COMMENTARY
Despite all the appeals and pressure put on it by the international community over the years, it is clear that the Burmese military regime has not made any attempt to reduce the sphere of the licence it has bestowed on its troops to do what they like to the peoples in the ethnic nationalities’ areas.

Forced labour is still being widely and regularly used by the regime’s troops.
Arbitrary killings are still rampant, even in the areas not specified as free-fire zones.

Beating is still one of the most frequently used means of torture, often with pistol or rifle butts, causing serious injuries and sometimes death.

Rape and sexual abuse are also still often used as one of the techniques of torture to terrify the ethnic populations. The regime’s troops seem to be always looking for a chance to abuse the ethnic women.

Last month, members of a township branch of the only legal Shan political party - Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, in central Shan State, were ordered by Burmese military authorities to resign and dissolve the party branch.

Refugees fleeing such human rights abuses in Shan State are still continuing to seek refuge in Thailand, as stated recently by the United States Committee for Refugees, who this year for the first time have listed 100,000 Shan refugees in their world refugee survey.

The first half of 2001 has thus seen no difference in terms of the gravity of human rights violations committed by the Burmese regime’s troops against the ethnic populations in Shan State.

KILLING OF AN INNOCENT FAMILY, INCLUDING 6- AND 4-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN, AND GANG-RAPE IN MURNG-NAI
On 29.3.01, a family of 4, including 6 and 4 years old, were beaten to death by a patrol of SPDC troops from Nam-Zarng-based IB66 led by Capt. Soe Win in a rice farm in Ton Hung tract in Murng-Nai township.

The victimized family was from Ter Hung village in Ton Hung tract who were staying overnight and clearing a plot of farmland to grow rice. The 4 members of the family killed were:

This family had been staying and clearing the plot of land since 5. 3. 01 and on the day of the incident, a column of about 100 SPDC soldiers came to their farm and beat all of them to death.

These troops were led by Capt. Soe Win and were from IB66 based in Nam-Zarng. They had been on patrol for some time and were temporarily stationed at Ton Hung village, Ton Hung tract in Murng-Nai township, patrolling the area and shooting cattle, when they killed the 4 innocent villagers at a farm 2-1/2 miles west of Ton Hung village.

On 30.3.01, the same column of SPDC troops tied up a man and gang-raped his 17-year-old niece for several hours in Kun Mong tract, Murng-Nai township.
As the troops left Ton Hung tract and continued to patrol the adjacent Kun-Mong tract, they saw a villager and his niece with an ox-cart carrying pieces of wood and bamboo coming from the direction of Kun Kawk village. The troops stopped them, tied the man up at one place, took the woman to another place and gang-raped her while some other troops killed the oxen for their meat.

The man, Lung Wong, aged 51 and his niece, “Naang Suay Kya” (not her real name), aged 17, were from Kun Kawk village in Kun Mong tract and were taking wood and bamboo to their rice farm to make fences when they ran into the said SPDC military column.

Naang Suay Kya was gang-raped by about 13-14 SPDC soldiers including their Captain for several hours. When Naang Suay Kya was able to untie the rope that tied Lung Wong after the troops left, it had been more than 6 hours since they were seized by the troops.

TORTURE AND KILLING OF COMMUNITY LEADER AND VILLAGER IN KUN-HING
On 19.5.01, SPDC troops from LIB524 led by Capt. Than Htun came to Laai Zan village in Saai Zan tract, Kun-Hing township, and arrested the village tract secretary, Zaai Zae-Ya and a villager, Zaai Man.

The troops tied up the said 2 men and took them to the military base in Kun-Hing town and interrogated them about the activities and whereabouts of the Shan soldiers of SSA-S (Shan State Army - South) in the area, while beating and torturing them with fire.

It was learned that the village tract secretary, Zaai Zae-Ya, was burnt and tortured to death during interrogation.

The fate of the other villager, Zaai Man, is not yet clearly known at the time of this report.

KILLING OF VEGETABLE FARMERS IN LAI-KHA
On 11.4.01, 4 innocent vegetable farmers, 1 man and 3 women, who were taking their farm produce to sell at the market in Lai-Kha town were arrested and beaten to death by SPDC troops from Co. No.3 of IB55 on the way between Maak Laang and Phuay Hai villages, about 1-2 miles north of Lai-Kha town.

The victims were internally displaced farmers who were forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Lai-Kha town from their original village, Ter Leng, in Ter Leng tract, in 1996-97 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops. They were:

After trying to survive by working as day-labourers for some years, these displaced farmers had since last year been trying to earn a bit more decent living by growing vegetables at a remote place about 2 miles north of the town and selling them at the town market.

On the day of the incident, sometime early in the morning, these farmers were carrying their vegetables to the town market and were stopped on the way between Maak Laang and Phuay Hai villages by the said 7 SPDC troops led by Lt. Than Myint. Some farmers in the nearby farms saw this and, fearing they would also be arrested if they were seen by the SPDC soldiers, quietly sneaked away.

The 4 farmers were beaten and shot to death and their bodies were later found by their relatives who brought the case to the village and community leaders. Although the villagers tried to lodge a complaint with the military authorities in the area, their case was only brushed aside by them saying that it could be anyone wearing military uniforms, and that unless the villagers could catch them while they were doing the killing there was no way to be sure who the culprits really were.

WEAKENED CIVILIAN PORTER BEATEN TO DEATH IN KUN-HING
On 29.4.01, a 45-year-old unpaid forced civilian porter who had become too weak from illness to carry his load was beaten to death by SPDC troops from IB246 led by Capt. Myint Lwin, in Kaeng Lom area, Kun-Hing township.

On 26.4.01, a patrol of about 50-60 SPDC troops of Co. No.3 from IB 246 led by Capt. Myint Lwin forcibly conscripted 20 unpaid civilian porters in Kun-Hing and patrolled the areas along the road that joined Kun-Hing with Kaeng Tawng area in Murng-Nai township, in Kaeng Lom area.

Among the civilian porters, Lung Mu-Ling, a 45-year-old displaced villager originally from Kaeng Kham village that had been forcibly relocated by the Burmese troops some years ago, who had had a fever since 2-3 days before he was forcibly conscripted to serve as a porter became weaker and weaker day after day until, on 29.4.01, he collapsed while carrying his load.

Lung Mu-Ling explained to the SPDC troops that he had been ill for several days and had become so weak he could not walk any farther. But the troops said there was no one to replace him and forced him to go on, and when he could not stand up, they accused him of defying orders and continued to beat him until he died.

BAMBOO CUTTER TORTURED AND SHOT DEAD IN NAM-ZARNG
On 4.4.01, a villager who was carrying bamboo on an ox-cart was beaten and shot dead, his ox-cart burned and his oxen killed for meat, by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB66 led by Capt. Aung Mya, in Kho Lam tract, Nam-Zarng township.

The victim, Zaai Wa-Ling (m), aged 21, was a villager of Wan Phui village in Kho Lam tract, and on the day of the incident he went to gather bamboo to build a house. He was stopped while taking bamboo on an ox-cart back on the way by a column of about 45-50 SPDC troops of Co. No.4 from IB66, led by Capt. Aung Myint.

The troops asked Zaai Wa-Ling some questions and started to beat him, and eventually shot him dead. The troops then burned the ox-cart and shot the oxen dead, and dried their meat before they continued to patrol the area.

Although Zaai Wa-Ling’s relatives later searched for and found his body they did not dare to do anything more than burying it properly and quietly conducted an appropriate funeral for him at the village.

A FIREWOOD GATHERER SHOT DEAD IN MURNG-PHYAK
On 21.2.01, a patrol of SPDC troops from IB221 shot dead an Akha villager who was gathering firewood in a forest near the road in Lang Saad tract, Murng-Phyak township.

Aa Nu (m), aged 39, was a villager of Pa Lao, an Akha village in Lang Saad village tract. He was gathering firewood in a roadside forest at a place known as Ho Nawng Khio some distance from his village when the said patrol of about 25 SPDC troops came along the road and shouted at him. 

Not knowing the SPDC troops were coming, Aa Nu was startled by the sudden loud voices and was about to run away when the troops opened fire and killed him instantly. The troops then searched Aa Nu’s body and when they found nothing they left the scene.

Some of his fellow villagers who were also gathering firewood in the area saw when the SPDC troops shot at Aa Nu, but they did not dare to come out and hid themselves where they were until the troops left. They took Aa Nu body back to their village and held a funeral for him according to their tradition.

RAPE IN LAI-KHA
On 30.4.01, a patrol of 11 SPDC troops from Co. No.2 of IB55 led by Capt. Khin Soe gang-raped a village woman at Ta Mark Laang village, about 3 miles north of Lai-Kha town.

“Pa Mya” (not her real name), aged 50 was alone at home, since her children had all gone to work, in Ta Mark Laang village when a patrol of the said SPDC troops came to the village and seized pigs and chickens from the houses.

Finally the troops came to Pa Mya’s house and forcibly took her chickens and a lot of vegetables. When they learned that Pa May was alone in the house, all the 11 soldiers raped her and left the village with their spoils.

RAPE, TORTURE AND EXTORTION IN MURNG-PAN
On 27.4.01, SPDC troops from LIB332 repeatedly raped a woman and beat up 3 men until they lost consciousness several times, and later detained all of them and extorted money for their release, near Naa Ing village in Ho Lin tract, Murng-Pan township.

On the morning of that day, these 4 villagers, 3 men and 1 woman, all from Naa Ing village, who were going to their farm, each carrying a packet of cooked-rice for their day meal, were stopped by a group of 35-40 SPDC troops from Co. No.5 of LIB332, led by Capt. Kyaw Win, about 1/2 mile from their village. The villagers were:

The SPDC soldiers searched the villagers and when they found packets of rice they accused the villagers of providing rice for the Shan soldiers and interrogated them. They tied up the men, separated Naang Poi from them, and took her to another place and raped her. 

After that, the troops beat and tortured the men as they interrogated them, causing them to lose consciousness several times. They then raped Naang Poi again and took all 4 of them to the military base in Murng-Pan and locked them up for one night.

On the next day, the SPDC troops summoned the village headman of Naa Ing village to the military base, showed him the detained 4 villagers, and asked him whether they were really from his village. 

When the village headman guaranteed that these villagers were really from his village and had been living there for so long that they had their own houses and arable lands, the troops said that if they were really innocent villagers, they only had to pay a fine of 5,000 Kyat each for their release. The villagers had no choice but to comply.

FORCED LABOUR AND RAPE IN MURNG-PAN
Since April 2001, SPDC troops from LIB332 and LIB520 have been conscripting civilian forced labour for road construction in Murng-Pan township, and have been raping the women labourers at night. 

About 80 villagers including men and women have to stay at the work sites and work for 9-10 days at a time before they are replaced by another shift of labourers. At night, the women are kept separately from the men where some of them are singled out at gunpoint and raped by the troops. Almost all the women at the work sites have been raped in this manner.

The ancient route leading from Mai Nyawng Khongkhang village in Murng-Pan township to Ton Hung village in Murng-Nai township is now being cleared for road construction, and civilian populations in the area are being used as unpaid forced labour to do the job by the SPDC troops.

Each person from each house has to provide free labour in rotation, 9-10 days at a time, up to the time of this report. If there is no man, a woman must go, to work at day time and be raped at night.

FORCED LABOUR AND RAPE IN NAM-ZARNG
Since March 2001, SPDC troops from IB66 have been forcing villagers of Kho Lam village in Nam-Zarng township to stay at the village military camp at night to serve as forced labourers, and have been raping the women labourers. 

A force of 35-40 SPDC troops from IB66 led by Capt. Nyunt Maung, stationed at the outpost camp at Kho Lam village, often come into the village at night and conscript 10 villagers, 5 men and 5 women, to serve as forced labourers at the military camp. Once at the camp, men and women are separated to different quarters and the women often raped by the officers.

The troops often make their own choice as to who have to go as forced labourers, especially the women. Whoever fails to comply with the troops’ demand will face arrest, detention and a fine of 5,000 Kyat each.

Because of this, many villagers are wanting to flee to other places and some have already fled.

FORCED LABOUR AND BEATING OF CONSCRIPTED CIVILIAN TRUCK DRIVER, BREAKING HIS ARM, IN TA-KHI-LAEK
On 29.4.01, SPDC troops from LIB331 severely beat up one of the drivers of the 65 trucks conscripted for unpaid forced labour, in Ta-Khi-Laek township, breaking one of his arms.

During 27-28.4.01, SPDC troops of LIB331, together with the police, militia and the District and Township SPDC authorities, conscripted 65 civilian pickup-trucks, taking them from the houses and market places and on the roads in Ta-Khi-Laek township, and detained them at the LIB331 military base.

These trucks were used to transport SPDC troops coming from Murng-Phyak and Kaeng-Tung townships and Ta-Khi-Laek-based LIB331 to several military outposts on the surrounding mountains.

On the day of the incident, one of the trucks that was carrying some troops and a very heavy load of ammunition and food stuff to Phak Tu Murng area, a point where the boundaries of Murng-Sart, Murng-Phyak and Ta-Khi-Laek meet, broke down on the way and blocked the road.

One of the rear wheel shafts of the truck had broken because of the weight, and while the driver and his assistant were trying to replace it, Capt. Aung Htu from LIB331, who was coming with one of the trucks behind, came up and, shouting and scolding, kicked the 2 civilian drivers and struck one of them with a rifle butt, instantly breaking one of his arms. 

Capt. Aung Htu was about to continue to beat the drivers when many other drivers intervened and begged him to stop, explaining that it was not the drivers’ fault. The 2 victims were:

The spare driver had to drive the truck after it had been fixed and Zaai Mon had to stay behind and wait at the roadside for a returning truck to take him back to Ta-Khi-Laek. 

FORCED LABOUR AND BEATING OF CIVILIAN TRUCK DRIVER IN MURNG-KHARK
On 26.3.01, SPDC troops from LIB327 forcibly conscripted 2 civilian trucks for military use and beat up one of the drivers, fracturing his head, when his truck broke down on the way between Wan Yaang and Murng Ngen villages in Murng-Khark township.

On the morning of that day, when the said 2 trucks were parking in front of the market place at Wan Yaang village in Murng-Khark township, 2 SPDC troops from LIB327 came up and told the drivers that the commander wanted them to go to the military base.

When the drivers got to the base, they were told to transport some troops to Murng Ngen and to wait until the troops were ready. After waiting for 2 hours, from 10:00 to 12:00 hrs., they set out with 25 SPDC troops, including 1 Lieutenant and 1 Captain, on the 2 trucks. The drivers were:

1. Zaai Khe (m), aged 41
2. Zaai Pao (m), aged 36

After they had gone some miles one of Zaai Pao’s tires became flat and they had to stop to replace it, which took about 1 hour to complete because some more air had to be pumped into the spare tire by hand.

Unfortunately, after they had gone only another 3-4 miles another of Zaai Pao’s tires burst. This angered the Captain, Aye Kyaw, so much that he started to accuse Zaai Pao of deliberately causing the tire to burst and, pulling out his pistol from his waist, beat Zaai Pao on the head 3 times with it, splitting his scalp and fracturing his skull.

The other driver, Zaai Khe, tried to intervene, saying that it could only be an accident and that Zaai Pao could not have done it intentionally. But the Captain, although he stopped beating Zaai Pao, kicked Zaai Khe in the chest, throwing him backward to the ground.

Zaai Pao was immediately treated with painkillers by a military medic and forced to fix and continue to drive his truck to their destination, Murng Ngen village. 

Only after he was released by the troops, was Zaai Pao able to go to Murng-Khark town hospital to receive proper treatment for his wounds at his own expense. The SPDC troops did not even pay for the expensive fuel for his truck.

BEATING AND SHOOTING OF LIVESTOCK IN MURNG-YARNG
On 3.2.01, SPDC troops from LIB227 shot a villager’s pig and beat up the owner at Nawng Hok village in Nawng Hok tract, Murng-Yarng township.

On that day, a patrol of 7 SPDC troops from Co. No.3, stationed in Murng-Yarng, of Murng-Khark-based LIB227, came to Nawng Hok village and shot dead a pig in the village. The troops tied the pig’s legs together, hooked it on a bamboo pole and carried it away.

One of the villagers who saw the incident ran to tell the pig’s owner, Lung Saam Khe (m), aged 49, that his pig was being taken away by the Burmese troops. Lung Saam Khe then ran after the troops and asked them to pay for the pig, explaining that it was his and that he had used his time and effort to rear it for a long time.

The leader of the troops became angry and said, “How dare you say it’s yours!. It is our pig”, and stabbed Lung Saam Khe harshly in the chest with his G-4 rifle butt, sending him to the ground on his back. “If you don’t go home right away and stop disturbing us, it could mean death”, threatened the leader of the troops.

FORCED LABOUR AND LAND CONFISCATION IN MU-SE
From 21 to 28.5.01, SPDC troops from LIB312 had forced the villagers of 18 villages in Mu-Se township to build fences around a new military outpost camp at Wan Hio village on the land that included a half-acre of sugarcane plantation of the villagers, who received nothing for their loss.

Each person from each house from the 18 villages had to provide a piece of bamboo and go to work at the fence-building site every day without pay, providing their own food and using their own tools. After the fences, the villagers would also have to build houses and barracks for the soldiers.

EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK
In April 2001, SPDC authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek issued an order to the town and village community leaders requiring them to collect 700 Baht of Thai money from every house in Ta-Khi-Laek township as ‘porter fees’.

The order said that for the month of April the authorities would not requisition forced labour of the people and vehicles, but each household in all the 6 town quarters and 10 village tracts in the whole Ta-Khi-Laek township would have to provide 700 Baht as porter fees instead, and the community leaders were responsible for collecting the money for the authorities.

Many local people were complaining that the SPDC authorities wanted to make a show that they had stopped using forced labour of the people, but actually there was not much difference because for most people the ‘porter fees’ meant the money they had struggled to earn with their labour.