KILLING, RAPE, TORTURE AND EXTORTION OF FARMERS IN NAM-ZARNG

On 6.6.98, about 80-90 SPDC (State Peace and Development Council, the name of the ruling Burmese military junta) troops from LIB246 led by Maj Tu Nyein killed several farmers at a farm 4 miles west of Kho-Lam, Nam-Zarng township.

In May 1998, many villagers who had been forcibly relocated to Kho-Lam had asked for permission from the SPDC authorities in Nam-Zarng to go and work on the farms outside the village. Loong Leng, 45, and some 18 of his fellow villagers managed to get a pass from the authorities in Nam-Zarng as well as permission from the commander of the local military camp at Kho-Lam,Capt Han Sein, to work on the farms about 4 miles west of Kho-Lam and they had been working on the farms from 14.5.98 until 6.6.98 when troops from IB246 shot at them from a distance. The villagers all ran away into the nearby forest without anyone getting hit and the soldiers left after searching the farms for a while.

After a while, a woman named Nang Suay, 30, and her uncle, Loong Ka-Ling, 40, presuming the troops had really left, went back to the farms with the intention to get their clothes and beds from the farm hut and return to the village. However, as they reached the hut, the soldiers came back and arrested them and beat Loong Ka-Ling to death. Nang Suay was stripped of her clothes and raped many times before she was also shot dead in the hut. After that, the troops left the farms and went to Kho-Lam.

On 7.6.98, the villagers at Kho-Lam heard the news and became very worried, so that a villager who had relatives working on the farms about 4 miles south of the village went and warned them. On hearing about it, the farmers became so frightened that they all returned to the village. But when they were still about one mile away from the village they met the same SPDC soldiers coming from the village to search the area and they were arrested, 8 of them including the one who came to warn them. They were:

• Loong Seng (m), 35
• Moo-Ling-Long (m), 40
• Loong Tan (m), 28
• Sai Ta (m), 30
• Loong Awn (m), 39
• Moo-Ling-Awn (m), 30
• Sai Saw-Zing (m), 29
• Sarng Poi (m), 26 (the one who went to warn the others)

These farmers were taken to the military camp at Kho-Lam and tortured, also with electric shocks, until they lost consciousness for some times and Loong Awn, 39, was beaten so hard that he later died in the camp. 25 village leaders and elders went to the troops and pleaded for mercy. Eventually, the soldiers agreed to release them on paying 15,000 Kyat for each; the villagers had been tied and locked up for 9 days before their release.

KILLING AND RAPE IN MURNGNAI

On 14-15.7.98, 3 women from Nar-Kharn village, Murng-Nai township were raped and killed, together with one man from the same village, by SPDC troops from LIB524 led by commander Khin Hla Win.

On 14.7.98, 3 villagers of Nar-Kharn - Nang Thawn 36, Pa Mai 49 and Sai Mawng 12 - were going to their farm and met outside the village 12 SPDC soldiers from LIB524 led by commander Khin Hla Win who were patrolling the area. The soldiers said they needed a guide and forced Nang Thawn to go with them, saying they would release her when they reached a crossroad, and told Pa Mai and Sai Mawng to go back to the village. The SPDC troops then forced Nang Thawn to take them to her farm and gang-raped her, and finally shot her dead in her farm hut.

On 15.7.98, an SPDC soldier, Tin Maung, from LIB518 secretly told the relatives of Nang Thawn that she had been raped and killed by Khin Hla Win’s group at her farm. Loong Parn, elder brother of Nang Thawn, and some of her relatives then went to Maj Khin Than Aye of IB64 and asked for permission to go and look for his sister who had gone to her farm since the day before and had not yet returned. The SPDC Major gave them a pass and they went to the farm only to find the dead body of Nang Thawn in her farm hut, with no clothes on.

Also on 15.7.98, when Nang Mya Zing and Nang Mawn (both were women) heard about Nang Thawn’s case, they got so scared that they decided to stop tending their farms. So they called a man, Sai Wi-Ling, to accompany them for the last time to their farms to take their belongings back to the village. But when they got about 3 miles from the village, they ran into about 15 SPDC troops from LIB524 led by the same commander Khin Hla Win who were lying in wait to ambush people like them. The troops seized them, separated the man and the women to different places, raped the women and killed them on the side of the road. They then brought the man to the same spot and killed him as well, and left their bodies heaped up together near the road.

In 2 days, 4 people from the same village just 2 miles away from the town were raped and killed by the same SPDC commander and his troops.

• Nang Thawn (f), 36
• Nang Mya Zing (f), 27
• Nang Mawn (f), 25
• Sai Wi Ling (m), 38

KILLING AND FORCED RELOCATION IN MURNG-TON

On 24.7.98, SPDC Commander Myint Swe of IB65 with about 80 troops came to Mawk-Zali village, Me-Ken village tract, Murng-Ton township, and arrested the following villagers:

• Loong Mawng Nyunt (m), 40
• Sai Parn Zing (m), 30
• Sai Awng (m), 29
• Sai Pan-Ta (m), 25
• Sai Ti-Ma (m), 24
• Sai Awng (m), 27

The SPDC troops accused them of being members of the SURA (now called the Shan State Army - South), one of the Shan armed resistance groups still fighting against the Burmese military junta, and tortured them until they all died within 3 days. According to some villagers who knew them well, the former 4 villagers were farmers who had moved from Kaeng-Kham in Kun-Hing township to Mawk-Zali in March-April 1997, and the latter 2 were deserters of MTA who had run away from Loi-Larng, one of the former MTA stronghold, in 1994 and only dared to come to stay in the village in 1998 long after the leader of the MTA, Khun Sa, had capitulated to SLORC in 1996.

On 26.7.98, Commander Myint Swe issued an order forcing the villagers of Mawk Zali, 68 houses, to move to Me-Ken tract and Wan Mai village, and to the town itself. The SPDC commander gave a reason for the forced relocation as being the fact that the villagers of Mawk-Zali were supporters of SURA.

He gave only 2 days for the villagers to move, after which anyone found in the village would be shot without any questions.

FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-PAN

On 11.7.98, SPDC Maj Aung Soe of LIB102 ordered the civilian populations to provide labourers for weeding the soya bean and corn farms owned by the military in Murng-Pan township. 10 persons from each village, and 10-15 villages each day, had to bring their own food and tools to work. It had been going on for 20 days when the information was received.

SPDC HIGHWAYMEN IN LAI-KHA

In June 1998, SPDC Maj Hla Moe of LIB515 in Lai-Kha set up a scheme to let his soldiers rob travellers at a place called Nawng Paet west of the military base near Wan Parn village just 3 miles from the town.

On 10.6.98, Sai Thun from Wan Nawng village, Wan Yurng tract, who was returning from the town market was robbed by 2 soldiers from LIB515. He lost 4500 Kyat and 5 bottles of cooking oil.

On 19.6.98, Ai Nap, a Palaung man from Tham Kyawng village, went to town to sell chilli and onion. On his return, he was robbed by the 2 soldiers and lost 42500 Kyat. The 2 soldiers even used 500 Kyat to buy candy for the children in the nearby Wan Parn village.

On 21.6.98, Sai Ar-Zing-Na from Pan Tang village, Wan Yurng tract, came to town to visit his relatives. When he returned, the 2 soldiers robbed him of his money, 1600 Kyat. When they committed robbery, they were still wearing their LIB515 badges and one soldier held a knife and the other held a spear while wearing a holstered pistol on his waist. These 2 soldiers were seen by many people to have been around the area almost all the time.

Owing to several robbery incidents, the road between Lai-Kha and Wan Parn became virtually deserted for some time so that some village leaders from Wan Parn went to complain about it to Maj Hla Moe. But the SPDC Major only told the villagers to catch and bring the 2 soldiers alive and threatened to shoot at the village if the 2 soldiers disappeared, “Catch them alive and bring them here to show me. If my men disappear because of you, I will shoot up your village”, he said.

In May, when Maj Hla Moe of LIB515 and his troops were on patrol in the areas of Tard-Mawk and Wan Heng, they met 3 mini-tractors and their drivers who had come to collect fire-wood for another military base IB64, also based in Lai-Kha. However, Maj Hla Moe accused them of coming to contact the Shan resistance soldiers and seized their mini-tractors and had not given back at the time of this report. They also arrested the headman of Tard-Mawk, Sai Zarm-Mya, and put him in jail.

STEALING AND KILLING IN KUN-HING

On 10.4.98, Sai In-Wong and Nang Mya-Noi, a couple who lived in Zone 8, Quarter 3 of Kun-Hing town, let their 4 oxen graze in the outskirts of the town. When the oxen went near the military base of IB246, the soldiers caught and took them to their base. When the owners tried to claim back their oxen, the soldiers accused them of having stolen the oxen and threatened to arrest and jail them if the oxen got lost; they even forced them to sign a testimony. “You have stolen these oxen. If they get lost, we will arrest and put you in jail”, said the soldiers.

On 12.4.98, Sai Ma-Ku-Ta, aged 35, and his nephew, aged 16, who lived in Quarter 3 of Kun-Hing town, went to collect leaves for wrapping traditional sweets during the water festivel in the forest south of the town and met SPDC troops at Nar-Koo. The troops accused them of being intelligence agents of the rebels and shot both of them dead.

SOME KILLING AND LOOTING IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1998

On 25.1.98, SPDC troops from Murng Pan-based LIB332 beat up and looted the villagers of Nawng Mai, Nawng Long and Wan Khai in Murng Pan Township.

• 1. Ku-Na (m) lost 1 Seiko-5 wrist-watch
• 2. Ping-Nya (m) lost 1 Seiko-5 wrist-watch
• 3. Aw-Zing-Na (m) lost 1 Seiko-5 wrist-watch and 4,000 Kyat
• 4. Sai Thun (m) lost 1 Seiko-5 wrist-watch
• 5. Sai Nya (m) lost 1 Seiko-5 wrist-watch
• 6. Sai Pan (m) lost 1200 Kyat
• 7. Saw-Pae-Ta (m) lost 3500 Kyat
• 8. Yan-Na (m) lost 750 Kyat
• 9. Sai Ae (m) lost 7000 Kyat
• 10. Pi Aw (m) lost 3100 Kyat

On 16.1.98, SPDC Maj Aung kyaw Tin of LIB525 led 15 troops and arrested 2 male villagers of San-Phak-Yan village, Aw-Ta and Aw-La, and robbed them of 56500 Kyat, 2 chickens and 2 muskets.

After that they went to Nam-Lin village and arrested Wa-Lik-Ta and Aw-Ta and released them only after they paied 700 Kyat, and also took away 2 chickens and 2 muskets. From there they went and seized a lumberman, Tin Nyo, and he lost 3 cartloads of lumber.

On 18.1.98, the same troops continued to Nam-Lin village and took away 2 pairs of shoes and 150 viss of onion.

On 25.1.98, SPDC Maj Aye Ko of LIB517 from Murng-Pawn and leaders of a Shan ceasefire faction, Kan-Na and Akka, led their troops to Huay-Wawn village, Phawng-Seng tract, - ? - Township, and arrested a well-to-do village couple, Loong Zarng Thun, aged 35 and Nai Zarng Sai, aged 38. At night, the leaders and the troops raped Nai Zarng Sai and, on 27.1.98, they robbed them of their gold and money and killed both husband and wife.

After that, the soldiers took away what they wanted of the couple’s possessions and burnt the rest. They took:

• 30 Kyat worth of gold
• 300,000 Kyat of money
• 1,200 baskets of paddy
• 20 baskets of rice
• 3 cattle
• 200,000 Kyat worth of goods for sale

It was said that these same troops looted many other villages along their route of operation. They accused the villagers who they thought had money of having connections with the rebles and extorted money.

On 9.2.98, SPDC troops from LIB513 surrounded a Buddhist monastery where villagers were conducting religious funeral rites at Luk-Mawn village, Murng Khun tract, Murng-Kerng Township, and fired randomly at the crowd, killing one villager - Ku-Na, male, aged 35.

After that, the soldiers took away all the monastery property and robbed, looted and burnt in several other villages in Murng Khun tract.

• Pa Soi of Nam-Tao village lost 1/2 Baht weight of gold and 10,000 Kyat,and her house and other possessions were burned.
• Loong Su of Nam-Toa village lost 20,000 Kyat, and his house and other possessions were also burned.
• Nang Ing of Nam-Tao village lost 20,000 Kyat and 3 necklaces.

Other villagers such as Ta-Lung, Kung-Pek and Na-Huay were also looted. Many houses were burned and 180 paddy barns and 5 sacks of rice were burned to ashes.

SPDC SEIZEs FRUIT-VENDORS IN TA-KHI-LAEK (TACHILEK)

On 23.6.98, police and people’s militia in Ta-Khi-Laek, working under the orders of the Chairman of District Peace and Development Council, Col Sein Win, seized fruit-vendors who were selling fruits brought in from Mae Sai, Thailand, such as durians, apples, oranges and grapes etc.

The police seized all the fruit-vendors they could find and loaded all the fruits on to their trucks, saying, “This year is ‘Frugal Burma Year’. Don’t you know that you must not bring expensive fruits from other country to sell here?”. Many were caught; a few managed to get away.

The fruit-vendors not only lost their fruits but also had to pay 600 Baht each as a fine. Though the SPDC has issued an order banning the use of Thai currency in Ta-Khi-Laek, when they collect ‘tax’ or numerous other ‘fees’ or fine people for an offence, Baht is usually demanded. Even at the border-crossing bridge, people who try to pay the crossing fees in Kyat are often scolded by the officers in charge; “Don’t you know what currencies people here are using?”,they would grumble and refuse to take the Kyat.

For decades, it has been usual practice for the local people to conduct cross-border trade in consumer goods, depending on the demand on each side of the border, and it is banned on and off at the whim of the local authorities.

RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON FARMERS IN MURNG-PAN

On 4.5.98, SPDC Commander, Thein Win, of IB66 in Murng-Pan summoned the village and village tract headmen to the military base and told them that no farmers were allowed to grow more than 1 viss weight of garlic seedlings. Anyone who failed to comply with this regulation would be severely punnished.

Instead, the farmers must grow soya bean and yellow bean and the military would provide bean seeds for that. Farmers who received bean seeds must produce 8 tins of bean from 1 tin of seeds. Those who failed to produce as much must buy from others to fulfill it because the government would buy back all the bean, at the full quota.

Anyone owning farmlands who failed to grow beans would face a fine of 100,000 - 150,000 Kyat. The lands would be confiscated and people from lower Burma would be brought up to work on them.

RESTRICTION ON FARMERS IN LARNG-KHUR LEADS TO MULTIPLE SUICIDES

On 12.5.98, SPDC Commander of IB99, Aung Moe Zaw, issued an order to the sugarcane farmers in Larng-Khur requiring them to stop growing sugarcane after the harvest in 1998 onwards and cultivate peanut instead. They were required to produce 10-12 tins of peanut from 1 tin of peanut seeds and would have to sell it to the military at the full quota; thoes who prouced less than 10 tins would have to buy from others to fill up the quota.

This has caused tremendous frustration among the long-standing sugarcane farming communities who had relied on sugarcane plantation as their main livelihood for generations. There were some deaths and suicides that could be linked to this incident:

• Loong Ma-Ha-Wong (m), 49, fainted as soon as he heard the news and died
• Pa Khent (f), 52, stopped eating altogether after hearing the news and later died
• Sai Khatti-Ya (m), 27, hanged himself in his sugarcane farm, leaving behind a letter discribing his feeling that he felt so angry and helpless when he got the order that he was going to hang himself.
• Sai Wong (m), 25 and Nang Lao-Sai (f), 23, husband and wife, committed suicide by drowning themselves in the Nam Taeng river. According to the villagers that knew them well, the cause of their frustration that led to their suicide was nothing other than the order that banned sugarcane cultivation.

CIVILIAN CAR DRIVERS SEVERELY BEATEN IN KEANG-TUNG

On 27.7.98, Sai Pan-Nya, aged 21 and Sai Kan-Na, aged 19, were harshly beaten by SPDC troops from IB224, Company 3, led by Capt Soe Yin Soe near Murng-Khark in Kaeng-Tung Township.

The 2 men were driving a van from Murng-Yarng to Murng Khark when they were stopped by 12 SPDC troops led by Capt Soe Yin Soe near Murng Khark. The troops suspected them of trafficking amphetamines and searched their van but nothing was found. The soldiers then accused them of having unloaded the 200,000 tablets of amphetamine which they were supposed to be transporting somewhere on the way and beat them up while asking for the whereabouts of the drug.

However, the 2 men were just returning home after transporting some passengers to Munrg-Yarng and knew nothing about what they were being asked. The soldiers beat and beat them until both of them lost conciousness. Sai Pan-Nya suffered a severe head wound and Sai Kan-Na a broken leg and had to be hospitalized at Murng-Khark. Whether they have survived or not is not yet known.

RESTAURANT FORCED TO CLOSE DOWN IN KEANG-TUNG

On 2.8.98, 30 SPDC troops led by Company 1 Commander Capt San Myint of LIB314 forced Sai Tip, a restaurant proprietor, to close down his restaurant in Kaeng-Tung town and move away, saying that they were acting on the orders of Lt Gen Thein Sein, the Commander of the Military Eastern Command.

Sai Tip had made a contract with SLORC for the lease of the plot of land to set up a restaurant for 20 years and the money, 25 million Kyat, had already been paid. But now he had run his restaurant for only 4 years and yet he was forced to shut it down and remove all his property, even the building had to be dismantled. He was not compensated for any of the money he paid for the lease, but lost in addition 3 million Kyats on the building.

Shan Human Rights Foundation.