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