MASSACRE OF INNOCENT VILLAGERS IN KUN-HING
On 30.1.00, 19 relocated villagers who were allowed by the localSPDC military authorities to return to their former village of Kaeng Kham were massacred by SPDC troops from Nam-Zarng-based IB66 led by Capt. ZawThein, at Kaeng Kham village, Kun-Hing township.

On 18.1.00, the commander of SPDC Kun-Hing-based IB246, Col. Kyaw Aye called a meeting of village and tract leaders and people who were
forcibly relocated to the town in 1996-98. At the meeting, Commander Kyaw Aye told the villagers that he received an order from Rangoon that people
originally from the villages on the main road from Kun-Hing to Kaeng Tawng, in Murng-Nai township, would be allowed to go back to their villages.

Anyone who wanted to return to their former villages to clear their places and fix their ruined houses needed to get a pass from the military authorities and pay 50 Kyat each to the pass issuers, the commander said. After he finished talking, the commander immediately dismissed the meeting before anyone could say or ask anything.

On 18.1.00, Loong Kyawng Su (m), aged 57, originally from Kaeng Kham village, discussed the matter with his relatives and decided to have a try. Altogether 19 of them went to ask for a pass from the military and this was issued. On the morning of 19.1.00, they all prepared a ration of food and some other necessities and went to the deserted village of Kaeng Kham and started to clear their old places for the rest of the day.

On 30.1.00, the villagers continued to clear a part of the village which had virtually turned into a jungle. At about 12:30 hrs, a column of
about 85-90 SPDC troops, with 40 forced civilian porters, from IB66 led by Capt. Zaw Thein came through the jungle and, when they saw the villagers
clearing the deserted village, surrounded and shot at them until all of them died.

The SPDC troops claimed that they had shot at a group of rebels who had come to set up a stronghold at Kaeng Kham deserted village.

The following is the list of the victims:

1. Loong Kyawng Su (m), aged 57
2. Loong Ka-Ling (m), aged 51
3. Loong Aw-Zae-Ya (m), aged 49
4. Loong Pan La (m), aged 47
5. Sai Ma-La (m), aged 45
6. Sai Kyaw La (m), aged 44
7. Sai Woon (m), aged 41
8. Sai Zaam Khur (m), aged 36
9. Sai Thun Awang (m), aged 33
10. Sai Mint (m), aged 30
11. Sai Min (m), aged 27
12. Sai Awng Sa (m), aged 24
13. Sai Nu (m), aged 20
14. Sai Man (m), aged 17
15. Sai Laao (m), aged 16
16. Sai Mu (m), aged 15
17. Naang Ing (f), aged 34
18. Naang Nyunt (f), aged 26
19. Naang Thun (f), aged 22

(Note: Another witness stated that the troops surrounded, arrested and
interrogated the villagers even after they showed the pass to them, and
eventually shot all of them dead)

DISPLACED FARMERS BEATEN TO DEATH, WOMEN RAPED AND SHOT, FARM HUTS BURNT IN KUN-HING
On 11.1.00, a patrol of 80-90 SPDC troops from Co.2 of IB102 led by Capt. Saw Hpyu beat to death 3 men and raped and shot dead 2 women along the banks of the Nam Paang river, a tributary of the Salween river, in Kun-Hing township.

The victims were among the people who had been forcibly relocated to the town from the outlying rural areas in 1996-1997 by the then Slorc troops. Because it was very difficult for them to subsist in the town, with no work and no farming land available, many of these farmers have since August 1999 been secretly cultivating little plots of rice and sesame farms at remote and hidden places along the banks of the Nam Paang river.

They built small huts near their farms to stay and rest while tending them and have been secretly going and coming until the day of theincident. On that day, the said SPDC troops, with 26 forced civilian porters, searched an area of the banks of Nam Paang river, surrounded every
hut they found and arrested the occupants, and burnt down the hut.

There were 21 farmers in the area at that moment, but 16 of them managed to escape and only 5 were arrested. They were:

1. Sai Nu (m), aged 38, originally from Kun Keng village, Loi Keng tract
2. Sai Zitta (m), aged 36, originally from Kun Kyawng village, Loi Keng tract
3. Sai Nya-Lintta (m), aged 40, originally from Nam Pa Man village, Kaeng Lom tract
4. Naang Nguay (f), aged 21, originally from Nam Pa Man village, Kaeng Lom tract
5. Naang Lern (f), aged 17, originally from Nam Pa Man village, Kaeng Lom tract

The 3 male farmers were beaten, tortured and interrogated one by one by the SPDC troops who demanded to know the whereabouts of the Shan soldiers
in the area. But the farmers said they did not know because they lived in the town and had come only to grow rice and sesame because they did not have
enough food.

However, the troops kept interrogating them, beating and torturing them until each of them died one after another, and their bodies were dumped
into the water of Nam Paang river.

The 2 women were taken with the troops for 2 days and 2 nights during which they were raped. On the last day, when the troops were about to
return to their base, the 2 women were forced to take off all their clothes and gang-raped by all the officers, and eventually shot dead.

RELOCATED FARMERS SHOT DEAD IN KUN-HING
On 17.1.00, 4 displaced farmers who were returning from their farm were shot dead on the way, 2-1/2 miles from Kun-Hing town, by SPDC troops
from Co.4 of IB246 led by commander Than Oo.

The victims were:

1. Loong Nya Mi (m), aged 60
2. Sai Pan-Ti (m), aged 47
3. Sai Oong (m), aged 40
4. Naang Num (f), aged 25

These farmers were originally from Sa Haang village in Ho Yaan tract which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Kun-Hing town in mid
1996 by the then Slorc troops.

Because food was very scarce in the relocation site and there was no work available in town and no land to farm near the town, Loong Nya Mi had led some of his relatives to clear a plot of land about 2 miles from their former village of Sa Haang to grow rice.

After about 10 days, they came back to the town. But before they reached the town, about 2-1/2 miles on the way, they were stopped by a column of 55-60 SPDC troops who accused them of having returned from providing rice for the Shan soldiers.

The troops tied them up, beat and tortured them, and interrogated them, wanting to know where the Shan soldiers were. But the farmers kept telling them that they had only gone to look for their cattle and had not seen any Shan solders and did not know where they were.

Commander Than Oo then ordered his troops to shoot dead the 4 villagers and warned a Shan villager who was serving as an interpreter not
to tell anyone about the incident, otherwise he would be severely punished or even shot dead.

When he was released, however, the villager secretly told the relatives of the victims about the incident and let them find the bodies by themselves. As for he himself, fearing retaliation, he secretly took his family and moved to Murng-Ton township.

LAHU VILLAGERS SHOT DEAD IN MURNG-YARNG
On 19.1.00, 3 Lahu villagers of Waeng Long village, Murng yarng tract, Murng-Yarng township, were shot dead by SPDC troops from Co.2 of IB279 at Waeng Long village.

The villagers were gathering firewood in the forest just outside their village in the north when the SPDC troops, who emerged from nowhere, fired at them until all 3 of them fell down dead on the spot. The whole village was also terrified by the sounds of the gunfire.

The 3 Lahu villagers killed were:

1. Kya Po (m), aged 28
2. Kya Pa (m), aged 31
3. Kya Ha (m), aged 49

A CIVILIAN GUIDE BEATEN TO DEATH IN MURNG-PAN
On 27.1.00, Capt. Aye Thaung, commander of Co.3 of LIB520 of the SPDC, shot dead Sai Ku (m), aged 35, who was forced to serve as a guide, in the jungle in Murng-Pan township.

Sai Ku, the victim, was originally from Naa Wawn village, Naa Wawn tract, that had been forcibly relocated to Murng-Pan town in 1997 by Slorc troops. He was seized in the centre of the town on 24.1.00 by a column of about 60 SPDC troops from LIB520 led by Capt. Aye Thaung to be used as a
guide.

The troops, with 15 other civilian porters, went on to search the outlying areas in the south of the town, forcing Sai Ku to lead the way. Sai Ku tried to explain that because he was not a native and was not familiar with the lay of the territory, he would not be able to lead the way properly
and urged the SPDC Captain to find another guide who was more familiar with the area to do the job so that he could also learn from him.

However, Capt. Aye Thaung did not pay heed to Sai Ku's request and went on without bothering to find another guide. With Sai Ku not knowing the ways properly, the troops sometimes found villages and sometimes had to camp in the jungles.

On 27.1.00, at one point in the jungle, the troops saw several footprints on the ground which they interpreted as being those of about 10-15 Shan soldiers who had crossed the way 1-2 days ago. They accused Sai Ku of deliberately misleading them for not bringing them to that spot the previous days and shot him dead.

Leaving the dead body of Sai Ku in the jungle, the troops found their way back to Murng-Pan town where they finally released the 15 civilian porters.

A VILLAGER ACCUSED OF ARSON AND SHOT DEAD IN NAM-ZARNG
On 24.1.00, SPDC troops of Co.3 of IB66 led by Capt. Khin Maung Win accused a villager of setting fire to the market place and shot him dead in the military camp at Kho Lam village, Nam-Zarng township.

On that day, around noon, fire had broken out at the market place of Kho Lam and consumed more than 100 houses in the vicinity, including many houses of the relocated villagers in a relocation site, in which at least 2 people were killed by the fire before it was contained. The known dead victims were Loong Oong (m), aged 67 and Naang Mawn (f), aged 1-1/2 years.

After the fire was put under control, about 30 SPDC troops led by Capt. Khin Maung Win, stationed at Kho Lam, came into the village and arrested a villager named Loong Nan Ti (m), aged 49, and took him to the military camp.

The troops interrogated and tortured Loong Nan Ti for some time and accused him of being an intelligence agent of the Shan soldiers and of setting fire to Kho Lam market place, and finally shot him dead. The troops searched his house and took away 14,600 Kyat of money, 4 Baht weight of gold ornaments, a cow worth 3,600 Kyat and 1 tape-recorder worth 5,000 Kyat.

According to the local people, Loong Nan Ti was an innocent man who used to help other people as much as he could, including the SPDC soldiers and the Shan soldiers, and that would have caused suspicion in the eyes of the SPDC soldiers.

The market place fire started at a shop owned by an ex-member of the Burmese military, U Than Nyunt, aged 57, when no one was around. What was strange was that just a few days before the fire, Than Nyunt had moved most of his merchandise and other belongings to a house far away from the market place, telling his neighbours that he needed to fix his shop.

PALAUNG VILLAGERS SHOT DEAD IN THEIR VILLAGE IN MURNG-SART
In early February 2000, SPDC troops from LIB330 shot dead 3 Palaungvillagers in Wan Pek village, Murng Lung tract, Murng-Sart township.

On 30.1.00, a column of about 60 SPDC troops came to Wan Pek village and conscripted 3 Palaung villagers to serve as guides. The troops forced the villagers to lead them to search for soldiers of the SSA-E (Shan State Army - East), even though the villagers said they did not know where the Shan soldiers were.

After searching for several days, and there was no sign of any Shan soldiers, the troops accused the Palaung villagers of deliberately keeping the information from them and misleading them.

When they got back to Wan Pek village, the troops shot dead the 3 Palaung villagers in the middle of the village under the eyes of several terrified villagers because, they said, the villagers did not want to tellthe truth.

VILLAGERS SHOT DEAD AND WOUNDED IN TA-KHI-LAEK
On 10.2.00, a patrol of 7 SPDC troops from Co.3 of LIB316 led by Lt. Myint Oo shot at 2 villagers from Nam Kai village at a place between Kaw Kaw and Wan Laan villages in Pa Leo tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township, killing one and wounding the other.

On that day, the said troops were patrolling through the forest from Wan Kaw Kaw to Wan Laan village. At one point, the troops saw 2 villagers, who were travelling in the opposite direction taking the same trail, and shot at them without warning or asking any questions.

Thinking the 2 villagers were both dead, the troops left them and continued their patrolling. However, though one of the villagers died immediately, the other one was only hit in the left shoulder and had only fainted when the troops left.

A few minutes after the troops left, the surviving villager fully regained consciousness and went back to his village and complained to the village headman.

When they went to the military camp near Pa Leo village and complained to the Commander of Co.3, all they got was the following scolding, "All you know is just to accuse my Company without knowing who the real culprits are. Are we the only soldiers? Aren't your Shan army also soldiers? On seeing green uniforms, you want to blame our Burman soldiers. Bring evidence that clearly shows it was our soldiers who did that,
otherwise we can not help you anything".

The 2 victims were:

1. Zai Teet (m), aged 20, from Nam Kai village, Pa Leo tract, was killed instantly
2. Zai Lao (m), aged 19, from Nam Kai village, Pa Leo tract, was wounded in the left shoulder

RETURNING REFUGEES FORCED BACK TO THAILAND IN MURNG-SART
On 2.1.00, 45 refugees who were returning from Thailand were arrested and detained by SPDC troops from LIB553 led by Maj. Mya Thin at Paeng Kham village, Murng Yawn tract, Murng-Sart township, and, after 4 nights and 5 days of interrogation and robbing, forced to return to
Thailand.

All of these refugees, including men, women, children and elderly, were originally from the rural areas of Kun-Hing township where their villages had been forcibly relocated to the town a few years ago by SLORC/SPDC troops. Because of the extrajudicial killings and various gross human rights abuses committed by SLORC/SPDC troops in the relocation areas, these people had fled to Thailand.

Since they were not recognized as refugees and there was no regular assistance provided for them, these people had to work for low wages to survive and became illegal migrant workers in the paddy fields of Fang district of Chiangmai province.

After the recent crackdown on illegal migrant workers by the authorities in Fang areas late last year, those who wished to continue to stay and work were required to pay 200 baht each per month for protection fees. For these refugees, however, it was very difficult for them to give 200 baht from their already very low incomes and still be able to subsist. So, they decided to return to Kun-Hing and chose the route via Murng Yawn, Murng-Sart, Murng-Paeng and Kun-Hing.

When they got to Paeng Kham village, they were stopped by the said SPDC troops and locked up together for 4 nights and 5 days, during which they were interrogated and robbed of all their money and valuables. After that, they were told to return to Thailand.

Among the refugees, 15 were from Na Mon village, Wan Lao tract; 17 were from Wan Tong village, Ho Yaan tract; 13 were from Paang Khaa village, Kun Pu tract. All were in the rural areas of Kun-Hing township where mass forced relocations had been carried out by SLORC/SPDC troops and up until now designated as free-fire zones where anyone could be shot on sight without questions.

LAND CONFISCATION CAUSES DEATH IN MURNG-TON
In early January 2000, SPDC military authorities of Murng-Ton-based IB65 confiscated 67 acres of paddy fields belonging to 10 farmers in Murng Haang tract, Murng-Ton township. In early 1998, the commander of the Military Tactical Command from Murng-Sart had encouraged farmers who had no land for farming in Murng Haang tract of Murng-Ton township to clear some parts of the jungle and make them into paddy fields and submit an application with their signatures to the authorities asking for a dam on Nam Haang stream for the irrigation of the land.

It was said that, after some time, a fund of 600,000 Kyat had been appropriated by the higher authorities for the construction of the dam. However, another 200,000 Kyat was collected from the people of Murng Haang by the local military authorities, most likely to line their own pockets, according to the local people.

With the fund, and the forced labour of the people, the dam was constructed. With much difficulty, and using their own money and labour, 10 farmers managed to dig out the stumps and roots of the trees of the jungle and prepare some land for cultivation. In 1999, these farmers were able to grow 67 acres of rice paddy, each owning 5-8 acres, and were quite happy with the thought that they were now able to cultivate their own land.

After the rice harvest, the farmers put garlic in their fields. When the garlic started to grow, however, SPDC troops ordered owners of ploughing machines in the area to plough off the garlic and ordered the people in Murng Haang to grow rice for them.

It is said that the fields were to be sold by the SPDC troops to the newcomers who have moved down from Ko kaang areas in Northern Shan State at the price of 20,000 Kyat per acre, and they have already agreed to buy them.

As for the 10 farmers, they have lost everything. They had invested all their property in making the rice fields and they had sold their first rice harvest to get capital money for cultivating garlic, and now they have lost both their garlic and their rice fields.

All the farmers are very frustrated and depressed, and do not know what to do. One of the farmers, Loong Wi (m), aged 56, of Naa Kawng Mu village, was so depressed that he eventually fell ill and died.

RAPE OF 2 LISAW GIRLS IN TA-KHI-LAEK
On 10.2.00, a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from LIB316 led by Commander Naing Lin raped 2 Lisaw village girls in a farm hut near their village, San Long Laao Lee, Murng Laen tract, Ta-Khi-laek township.

The 2 Lisaw girls were gathering wild vegetables just outside their village when they were seized by the said SPDC troops. They were taken to a nearby farm hut and both of them were raped by Naing Lin and some of his troops.

RAPE OF A SHAN GIRL IN MURNG-YARN
On 12.1.00, Sergeant Hla Myint and his 2 troops from IB279 of the SPDC gang-raped a village girl, Naang (Mon), aged 16, on the bank of Nam Yarng stream near Ter Laat village, in Murng-Yarng township.

The 3 SPDC soldiers came to Ter Laat village and demanded chickens. When they left the village, they saw a girl who was washing clothes all alone on the bank of Nam Yarng stream, out of sight of the village.

The soldiers put their guns on the girl and raped her, threatening to shoot her dead if she screamed or struggled. When the soldiers left, the girl came back to the village, crying, and told her parents about her plight.

But when her parents went to complain to the village headman, he did not dare to take the case to the town and they could do nothing further.

FISH ROBBED, HEADMAN BEATEN IN KAENG-TUNG
On 29.1.00, headman of Tong Wa Nur village was beaten until he lost consciousness and 12 viss of fish, belonging to the villagers, was robbed by SPDC troops from IB244 at the fish ponds of Tong Wa Nur and Tong Wa Tai villages in Paang Kiu tract, Kaeng-Tung township.

On the day of the event, at about 11:30 hrs, while the villagers of Tong Wa Nur and Tong Wa Tai villages were catching fish in their fish ponds, a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops came up and ordered the villagers to give them 12 viss of fish.

When the villagers asked them to take only 5 viss, since 12 viss was too much and was virtually all their catch, the troops were furious and one of them hit the head of the headman of Wan Tong Nur with the butt of his rifle, causing him to lose consciousness.

The troops also fired their guns into the air to threaten the villagers. So, finally, the frightened villagers had to give away 12 viss of their fish.

BULLYING IN KAENG-TUNG
On 2.2.00, SPDC troops from Radar Unit No.73, stationed at Loi Muay, shot dead 2 buffalo and pushed a cart into a roadside ditch, belonging to a villager of Wan Zawn village, Murng Laab tract, Kaeng-Tung township.

The buffalo and the cart belonged to Zai Sai (m), aged 32, who were towing a log, to be used as a pillar of his house, with a buffalo-cart along a narrow road near Wan Hut village when coincidentally the car carrying the SPDC troops was coming from the opposite direction.

The road was too narrow for Zai Sai to move aside and make way for their car and it would take him some time to back off to a wider spot. Seeing the situation, the troops became angry and shot the buffalo dead, and pushed his cart down into the roadside ditch, and drove their car off along
the road.

KIDNAPPING IN MURNG-KHARK
On 29.1.00, SPDC troops of Murng-Khark-based LIB328 arrested 2 Lahu villagers, Kya Yae (m), aged 21 and Kya Pae (m), aged 22, of Nam Laek village, Tong Pha Kao tract, Murng-Khark township, and detained them in the military base.

After that, the troops sent out a message to the village leaders ordering them to buy a cow and bring it to the military base in exchange for the release of the 2 villagers. The Lahu village leaders had no choice but to comply.

DOUBLE PUNISHMENT FOR GAMBLERS IN KAENG-TUNG
On 7.2.00, SPDC troops of Intelligence Unit No.22 (MI-22) in Kaeng-Tung arrested 36 gamblers at a gambling den at Paeng Tao village, Kaat Thaai tract, Kaeng-Tung township, and handed them over to the police to take legal action against them.

Accordingly, the police locked up the gamblers for one night and sent them to court the following day, on 8.1.00. The court decided that the gamblers should pay a fine of 2,000 Kyat each after which they were released.

The intelligence officers, however, were not satisfied with the clemency of the sentence and ordered the police to rearrest the gamblers. The police, knowing their inferior status, had to comply and once again arrested the gamblers and locked them up at the police station on 9.2.00

That evening, the gamblers were taken to the base of the MI-22 by the troops and detained there for 7 days during which they had to do sanitary work and do other things as they were told. After that, the  were released and had to walk back to their village which was 7 miles away from the town.

SHOOTING OF LIVESTOCK AND FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-YAWNG
On 5.2.00, a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from LIB334 led by Lt. Gyin Yi shot a cow belonging to the Akha villagers of Pha Saang village, Sop Luay tract, Murng-Yawng township

After that, the troops ordered the villagers to cut up the meat and carry it to the base of LIB334.

Aa Hae (m), aged 46, lost his cow worth about 17,000 Kyat. Aa Loo (m), aged 32 and Aa Ping (m), aged 29 were forced to carry the meat to the military camp.

FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-YARNG
On 23.1.00, 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.