shrf_monthly_report_September

SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- SEPTEMBER 2004

COMMENTARY

LAND CONFISCATION

Land and property confiscation by the Burmese military is one of the main causes that have been, directly or indirectly, dispossessing and displacing a great number of people in Shan State over the last 3-4 decades.

Incidents of land and property confiscation have been more or less common occurrences since the forcible seizure of state power over 4 decades ago by the Burmese military junta as it has been sending more and more of its troops to occupy Shan State.

However, it has greatly intensified over the last decade or so following the crushing of the democracy uprising in 1988, after which the junta launched its militarization campaign in Shan State, as well as other parts of Burma.

Numbers of military units and battalions have increased in Shan State to more than 100 by the end of the last millennium from only about 40 before 1988. While the already established military bases have been or are being expanded, many new bases are being set up and expanded to accommodate newly arrived and newly created battalions.

Large areas of land, especially in the rural areas, have been and are still being confiscated as the military expansion goes on, with no end as yet in sight, displacing a lot of people and depriving them of their livelihood in the process, causing many to flee.

Individual soldiers and other departments, such as police, of the SPDC have also taken advantage of the situation and robbed people of their land and property.

WHOLE VILLAGE FORCED TO MOVE FOLLOWING LAND CONFISCATION IN MURNG-NAI

In July 2004, 150 acres of rice fields and gardens and a village adjacent to them were confiscated by SPDC troops of Central Command No.3 in Kaeng Tawng area of Murng-Nai township.

On 7 July 2004, the commander of the said SPDC military unit, Col. Tint Lwin, called a meeting of villagers at the headman’s house of Nam Tum Nur village in Nawng Hee village tract, in Kaeng Tawng area of Murng-Nai township.

At the meeting, the SPDC commander told the villagers that he had received an order from his superiors in Rangoon requiring him to confiscate their land in order to expand the military base.

The whole village of Nam Tum Nur, comprising 37 houses and 148 villagers, and 150 acres of rice fields and gardens were included in the area of land that was to be confiscated.

The villagers were told to move away within 15 days. “You can go where you like and take all your belongings with you. You can either dismantle your houses and take them away or sell them to us”, said the SPDC commander.

The village headman then asked the commander whether they would be allowed to look after and harvest their rice which they had already grown in the rice fields, and the commander said he had no objection provided no further orders from Rangoon came before the harvest time.

All the villagers of Nam Tum Nur village had all moved out between 8 and 22 July 2004, many of them to Ton Hung village tract in Murng-Nai township and some to other places.

CONFISCATION OF WOODLAND AND FISH POND, AND FORCED LABOUR, IN KAENG-TUNG

In mid 2004, hundreds of acres of woodland and fish pond of the villagers in Kaad Tao village tract, Kaeng-Tung township, were confiscated by the SPDC police force and local authorities.

In June 2004, SPDC police force and village tract level authorities confiscated 100 acres of woodland from the villagers of Yaang Saw village, 100 acres of woodland from the villagers of Wan Kawm village and a 500-acre-wide fish pond from the villagers of Wan Kwang, in Kaad Tao village tract, Kaeng-Tung township.

The woodland was confiscated for the local police force and SPDC authorities, and the villagers in Kaad Tao village tract were forced to build fences around it and clear some parts of it for crop cultivation. All the 23 villages in Kaad Tao village tract had to take turns to build the fences and clear the land, 3 days per village, altogether 64 days.

The fish pond at Wan Kwang village, about 500 acres wide, had long been a kind of public pond which every villager could access to fish. But after it was confiscated, the police made it their own pond and villagers were banned from fishing in it.

A FARM CONFISCATED FROM A DISPLACED FARMER IN NAM-ZARNG

In early 2004, a farm was confiscated from a displaced farmer by SPDC troops of IB66 in Nam-Zarng township, effectively depriving the farmer of his only means of survival and causing him to flee.

Lung Thun (m), aged 49, was originally from Kaeng Kham Awn village in Loi La village tract, Nam Zarng township, which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Nam Zarng town in 1996 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

During the relocation, by selling most of his possessions Lung Thun was able to buy a small plot of land to build a house in No.-1 quarter in Nam-Zarng town, and a farm outside the town, about 1-1/2 miles east of the base of IB66.

In March 2004, the said farm was confiscated by SPDC troops of IB66 in expanding their base to the east, causing Lung Thun to lose the only means by which he managed to survive year after year by growing subsistence crops of rice, sesame and soya bean, etc..

One month before, Lung Thun was forced to sell 25 baskets of his rice to the SPDC authorities, out of the 60 baskets he had managed to harvest from the farm, at the rate of 400 kyat per basket while the market rate was 1,500 kyat per basket at the time.
Lung Thun had no land left to farm and no money to buy any. To find a new plot of land in a remote area would be putting oneself at the mercy of the roaming SPDC troops. By July 2004, Lung Thun had run out of rice to feed his family, so they all fled to the Thai border.

CONFISCATION OF CHEROOT-LEAF PLANTATIONS IN LOI-LEM

In early 2004, several cheroot-leaf plantations belonging to villagers of several villages in Sanin village tract, Loi-Lem township, were confiscated by SPDC troops of IB12, depriving the villagers of their means of livelihood and causing many to flee.

In March 2004, several acres of cheroot-leaf plantations of the villagers of Khong Laang, Huay Long, Paang Nim and Kung Ood villages, in Sanin village tract, Loi-Lem township, were confiscated by IB12 to expand the military base.

The said villagers were among those who had been growing cheroot-leaves as their main livelihood for generations. Now their cheroot-leaf plantations were taken away from them and they were told by the SPDC troops to find another place and grow tea instead of cheroot-leaves.

However, most villagers could not find any new land. Land near their villagers had all been taken by the military, and remote and far away places were designated by the SPDC authorities as off limits for the villagers.

Many villagers who had lost their land and had no other means to support themselves at their villages were leaving little by little for other what they thought better places, including the Thai border.

EXTORTION AND LAND CONFISCATION IN MURNG-SU

In early 2004, a rice field was confiscated after money was extorted from a farmer by the SPDC troops in Murng-Su township, the news of which caused death to the elderly mother of the farmer.

In March 2004, when the local SPDC troops were about to confiscate 5 acres of his rice field, Lung Wi (m), aged 49, a native farmer of Murng-Su who had inherited the rice field from his ancestors, pleaded with them not to take his rice field. After extorting 500,000 kyat of money from Lung Wi, the SPDC troops actually did not confiscate his rice field.

However, in late April 2004, when a new group of SPDC troops came and replaced the old one, they immediately confiscated Lung Wi’s rice field, saying that it was an order from their superiors. The rice field was then sold by the SPDC troops to members of the UWSA (United Wa State Army) at the rate of 500,000 kyat per acre.

When Lung Wi’s mother, aged 78, heard the news on 29 April 2004, she was so shocked that she fell down and died instantly while eating a meal with her family.

LAND CONFISCATION IN MURNG-SART

In early 2004, hundreds of acres of cultivated land belonging to villagers of Kawngmu Tan village in Saai Khaao village tract, Murng-Sart township, were confiscated by the SPDC troops of IB45 based in Murng-Sart.

In February 2004, villagers who were going to their farms and vegetable gardens situated to the north and along the Nam Kok river to the south of Kawngmu Tan village were stopped by the SPDC troops of IB45.

The SPDC troops told the villagers that their farms and gardens had been taken by the military and that if they wanted to cultivate farms and gardens they should try and find new places for themselves.

The villagers received nothing in compensation for their losses and no one dared to lodge a complaint with the authorities. Many villagers who had no other means of livelihood had to move to other places in search of new land and become internally displaced persons, while a small number of them made it to Thailand.

LAND CONFISCATION IN MURNG-TON

In mid 2003, a rice and sugarcane farm belonging to a displaced family was confiscated by the SPDC troops at Naa Kawngmu village in Murng Haang village tract, Murng-Ton township, and sold to the members of UWSA (United Wa State Army).

The victims, Lung Su and his wife, Pa Zing, were originally from Wan Paang village in Wan Heng village tract, Lai-Kha township, which had been forcibly relocated in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

After staying at Naa Kawngmu village for some time, Lung Su and his wife managed to get a plot of land south of the village. They had been growing rice and sugarcane on that land for 3-4 years when it was forcibly taken by the local SPDC troops and then sold to the UWSA soldiers.

Although the SPDC troops said that they would give them some money when the Wa troops paid for the land, Lung Su and Pa Zing received nothing for their loss up until February 2004 when they decided to flee to Thailand because they could no longer earn a living at Naa Kawngmu, nor could they think of any other alternative.

LAND WITH FISH PONDS CONFISCATED IN TA-KHI-LAEK

In early 2003, SPDC troops of LIB316 confiscated 3 fish ponds belonging to villagers of Lo Tawng and Kawng Ke villages in Ta Lur village tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township.

Of the 3 fish ponds, 2 belonged to Lung Man (m), aged 54, of Lo Tawng village and yielded 6-700 kilograms of fish each year, which sold at the rate of 35-40 Thai baht per kilo. The other pond belonged to Zaai Lern (m), aged 39, and yielded 4-500 kilograms of fish each year.

The fish ponds’ owners and their community leaders tried to plead with the SPDC troops to take only the fish but to return the ponds to the villagers so that they could make a living out of them. However, they were told that the military did not only confiscate the fish ponds, but all the land areas where the fish ponds were.

LAND CONFISCATION IN MURNG-NAI

The following are 6 more stories about confiscation of land and property of the civilian populations in Munr-Nai township in 2003.

VILLAGERS’ FARMS AND GARDENS CONFISCATED IN MURNG-NAI

In mid 2003, SPDC troops of LIB574 confiscated more than 100 acres of cultivated land belonging to the villagers of Ta Kun village in Ton Hung village tract, Murng-Nai township.

The land, which consisted of villagers’ farms and vegetable gardens, was located between Ta Kun village and the base of LIB574, east of the village and west of the base.

In June 2003, the SPDC troops simply declared the land belong to the military and told the villagers to stop using it. In early 2004, the land was seen being grown with peanut and Japanese sesame by the military.

VILLAGERS FORCIBLY RELOCATED, LAND CONFISCATED, IN MURNG-NAI

In mid 2003, 4 households in Tong Law village in Ton Hung village tract, Murng-Nai township, were forced to move and their lands were confiscated by SPDC troops of LIB574.

In June 2003, SPDC troops of LIB574 told the villagers of the said 4 houses in Tong Law village that the lands on which their houses were built were too close to the military base and would be confiscated, and ordered them to dismantle their houses and move to Kun Keng village in the same village tract.

The heads of the households, Lung Zan-Da (m), Lung Sa Nan (m), Paw Thao Ser (m) and Pa Phu (f), dared not complain about it for fear of further abuses and quietly moved out as they were told.

By the end of 2003, new houses were built on those confiscated lands and were occupied by families of the SPDC troops of LIB574.

RICE FIELD CONFISCATED IN MURNG-NAI

Around mid 2003, SPDC troops of LIB574 confiscated a plot of rice field belonging to a villager of Ton Hung village in Ton Hung village tract, Murng-Nai township.

Sometime in April and May 2003, a group of SPDC troops from LIB574, manning an outpost camp near the rice fields west of Ton Hung village, dug a fish pond on a plot of rice field without asking or telling the owner.

When the rice field owner, Lung Awng (m), from Ton Hung village went to look at his rice field a few days later, he was angry to find a fish pond in it. But when he found out it was SPDC troops’ fish pond, he did not dare to say anything.

However, the SPDC troops who saw Lung Awng looking at their fish pond simply told him that the rice field where the fish pond was had been confiscated for the military.

BANANA ORCHARDS AND SESAME FARMS CONFISCATED IN MUNRG-NAI

In early 2003, several acres of cultivated lands along the road between Ton Hung village tract and Nawng Hee village tract, Murng-Nai township, were confiscated by SPDC troops of No.17 Tactical Command, based at Nawng Ook old village (relocated) in Ton Hung village tract.

In March 2003, the commander of No.17 Tactical Command, Thaung Swe, issued an order stating that the lands along the road, between Nawng Ook where the base of the said Tactical Command was located in Ton Hung village tract and Pa Sa village in Nawng Hee village tract, belonged to the military, and put up several signposts saying thus along the way.

The confiscated lands were banana orchards and sesame farms belonging to 3 villagers of Ton Hung village, Lung Pan-Ta (m), Lung Khin (m) and Zaai Wi (m), in Ton Hung village tract, Murng Nai township. The villagers received nothing in compensation for their losses and they dared not complain about it to the authorities.

LAND OF BUDDHIST TEMPLES CONFISCATED IN MURNG-NAI

In early 2003, land in the compound of a Buddhist temple worshiped by displaced people was confiscated by SPDC troops from military engineer battalion No.390 at a relocation site in Kun Mong village tract, Murng-Nai township.

Villagers that had been forcibly relocated from their original village, Kun Naa, in Kun Mong village tract, to a new village relocation site, Sen Taw, some years ago, had set apart a plot of land to build a new temple at the relocation site because the land on which their original temple was situated had been confiscated by the SPDC troops of No.17 Tactical Command some time earlier.
The land set apart was large enough to build a big temple, about 1-1/2 acres, in order to accommodate the relatively big population of Sen Taw relocation site where several surrounding villages had been relocated to.

In March 2003, however, half of the land meant for building the Buddhist temple was confiscated by the said SPDC troops, saying that they needed the place to set up a TV reception tower so that people in the area could watch the Burmese TV programs.

It was impossible to build a large enough temple on the remaining plot of land, but the villagers did not dare to complain about it. The SPDC troops even said to the villagers that they could file a complaint with the authorities if they were not satisfied with the troops’ taking of the land for public purposes.

A VILLAGER ROBBED OF HIS HOUSE AND LAND IN MURNG-NAI

In early 2003, a villager was robbed of his house and land by an SPDC soldier of engineer unit No.390 at Ton Hung village in Ton Hung village tract, Murng-Nai township.

The house, which was built of teak and 9-by-5 yards in size, was at first rented to the SPDC soldier at the rate of 5,000 kyat per month by the owner, Zaai Zit-Ta, who also had a house in Nam-Zarng town.

The SPDC soldier paid the rent regularly for 3 months. But on the fourth month, when the owner came to collect the rent, the soldier said that he now owned the house and the money he had paid over the last 3 months meant he had bought the house.

The house owner was shocked, but before he could decide to do something, the SPDC soldier registered himself as the owner of the house with the SPDC township authorities, convincing them that he had bought the house from a villager.

The house owner did not know what to do and lost a valuable house after receiving the rent for only 3 months.

LAND CONFISCATION IN SEN-WI

The following are several incidents of land confiscation, and the extortion and forced relocation they entailed, in Sen-Wi township in 2003.

LAND CONFISCATION AND EXTORTION IN SEN-WI

In mid 2003, a village was designated as a military base area and cultivated lands surrounding it were confiscated by SPDC troops of LIB323, in Paeng Sa village tract, Sen-Wi township.

In August 2003, SPDC troops of LIB323 issued an order stating that Son Khaai village in Paeng Sa village tract, Sen-Wi township, and the large area of cultivated lands surrounding it had been designated as military territory.

At about the same time, another order was issued which said that all the rice farms in the area would have to pay taxes in kind at the rate of 4 baskets of rice per acre. When some farmers presented a sample of poor rice plants and pleaded with the SPDC troops to reduce the taxes because the harvest would be bad, the troops said, “Why did you grow it on our land. You have to pay as we demand”, and forced the farmers to sign a paper. The farmers signed the paper just because they were told to do so, but no one seemed to know what was written in it.

After that villagers were not allowed to use the land as they had been doing for generations, but had to pay taxes to the military just to grow subsistence crops. Many farms and gardens were covered with wild grass and weed after some time, but the villagers were not allowed even to collect wild thatch to use as roofing materials.

There were 16 households of farmers at Son Khaai village which was only about 4 miles east of Sen-Wi town. Even though they had not yet been forced to relocate to other places, the farmers were being faced with a lot of difficulties, being physically and mentally harassed by the SPDC troops almost all the time.

Another similar incident also took place in early 2003 at a different location in Sen-Wi township. Nam Hoo Tao and Jawng Kham villages and surrounding areas, in Sen-Wi township, were designated as military territory by the SPDC authorities of Military Operation Management Command No.16.

Villagers were told not to build concrete houses and fences because they could be relocated to other places at any moment. As for the farms and orchards, both inside and outside the villages, the owners were forced to sign contracts to lease them back and pay taxes to the military. For instance, owners had to pay 500 kyat of yearly taxes for each lichee tree in the orchards not any more theirs.

There were 40 houses in Nam Hoo Tao village and 18 houses in Jawng Kham village. Villagers in those villages had to live under very precarious conditions, not knowing when they would be forced to move. They also had to live a miserable life, having lost most of their property and means of livelihood, and being harassed by the SPDC troops most of the time.

LAND CONFISCATION AND FORCED RELOCATION IN SEN-WI

In early 2003, more than 1,000 acres of land, including 6 houses, were forcibly confiscated and the villagers forced to move away by a group of native-Chinese people’s militiamen under the instruction of SPDC commander of Military Operation Management Command No.16.

In February 2003, a group of the said people’s militiamen came to Nawng Nyawng village and told the villagers of 6 houses to move away because the place, including all the land on the bank of Nam Pang river in the area and their houses, had been given to them by the SPDC military authorities.

The militiamen said they would pay some money for the houses in compensation because they sympathized with the villagers, but not for the land because it belonged to the government, provided that the villagers moved out immediately.

When the villagers pleaded with the militiamen to let them stay with them for another year, the militiamen said that even if they let the villagers stay the Burmese commander would not be satisfied with that, and if he sent his troops to drive the villagers away, they would not get any compensation.

The villagers had no choice and had to move away immediately, some to their relatives in other villages and some to deserted farm huts outside of the confiscated land areas. Those who moved to other villages had to hire mini-tractors to transport their belongings to be able to finish in a short time.