SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- SEPTEMBER 2003

COMMENTARY

After almost seven years since the mass forced relocations carried out by the Burmese military junta troops in central Shan State, the situation still remains more or less the same and has been getting worse in many places. Many relocated village areas are still being designated free-fire zones and innocent villagers are still being continually killed, raped and/or otherwise abused by the roaming SPDC soldiers.

Even though the junta abruptly changed its name from the menacing SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) to SPDC, so that it would sound benign, as the end of the mass forced relocations drew near in late 1997, there has been little change in the attitude of the junta troops towards the displaced populations in the relocation areas.

The attitude of the SPDC troops who dropped mortar shells on a group of displaced villagers, even before they could identify who their targets really were, could not be said to be benign by any standard.

In addition to recent cases, some incidents of killing and rape that took place in mid-2001 are reported in this newsletter because the sources were displaced people who had abandoned their hiding places and recently fled to the Thai border.

Killings and other abuses have also been taking place in areas other than the free-fire relocation areas. In Kaeng-Tung, for instance, a Lahu couple was shot dead by SPDC troops on a passing truck without any apparent reason. 

FISHING VILLAGERS SHOT DEAD IN KUN-HING

On 1 June 2003, 2 villagers who went foraging for fish were shot dead and dumped into the Nam Paang river by SPDC troops from IB246, in Kun Pu village tract, Kun-Hing township.

On that day, 7 villagers from Kun Pu village in Kun Pu village tract, Kun-Hing township, went together to catch fish in Nam Paang river in the area of an island called Ho Yaan, a notorious area in which many incidents of extrajudicial killing by the Burmese army troops have taken place since the mass forced relocation in 1996-97.

After they had caught some fish, at one point, 2 of the villagers, Lung Man (m), aged 47 and Zaai Nyo (m), aged 33, who needed to return home before the others, left their boat and climbed up the bank while the others continued to fish in the area. 

After some moments, those who were still fishing heard several gunshots from the direction where the 2 villagers had gone. They then quickly sank their boat and hid it underwater near the bank and hid themselves under the brush on the island. 

When all was quiet after a while, the villagers returned to their village only to learn that a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops from IB246, led by commander Htun Myint, had gone their way while they were fishing, and the 2 villagers who had returned ahead of them had not reached the village.

The villagers went in search of the 2 men in the area where they had gone fishing, but only after 2-3 days did they find the body of Lung Man near the bank about 40-50 yards downstream from where he had landed on the day of the fishing, floating and entangling in a bunch of brushwood. 

A LAHU COUPLE SHOT DEAD IN KAENG-TUNG

On 16 May 2003, a Lahu couple from Tong Wa Nur village in Paang Kiu village tract, Kaeng-Tung township, were shot dead by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB245 near Paang Kiu village about 4-1/2 miles west of Kaeng-Tung town.

The Lahu couple, Kya Wo, the husband, aged 28 and A Hee, the wife, aged 22, together with 2 other fellow villagers, went to work as day labourers weeding a farm at Paang Kiu village. In the evening, at about 15:30 hrs, they returned home together after receiving their day wages.

As the 4 Lahu villagers left Paang Kiu village and were on their way heading home, a truck with about 12 SPDC troops on board came from the opposite direction and, as soon as it got near them, the troops opened fire at them and they all ran.

However, the couple, who happened to be closer to the truck, were hit and they fell to the ground, while the other 2 managed to escape to their village, Tong Wa Nur. When the other villagers learned of the incident, they came cautiously to look at the site and found the couple lying in the pools of their own blood, both were dead, with bullet holes in their bodies. The villagers then took the bodies back and conducted a funeral for them in accordance with their tradition. 

Although the village headman and the relatives of the dead filed a complaint with the SPDC authorities in the area, and the authorities promised to look into the matter as soon as possible, no action had yet been taken until June when this report was received.

A CIVILIAN GUIDE BEATEN TO DEATH IN MURNG-NAI

In May 2003, a 54-year-old man was beaten to death by SPDC troops after being forced to serve as a guide for several days in the Kaeng Tawng area in Murng-Nai township.

On 13 May 2003, Lung Nya, male, aged 54, originally from Wan Lao village in Kun-Hing township, which had been forcibly relocated to Kun Mong village in Murng-Nai township in 1996-97 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops, was working at a farm north of Kun Mong village when a patrol of SPDC troops came and forced him to serve as a guide.

More than 20 days after Lung Nya had been taken away as a guide, some villagers who went hunting found his body in the forest, decaying and recognizable only by his clothes, bamboo hat and sandals. Near his head lay a thick heavy bamboo stick, indicating that he had been beaten to death by the SPDC troops.

Not long after the incident, villagers in Kun Mong village heard some SPDC soldiers talking about Lung Nya. They said that Lung Nya had been executed after serving as a guide for 16 days because he was a supporter of the Shan resistance; he had been serving the Shan soldiers as a guide for a long time, which was why he knew all the routes in the area very well, they said.

A DISPLACED COUPLE KILLED, THE WIFE DETAINED AND RAPED BEFORE BEING KILLED, IN KUN-HING

In July 2001, a displaced couple who were hiding in a relocated village, Nam Kham, in Naa Poi village tract, Kun-Hing township, were killed by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB246; the wife was detained and raped several days before being killed.

The couple, Kaw-Lin, aged 40 and Naang Mon, aged 18, were from Nam Kham village in Naa Poi village tract, which had been forcibly relocated in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops. The couple did not go to the relocation site but went into hiding on one of the islets in the Nam Paang river.

The couple often came back to their old village to forage for food and grow some survival crops and one day in July 2001, while they were resting in the deserted village, a patrol of about 45 SPDC troops from IB246, led by commander Win Myint, came and arrested them on sight.

The SPDC troops interrogated the couple for some time and beat to death the husband, Kaw-Lin. The wife, Naang Mon, was forced to go with them and raped by the troops on the way for 2 nights before they reached their base in Kun-Hing.

Naang Mon was then locked up in the military base and the SPDC troops told the displaced communities in Kun-Hing town relocation site to come and look, saying that they had caught a wife of the Shan soldiers. At the same time, the troops told Naang Mon to tell people she was a wife of a Shan soldier, threatening to kill her if she did not comply.

Out of fear, Naang Mon told all the villagers who came to see her that she was a wife of a Shan soldier. However, after 3 days, on 16 July 2001, Naang Mon was taken to the bank of Nam Paang river and killed all the same, and her body was dumped into the water some distance downstream of the Kun-Hing township hospital.

2 DISPLACED WOMEN DETAINED AND RAPED FOR 5 DAYS AND 5 NIGHTS IN KUN-HING

In June 2001, 2 displaced farming women were forced to go with a patrol of SPDC troops from IB246 and raped by the troops for 5 days and 5 nights in Naa Poi village tract, Kun-Hing township.

The 2 victims, Naang La, aged 16 and Naang Gi, aged 19, and their families were originally farmers from Ta Saai village in Naa Poi village tract, Kun-Hing township, which had been forcibly relocated to Kun-Hing town relocation site in 1996-97 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops. Since they had no land near the relocation site, they had been trying to survive by secretly growing rice at a remote farm in the area of their old village, Ta Saai.

On 11 June 2001, while the 2 women were alone at their temporary camp at their remote farm, because their parents and husbands had gone to buy some food in Ka Li village, a patrol of about 40 SPDC troops from IB246 came and took them to Ta Saai.

While camping in the old village, Ta Saai, the 2 women were interrogated by the SPDC troops. Although they tried their best to explain about the situation, the women were in the end accused of being wives of Shan soldiers and raped by the troops.

The SPDC troops stayed for 3 days and 3 nights at Ta Saai and raped the women. On their returning journey to Kun-Hing, the SPDC troops raped the women for 2 more nights on the way before they released them.

A WOMAN GANG-RAPED IN HER HOUSE, 2 VILLAGERS BEATEN, IN KUN-HING

On 25 May 2003, a woman was gang-raped by 7 SPDC troops, led by commander Maung Win, from IB246, in her house at Nam Khaam village in Wan Paang village tract, Kun-Hing township.

In the afternoon of the day of the incident, a patrol of 7 SPDC troops from IB246, led by Maung Wan, came into Nam Khaam village and randomly searched the houses. At one point, the troops came into the house where Naang Ying (not her real name), aged 17, was alone. The troops asked her where the other members of the house were, and she told them they had all gone to work at their farm.

As soon as they learned that Naang Ying was alone in the house, the SPDC troops seized her and took her into her bedroom. All the 7 SPDC troops gang-raped her on her bed, with some of them taking turns holding her down and pointing their guns at her threatening to shoot if she shouted.
After raping Naang Ying, the SPDC troops continued to search the village and ran into 2 male villagers, the village school teacher and his friend, in one of the narrow streets. The troops asked them whether they were village leaders or Shan soldiers. 

But before the villagers could answer their question, the SPDC troops beat them on the head with their rifle butts, 3 times each, and ordered them to return and stay in their houses. After a short while the troops left the village.

ATTEMPTED RAPE DURING FORCED LABOUR IN NAM-ZARNG

On 25 May 2003, 3 women were forced to serve as guides and rape was attempted on one of them by SPDC troops from IB102, near Loi Oon village in Loi La village tract, Nam-Zarng township.

The 3 women, Pa Mu, aged 55, Pa Wo, aged 46 and Naang Kaeng, aged 18, were all from Loi Oon village. They were working at their farm near their village when a patrol of about 35 SPDC troops came and forced them to guide them to a place called Ta Nawng Hoi.

But when they had only gone halfway, the troops said they would return and told the women to take a shortcut route and lead them through the forests and ravines. When they reached a deserted little farm about half-a-mile from Loi Oon village, it was almost dark and the SPDC troops said they would sleep there for the night, and told the women to also sleep there.

But the women kept pleading and begging to let them return to their village and, at about 18:00 hrs, the SPDC troops accompanied them to their village. On the way, most of the troops went ahead and let the women follow them, but there were still 5 soldiers bringing up the rear.

At one point, the 5 SPDC soldiers from behind came up and told Naang Kaeng to stop for a moment, while telling the 2 other women to go ahead. The soldiers then held her and tried to rape her. But Naang Kaeng kept struggling and crying, and the soldiers finally let her go, maybe because it was so close to the village.

SHELLING OF DISPLACED VILLAGERS AND STEALING OF PROPERTY IN KUN-HING

On 7 May 2003, a group of villagers were shelled with mortars by a column of combined SPDC troops from IB246, LIB524 and LIB569, at Wo Long village in Ngaa Teng village tract, Kun-Hing township, and their property was stolen from Wo Long village by the same SPDC troops.

Earlier this year, some 20 households originally from Wo Long village which had been forcibly relocated to Kun-Hing in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops, had tried to resettle at their original village, Wo Long.

On the day of the incident, at about 10 o’clock in the morning, the villagers were gathering in Wo Long village to hold a respect-paying ceremony to the guardian spirit in the area when the said column of SPDC troops fired 7 mortar shells on them from a distance in the direction of Haai Kur village.

The villagers were so frightened that they all ran away in all directions, but fortunately no own was injured. The SPDC troops then came into Wo Long village and stole the property of the villagers.

1. Lung Wi-Tae-Ya (m), lost 2 baht-weight of gold ornaments, 30,000 kyat of money, 10 chickens and 1 pig

2. Lung Khae-Min-Ta (m), lost 6 chickens and 20,000 kyat of money

3. Lung Mu-Lin (m), lost 10 chickens, 1 pig and 50,000 kyat of money.

Other villagers also lost one thing or another as the SPDC troops took away all they wanted.

STEALING AND TORTURE, CAUSING DEATH, IN KUN-HING

In July 2002, a man was robbed of his money and another man was tortured by the SPDC troops from LIB524, so severely that he died of his injuries 2 months later, in the area of Nam Kham village in Naa Poi village tract, Kun-Hing township.

On 10 July 2002, Pi Ong Awn (m), aged 40 and Zaai Saw-Lin (m), aged 34, villagers of Ho Ha village in Naa Poi village tract, were going to Ka Li village to buy some goods when they ran into a patrol of about 45 SPDC troops from LIB524 near a deserted village, Nam Kham (relocated), in the same village tract.

The SPDC troops arrested the 2 villagers, tied them up and interrogated them about Shan soldiers’ movements in the area. When the troops searched them and found 140,000 kyat of money on one of the villagers, Pi Ong Awn, they untied his rope and told him to run away into the nearby valley full of thick undergrowth.

The other villager, Zaai Saw-Lin, who did not have any money and did not know anything about the Shan soldiers, was beaten and tortured by the SPDC troops. They beat him all over his body and his head and when he fell down, they jumped on his stomach and trampled on him. The troops tortured him for 3 more days, taking him with them when they moved, before they released him.

Although Zaai Saw-Lin managed to get back home, he did not recover from what he had suffered during his torture and died 2 months later from internal injuries.

MINI-TRACTOR OWNERS DETAINED, MONEY EXTORTED, IN MURNG-PHYAK

In May-June 2003, 5 mini-tractor owners from Ho Naa village in Murng-Phyak township were arrested and detained by SPDC troops of IB221, and were released one month later after they each paid 20,000 baht of Thai money to the troops.

The said 5 mini-tractor owners were among those who earned a living by transporting things around Murng-Phyak township for those who paid the fares. 

On 7 May 2003, those 5 mini-tractor owners were summoned to the base of IB221 by the SPDC troops. They were then accused of having transported rice for the Shan soldiers in the Murng Hai area and were arrested and detained, together with their 5 mini-tractors.

After several attempts by their relatives and the village headman of Wan Naa to get them released by pleading with the SPDC troops, explaining that they were innocent, the troops agreed to release them, but only on condition money was paid to them.

After one month in detention, on 7 June 2003, the 5 mini-tractor owners were released, but only after their relatives had paid the SPDC troops 20,000 baht for each of them. They were:

1. Zaai Peng (m), aged 46

2. Zaai Mon (m), aged 38

3. Zaai Long Hai (m), aged 21

4. Zaai Kam La (m), aged 49

5. Zaai Keo (m), aged 36

ARREST AND EXTORTION IN NAM-ZARNG

In April 2003, SPDC troops from Co.4 of IB66 arrested a displaced villager and later extorted money from 13 displaced villagers from Kho Lam village relocation site, Nam-Zarng township.

The villagers were originally from Wan Naang village in Kho Ood village tract, Nam-Zarng township, which had been forcibly reelected to Kho Lam village in 1996-97 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

On 12 April 2003, 13 villagers went into the forest to gather leaves for packing traditional cookies during the water festival, and ran into a patrol of 24 SPDC troops from Co.4 of IB66, led by commander Win Maung Oo, who searched and examined them.

When they found one of the villagers, Zaai Wee (m), aged 29, did not have enough calluses on his hands, the SPDC troops accused him of being a Shan soldier and arrested him. But at one point in the forest, Zaai Wee jumped into a nearby bush and ran away. The troops shot after him but missed, and he escaped.

Later, the 13 villagers and their relatives and village leaders, altogether 22 villagers, went to the village tract headman and complained about the incident. The headman then took them to the base of Co.4 of IB66 at Kho Lam and reported the incident to the SPDC military commander.

The commander lined up his soldiers and told the villagers to point out the ones who had arrested and shot after Zaai Wee, but the villagers said they did not see the one they knew, Win Maung Oo, among the soldiers. The commander then said that Win Maung Oo had been away at a training for some time and accused the villagers of trying to frame him, and forced the 13 villagers to pay 2,000 kyat each as a fine.

LAND CONFISCATION AND FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-PAN

In June 2003, SPDC troops of LIB332 forced the villagers of Ho Phaai Long village in Ho Phaai Long village tract, Murng-Pan township, to cultivate rice paddy for them in rice fields which had been confiscated from local farmers, altogether big enough to cultivate 16 baskets of rice seeds.

The rice fields, known locally as Naa Nawng Keng, originally belonged to the villagers of Huay Maak Phurng village, but had been confiscated by the SPDC troops 4 years ago on the accusation that the owners had fled to Thailand. Since then, villagers of Ho Phaai Long have been forced to cultivate them for the SPDC troops every year.

Also in June 2003, the SPDC of LIB332 further confiscated some more rice fields adjacent to the already confiscated land and forced the villagers of Ho Phaai Long to cultivate rice for them. The rice fields belonged to Lung Nyo and Wan-Na from Huay Maak Phurng village who had moved to live in Ho Phaai Long village earlier this year.

Lung Nyo and Wan-Na did not know until they went to cultivate their rice fields in June 2003 that they had been confiscated by the SPDC troops on the grounds that the owners had fled to Thailand. When they tried to cultivate the land, Lung Nyo and Wan-Na were stopped and told by the SPDC troops that the land had been confiscated and had become military property because the original owners had fled to Thailand.

According to them, Lung Nyo’s rice field was big enough to cultivate 5 baskets of rice seeds, and Wan-Na’s rice field was big enough to cultivate 3 baskets of rice seeds.

DISPLACED VILLAGERS FORCED TO BUILD MILITARY STRONGHOLD, AND USED IN ROUTINE FORCED LABOUR, IN NAM-ZARNG

Since the beginning of 2003, villagers at Kaad Lur village relocation site in Haai Laai village tract, Nam-Zarng township, have been forced to build a military stronghold in the centre of their village by SPDC troops from the Military Operation Command (MOC) No.21, and are routinely being forced to guard the roads and crops for the military.

Kaad Lur is a relocation site, located on the Nam-Zarng - Kun-Hing main road about 5-6 miles west of Kho Lam village in Nam-Zarng township, to which people from the surrounding villages on both sides of the road had been forced to relocate in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops, and now it has more than 200 households.

At the beginning of 2003, the MOC No.21 at Kho Lam village deployed some of their troops in Kaad Lur village relocation site and started building a military stronghold in the village. Forced labour of the displaced people is being used for many tasks to build and maintain the stronghold, including digging trenches and building 3 layers of fences around the stronghold.

As well as this, villagers of Kaad Lur are routinely forced to guard the roads, at least 6 persons per day on a regular basis up to the present. In addition, they also have to grow crops for the SPDC troops. This year, they have been forced to cultivate 3 acres of corn, and they have already been told that after the corn they would have to grow Japanese sesame.