SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- DECEMBER 2004

COMMENTARY

As reported in last month’s issue of this newsletter, after the issuance of a decree to crack down on human trafficking, travellers are being faced with all sorts of harassment by SPDC security forces manning numerous check points along the routes that lead to the border with Thailand.

Ironically, not only those who were heading in the direction of Thailand, but also those who were travelling in the opposite directions were also being harassed and money often extorted, usually under threats and intimidation, as in the case reported in this issue that took place in Murng-Pan. People returning from Thailand were also robbed of their money and valuables at a checkpoint near the border in Murng-Ton.

At some checkpoints, like the one in Kaeng-Tung presented in this issue, young women have been detained and raped or money extorted, or both.

On top of all this, the women’s organization formed under the direction of the SPDC has been making matters more complicated and confusing. By requiring women under 25 years of age to apply for a travel permit and contribute money to the organization’s funds, it has put them into a vulnerable situation, easy for exploitation.

Farmers, the lowest echelons of the civilian populations who have to bear most of the brunt of the Burmese military atrocities, are as hapless as before. Their lands are still being confiscated and their crops being forced to be sold at unreasonably low prices.

DISPLACED WOMAN RAPED AND KILLED IN LARNG-KHUR

In October 2004, one of 2 displaced women who were gathering bamboo shoots was raped and killed by a group of SPDC troops in the forest about 2 miles north of Larng-Khur town, Larng-Khur township.

On 19 October 2004, Naang Seng Lu, aged 18 and Naang Ser (not her real name), from a relocation site on the outskirts of Larng-Khur town, went together into the forest to gather bamboo shoots. Both of them were originally from Wan Kyawng village in Son Oi village tract, Larng-Khur township, which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of the town in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

The 2 women were gathering bamboo shoots in the forest about 2 miles north of Larng-Khur town, and were some distance away from each other, when Naang Ser saw a group of SPDC soldiers before they saw her and she hid among the bush.

The SPDC troops were so close that she did not have time to warn her friend and watched helplessly as the troops advanced towards where Naang Seng Lu was gathering bamboo shoots. After all the troops had passed her hiding place, Naang Ser slowly crept to some distance away and then ran and escaped.

After some time, Naang Ser managed to get back to the relocation site and related the incident to her and Naang Seng Lu’s parents and relatives. Although Naang Ser did not know the military unit, she was quite sure that what she saw were actually SPDC troops.
When their relatives and some fellow villagers managed to screw up their courage and went in search of Naang Seng Lu, they found only her dead body, with clear signs of having been raped.

A LAHU COUPLE BEATEN TO DEATH IN MURNG-TON

In August 2004, a Lahu couple was beaten to death by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB225 at a remote farm in Me Ken village tract, Murng-Ton township.

On 18 August 2004, Ja-Ka, aged 48 and his wife, Ja-Nu, aged 40, from Nawng Khem village in Me Ken village, Murng-Ton township, were working at their remote farm when a patrol of about 35 SPDC troops from IB225, led by Capt. Aung Lwin, came.

The SPDC troops beat Ja-Ka and Ja-Nu to death and took away all of their belongings, claiming they had found 2 viss of raw opium and 1,000 tablets of methamphetamine at the couple’s farm hut.

This same SPDC patrol was said to have killed several other villagers at different places in Murng-Ton township during their patrols in August 2004, but no details of those incidents were available when this report was received.

A DISPLACED VILLAGER BEATEN TO DEATH AND ROBBED OF HIS PIGS AND BICYCLE IN KUN-HING

In August 2004, a displaced villager who was carrying pigs on a bicycle was beaten to death and robbed of his pigs and bicycle by SPDC troops from the artillery unit stationed at the cemetery hill west of Kun-Hing town, Kun-Hing township.

The victim was Lung Taan Lu (m), aged 47, originally from Kung Kaad village in Wan Lao village tract, Kun-Hing township, which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Kun-Hing town in 1996 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

On 24 August 2004, Lung Taan Lu bought 4 small pigs in Kun-Hing town and carried them on a bicycle to Wan Lao village to sell them. But before he reached Wan Lao, Lung Taan Lu ran into a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from the said artillery unit, led by Sgt.Own Hlaing, on the way near an old village, Long Maw (relocated).

The SPDC troops arrested Lung Taan Lu and beat him to death, and took away his pigs and bicycle, leaving his dead body unburied just about 20 yards west of the road.

Lung Taan Lu’s pigs were seen roaming in the military camp compound for some days, and 5-6 days later Lung Taan Lu’s bicycle was seen ridden for pleasure in Kun-Hing town by the SPDC troops.

AN ELDERLY MAN BEATEN TO DEATH, ROBBED OF HIS VALUABLES, IN MURNG-SART

In August 2004, Lung Lu, aged 61, of Murng Tum village was beaten to death and robbed of his valuables by the SPDC troops that were stationed at Murng Tum at the time of the incident, in Murng Tum village tract, Murng-Sart township.

On the morning of 31 August 2004, after spending a night making merit at a Buddhist temple with 18-20 other village elders, Lung Lu went to see his children and relatives who were working at their farm some distance from the village.

But before he reached the farm, Lung Lu was stopped by a group of the said SPDC troops and was interrogated and searched. After searching and finding 4,700 kyat of money and a gold ornament weighing about 1/2 baht, the troops beat Lung Lu to death with a heavy stick and took away his gold and money.

Lung Lu was also known as Lung Lu Taa Long or big-eyed Lung Lu to his fellow villagers. According to them, Lung Lu was just a simple villager and they did not know why he was killed by the SPDC troops.

A MAN BEATEN AND PUSHED INTO A FLOODING RIVER IN MURNG-TON

In August 2004, a man was beaten on the head with a whiskey bottle and pushed into a flooding river by 2 SPDC troops at Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng Haang village tract, Murng-Ton township. The man has since then disappeared and is believed to have been carried away by the flood.

The victim, Zaai Kyaw Oo (m), aged 40, an ex-government health worker, was a trader who had a shop-house in Naa Kawng Mu village selling consumer goods and some medicine. There were 2 SPDC soldiers from the camp at the end of the village who used to visit him and drink whiskey together.

As they drank, Zaai Kyaw Oo used to complain that when he was a government health worker life was difficult because his government salary was not enough to make ends meet, but now he was doing well as a trader.

The 2 SPDC troops would defend the government and accused Zaai Kyaw Oo of ingratitude and said that he would not have been able to get permission to sell medicine if not for his health worker certificate issued by the government.

On 30 August 2004, Zaai Kyaw Oo and the said 2 SPDC soldiers were drinking and arguing at another shop in the main village of Naa Kawng Mu, some distance from his house. In the evening, as it was getting dark, Zaai Kyaw Oo returned to his house accompanied by the 2 solders.

As they crossed the bridge over the Nam Haang river, which was flooding at the time, the SPDC troops beat Zaai Kyaw Oo on the head with a whiskey bottle and pushed him off the bridge into the rushing water.

Zaai Kyaw Oo’s cap and sandals were seen on the edge of the bridge the next day but his body was not to be found again. There were some villagers who witnessed when Zaai Kyaw Oo was beaten and pushed off the bridge, but they dared not go near it until the next day, and no one dared to complain about it.

WOMAN RAPED FOR NOT HAVING ID CARD IN KAENG-TUNG

In early 2004, an Akha woman who was travelling was detained for not having an ID card and raped by 3 SPDC troops manning a checkpoint in Kaeng-Tung township.

On 15 January 2004, Aa Pae (not her real name), aged 28, from Nawng Paet village in Nawng Nurn village tract, Kaeng-Tung township, took a passenger car in Kaeng-Tung town with 3 other women from her village who were going to Ta-Khi-Laek.

When the car they were riding in reached a checkpoint at Wan Pung village in Murng Zaem village tract, about 4 miles south of Kaeng-Tung town, they were stopped by SPDC troops manning the checkpoint and ordered to show their ID cards.

When Aa Pae was found not having an ID card, the SPDC troops ordered her to get down from the car and ordered the driver to continue his journey. The driver tried to plead with the troops to let Aa Pae go, but was threatened with arrest for transporting a person with no ID.

When the car left, Aa Pae pleaded with the SPDC troops to let her go home but the troops said she would have to keep them company until the next morning. There were 3 SPDC troops and they started drinking at nightfall.

During the night, the 3 SPDC troops took turns and raped Aa Pae all night until each of them satisfied themselves 2-3 times before they let her go the next morning.

Soon after the incident, Aa Pae and her parents and their community leaders went to the SPDC Kaeng-Tung township office and lodged a complaint. Although the authorities accepted the case, nothing had been done about it until late October 2004 when this report was received.

According to the local people, the SPDC troops manning the said checkpoint often detained women under 25 years of age or without ID cards and, if they did not have money to be extorted, were forced to spend a night with them, and raped. This had been happening for some years now.

In September 2004, at the same checkpoint, a driver was detained and interrogated for 3 hours concerning a woman he had transported a few weeks before, leaving his passengers waiting in the sun with no food and water.

On 21 September 2004, at about 10:00 a.m., when a car with 4 travellers in it stopped at the said checkpoint, the driver, Ko Sai (m), aged 36, was called into the guardhouse and asked about a woman, aged under 25, who was supposed to have been taken to Ta-Khi-Laek by him.

They wanted to know where he had taken her to and where she was at the time of questioning. In fact, the said woman had gone with her husband to Ta-Khi-Laek to buy goods and had already come back to Kaeng-Tung since 4-5 September 2004. She was Naang Man, aged 23 and her husband was Zaai La, aged 25.

The driver tried to explain about the situation to the SPDC troops, but they kept accusing him of taking 20,000-30,000 kyat of money and transporting the woman to Thailand. Finally, only when the driver offered to bring Naang Man and her husband to them to testify did the troops let him go. By then he had already been detained for 3 hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 01:00 p.m..

It was later learned that the SPDC women’s affairs organization in Kaeng-Tung township, led by Daw Khin Pyone Win, wife of the Regional Command Commander, Gen. Khin Zaw, required women under 25 to get permission for travelling, but Naang Man had not asked permission thinking it was not necessary because she was travelling with her husband.

When a woman under 25 needed to travel, she had to contribute 100,000 kyat of money to the women’s organization’s central funds to get permission. To save time, drivers usually took 120,000 kyat from each woman and applied for permission on their behalf, keeping 20,000 kyat as a car fare and giving 100,000 kyat to the women’s organization. After paying to the checkpoints on the way at Murng-Phyak and Ta-Khi-Leak, only about 6-7,000 kyat was left for the driver, barely enough to buy fuel for his car.

VILLAGERS BEATEN UNTIL LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS DURING FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-SART

In September 2004, 3 villagers who were gathering bamboo for building fences for SPDC troops of IB49 in Murng-Sart township were severely beaten up by SPDC troops from IB43 from Murng-Paeng township until 3 of them lost consciousness.

On 1 September 2004, Zaai Nyo (m), aged 22, Zaai Mu (m), aged 23 and Zaai Pi (m), aged 26, of Wan Saat village in Waeng Nur village tract, Murng-Sart township, went into the forest with a mini-tractor to gather bamboo required to build fences for IB49.

As they were cutting bamboo some distance away from their tractor, a patrol of about 30-35 SPDC troops, led by Capt. Kin Win Oo, from IB43 based in Murng-Paeng, came and accused them of being Shan soldiers and beat them up. All 3 villagers could barely understand Burmese and none spoke it.

When the villagers did not answer their questions, the SPDC troops continued to beat them until all of them lost consciousness. When they regained consciousness, the troops continued to ask them questions which they did not fully understand and the villagers all pointed to the same direction.

The troops forced the villagers to lead them to the place where they were pointing to. When they reached a place where they found a mini-tractor, the SPDC troops realized the 3 villagers had come to gather bamboo and released them.

The 3 villagers were so badly hurt that they could not continue working and barely managed to drive their mini-tractor home. After reporting the incident to their community leader, all 3 of them had to be hospitalized in Murng-Sart town to receive treatment. When they were seen in October 2004, neither of them was able to work yet.

A FARMER BEATEN UNCONSCIOUS IN MUNRG-TON

In September 2004, a 57-year-old farmer was beaten until he lost consciousness by a patrol of SPDC troops from LIB519 at his rice field about 3 miles east of Mawk Zali village in Me Ken village tract, Murng-Ton township.

On 2 September 2004, Lung Kawn (m), aged 57, of Mawk Zali village, was weeding grass in his rice field 3 miles east of his village when a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops from Company No.3 of LIB519, led by Capt. Saw Hpyu, came to the hut at the edge of the field and called him out to them.

The SPDC troops asked Lung Kawn if he had seen Shan soldiers in the area. When Lung Kawn said he had not, the troops beat and kicked him. This was repeated several times until Lung Kawn fell down on the ground, and the troops continued to beat and kick him until he lost consciousness.

When his relatives and fellow villagers came to look for Lung Kawn because he had not returned by the time he should have, they found him still lying semiconscious under the field hut, so they carried him back to their village.

CONFISCATION OF RICE FIELD AND EXTORTION IN MURNG-SART

In September 2004, 5 acres of rice field belonging to a farmer was confiscated by SPDC troops of IB49 even before the rice could be harvested, in Murng-Sart township.

On 26 September 2004, the deputy commander of IB49, Maj. Nyunt Hlaing, told a community leader that he had received an order from his superiors to confiscate a rice field on the outskirts of Murng-Sart town to make way for office buildings.

The rice field belonged to a family of farmers, Lung Mo, his wife and their 3 children. The rice field was the only means of livelihood for the family and the rice was almost ripe and would be ready for harvest in a short time.

The farmers pleaded with the SPDC commander to wait until they could harvest the rice, otherwise they would not have anything to eat for the rest of the year. The commander said that it was an order from higher-up and he could do nothing about it.

Later, the farmers and the community leader went to the office of the township farmer administration department and asked for help. The officials said they could help if the farmers could contribute 15,000 kyat of money for their office expenses.

After making the necessary contribution, the farmers were issued a written document stating that the farmers were allowed to use the rice field until the present rice crop had been harvested.

FARMERS FORCED TO SELL PEANUTS IN KAE-SEE

In September 2004, SPDC troops of IB286 based at Murng Nawng village in Murng Nawng village, Kae-See township, forced farmers in several village tracts to sell peanuts to them at prices many times lower than the market rates.

Several village tracts in Kae-See township such as Murng Nawng, Wan Zaad, Murng Kaao and Nawng Sawm, etc., were required to sell 30 baskets of peanuts per village tract at the rate of 1,500 kyat per basket.

The peanuts were to be brought to the military base at Murng Nawng village as soon as they were harvested by the farmers. The peanuts would a few months later be resold at the local market at much higher prices and the profits would go to the battalion’s funds.

Normally, the farmers did not sell their peanuts right after harvest even though they could get a much higher price than was offered by the SPDC troops, because a few months later, in about March and April, a basket of peanut could fetch up to 5,000 kyat.

It was said that the villagers were warned not to say that they had to sell their peanuts to the military not in accordance with the local market rates, or they would have to sell even more next year.

A similar incident also took place in Wan Zing village tract, Kae-See township. Only that farmers in a single village tract, Wan Zing, were required to sell 100 baskets of peanuts as soon as they were harvested to the SPDC troops of IB287 based at Wan Zing village.

On 26 September 2004, SPDC military authorities at the base of IB287 at Wan Zing village called a meeting of village tract and village leaders in Wan Zing village tract and announced that the military would buy peanuts from the farmers.

The military authorities gave only 30,000 kyat of money to the village leaders to be distributed among peanut farmers in the village tract as prepaid prices and issued an order requiring the farmers to bring their peanuts to the military base straight from the farms as soon as they were harvested.

FORCED LABOUR AND EXTORTION IN MURNG-PAN

In August 2004, a civilian truck was forced to transport a truckload of bricks by the SPDC troops of LIB520, and at another location was forced to pay 60,000 kyat of money by a combined force of SPDC troops and police, in Murng-Pan township.

On 27 August 2004, a civilian truck was travelling from Murng-Ton to Nam-Zarng, carrying 8 travellers and their belongings. When they reached the checkpoint of LIB520 at the eastern entrance of Murng-Pan town, the SPDC troops forced them to unload the truck and forced the truck to transport bricks for the military.

The truck had to carry one truckload of bricks to the base of LIB520 from a place about 1 mile to the east where the bricks were made. It was said that at this checkpoint civilian trucks passing through were often stopped and forced to transport one truckload of bricks before they were let go.

After providing the forced labour, the said truck reloaded its passengers and their belongings and continued their journey, only to be stopped by a group of SPDC troops and police manning a checkpoint at Loi Noi village just west of Murng-Pan town.

The troops and police said to the truck driver that they recognized his truck as one of those transporting people to and from Thailand on a regular basis and that an order had been issued to arrest those people for human trafficking.

When the driver said he had not heard of such an order, the SPDC troops and police then said they would excuse him this time and let him continue to Nam-Zarng if he paid 60,000 kyat, half to the troops and half to the police, or he would just have to return to where he had come from.

The driver had no choice but to comply with their demand. It is said that drivers travelling from Murng-Ton to Tawng-Gi (Taunggyi) have to pay all the checkpoints along the way, whether they be in the towns or remote places. Around 100,000 kyat has usually been spent when they reach Tawng-Gi.

VILLAGERS RETURNING FROM THAILAND ROBBED OF THEIR MONEY AND VALUABLES IN MURNG-TON

In October 2004, 8 villagers from Shan State who were returning from Thailand were robbed of their money and valuables by the SPDC troops from IB225 manning a checkpoint at Nam Yum, between BP-1 (Border Point-1) and Pung Pa Khem village in Murng-Ton township.

On 27 October 2004, 8 villagers, 5 men and 3 women, from Murng-Nai and Nam-Zarng townships who were returning home after working in Thailand for some time were stopped and searched by the SPDC troops from IB225 at the said checkpoint.

The SPDC troops took all the money they found on the 8 villagers, 126,400 baht in all, together with wristwatches, tape-recorders and new clothes they had brought with them. When the villagers said they had no money left to pay for their journey home, the troops gave them back 1,000 baht each.