SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

COMMENTARY

Although the ceasefire deals reached between the Burmese army and several ethnic armed resistance groups during the last decade are being claimed by the ruling Burmese military junta to be one of their major achievements in their ‘peace’ efforts, in reality many local ethnic communities in the ceasefire areas are being faced with even more difficult living conditions than before.

Some ethnic ceasefire groups in their respective areas are wielding so much freedom to deal in various matters concerning religion and culture, etc., with the exception of politics, that it is affecting the harmony of the local communities.

In order to promote their own ethnic culture in their ceasefire areas designated by the ruling Burmese military junta, some ceasefire groups have committed actions that have infringed on the cultural rights of other local ethnic peoples.

SHRF has a report in this newsletter with regard to the treatment of local Shan communities by a Pa-O ceasefire group in the area under their control concerning a Buddhist religious holy site revered by both Shan and Pa-O communities. (see last story)

If the other ethnic ceasefire groups, in attempting to promote their own ethnic culture, also resort to actions that affect the cultural identity of the other local ethnic communities, the relatively harmonious existence of the local communities will be destroyed, and there will be no real peace among the different peoples.

A SICK PORTER AND HIS NEPHEW BEATEN TO DEATH IN KUN-HING

In early February 2002, an exhausted sick porter, and his nephew who tried to help him, were beaten to death while serving as unpaid forced porters by a column of SPDC troops from IB66, near a deserted village, Kot Pung, in Kaeng Kham village tract, Kun-Hing township.

On 28.2.02, SPDC troops, from IB66, under the command of the commander of Company No.3, Capt. Htun Myint, that were stationed at Kho Lam village in Nam-Zarng township, forcibly conscripted 18 civilian porters from among the displaced villagers who had been forced to relocate to Kho Lam village relocation site in 1997-1998 by the Burmese army troops.

Among the forcibly conscripted porters was one Lung Awng Thun, male, aged 48, who had just recovered from a 5-6-day illness when he was taken to serve as a porter. The porters were forced to carry heavy loads of military things and go with the said military column towards Kun-Hing and Murng-Nai townships.

After several hours of having to walk quickly with heavy loads and without rest, Lung Awng Thun became too exhausted to go on and asked for permission to rest for a few minutes. But the troops did not allow him to rest and forced him to go on with the other porters.

Lung Awng Thun, however, kept asking for permission to rest after every few steps until one of the troops became angry and kicked him, and he staggered out of the road and fell down. One of the porters who saw the incident was Lung Awng Thun’s nephew, Zaai Kam, male, aged 20. As he saw Lung Awng Thun fall down, Zaai Kam put down his load and ran to his uncle and tried to help him up. 

As Zaai Kam was holding his uncle in his lap, the SPDC troops beat both of them to death with big heavy sticks, at a place about 30 yards from the edge of Kot Pung village, a deserted village in Kaeng Kham tract which had been forced to move to the outskirts of Kun-Hing town in 1996-1997 by the Burmese army troops.

KILLING AND DISAPPEARANCE OF DISPLACED FARMERS WHILE SERVING AS PORTERS IN KUN-HING

On 11.1.02, 2 displaced farmers, a man and a woman, were forcibly conscripted to serve as porters by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB246 at a remote farm in Kun-Hing township and they have since then disappeared, believed to have been killed while serving as porters.

On that day, a patrol of 40-45 SPDC troops from IB246 that was patrolling the rural areas of Kun-Hing town came upon a remote farm on the bank of the Nam Pang river and found the following people hiding in the farm.

This family had been hiding in the jungle since 1997 when their village, Kun Pu, in Kun Pu village tract, was forced to relocate by Burmese army troops, and had managed to survive by secretly growing small amounts of rice and gathering wild vegetables in the jungle until the SPDC troops came upon them on 11.1.02.

The SPDC troops took all they found at the farm, including rice, other food stuff, chicken and pigs etc., and conscripted Zaai Zarm Nyunt and Naang Nyo to serve as porters. Just before they left, the troops told Lung La to take the children and go to either Kun-Hing town or Ka Li village and stay there and not to come back to the farm.

When there was still no sign of Zaai Zarm Nyunt and Naang Nyo after Lung La had gone to Ka Li village with the children and had waited for them for 15-16 days, with the help of some village leaders of Ka Li village, he went to the base of IB246 to enquire about them. They went to the IB246 base 3-4 times, but each time they got there they were not able to find anyone with authority to answer their questions.

Some time later, Zaai Phe (not his real name) who had been forced to serve the military in the same patrol told Lung La that during his 21-day forced labour service, the SPDC troops had killed 8 men and that included Zaai Zarm Nyunt, and although Naang Nyo was still alive when he was released, he overheard the troops said that they intended to kill her sometime later.

According to Zaai Phe, each time the troops killed a man, they tried to justify their actions by saying that if they did not kill him, he would later only become a Shan soldier and fight them back. So when there was any excuse , however slight it may be, they should kill as many Shan men as possible.

A FRUIT GATHERER SHOT DEAD IN NAM-ZARNG

On 14.11.01, a man who was gathering fruit was shot down from a jackfruit tree by a patrol of SPDC troops from Kun-Hing-based IB246, led by Capt. Ant Maung, at a place about 1 mile north of Nam Wo village in Nawng Hee tract, Nam-Zarng township.

On that day, the said patrol of about 45 SPDC troops saw a man who was climbing a jackfruit tree and surrounded it. The troops then asked the man in the tree whether he had seen any Shan soldiers in the area. 

When the man said he had not seen any Shan soldiers in the area, an SPDC troop raised his gun and shot at him. The bullet pierced through his body, hitting the left side of his stomach and coming out of his right shoulder, and he fell down from the tree, dead.

The SPDC troops then claimed that they had shot down a Shan soldier who had come to forage for food and continued their patrol, leaving the dead body as it was.

According to those who had witnessed the scene, the man was not a Shan soldier but a villager of Nam Wo village in Nawng Hee tract, Nam-Zarng township, who had just come to gather jackfruit.

ISPLACED FARMERS ROBBED, THEIR 15-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER RAPED WHILE BEING FORCED TO BE A GUIDE, IN KUN-HING

On 8.3.02, a patrol of about 50 SPDC soldiers from LIB524, led by commander Htun Myint (probably a Captain), looted a remote camp of displaced farmers in Kaeng Kham tract, Kun-Hing township, and forcibly took away a 15-year-old girl to serve as a guide for 45 days, during which she was treated as if she was a wife of commander Htun Myint who raped her virtually every night.

The victim, Naang Seng Ying (not her real name ), aged 15, belonged to one of the two displaced farming families, originally from Naa Khaa village in Kaeng Kham tract, Kun-Hing township, which had been forcibly relocated by Burmese army troops in 1996-1997, who were staying at a remote camp in the area of their deserted old village.

There were altogether 13 men, women and children in the 2 families, but on the day the SPDC troops came to the camp, most of them had gone away to work somewhere else and there were only 4 persons left at the camp.

The troops searched the camp and took all the chickens and pigs, and all the food stuff they could find, and finally ordered Naang Seng Ying to go with them to serve as a guide for a short while, just to the nearest crossroad.

The SPDC troops, however, did not release Naang Seng Ying but forced her to go with them for 45 days while they patrolled the surrounding areas until they reached Wan Lao village in Wan Lao tract, where they released her and returned to their base in Kun-Hing.

During the 45-day period of patrolling, commander Htun Myint kept Naang Seng Ying as if she was his wife and raped her almost every night. Soon after she got back to her relatives following her release, Naang Seng Ying fell ill and became pale and weak and could not eat properly, due to the long ordeal she had to undergo as a sex slave.

As her condition became worse, Naang Seng Ying’s relatives took her to the hospital in Kun-Hing town where she received treatment for 6 days and 5 nights, which cost her relatives 36,400 Kyats. 

But even some time after the treatment, she had not fully recovered, and is suspected to have become pregnant.

TORTURE, CAUSING LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND ARBITRARY ARREST IN MUNRG-TON

In mid April 2002, a man was arrested from his village, brought to Murng-Ton town and detained, and continually tortured by the SPDC troops of IB225, causing him to lose consciousness several times.

On 16.4.02, a group of 30 SPDC troops led by commander Lun Maung, from Co.3 of IB225, came to Mae Ken village in Mae Ken village tract, Murng-Ton township, and arrested a man named Saw Nyunt from his house.

The SPDC troops tied Saw Nyunt up as they arrested him, beat him and dragged him away like a dead body. Saw Nyunt was taken to Murng-Ton and detained in a lockup at a military camp. After every few hours, he was taken out of the jail and interrogated.

The troops accused him of providing rice to the SSA (Shan State Army) soldiers and tortured him. They beat him and covered his face with plastic bags and stifled him until he lost consciousness. The process was repeated a few hours after he was put back in the lockup and had regained consciousness.

On 18.4.02, about 35 SPDC troops from Co.4 of IB225, led by commander Kyaw Win, came back to Mae Ken village and searched Saw Nyunt’s house in his absence. The troops claimed they found 30 tablets of metamphetamine in Saw Nyunt’s house and accused him of also dealing in illicit drugs in addition to being a supporter of the SSA.

On the same day, after searching Saw Nyunt’s house, the SPDC troops continued to search the house of a widow, Naang Khawng. Naang Khawng was a widow with 3 children and she used to peddle small consumer goods among Lahu villages of Pung Phaa - Pung Tawng during the opium harvest 2-3 months earlier.

The SPDC troops accused Naang Khawng of being a wife of a Shan soldier and arrested her, and took her to Murng-Ton to be locked up. The troops also took away 57,000 Kyat of money and 2 baht weight of gold ornaments from Naang Khawng’s house.

No further infomation about Saw Nyunt and Naang Khawng has been received since then.

DISPLACED FARMERS SHOT AT, 2 WOUNDED, IN KUN-HING

On 18.12.01, a group of displaced farmers who were camping at their remote farm were shot at by a patrol of SPDC troops from Murng-Ton-based LIB519, in Kun Pu village tract, Kun-Hing township, where 2 farmers were wounded.

On the day of the incident, at about 18:00 hrs. in the evening, a group of 12 farmers, belonging to 2 families of which Lung Zitta and Lung Aw were the heads, were called to come out of their farm by an approaching SPDC patrol from LIB519.

Knowing it was a Burmese army patrol, the farmers were so frightened that they hesitated for some moments. The SPDC troops, however, did not have the patience to wait very long and shot at the farmers, causing many of them to run away towards the opposite direction.

5 women who were in the 2 farm huts and could not get out in time were caught by the troops and taken away with them for some days until they reached Ka Li village in Kun-Hing township where they were released.

All the farmers who ran away escaped, but 2 were wounded by the shooting while escaping.

Lung Aw and his nephew each got hit by a bullet, the former in his thigh and the latter in his arm.

The SPDC troops took away all the food stuff, chickens and pigs as they left the farm.

3 DISPLACED FARMERS SHOT AT, ONE WOUNDED AND TWO FORCED TO SERVE AS PORTERS, IN MURNG-NAI

On 5.12.01, 3 displaced farmers who were cultivating opium under the instruction of the SPDC troops stationed at Ton Hung village relocation site in Kaeng Tawng area of Murng-Nai township, at a remote farm in Murng-Nai township, were shot at and taken as porters by a column of SPDC troops from Murng-Ton-based LIB519.

The 3 farmers, Lung Ta (m), aged 47, Zaai Mawng (m), aged 30 and Zaai Kham (m), aged 27, were all from Ton Hung village relocation site. They were working at a remote farm cultivating opium with the permission and encouragement from the local SPDC troops when the said column of SPDC troops from Murng-Ton appeared and shot at them without asking any question or giving any warning.

A bullet grazed the back of Lung Ta and he ran and escaped into the nearby forest. The other 2 dropped to the ground and took cover in a pit, and were caught by the SPDC troops and taken as porters. They were released by the troops when they stopped at Ton Hung village after having served as unpaid porters for 15 days.

The SPDC troops destroyed and burned their farm hut and all their food and belongings before they left.

VILLAGER’S HOUSE BURNED WITHOUT REASON IN LAI-KHA

Sometime in January 2002, a patrol of about 50 SPDC troops, from a battalion based in Kae-See township, burned down a house in Wan Heng village, Wan Heng village tract, Lai-Kha township, without giving any reason.

On the day of the incident, the said patrol of SPDC troops from Kae-See came to Wan Heng village in Wan Heng village tract, Lai-Kha township, and ordered a family to get out of their house.

After the family, Zaai Zan-Da and Naang Ku - husband and wife - and their children, got out of their house, the troops simply torched the house without giving any reason.

The family was kept away from their house by the SPDC troops until it burnt down to ashes under their eyes, and the troops left the village without mentioning anything.

There were more than 30 houses in Wan Heng village and only one house was burned without anyone in the village knowing what really was the reason. However, many thought that the only reason could be because the house was a wooden house and it was the biggest one in the village.

Zaai Zan-Da and Naang Ku lost all they had earned with their hard labour over the years, probably worth not less than 1,500,000 Kyat, according to the local villagers.

PEOPLE FORCED TO GROW RICE FOR THE MILITARY IN NAM-KHAM

On 6.2.02,an SPDC officer in Nam-Kham township, Maj. Ant Maw, called a meeting of village and tract leaders of Tee Ma village tract in Nam-Kham township and ordered them to grow dry season rice for the Burmese army.

When the villagers tried to refuse by explaining that the forced labour imposed on them was too much for them to bear, the SPDC commander pointed his gun at them and threatened to put them in jail if they did not comply with his order.

Thus, the following 5 villages in Tee Ma village tract had to grow dry season rice for the military:

1. Wan Hai village
2. Naa Long village
3. Maan Zaang village
4. Kung Sa village
5. Tee Ma village

FARMERS IN TOWNSHIPS BORDERING CHINA, IN NORTHERN SHAN STATE, FORCED TO BUY RICE SEEDS AT A DOUBLE-FOLD PRICE

On 22.4.02, SPDC authorities in the area forced the farmers in Mu-Se and Nam-Kham townships to buy rice seeds from them at the price of 15 Chinese Yuan per kg while the farmers could get them from China themselves at only about 8 Chinese Yuan per kg.

When the farmers refused to buy them saying that they could themselves buy them from China at a much lower price, an SPDC Major, Ant Maw, threatened that they would destroy all the rice plants in the fields grown from the seeds bought from others rather than themselves.

The foreign exchange rate at that time was 100 Kyat = 0.81 Yuan.

EXTORTION FOR FAILING TO SELL RICE QUOTAS IN LAI-KHA

In February 2002, SPDC troops of IB64 issued an order requiring farmers in Wan Thi village tract in Lai-Kha township to sell their rice quotas to the military.

However, virtually all the farmers in the whole Wan Thi village tract could not produce enough rice to fill up the quotas as demanded by the SPDC troops, so they all went to plead with the SPDC township officer in Lai-Kha town to spare them.

But the SPDC township officer, Capt. Thaung Sein, said that they could not be spared and if they did not want to sell their rice to the military, they had to pay in terms of money, and that was 400,000 Kyat for Wan Thai village tract.

The farmers had no choice but to collect the required money among themselves and give it to the SPDC authorities.

CULTURAL PERSECUTION IN TAWNG-GI (TAUNGGYI)

Since after the ceasefire deal between the SPDC and a Pa-O armed group a few years ago, local Shan communities in the area under the Pa-O ceasefire group’s control have been complaining about cultural persecution, especially concerning the ancient Buddhist holy site “Kaad Ku” in Tawng-gi township.

“Kaad Ku” is a famous ancient Buddhist holy site where thousands of pagodas have been built more than 2 thousand years since its establishment, and is one of the main tourist attractions in Southern Shan State where hundreds of tourists and pilgrims from all over Burma and abroad visit virtually every day.

Local Shan communities have been complaining that inscriptions in Shan scripts on many of the ancient structures at the holy site were being removed and destroyed by members of the Pa-O ceasefire group in the area, probably with tacit approval from the SPDC authorities, and had been replaced them with Pa-O scripts. Those who tried to put up new Shan scripts or signs were said to have been intimidated.

The Shans see this as an attempt to destroy the cultural evidence which points to the fact that Shans have been living in the area since ancient times and have been involved in building and maintaining the holy site since the very beginning.

Probably the most frustrating event for the local Shans took place in December last year when a monk from Singapore, invited by the Pa-O ceasefire group, donated 72 million Kyats for the repair and maintenance of “Kaad Ku” holy site and the event was marked by erecting 4 stone-pillar monuments at the 4 corners of the site. Each of the pillars had 4 sides and on each side was writing in Chinese, Pa-O, Burmese and English respectively, and not a line or sentence in Shan.

During the construction of the monuments, the organizing Pa-O ceasefire group announced that they would only inscribe in the scripts of those who donated at least hundreds of thousands of Kyat in a single installment. 

Thus, one side went to the main donor, the Chinese monk from Singapore, and another side was for the leader of the Pa-O ceasefire group who donated 3,000,000 Kyat. The third side was taken by the 1st Secretary of SPDC, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, who donated 2,000,000 Kyats, and the last side with English script was for the expected foreign tourists.

Since the stone-pillar monuments would serve as proof for the future generations as to who were the major donors of the holy site, all the credit would go to those recorded on the pillars. But the Shans who have been long and regular donors would not be counted.

Furthermore, Shan villagers from the Shan villages in the surrounding areas of “Kaad Ku” holy site are often banned from wearing Shan attire and advertising in Shan. The Shan members of the committee that looks after the holy site are required to wear Pa-O dress.

The feelings of the local Shans could probably not be better expressed than by one of them: “The fact that we do not have rich people among us who could donate hundreds of thousands in one single installment is because we have been continuously donating what we have earned during our life times. Our ancestors had been doing that since ancient times, generation after generation, down to our time. I feel as if all our efforts have been ignored and our cultural heritage destroyed”.