COMMENTARY

The recent incident of mass forced labour in Tachilek township is one of the most glaring pieces of evidence that despite their promise to the ILO and constant denial of using forced labour of the people, the Burmese military junta are still blatantly using unpaid civilian porters and civilian vehicles in military operations.

In an attempt to launch an offensive military operation against a handful of Shan resistance soldiers manning a small precarious stronghold on the edge of the border with Thailand, the Burmese military have since early this month used several battalions of troops and, in addition, as usual, have forced not less than 600 unpaid forced civilian porters and tens of civilian vehicles to serve them for an uncertain period of time in the operation.

The SPDC authorities have been claiming that they have issued orders banning civilian forced labour, including Order 1/1999, a similar directive issued sometime earlier last year under ILO pressure and the recent �Supplementary Order to Order 1/1999� dated 1st November 2000.

The �Supplementary Order� was sent last year by SPDC spokesman Lt. Col. Hla Min to the ILO  and the foreign media.  Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win has also said that �The Order has been circulated right down to the village level and posted in every police station. ... It states that all responsible persons including the armed forces, ... should not requisition forced labour�.

5 DISPLACED FARMERS SHOT DEAD WHILE THRESHING RICE, THEIR PILE OF RICE BURNED, IN NAM-ZARNG

On 28.12.00, 5 displaced farmers who were threshing rice were shot dead in a group while they were resting and sitting in a circle eating their day meal, and their rice pile was burned by SPDC troops from IB66 led by Capt. Zaw Won, in Nam-Zarng township.

According to the local people, Capt. Zaw Won, commander of Co. No.3 of IB66, stationed in Loi La tract, Nam-Zarng township, had in early 2000 asked the people in the area to grow opium and accordingly most people did grow opium. But there were still many families who for some reasons did not grow opium and continued to grow rice.

The SPDC troops gave a lot of trouble to those who grew rice. They would stealthily make holes in the fences of the rice farms and let animals in to destroy the rice crop, and would shoot from a distance at those who stayed overnight to look after their farms.

On the day of the incident, one of the victims was threshing his rice at his farm and the other 4 were helping him, as it was a custom for farmers in Shan rural areas to take turns helping one another in planting, reaping and threshing their rice. All of them were displaced farmers who had been forcibly relocated to Nam-Zarng town a year earlier and later in 2000 to Loi La village in Loi La tract.

They were resting and sitting in a circle eating their day meal when a patrol of SPDC troops from IB66 led by Capt. Zaw Won shot at them, killing them all on the spot. After that, the troops burned all the rice and left.

The victims were:

AN INNOCENT VEGETABLE FARMER KILLED, HIS YOUNG DAUGHTER RAPED, IN MURNG-SART

On 26.12.00, an innocent vegetable farmer was killed for trying to prevent SPDC soldiers from stealing his vegetable and his 15-year-old daughter was raped by SPDC troops from LIB333 led by Corporal Khin Maung Soe at a vegetable farm about 3 miles north of Waeng Nur village in Waeng Nur tract, Murng-Sart township.

On the day of the incident, while Zaw-Ti-Ka, the vegetable farmer, and his 15-year-old daughter, Naang Mi, were watering their vegetables, a group of 15 SPDC troops came into their farm and took as many vegetables as they wanted in front of the owners without asking or telling them.

The SPDC troops from Co. No.4 of LIB333, especially Khin Maung Soe and his followers, had been stealing vegetables from Zaw-Ti-Ka�s farm for some time, but never as much as this time. Zaw-Ti-Ka could not tolerate the sight of the soldiers stealing a lot of his vegetables right in front of him and asked Khin Maung Soe whether he was asking or buying or taking them for free.

Khin Maung Soe said that he was taking them for free and asked Zaw-Ti-Ka what he wanted to do. Zaw-Ti-Ka then said that the military authorities had recently issued a statement that they would not forcibly take anything from the people, and asked if SPDC troops under Capt. Soe Naing Oo, commander of Co. No.4 of LIB33, were only cheating the people.

Khin Maung Soe then ordered his troops to take Zaw-Ti-Ka away to the head of the farm with a special signal which was understood only by them and took Naang Mi into the nearby farm hut and raped her.

The troops beat Zaw-Ti-Ka to death and dumped his body into a bush at the edge of the farm while Khin Maung Soe raped Naang Mi and beat her unconscious in the hut, and left the farm.

When Zaw-Ti-Ka and their daughter did not return home until evening, his wife, Pa Pe, became anxious and went after them with 2-3 of their relatives. They saw Naang Mi lying on the hut. She had just regained consciousness, but was not able to stand up, so they took her home where she told them what had happened.

Pa Pe and her relatives immediately reported the incident to the village leaders and many villagers went out in search of Zaw-Ti-Ka until they found his body and brought it back to the village.

Village leaders and Naang Mi later went to complain about the incident to Capt. Soe Naing Oo who promised to look into the matter and help the victims as much as he could. But no action has been taken in regard to this case up to the time of this report.

KILLING OF WITNESSES IN LIVESTOCK STEALING IN MURNG-TON

On 2.1.01, a patrol of SPDC troops from IB65 led by Lt. Hla Khin severly beat up a villager, causing him to die later, who saw them stealing and killing cattle of the local people in Me Ken tract, Murng-Ton township. Later, on 5.1.01, the same troops shot dead 2 other villagers who saw them stealing cattle in the same area.

On 2.1.01, Saw-Pe-Ta (m), aged 53, a villager of Wan Mai village, Me Ken tract, who was looking for a lost cow and a new place for growing rice some distance from his village, ran into a group of 20 SPDC soldiers who had just killed 3 cows and were cutting and smoking their meat. The SPDC troops also saw him at that instant and, pointing their guns at him, arrested him before he could run away.

The SPDC troops accused Saw-Pe-Ta of being a spy of the Shan rebels, beat him and interrogated him. The troops beat him for some time and, when he kept denying the charge, explaining that he was a villager of Wan Mai and he was only looking for a lost cow and a place to farm, they took him to Wan Mai village and asked the village headman whether it was true.

When the village headman testified to Saw-Pe-Ta�s innocence, stressing that he was telling the truth, the troops released him and left the village. Saw-Pe-Ta, however, was so severly beaten up that he died of the beating on the morning of the next day, on 3.1.01.

The troops continued to dry their meat, put it in plastic sacks and carried them to a place that could be reach by vehicles and, on 3.1.01, forcibly conscripted two civilian 4x4 mini-trucks in the area and transported them to Me Ken and Naa Kawng Mu villages to be forcibly sold to traders and shop keepers at 800 Kyat per viss (1 viss = 1.6 kg).

On 5.1.01, the same troops patrolled the area again and drove a herd of cattle they saw between Me Ken and Hawng Lin villages into the valley of Nam Ton river and shot dead 2 cows. As they were cutting up the meat and preparing to make a fire on the bank of the river, 2 villagers of Hawng Lin village, who were catching fish from upstream, came down the river and were arrested by the troops.

The 2 villagers were later shot dead by the SPDC troops and their bodies were found 2 days later by Hawng Lin villagers at a place not far from where the troops smoked their meat. No one dared to do more than bury the bodies and conduct a proper funeral for the dead.

EXTENDED FORCED PORTERING, RAPING AND KILLING OF CIVILIAN PORTERS IN KUN-HING

RC/SPDC troops, and used them for almost 4 months, during which the women porters were frequently raped and one man porter killed by the troops.

On 7.8.2000, the said SPDC troops forcibly conscripted the following 10 civilian porters from Kun-Hing town relocation site:

These 10 porters were seized while they were working at a farm and forced to carry military things and go with the troops while they patrolled the deserted villages in the relocation areas, camping wherever they were when night fell, sometimes stopping for 2-3 days at a place.

According to the porters themselves, they did not have to carry very heavy loads, but the women were raped almost every night by one soldier or another.

After 1 month and 5 days, a porter named Zaai Win tried to escape but was captured by the troops. He was beaten and tortured, including by a bamboo stick being rolled on his shins, in front of the other porters. In 3 days, the wounds in his shins were full of pus and the troops beat him to death.

The other porters were forced to go on until 20.11.00, when they reached Kun-Hing town and the troops released them. These civilians had been forced to serve as unpaid military porters for a straight period of 3-1/2 months, from 7.8.00 to 20.11.00, during which time the women were also forced to serve as sex slaves.

BEATING OF LAHU VILLAGERS IN KAENG-TUNG

FORCED LABOUR BY PA-O CEASEFIRE GROUP IN YAWNG-HWE

On 20.11.00, people in Kyawk Teng and Thapye Kong village tracts were forced to fix roads by Pa-O militia, formerly a Pa-O ceasefire group under Aung Hkam Hti, in the area under their control.

One person from each house in the said 2 village tracts was required to provide their own food and fix the roads starting from Taunggyi to Nam Pan village, to Kyauk Long Gyi village and down to Pang-Lawng, tens of miles long.

A written order was sent to village tract leaders by the village tract level Pa-O militia officer in the area on 19.11.00, stating that anyone who failed to turn up on the given day would have to face punishments as they deemed fit.

RICE PROCUREMENT IN 2000, IN LARNG-KHUR

During the year 2000, SPDC military authorities in Larng-Khur forced the farmers in Larng-Khur township to sell rice to the military at the rate of 12 baskets per acre, 300 Kyat per basket, while the market price was 800 Kyat per basket.

The acreages of the rice fields in the 3 main village tracts in Larng-Khur township were as follows:

Farmers who could not produce enough rice to sell to the military were required to buy from somewhere else to fill up their quotas. This meant the farmers could not pay 300 Kyat for each missing basket of rice in their quotas, which was the price offered by the military, but had to buy from the market at the price 800 Kyat per basket.

Many farmers were complaining that they had become more and more destitute year after year, having to serve the military in many respects including money, labour, farm produce and livestock, etc..

RICE PROCUREMENT IN 2000, IN YAWNG-HWE

During December 2000, SPDC military authorities in Yawng-Hwe forced the farmers in Yawng-Hwe township to sell rice to the military at the rate of 12 baskets per acre, 250 Kyat per basket, while the market price in the area was 1,200 Kyat per basket.

During the rice growing season in 2000, farmers in Thapye Kong and Kyauk Taing village tracts and villages near the mountains could not grow rice due to the drought in the area and had to buy rice from other areas for their consumption.

However, these farmers were not free from their imposed duty to sell their rice quotas to the military. Since their rice fields were threatened to be confiscated if they failed to provide the needed amount of rice, the farmers had to buy from other areas at the market price to fill up their quotas.

RICE PROCUREMENT IN 2000, IN MURNG-SART

Though the SPDC military authorities had issued a statement that they would not procure rice from the people on the eastern side of the Salween river, in 2000 the military authorities in Murng-Sart forced the farmers in Murng Tum, Murng Kaan and Tha Larng village tracts, Murng-Sart township, to sell their rice at the rate of 12 baskets per acre, 300 Kyat per basket, while the market price in the area was 1,000-1,200 Kyat per basket.

Many farmers who could not produce enough rice due to poor soil and bad weather had to buy from other village tracts to fill up their quotas.

DESTRUCTION OF SUGARCANE PLANTATION OF THE PEOPLE IN LARNG-KHUR

In mid-2000, SPDC military authorities in Larng-Khur, working on the orders of the Commander of the Military Tactical Command in Murng-Pan, had forced several sugarcane farmers in  Larng-Khur township to clear up their sugarcane plantations along the main road between Larng-Khur and Murng-Pan.

Some of the farmers who had to cut and clear up their sugarcane plantations were as follows:

There were many others in other villages who also lost several acres of their sugarcane plantations in this incident. Altogether hundreds of acres of sugarcane were lost.

ROBBERY IN LARNG-KHUR

On 29.9.00, SPDC troops from IB99 robbed the people of Paang Wawng quarter in Larng-Khur town of their money, valuables and clothes, etc.. 

On the day of the incident, 10 SPDC troops from Co. No.4 from IB99, all in camouflage and led by Capt. Kyaw Lwin, entered the house of Lung Kan-Tha & Pa Yaen and arrested them. The troops beat the husband, Lung Kan-Tha, harshly one time with a stick, and ordered them to bring out all the money and valuables they had in the house, threatening to kill them if they searched and found that something was left hidden.

Lung Kan-Ta and Pa Yaen were very frightened and gave away all they had. They lost 10,600 Kyat of money, 3-1/2 Bahts weight of gold ornaments, 2 tape recorders, 5 wristwatches, 1 camera and many clothes, altogether worth more than 300,000 Kyat.

After robbing Lung Kan-Tha and Pa Yaen, the troops went to the house of Lung Yuay & Pa Nae in the same quarter of  the town and robbed them of their possessions. Lung Yuay and Pa Nae lost 54,600 Kyat of money and 2 Bahts weight of gold ornaments.

After that, they continued to rob Lung Pan-Ta and Pa Leng at their house, taking away 48,500 Kyat of money, 4 Bahts weight of gold ornaments, 1 tape recorder, 3 wristwatches, 6 Buddha statues and a lot of clothes.

Every time they robbed the people, the troops said they were Tai Leng (or Red Shan = one of the Shan ethnic groups in Burma) members of SSA (Shan State Army). However, since Capt. Kyaw Lwin had visited the place a few times previously, the people knew him well and recognized him. But no one dared say anything about it for fear of reprisal.

CONFISCATION OF SELF-HELP VILLAGE SCHOOL IN KAENG-TUNG

In late 2000, an elementary school at Naa Kham village, built and supported by the villagers in Kaeng Phawng tract, Kaeng-Tung township, was confiscated by SPDC military authorities of the Golden Triangle Special Regional Command, to make space for residential buildings for collage teachers of a new collage.

This elementary school, to which they sent their children, had been collectively built and supported by all the villagers in Kaeng Phawng tract since 10 years ago.

It was built near Naa Kham village and close to the main road; convenient and easy for the children from the whole village tract to go to, even during the rains. But now, it had been destroyed to make way for a new collage that was being built on cultivated land confiscated from the local people.

For the children of  Kaeng Phawng tract, the military authorities had ordered the villagers to help themselves and build a new elementary school in the middle of a rice field, about 2 furlongs from the main road, and the children would have to cross the wet rice field during the rains.

FORCED LABOUR OF CIVILIAN PORTERS AND VEHICLES IN TA-KHI-LAEK

Since 5.2.01, SPDC military authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek have been forcibly conscripting many people and civilian vehicles in Ta-Khi-Laek township for military service.

In the military operations by SPDC troops against the Shan resistance in Ta-Khi-Laek and Murng-Sart townships, SPDC military authorities of  LIB331 and IB259 have taken 600 people to serve as unpaid porters.

The SPDC troops also issued an order requiring civilian vehicles to be on standby for military use; 24 vehicles at a time have to be on standby for 24 hours.

Many trucks and cars that ran between Ta-Khi-Laek and Kaeng-Tung, and Ta-Khi-Laek and Tawng-Gi have been prevented from leaving Ta-Khi-Leak township to be kept  on standby for military use.

The civilian vehicles received nothing as compensation from the military. The owners have to provide the needed fuel and oil, and the drivers have to provide their own food.

Owners who have only one vehicle and need them for their daily chores are not spared. During the periods in which their vehicles have to be on standby and could not do the unavoidable daily chores, the owners have to hire other vehicles to do the work, at the rate of 1,500-2,000 Baht per day for a 4-wheeled mini-truck and 2,500-3,000 Baht per day for a 6-wheeler.

Among the drivers who have been taking turns to be on standby for 24 hours at a time, Zaai Lee, Zaai Non and Lung Pan, who showed up at one time a little late than the designated time, were beaten 3 times each with sticks by the SPDC troops from LIB331.

Since early February up to the time of this report, the people in Ta-Khi-Laek township have been forced to serve the military by the SPDC troops virtually around the clock and have had no time to work for themselves, especially those who have to serve as porters and the owners and drivers of the vehicles.