Non-stop forced labor on road construction
==============================
Guilty of listening to the BBC
Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi (Kao Wao News Groups)
A tea shop in Ye township was fined last month for turning on the
morning Burmese section of BBC radio, according to a town resident.
Thein Kabar tea shop in the Yan Myo Aung tract of the township was
accused of creating conflict by turning on the international broadcast
and was fined 7,000 Kyat.
“The authority in the tract warned the shop owner not to listen to
international radio and could not put the owner in jail,” said the
resident, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The authority asked for 10,000 Kyat, but finally agreed to a payment
of just 7,000 Kyat, saying that listening to the BBC is illegal.
The BBC Burmese service is the favorite broadcast of people inside
Most people interested in politics prefer listening to the BBC and
reading books and newspapers
published outside
However, a Mon Language newspaper and a Mon Journal , published
outside
Pazundung township in
police riot.
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Non-stop forced labor on road construction
==========================================
Independent Mon News Agency (
The Burmese military government army has been currently using local
villagers in Southern Ye Township for everyday road construction.
One person from each house in Ywa Thit village, Singu village and
Hangan village were ordered by Tactical Commander Colonel Nyi Nyi to
build a new road to connect the three villages.
In order to do so, villagers have to go to work on the more than seven-
mile-long road construction everyday and have to bring material from
their houses.
“If you have a cow cart, bring it. If you have a car, bring it. If you
have a mattock and soil or stone carrier bring it. If you do not have
anything, you need to come by yourself,” Singu villager Mr. Nai Chae
described the commander as ordering the villagers.
“Every day people have to go to work on the road construction from 7
a.m. to
work,” he added.
The Independent Mon News Agency asked if someone could refuse to go to
work. “Don’t use a word meaning refuse,” Nai Chaem, who worked on the
construction site, said. “When villagers went to the construction site
a little bit late Sept. 8, the commander himself shot a gun three
times to frighten the villagers," he explained.
“The commander collected 21,000 Kyat from the villagers as
compensation for the bullets that he shot,” he added.
Many women and children went to work everyday on the construction site
because the men have to work daily for their family.
During working time, soldiers under the Tactical Command guarded and
watched the people.
The military government army in launching the military offensive
against Mon rebels moving there, started forcing villagers to do road
construction since the beginning of 2004.
The military planned to build the road connecting each villages in the
area using only villager labor. The estimated total length of the
road is more than 30 miles.
During work on the road construction site, some villagers were
seriously beaten by military government soldiers because they took a
rest and were ill during their working time, according to the
villagers.
To control the whole area and building road construction, the military
government put two Tactical Command in the area to do military
operations against Mon rebels.
Some villagers in the area also were used as porters to carry military
property when they lunched military offensives and some villagers were
also captured, suspected of supporting Mon rebels.
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Burma News International is a network of nine exiled media groups
such as Mizzima News, Shan Herald Agency for News, Kao Wao News Group,
Khonumthung News Group, Narinjara News, Kaladan Press Network,
Independent Mon News Agency, Karenni Information
Network Group and Network Media Group.
Contact: Duty Editor
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