SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- JUNE 2005

COMMENTARY

Recently, the human rights situation in several townships in central Shan State has deteriorated as the SPDC troops have intensified their mass crackdowns on people suspected of supporting the Shan resistance.

The SPDC authorities have never given the people freedom to engage in political activities, except for those organized by them, in which they force people to participate in support of themselves.

For years, most opposition groups, including nonviolent and armed, have been trying to reason with the Burmese military junta to work towards forming a genuine union based on democratic principles. But the junta has not budged and only become more and more oppressive over the years until earlier this year they arrested several Shan political leaders and forced Shan ceasefire groups to surrender.

This has caused great negative impacts on many resistance forces who could see no way to negotiate with the junta, and has led to a group of Shan opposition figures forming an interim Shan government and declaring independence of the federated Shan States.

Some members of the Shan resistance in central Shan State also organized secret rallies of rural communities in support of the declaration of independence by the said Shan government.

This has caused the SPDC troops in central Shan State to crackdown on people suspected of supporting the Shan government. Many people have been arrested, detained, beaten and tortured, and mass rallies against the Shan government have been forcibly organized by the SPDC authorities.

Apart from the above incidents, many other incidents of human rights abuses have also been reported in this month’s issue.

4 FOREST GATHERERS SHOT DEAD IN MURNG-PAN

In February 2005, 4 villagers of Ho Lin village in Ho Lin village tract, Murng-Pan township, who were gathering leaves in the forest were shot dead by SPDC troops from LIB520.

On 28 February 2005, Zaai Keng (m), aged 27, Naang Law (f), aged 31, Zaai kit (m), aged 30 and Zaai Maai (m), aged 25, from Ho Lin village went into the forest early in the morning to gather leaves to be used to make roofing of their houses.

While the said 4 villagers were gathering leaves, a patrol of about 10 SPDC troops from LIB520, led by commander Tin Aung, saw them and shot them dead in the forest 1-1/2 miles north of Mai Nyawng Khong Khaang village in Kung Keng village tract, a village tract adjacent to Ho Lin.

Local people were sure that it was the SPDC troops who had shot those villagers because many people saw the SPDC patrol in the area at the time of the incident; some of them even came and asked for drinking water at Mai Nyawng Khong Khaang village, and the empty cartridges of the ammunition used were China-made, used only by the SPDC troops.

However, when village leaders and elders tried to lodge a complaint with the SPDC military authorities in the area, they were only told that no SPDC troops left their camps on the day of the incident.

ATTEMPTED RAPE AND SEVERE BEATING AND TORTURE IN MURNG-NAI

In April 2005, an 11-year-old girl was molested by SPDC troops while attempting to rape her and her 62-year-old grand-mother was severely beaten up and trampled on until she lost consciousness, near a rice field some distance north of Pa Saa village in Nawng Hee village tract, Murng-Nai township.

On 16 April 2005, Pa Noi (not her real name), aged 62, and her grand-daughter, Mo Lao (not her real name), aged 11, went to the market at Ton Hoong village in Ton Hoong village tract and were returning to their village, Pa Saa, in Nawng Hee village tract, when they ran into a group of 3 SPDC troops north of their village.

The 3 SPDC troops were from the No.3 regional military training camp. They had gone to enjoy the water festival at a Buddhist pagoda about 2 miles south of Pa Saa village and were resting near a rice field on their way back, after passing through Pa Saa village, when the said grandma and child came by.

It was about 4 o’clock in the evening. Without mentioning anything, one of the SPDC troops pounced on the grand-daughter, Mo Lao, and carried her down into a dried-up ditch at the edge of the rice field and tried to rape her.

As Mo Lao was screaming and struggling all the time, and trying to bite and claw at the SPDC soldier with her teeth and nails wherever she could, the soldier punched her head and face several times with his fists, causing swollen bruises.

Meanwhile, the grand mother, Pa Noi, was crying, shouting and protesting, and calling the soldiers names, prompting the soldier to leave Mo Lao in the ditch and come to her. All the 3 soldiers then beat Pa Noi with sticks severely many times until she fell to the ground, and they jumped on her body and trampled all over her until she lost consciousness.

After that, the soldiers came back to Mo Lao, who was still crying and screaming, and were about to rape her when they saw about 5-6 men coming towards them. Since they were not armed, the SPDC soldiers fled as fast as they could.

The 5 villagers were going to have a bath at a well in the rice field when they heard the screams of Mo Lao at the edge of the rice field and came to have a look, causing the SPDC troops to flee before they could rape the girl. However, the girl’s forehead was bruised and swollen and her grand-mother had to be carried back to their village.

Three of the villagers chased after the 3 SPDC troops and reported the incident to the authorities at their camp. The camp authorities then sent a message to the SPDC troops of LIB576, based at Pa Saa village, to bring the victims to them.

Mo Lao and some village leaders of Pa Saa village were then taken by a military truck to the said camp, where soldiers standing in line were already awaiting them, and Mo Lao was told to point out the SPDC soldiers that had molested her.

Mo Lao was able to point out all the 3 soldiers that had wronged her and her grand-mother, and the soldiers confessed their wrong doing. The authorities then said that it happened because the SPDC soldiers were drunk and they would be given appropriate punishment.

However, the victims were not given any compensation. Not even a little money to help pay for the treatment of their injuries. Pa Noi was badly injured all over, externally as well as internally, and scars could still be seen at several places, including her face, at the time of this report

NEW CRACKDOWNS, COUPLED WITH ARREST, DETENTION, BEATING, TORTURE AND EXTORTION, IN CENTRAL SHAN STATE

Since late April 2005, there have been several crackdowns by SPDC troops on people suspected of supporting the Shan resistance in several townships, e.g., Kae-See, Murng-Kerng, Lai-Kha, in central Shan State, causing many people to flee.

Over the last several weeks, local SPDC troops in several townships in central Shan State have been searching for local villagers whom they suspected have attended secret meetings held by the Shan resistance soldiers in the areas in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Villagers suspected of having attended at least one of the secret meetings have been arrested, beaten, tortured and put in jail. Scores of villagers have been arrested and detained up to the present, although some have been released after 150,000-200,000 kyat of money was extorted from each of them.

People arrested were mostly village and community leaders and knowledgable villagers. Because of the crackdowns, hundreds of villagers who were afraid of being arrested have fled to other places, including the border with Thailand.

Here is one of the said incidents:

BUDDHIST MONK AND COMMUNITY LEADERS ARRESTED, DETAINED AND TORTURED, IN LAI-KHA AND TAWNG-GI (Taunggyi)

On 29 April 2005, a Buddhist monk and 8 community leaders were arrested by a patrol of SPDC troops from LIB515, during an ordination ceremony at a Buddhist monastery at Zalaai Loi village in Wan Thi village tract, Lai-Kha township.

On that day, a patrol of about 50 SPDC troops from LIB515, led by commander Myint Lwin, came to Zalaai Loi village and surrounded the monastery, where an ordination of Buddhist novice monks was being held.

The SPDC troops then arrested the abbot of the monastery, Ven. Acina, aged 28, and 8 community leaders among the villagers that were attending the ordination ceremony. The monk and the villagers were accused of having attended a meeting held by members of the Shan resistance during October and November 2004 and detained, interrogated and tortured.

Later, it was learned, they were taken to Tawng-gi and detained there separately, and were still being interrogated and tortured up to the time this report was received in late May 2005.

Some of the recent developments that have been causing people to flee were forced mass rallies of rural communities by members of the Shan resistance and SPDC troops, in support of and in protest against, respectively, the recently formed Interim Shan Government, which declared independence of the Federated Shan States in mid April 2005.

After getting the news that there had been secret rallies of rural communities in Kae-See, Murng-Kerng and Lai-Kha townships, in support of the said Interim Shan Government, the SPDC troops in the areas in turn forced them to rally against it.

During May 2005, at several locations in the respective townships, SPDC troops called several meetings of the local people and asked them whether they supported the above mentioned Shan government.

It was only natural that the people dared not say they supported the Shan government in front of SPDC troops, as the SPDC had already outlawed it and declared it illegal and its members traitors, for they feared the consequences.

About 2-3 days after each meeting, people in their respective areas were again forced by SPDC troops to gather and rally against the said Shan government. During those rallies, the people were ordered to shout that they did not support and did not want the Shan government, and that they only wanted the Burmese government who were good to the people.

The rallies were being held at one location after another, and these have also caused a lot of people to flee to other places. Many of them fled to the border with Thailand.

According to those who fled to the Thai border, the people have to be afraid of both sides. Some fled after the rallies in support of the Shan government for fear of crackdowns by the SPDC troops, and some fled after the rallies against the Shan government for fear of crackdowns by the Shan soldiers. Many fled for fear of both.

The following is one of the said incidents:

MONK AND VILLAGERS ARRESTED, DETAINED AND TORTURED; VILLAGERS FORCED TO RALLY AGAINST SHAN RESISTANCE, IN LAI-KHA

In late April and early May 2005, a Buddhist novice monk and several villagers of Wan Paang village in Wan Heng village tract, Lai-Kha township, were arrested, beaten and detained by SPDC troops from IB64.

The monk and the villagers were accused by the SPDC troops of supporting the Shan resistance and interrogated, beaten and tortured. One of the victims, an elderly man, was so severely beaten that half of his body was paralyzed. Later, people of Wan Heng village tract were forced to rally against the Shan resistance.

On 19 April 2005, a patrol of about 60 SPDC troops from IB64, led by Capt. Win Laing, came to Wan Paang village and arrested the following villagers:

1. Kae-Min-Da (m), a novice monk
2. Pu Zaang Zan-Da (m), a village elder
3. Zaai Nyunt (m), aged 15, an ordinary villager
4. Ae Mu (f), aged 25, an ordinary villager
5. Ae Seng (f), aged 25, an ordinary villager

These villagers were interrogated, beaten and tortured, and detained for 2 days and 2 nights, and were released only after senior monks and community leaders of Wan Heng village tract guaranteed that they would behave in the future. Pu Zaang Zan-Da, the village elder, suffered from partial paralysis after being severely beaten by the SPDC troops.

The SPDC troops accused all the villagers of Wan Heng village tract of having attended a meeting held by members of the Shan resistance, on 17 April 2005, to rally in support of the newly announced Interim Shan government.

In order to counter the Shan resistance’s activity, the SPDC troops in turn forced the villagers to rally in protest of that Shan government. On 8 May 2005, people were forced to gather at Lai-Kha town football field to join the rally.

At the rally, some villagers were forced to read pre-written speeches condemning the Shan government as destructive elements and traitors who were destroying their own Shan nation. After that, all the people attending the rally were required to shout in unison slogans condemning the Shan government.

This had in turn caused some members of the Shan resistance to be angry with the people and accused them of siding with the SPDC troops. This also caused many people to flee after some villagers had been harassed by some Shan soldiers

VILLAGERS TAKEN HOSTAGE, MONEY EXTORTED, IN MUNRG-PAN

In February 2005, 10 villagers of Pa Khaa village in Ho Phaai Long village tract, Murng-Pan township, were accused of stealing their guns and taken hostage by SPDC troops from LIB332, and 1,000,000 kyat of money was extorted for their release.

In the evening of 21 February 2005, a patrol of about 40 SPDC troops from LIB332 came to Pa Khaa village and stopped for the night. Some of them slept in villagers’ houses, some stood guard in the streets and some slept at the edges of villagers’ gardens.

The next morning, on 22 February 2005, SPDC troops who slept at the edge of a villager’s garden fence found 3 of their guns, called MA-11, were missing. The commander of the SPDC troops then told the village headman to tell all the villagers to gather at his house. There were about 30 houses in the village.

When all the villagers had been gathered, the commander said that 3 of their guns had been stolen during the night and it could have been no one other than the villagers of that village who would have stolen them.

The SPDC troops then took the headman and 9 other villagers away with them to their base, telling the rest of the villagers to bring the guns to them within 3 days if they wanted the 10 villagers to be released, or they would come back and arrest also their families.

However, after 2 days, the SPDC troops sent word to the villagers at Pa Khaa village that if they did not want to face imprisonment and if they could not find the guns, they could instead bring 1,000,000 kyat of money as a fine for the stolen guns.

The villagers had no choice but to comply. They collected the money among themselves and paid for the release of their headman and their fellow villagers.

RELIGION USED FOR EXTORTING MONEY IN MURNG-NAI

In March 2005, people in Kaeng Tawng (sub-township) area, Murng-Nai township, were accused of not being willing to attend a religious ceremony held by the SPDC troops and forced to pay a fine of 200,000 kyat as punishment.

On 16-17 March 2005, when a famous Shan Buddhist monk from Tang-Yarn township visited the Kaeng Tawng area in Murng-Nai township, a great number of local people including monks and lay devotees gathered and paid respect to him and respectfully listened to the sermon on Buddhist doctrines he preached.

Seeing a large gathering of people paying respect to the famous monk, local SPDC military authorities remarked that Shan people in the area were very pious Buddhists. They told the community leaders that people should also attend in such a number the religious ceremony that would be held by the SPDC authorities at the pagoda they had helped renovate.

The said religious ceremony was held on 23-24 March 2005, and for some reason there were not as many people attending it as when paying respect to the visiting Shan monk. This had angered the SPDC authorities who organized the ceremony and they had warned the community leaders to ensure that many people attended it.

The SPDC authorities then accused the local people of discriminating against them (the Burman community), not wanting to participate in their religious ceremonies and forced the people to pay a fine of 200,000 kyat collectively as a punishment.

AN ELDERLY VILLAGER ROBBED OF HIS MONEY AND VALUABLES IN LAI-KHA

In March 2005, a villager of Maak Laang village in Phuay Hai village tract, Lai-Kha township, was robbed of his money and gold by SPDC troops from LIB515 at his house in Maak Laang village.

On 20 March 2005, a group of 5 SPDC troops from LIB515, led by commander Naing Lwin, came into Maak Laang village and, when they saw a man in a house, asked where the rest of the household members were.

The man, Lung Nyaa, aged 67, said he was alone looking after the house as the others had all gone to work at their farm. The SPDC troops then told Lung Nyaa to come out and meet their commander.

As Lung Nyaa was hesitating, some SPDC troops went into the house, grabbed him by the arms and dragged him to their commander. Lung Nyaa was asked whether he knew there were Shan soldiers around.

After just a few minutes of interrogation, the SPDC troops tied him up and went into the house, leaving only a soldier to guard. After some time, the troops came out of the house, released Lung Nyaa and immediately left the place.

When the SPDC troops had left, Lung Nyaa went back into the house and found that all his money and gold were gone. Lung Nyaa and his family had 680,000 kyat of money and 2 baht weight of gold, and the SPDC troops had stolen all of them.

Lung Nyaa’s neighbours who came to look for him after the troops had left found him lying unconscious on the floor and had to treat him for about 30 minutes until he regained consciousness. Lung Nyaa said when he found that his money and gold had been stolen, he was so shocked that he fainted.

SITUATION OF EXTORTION IN KAENG-TUNG, MURNG-SART AND TA-KHI-LAEK

Apart from various other types of extortion, people in several township have continuously been forced to contribute money to various ceremonies and celebrations organized by the SPDC authorities in the township.

Ceremonies concerning culture, religion, etc., and occasions on which to raise funds for the military and SPDC-sponsored ‘civil’ groups, which are organized by SPDC authorities almost always involved requiring the people to contribute money involuntarily.

The following are some instances that took place in early 2005 and at the end of 2004:

In March 2005, people in Kaeng-Tung town were forced by the SPDC authorities to contribute money to the funds for the yearly water festival to be celebrated in April 2005.

Every house, of the over 6,000 houses in the town, was required to provide 500 kyat to the authorities not later than 10 March 2005.

In February 2005, the SPDC commander of the Special Triangle Region ordered from Mandalay a new headdress for a Buddha statue in Kaeng-Tung town and required the people in Kaeng-Tung, Murng-Sart and Ta-Khi-Laek townships to contribute money for its costs and the ceremony that would be held to replace the headdress.

The headdress cost 1,500,000 kyat, but the authorities were able to collect 20,500,000 kyat by 17 February 2005 on which the headdress replacing ceremony was held. However, just after the ceremony, the Regional Commander said that the money was not enough and it was still necessary to raise funds until the sum reached 100 million kyat.

In December 2004, a musical concert was held in Kaeng-Tung town to raise funds for the expenses of the Triangle Regional Command, and townspeople in all the 5 quarters were required to buy a specified number of entrance tickets without fail.

Famous singers from lower Burma were brought in and an enclosed concert stage was set up in the town sports ground. The fares were divided into 4 classes: 5,000 kyat for the first class, 4,000 for the second, 3,000 for the third and 2,500 kyat for the fourth class.

Each of the 5 town quarters was required to buy 250 tickets for the third class and 250 tickets for the fourth class. In addition, tickets for the 2 higher classes were more or less forcibly sold to owners of business companies, shops, vehicles, etc., and representatives of ceasefire groups.

After the musical concert, the SPDC-sponsored women’s organization also staged a beauty contest in traditional costumes to raise funds for their organization. The ticket fares were divided into 3 classes: 700 kyat for the first class, 500 for the second and 300 for the third. The tickets were also more or less forcibly sold to the townspeople.

On such occasions, it was almost always the owners of shops and cars that had to bear most of the brunt. They were forced to buy the most expensive classes and usually not less than 5 tickets per shop, per car, complained some traders in the town.

MEANS OF LIVELIHOOD TAKEN AWAY IN TA-KHI-LAEK

Since February 2005, people who used photocopy machines to make copies for customers as a livelihood, getting about 1 baht (Thai money) for each page, were all forbidden from doing this work and their businesses were taken over by the SPDC authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek township.

The reason given was to prevent the “destructive elements” from making copies of leaflets containing materials opposing the military government. However, after banning other people from earning a living by photocopying, members of the SPDC themselves opened up their own photocopy shops to serve customers.

They persuaded people to use their service. But they charged their customers 5 baht for each page of photocopying instead of 1 baht which had previously been the rate of privately owned photocopy shops.