COMMENTARY

Even as the 57th session of the UNCHR was in progress this month, and the Burmese military junta’s delegation was trying to convince the international community that the junta had stopped using civilian forced labour and that the human rights situation had been improving in Burma, directly contradictory developments were taking place in its backyard. Abuses have been rampant in south and eastern Shan State, where fighting between the junta’s troops and Shan resistance troops has been continuing on and off since February this year.

Civilian populations in these areas have not only been forced to serve as porters, but have also been used by the junta’s troops as human shields by being forced to keep guard around the clock at strategic locations along the roads and river banks, and at town and village entrances, and assigned to report any movements of Shan soldiers.

SHRF has in this newsletter reported two such incidents, which are still continuing and have so far spread to other areas.

More and more people in the conflict areas are being subjected to interrogation, beating, torture and killing by the SPDC troops on suspicion of having connections with or supporting the Shan soldiers. Especially the Shan populations are being targeted just for being members of the same ethnic group.

All these factors are causing people, many with their extended families, to flee to other places in the country as well as neighbouring countries.

14 FLEEING DISPLACED VILLAGERS TORTURED AND KILLED IN A GROUP IN MURNG-TON

On 2.3.01, a group of 14 displaced villagers who were heading for Thailand were seized by SPDC troops from LIB225 and beaten, tortured and interrogated, and finally killed, at a place called Huay Pa Khi in Murng-Ton township, 7 miles from the Thai border, opposite Chaiprakan district of Chiangmai province.

These villagers were from different townships in central Shan State who had come separately via Larng-Khur, Murng-Pan, Murng-Ton and met by chance in Murng-Ton town. After learning from one another that they were heading for Thailand, they decided to go together in a group.

On the next day, 14 of them went by truck to Pung Pa Khem village and from there on foot to Nam Hoo Khun village, about 5 miles east of Pung Pa Khem and about 4 miles west of the Thai border, which was populated by Wa and Lahu peoples, and had a stronghold of Wa soldiers close by.

As a rule, people going to Thailand usually hire local guides to take them from Nam Hoo Khun to the Thai border. These 14 villagers, however, did not hire any guide because one of them offered to lead the way, saying that he had been to this area a couple of times a few years ago and he knew the way well.

Unfortunately, however, the self-made guide did not realize that the route through Huay Pa Khi which he had taken a few years ago had been closed by Wa troops under their Chinese boss, Wei Shaukang, for almost 2 years.

Unaware of the current situation, the villager led his group along the Huay Pa Khi route until they were stopped, surrounded and arrested by a group of SPDC troops from IB225 led by Capt. Maung Thaung. They were interrogated, tortured and eventually beaten to death in a group by the troops.

It was learned that the villagers had been accidentally heading towards one of the amphetamine factories in the area under the security of the SPDC troops and were arrested. While Wa troops actually guarded the factories, SPDC troops roamed the outer area.

After some beating, torture and interrogation, the villagers were suspected of having found out the location of at least one of the amphetamine factories.

Therefore, to shut their mouths, the SPDC troops simply killed all of them and ordered some workers from the amphetamine factory to bury them, at a place not very far from where they had killed them.

The 14 villagers killed were from the following different townships:
4 villagers from Nawng Haan village in Murng-Pan township

3 villagers from Paang Khaa village, Khun Pu tract, Kun-Hing township

4 villagers from Paang Yong village, Wan Lur tract, Lai-Kha township

3 from Kun Kaao village, Kun Mong tract, Kaeng Tawng area, Murng-Nai township

A 14-YEAR-OLD GIRL RAPED, HER FATHER AND BROTHER BEATEN TO DEATH, IN MURNG-NAI

On 24.1.01, 2 displaced villagers were beaten to death and a 14-year-old girl was taken away and raped for 3 nights by a patrol of SPDC troops from Kun-Hing-based IB246 at a deserted farm northwest of Ton Hoong village relocation site in Ton Hoong tract, Murng-Nai township.

The victims were 3 villagers, a father, a son and a daughter, from Ton Hoong relocation site. They were gathering wild vegetables at an old farm some distance northwest of Ton Hoong when they were arrested by a patrol of 45-50 SPDC troops from Co.4 of IB246 led by Capt. Zaw Thein, stationed at Ton Hoong relocation site.

The SPDC troops tied up the father and the son and interrogated and tortured them, and eventually beat them to death with sticks. Capt. Zaw Thein then raped the daughter and took her along with the patrol for 3 nights before she was released.

The 3 victims were:
1. Sa Ti Ya, aged 35, the father, beaten to death
2. Zaai Khat, aged 16, son of Sa Ti Ya, beaten to death
3. Naang Muay Khur (not her real name), aged 14, daughter of Sa Ti Ya, raped and taken away for 3 nights

Some time after she got back to Ton Hoong relocation site, Naang Muay Khur reported the incident to the village elders and community leaders, and they went to find the bodies of the 2 dead victims and buried them properly. No one dared to do anything more than this, for fear of futher abuses.

KILLING OF ELDERLY VILLAGERS AND ARRESTS IN MURNG-KERNG

On 8.2.01, 3 elderly villagers were accused of supporting the Shan resistance and shot dead by SPDC troops from LIB15 of 99th Division, led by commander Set Wei, locally known as ‘Lt. Betel Chewer’, at Naa Loi near Khur Weet village in Waang Murng tract, Murng-Kerng township.

The 3 villagers killed were:
1. Lung Kham Hurng Paang (m), aged 66, of Khur weet village, Waang Murng tract
2. Lung Su Kam (m), aged 60, of Wan Long village, Waang Murng tract
3. Lung Zaang Za-Ling (m), aged 60, of Khur Weet village, Waang Murng tract

In January 2001, 3 villagers were also accused of supporting the Shan resistance and arrested in Ham Ngaai tract, Murng-Kerng township, by the same SPDC troops. One managed to escape during the arrest and his property was confiscated, and his house was also destroyed. The 3 victims were:
1. Lung Sing (m), aged 50, of Kung Nyawng village, Ham Ngaai tract (being detained in Murng-Kerng)
2. Saang Su (m), of Zaam Pawng village, Ham Ngaai tract (being detained in Murng-Kerng)
3. Khing Paang (m), of Nawng Ung village, Ham Ngaai tract (escaped)

Lung Sing and Saang Su are still being detained in jail in Murng-Kerng town at the time of this report.

LAHU WOMAN RAPED IN KAENG-TUNG

On 23.2.01, a 19-year-old Lahu woman was raped by an SPDC soldier, Lt. Kyi Htun, from IB226 at a farm in Huay Koi tract, Kaeng-Tung township.

On the day of the incident, the victim, A-juay (not her real name), aged 19, was gathering vegetables in a farm near her village, Nawng Hoi, in Huay Koi tract, when a patrol of 20 SPDC troops led by Lt. Kyi Htun came to the farm.

When he learned that A-juay was alone, Lt. Kyi Htun ordered his troops to go ahead of him to the next village, Maak Khaam Bawm, and, when he was left alone with A-juay, he ordered her to go into the farm hut, threatening her with his gun.

Using his gun as a threat to keep A-juay from struggling and screaming, Lt. Kyi Htun raped her to his satisfaction and left the farm, heading after his troops.

Terrified and shocked, A-juay grabbed her vegetable basket and ran towards Nawng Hoi village and on the way met her father, A Nu, who was coming to the farm from the village. She told him about her plight and they both went back to the village and reported it to the village headman.

Since the SPDC troops had stopped at the village and left just before the incident, the headman knew exactly from the description given by A-juay of her rapist that it was Lt. Kyi Htun.

On the next day, the headman then took both A-juay and her father to the head of the Lahu people’s militia of Huay Koi tract, and he further took all of them to the SPDC township office in Kaeng-Tung town and lodged a complaint with the township authorities.

The SPDC township officer listened to the case and consoled the villagers that he would take appropriate actions to bring the culprit to justice. So the Lahu villagers returned to their village.

Up until the time of this report, however, there has not been any action taken against any soldier in connection with this case.

A-juay’s father was quite frustrated and has been complaining that it looked like he had also lost his 1,200 Kyat of money and effort in renting a car and going to lodge a complaint at the township office, in addition to the plight of her daughter.

TORTURE, DETENTION AND EXTORTION IN MURNG-KHARK

On 3.1.01, SPDC troops of LIB328 arrested 13 villagers in Murng Nung tract, Murng-Khark township, detained them in the military base and tortured them, and eventually extorted 30,000 Kyat of money from their relatives and fellow villagers for the release of each of them.

On that day, a patrol of about 20 SPDC troops from LIB328, led by Lt. Htein Lin, arrested the following villagers in Murng Nung tract: 3 villagers from Wan Laa village, 6 from Wan Tong village and 4 from Wan Kham Noi village, altogether 13 villagers.

The villagers were accused of dealing in amphetamine and taken to the military base where they were kept in detention and interrogated, beaten and tortured.

While in detention, they were fed with inadequate food and were not allowed to wash themselves, and were not allowed to see any visiting relatives.

These villagers were quite well known by the locals as being simple farmers with only meagre incomes who had nothing to do with what they had been accused of.

Although some village leaders and their relatives had gone to seek help from the SPDC township authorities in Murng-Khark, no one was willing to take up the case, saying that they did not want to interfere with the army.

On 5.1.01, however, Lt. Htein Lin himself and 3 of his troops came to Murng Nung tract and visited the parents and relatives of the 13 detainees. He told the villagers to bring 30,000 Kyat of money to the military base for each detainee if they wanted them to be released.

The parents and relatives of the victims were only able to gather about 15,000 for each, by asking and borrowing around in the village tract. On the next day, 6.1.01, however, they all went together to the ILB328 base and begged the soldiers to release the villagers and be satisfied with the 15,000 Kyat per person they were providing because it was all they could get. For some reasons, the troops accepted the money and released all the 13 victims on that day.

Among the 13 villagers who had been beaten and tortured, 2 suffered the most severe injuries. The 2 villagers were:

1. Lung Laa (m), aged 51, was beaten with rifle butts and suffered from a severely sprained waist and could not stand up or walk for several days

2. Zaai In Pan (m), aged 46, was beaten on the forehead with a rifle butt and suffered from a splitt scalp and fractured skull, and was feeling dizzy and confused for several weeks

PEOPLE FORCED TO STAND GUARD AROUND THE CLOCK IN TA-KHI-LAEK

Since 1.3.01, SPDC troops of LIB359 have been forcing the people in Murng Phong tract, both A and B tracts, to stand guard 24 hours per day at all the strategic spots in Murng Phong tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township.

Presuming that attacks by SSA-E (Shan State Army - East) from across Laos and Thailand were imminent, the said SPDC troops have issued an order forcing the villagers in Murng Phong tract to take up security duty, requiring them to stand guard day and night at all the village entrances, along the Murng Phong-Ta-Khi-Laek road and along the banks of the Mekhong and Nam Hok rivers.

The villagers have to build thatched tents about 2 furlongs apart along the road and river banks and take turns to keep watch all the time. While being forced to provide free labour which leaves almost no time for them to support their families, the villagers have also been frequently disturbed by the news, spread by the SPDC troops, of impending attacks from this or that direction by the Shan soldiers.

According to the local people in Ta-Khi-Laek, the other village tracts in the township, such as Murng Laen, Pa Leo and Kaeng Laab, also have to do the same.

It is one of their routine practices, for the Burmese troops to use civilians as a shield to protect themselves, and in some cases even as human mine sweepers, they said.

PEOPLE FORCED TO KEEP GUARD AROUND THE CLOCK IN MURNG-YAWNG

Since 10.3.01, SPDC troops of LIB334 have been forcing villagers in Sop Luay tract, Murng-Yawng township, to keep guard day and night along the roads and Mekhong river banks in the area.

The SPDC authorities in Murng Yawng claimed on 10.3.01 that they they got news of SSA-E (Shan State Army - East) troops’ presence and movement in the Murng Yawng Noi area, on the bank of the Mekhong on the Lao side of the border, and issued an order requiring the villagers in Sop Luay tract, especially villages in the area close to Murng Yawng Noi, to guard the entrances of every village, the roads and river banks to keep watch on SSA-E troops’ movement.

Since then, many villagers in Sop Luay tract have had to build small guardhouses along the roads and Mekhong river bank and work in rotation to man the guardhouses, which have been set up 1-2 furlongs apart, 24 hours per day. A wooden gong has been hung in every guardhouse and the villagers are supposed to beat it if they detect any movement of the Shan soldiers.

Even if there is no sign of any movement of the Shan soldiers, the villagers still have to go to report the situation to the SPDC authorities in Murng-Yawng town every day without fail, making it difficult for them to find time to do their own work.

The same thing has happened to other village tracts and townships where the SPDC troops thought there were movements of Shan soldiers, according to the local people.

LAHU VILLAGERS FORCED TO SERVE AS GUIDES, ONE ALSO KICKED, IN KAENG-TUNG

On 19.2.01, 3 Lahu villagers of Kawng Sur Nur village in Murng Khawn tract, Kaeng-Tung township, were seized by a patrol of 25 SPDC troops from IB226, led by Capt. Kyi Win, and forced to serve as guides, and one of them was kicked several times on the way.

The 3 villagers seized were:

They were forced to guide the SPDC troops to Murng Pack tract and the journey took them the whole day and they were able to return only on the next day. Since they were unexpectedly seized, they were not able to take any food with them and they had no money.

The SPDC soldiers gave the villagers nothing to eat, so they have to go without food all day. When they reached Murng Pak in the evening, the troops released them immediately without giving them anything.

The 3 Lahu villagers had to beg for food from the villagers of Murng Pak and spent the night there. On the morning of the next day, 20.2.01, they again had to beg for some food to eat on the way to be able to walk back to their village.

While they were serving as guides on the way from Murng Khawn to Murng Pak, one of the 3 Lahu villagers, Ja-Phya, accidentally suffered a pain in his leg and could not walk fast enough for some time, and he was kicked 3-4 times by the soldiers.

EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 4.3.01, SPDC authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek issued an order to all the village and tract leaders in the township to collect food and money from the villagers to support the Burmese soldiers by 5.3.01.

Each and every house had to provide 150 Baht of Thai money for porter-fees, and 2 packs of ready-made noodles and 2 eggs for the rations of the soldiers, to their respective village and tract leaders, and the leaders were responsible to take them to the SPDC township office.

It is said that since 17.2.01, there have already been 4-5 cases of similar incidents in Ta-Khi-Laek township with the villagers having to provide more money, sometimes 300 Baht, and even up to 600 Baht in one incident.

This has been a very unwelcome extra burden imposed on the people whose money has already been regularly and randomly extorted for various reasons, and whose forced labour has been routinely used in many ways by the Burmese troops, said the local people.

LAND CONFISCATION IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 1.1.01, SPDC troops of LIB316 brought in some members of the Land Survey Department to measure and mark a 3,000-acre plot of land, to be confiscated later, out of the fields, farms and gardens of the local people in Pa Leo (Kaeng Laab) tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township.

It was said that the land would be confiscated and sold to a Chinese business enterprise “Ho Pang”, if they like it, by the SPDC authorities without any compensation for the original owners, the local farmers. Recently, there was news that some members of ‘Ho Pang Company’ had gone to have a look at the land and would most likely buy it.

In other village tracts, such as Nam Kherm and Murng Laen, some 3,000-acre plots of land have already been marked out by the SPDC troops to be sold to ‘Ho Pang’ and other Chinese business companies.

Many farmers in the area are very worried about their livelihood. They fear that if their lands are being confiscated at this rate, they would have no land even to grow crops for their own consumption in the coming rainy season.

TRADERS ROBBED OF CONSUMER GOODS IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 17.3.01, the SPDC police force robbed traders who were transporting essential consumer goods to Ta-Khi-Laek town from the ‘golden triangle’ border-crossing of goods worth over 300,000 Thai Baht at the police checkpoint in Murng Phong tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township.

Since the closure of the Thai-Burma border on 12.2.01 due to the tensions between the two sides, especially the friendship bridge which had allowed the townspeople from both sides to engage in daily cross-border trade, food had become extremely scarce in Ta-Khi-Laek township.

Although Thai authorities had banned all trade at all border crossing points, they still allowed some amount of essential goods such as cooking oil, seasoning powder, seasoning liquid, salt, cookies and other food stuff to pass through at the ‘golden triangle’ border crossing point.

On the day of the incident, police at Huay Lin Lam checkpoint in Murng Phong tract, led by Lt. Sein Laing, stopped and searched all vehicles heading for Ta-Khi-Laek and seized all consumer goods such as cooking oil, canned milk, ready-made noodle and various other food stuff from the small traders who tried to bring them to Ta-Khi-Laek town.

According to one of the traders, the police seized over 300,000 Baht worth of consumer goods in just one day. It was found out later that 2 days later the police had asked the people’s militia at Huay Lin Lam to sell the seized goods to shop owners in Ta-Khi-Laek town.

EVIDENCE OF PEOPLE BURNT ALIVE IN LOI MAW AREA IN TANG-YARN (See photo on page 8)

Sai Sam, male, aged 33, the only survivor of the fire, started by Burmese troops, that burnt his house to ashes and both his parents to death about 3 years ago at his village in Loi Maw area in Tang-Yarn township, northern Shan State, has the following story to tell:

“The Burmese soldiers came and caught me. At first they wanted me to serve them as a guide, but later they tied me and my parents with a rope in our house. Then, with me and my parents tied up inside, they set fire to the house.

“Both my parents burnt to death. But the fire burnt the rope that tied my hands and I managed to slide to the ground and staggered away before the fire completely consumed the house, and I escaped on foot through the jungle.

“Although I survived the fire, I had very serious burns all over, especially my hands. In no time puss was dripping from my injuries while I staggered along the way.

“I tried very hard to treat myself by picking and pounding some leaves from the jungle and putting them on my wounds, not knowing whether they would work as medicine or not.

“I am the only survivor in my family. I lived alone with my parents and after they were killed I have no other relatives.

“Life is very difficult for me. I cannot work to earn a living, I cannot build a house to live in and I am always broke.

“I do not know what to do for the future. With my body being distorted like this from the burns, I cannot even put my hands to my mouth and have to eat with a spoon, and a lot of effort is needed even to do that. To do any other kinds of work is completely out of the question.”