Pegu’s Residents Under Forced Labour for Patrolling

Nai Chan Mon, Independent Mon News Agency

June 27, 2005

Town residents in Pegu town, situates in eastern of Burma’s capital, Rangoon, have been forced to launch the patrol for security of the town instead of soldiers and militias, according to the residents.

“(The SPDC Township authorities force) at least one time per month. In some times, we were forced three or four times to patrol in the town quarter”, a resident said.

He claimed he has to hire a person for 500 Kyat per round for a substitute in the patrol service in stead of his family if they could not go and work for the patrolling when the rotation reached to them.

“We had paid 50 Kyat to Township Peace and Development Council officer every month as security fee,” another woman resident added.

At least three to five people per day from our town quarter have to patrol in a small road entering to main town. They have to stay in a small hut that build beside the road.

Township Peace and Development Council is taking responsibility for patrolling and forced the local residents for more than one year. If the capital Rangoon is in worth security condition, there are more anmd often use of forced labour for security patrol service, said the residents.

“If a bomb exploded in the capital (Rangoon), the authorities have checked more on the civilians and we are forced more for patrolling,” a community leader in Pegu said.

After the last explosion in Rangoon, TPDC checked all of families and their residences in town, climbed onto one house to another and checked civilians’ belongings.

“During the checking process, if a family member of you were not at home, you were interrogated where you son or daughter went. What were their purposes for traveling ……. You would be interrogated seriously”, added the leader.

Although the authorities put tight security in Pegu after every time bomb explosion happened in the capital, but no culprit was arrested in Pegu said the leader.

After May 17 bomb blast in Rangoon, the SPDC’s Rangoon Division Mililtary Command also launched a military training in Zae-mile-gone (10 Miles Hill) ground near Pegu and a lot of gun sounds are frightening the local residents as they thought there was a war.

Although International Labour Organization (ILO) is instructing and assisting the regime, SPDC, to eradicate the use of forced labour, but Pegu Township authorities still forced the civilians to perform duties on behalf of the government servants – soldiers and militias in armed force, tatmadaw or Burmese Army.