SHRF MONTHLY REPORT

SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- MAY 2005

COMMENTARY

Forced Labour & Extortion

Forced labour and extortion of money and goods from civilian populations have long been the practice of the Burmese junta’s troops in Shan State.

However, as the ILO and the international community have been putting pressure on the junta to stop requisitioning civilian forced labour since it has adopted the name, SPDC, its troops have been trying hard to cover up the fact that they are still using civilian forced labour.

When and where possible, the SPDC troops have extorted money from the people instead of directly forcing them to work. The money was then used to hire animals, vehicles or human labourers who mostly came from lower Burma. Sometimes, the SPDC troops themselves worked and took the money to supplement their income.

For the civilian populations, especially in the rural areas, in addition to the various kinds of already rampant extortion, the burden of providing money has become virtually unbearable. For most of the rural populations, money means labour and labour means money for they earn their living with their labour.

During the recent months, extortion, theft and robbery have become more rampant in many parts of Shan State, mainly due to the fact that the SPDC troops are being compelled to create means for their own income, and they are resorting to the means they know best.

All the incidents reported in this month’s issue are mainly about forced labour, extortion, theft and robbery.

A DISPLACED VILLAGER AND HIS CHILD SON KILLED AND ROBBED OF THEIR MOTORCYCLE IN MURNG-KERNG

In January 2005, a displaced villager and his 4-year-old son were killed and robbed of their motorcycle by SPDC troops from LIB514, in Ham Ngaai village tract, Murng-Kerng township.

On 24 January 2005, Zi-Na, aged 30, and his sick 4-year-old son, Zaai Mu, who he was taking to a traditional healer in the countryside by a motorcycle, were both killed on the way and their motorcycle stolen by a patrol of SPDC troops from LIB514.

Zi-Na and his family were originally from Naa Lur village in Ham Ngaai village tract, Murng-Kerng township, which had been forcibly relocated to the outskirts of Murng-Kerng town in 1997 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

Zi-Na’s son, Zaai Mu, had fallen ill and he had taken him to the town hospital 2-3 times to receive treatments, but his condition had not improved. So Zi-Na decided to try a traditional healer who he knew lived in the countryside.

On the day of the incident, Zi-Na was taking his son to the traditional healer on a motorcycle when they ran into a patrol of about 30 SPDC troops from LIB514, led by commander Khin Maung Htoo, on the way.

About 2 days later, when Zi-Na and their son had not returned, Zi-Na’s wife, Naang Khawng, aged 29, and some of their relatives went after them. When the traditional healer said that they had not come to him, the villagers searched along the way and found the dead bodies of Zi-Na and his son some distance from the road, apparently beaten to death, and their motorcycle was nowhere to be found.

A couple of weeks later, Zi-Na’s motorcycle was seen driven by a Sergeant from LIB514 in Murng-Kerng town. The motorcycle was recognized by the villagers because there were not so many of that kind in the area. It was a China-made Honda, painted red, bought only about 2 months before the incident.

MASS FORCED LABOUR IN KUN-HING

Since March 2005, people in Kun-Hing township have been forced to work on a road fixing and building project without pay by SPDC troops of IB246 up to the time this report was received in late April 2005.

The people had to work on roads from Kun-Hing town down to Kaeng Tawng area in Murng-Nai township, and from Saai Khaao village in Kun-Hing township to Kho Lam village in Nam-Zarng township.

15-20 villagers from each village had to work for 7-8 days at a time, providing their own food, until another shift of villagers came to replace them. The work included digging earth and splitting rocks, etc..

MASS FORCED LABOUR BY A CEASEFIRE GROUP IN MURNG-PAN

Since March 2005, a Pa-O ceasefire group have forced people in Murng-Pan township to work for them without pay up to the time of the receipt of this report in late April 2005.

On 29 March 2005, the leader of the Pa-O ceasefire group stationed in Murng-Pan, Aung Paan Nyo, issued an order to the village and village tract leaders in Murng-Pan township, requiring them to provide free forced labour.

Every day 10 people from each village had to go and work for the Pa-O ceasefire group cutting and clearing jungle, and preparing the ground for the members of the group to grow crops, including opium.

Villagers had to take turns working for the ceasefire group up until the time this report was received.

MASS FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-NAI

In March 2005, there have been several incidents of unpaid mass forced labour of the local people by the local units of SPDC troops in Kaeng Tawng sub-township area of Murng-Nai township.

On 1 March 2005, SPDC troops of LIB569 issued an order requiring people in No.1 and No.2 quarters in Kaeng Tawng area to cultivate rice for them.

On 1 March 2005, people in No.3 and No.7 quarters in Kaeng Tawng area were ordered to cultivate rice for the SPDC troops of the No.3 Regional Training Unit.

On 2 March 2005, SPDC troops of LIB574 ordered people in No.4 quarter in Kaeng Tawng area to work at their base, building fences, barracks and trenches, etc..

On 2 March 2005, SPDC authorities of Kaeng Tawng sub-township forced people of No.5 quarter to work in the construction of their office building.

On 3-4 March 2005, people in No.6 quarter were forced by SPDC troops of LIB576 to do construction work in their base.

MASS FORCED LABOUR AND EXTORTION IN KUN-HING, KAE-SEE AND MURNG-SU

Since January 2005, SPDC troops in Kun-Hing, Kae-See and Murng-Su townships have been forcing the local people to cut hundreds of trees and transport them to the respective military camps to be used as electric-lamp posts. Those who could not provide the required lamp posts have been forced to provide money at the rate of 10,000 kyat for each lamp post, to hire the SPDC troops to do the job.

The SPDC troops have demanded 300 trees from the people in Kun-Hing township, 338 trees from the people in Murng-Su township, 220 from the people in the main Kae-See township and 246 from the people in Murng Nawng village tract or Kae-See sub-township.

The trees cut needed to be 15-18 elbows long (about 7-1/2 and 9 yards), at least 5 ‘kherb’ (finger-span, from the end of the thumb to the end of the middle finger, approximately 9 inches) in circumference at the bottom and straight enough that they could be used as lamp posts in their respective areas when the hydropower electric plant, being constructed at the waterfall on the Nam Teng river in Murng-Nai township, was finished in the near future, probably by the end of 2005, said the order.

Although most people could cut trees by themselves, many did not have the means to transport them to the military camps. Therefore money had to be collected among themselves and given to the SPDC troops in their respective areas to do the job, though many trees had already been cut, mainly because of the lack of transportation means.

However, up to the time this report was received in late march, people said they had not seen the SPDC troops cutting any trees or doing anything regarding the lamp posts matter, except for some small piles of wood in the military camps which some people had cut and transported there by themselves.

PEOPLE FORCED TO ATTEND MASS DEMONSTRATION IN KAENG-TUNG TO SUPPORT THE “NATIONAL CONVENTION” HELD IN RANGOON (YANGON)

In February 2005, people in Kaeng-Tung township were forced to attend a mass meeting held to demonstrate support for the “National Convention”, being held in Rangoon at the time, by SPDC authorities in Kaeng-Tung township.

On 3 March 2005, people in the whole Kaeng-Tung township which comprised 5 town quarters and 10 village tracts, at least one person from each house, were ordered to attend the said mass meeting. Those who failed to attend would have to face a fine of 1,000 kyat, said the order.

The meeting was held in a school compound at Yaang Lor village, about 2 miles northwest of Kaeng-Tung town and the people were required to be there not later than 6:00 a.m. in the morning.

At the meeting, members of the “Union Solidarity and Development Association” and the women’s affairs organization, SPDC-sponsored organizations, were assigned to lead a demonstration in support of the “National Convention” being held by the SPDC in Rangoon, the capital of Burma.

The demonstration took several hours and was only finished at 1:30 p.m.. Only then were the people allowed to go home after going without food and water since 6 o’clock in the morning.

FORCED LABOUR IN THE FORM OF EXTORTION IN MURNG-TON

In April 2005, money was extorted from the villagers in Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng Haang village tract, Murng-Ton township, in lieu of forced labour by the SPDC troops from IB277, based at Murng-Ton.

On 1 April 2005, village leaders of Naa Kawng Mu were ordered by SPDC troops from IB277 to “help” them with 150,000 kyat of money to be used to hire mules and horses to carry military rations up to the stronghold on Loi Paa Khee hill, opposite Doi Ang Kang hill in Thailand’s Fang district in Chiangmai province.

To get the demanded amount, money had to be collected among the villagers according to their economic status, 1,000 kyat from each of the poorest families, 2,000 kyat from each of the less poor families and 3,000 kyat from each of the still less poor families.

For fear of having to go in person to carry heavy loads a long way up the hill, the villagers managed to provide the required 150,000 kyat to the SPDC troops. “They said ‘help’, but actually it was forced labour in disguise”, complained one of the villagers.

WORSENING SITUATION OF EXTORTION AND ROBBERY IN SHAN STATE

Since the SPDC central authorities required all the military battalions in Shan State to take responsibility to help support themselves some years ago, the SPDC troops have been using several means, including forced labour, extortion, theft and outright robbery, etc., to feed themselves, many of them to the extent of enriching themselves.

As the SPDC central authorities have stopped one means of support after another to their troops over the years, the SPDC troops have been compelled to rely more and more on themselves, causing the situation of extortion and robbery, etc., to deteriorate more and more, year after year.

The following are some instances of such incidents received by SHRF in late 2004 and early 2005:

DISPLACED PEOPLE FORCED TO INCREASE YEARLY TRIBUTE TO THE MILITARY, IN NAM-ZARNG

In February 2005, the SPDC military authorities in Nam-Zarng issued an order requiring people in Nam-Zarng town relocation sites, Nam-Zarng township, to increase their yearly tribute to the military from 200 kyat per family to 500 kyat per family.

There were about 2,000 families of displaced people living in the relocation sites on the outskirts of Nam-Zarng town. These people had been forcibly relocated from the rural villages in 1996-97 by the then SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council) troops.

Some time after their relocation, these displaced people were ordered to make yearly money contributions, at the rate of 200 kyat per family, to the military funds by the local SPDC troops of mainly IB65 and IB247. This forced contribution was called “voluntary help” by the SPDC troops.

However, on 1 February 2005, when the SPDC troops sent an order to the community leaders to collect money for the yearly tribute, they demanded 500 kyat from each family instead of 200 kyat per family as in the previous years, adding more burden to the already over-burdened people.

VILLAGERS FORCED TO PAY TAX FOR THEIR OWN WATER IN MURNG-PHYAK

Since early this year, villagers of Wan Mai in Murng-Phyak township were forced to pay a monthly tax for the water they got from the water supply built by them with their own money, by the SPDC authorities in Murng-Phyak township.

The villagers of Wan Mai had built a water supply system for their village with their own labour, using pipes and equipment bought with money collected among themselves. The township authorities had not helped them with anything whatsoever.

However, when water reached the villagers’ houses, the authorities called a meeting and imposed a monthly tax on them for using it, at the rate of 100 kyat per house per month. There were about 500 houses in Wan Mai village and all were required to pay the tax.

People in Murng-Phyak township said the SPDC authorities in their area also collected taxes on private facilities such as latrines and wells, usually 600 kyat per latrine or well per year. People also had to pay taxes for the maintenance of street lamps and the streets themselves, 600 kyat per year for each category.

OPIUM GROWERS TRICKED INTO PAYING PROTECTION MONEY IN MURNG-PAENG

In January 2005, many hill-tribes families in Murng-Paeng township, who traditionally grow small amounts of opium to supplement their families’s income, were tricked into paying protection money by SPDC troops from IB43.

On 7 January 2005, a patrol of 50-60 SPDC troops from IB43, led by commander Than Lwin, started to patrol the hilly areas of Murng-Paeng township where Lahu, Akha and Lisaw families had their small plots of opium farms.

As they came across plots of opium farms, the SPDC troops found and told the owners that by the end of the month a special military unit that destroyed opium plants would be coming their way and if the villagers did not want their farms destroyed, they needed to pay them tea money.

Since it was not possible for the villagers to directly pay the tea money to the special unit, the SPDC troops said they could pay the tea money on the villagers’ behalf if the money was collected and given to them immediately.

The villagers offered to pay from 2,000 to 4,000 kyat for each opium plot, depending on their sizes. But the SPDC troops said it was not enough and demanded from 4,000 to 10,000 kyat for each plot. Fearing their farms would be destroyed, the farmers had to comply.

The following chart shows the numbers of opium farms and the amounts of money each farm had to pay:

Each of 28 farms had to pay 4,000 kyat = 112,000 kyat in all
Each of 16 farms had to pay 6,000 kyat = 96,000 kyat in all
Each of 10 farms had to pay 8,000 kyat = 80,000 kyat in all
Each of 6 farms had to pay 10,000 kyat = 60,000 kyat in all

However, later it was learned that there was no special military unit going to the said area as the villagers were told. Furthermore, it was said that SPDC authorities did not have plans to destroy opium farms in the area because there were also several large opium farms run by Chinese traders and members of Wa ceasefire group, who the SPDC troops would rather avoid.

TRACTORS CARRYING FIREWOOD FORCED TO PAY TAX IN MURNG-PAN

Since January 2005, SPDC police in Murng-Pan town have been collecting tax from tractors, big and small, that transported firewood from the forests to the town in Murng-Pan township.

Tractors carrying firewood were stopped as they entered the town and forced to pay ‘tax’ by members of the police force at temporary checkpoints randomly set up by them. The tax was 500 kyat from each small-size tractor and 1,500 kyat from each large-size tractor.

Virtually every day, members of the police waited at all entrances to the town and collected the tax. It did not matter whether the firewood was from public woodland or private woodland, the police just forced them to pay the same amounts of tax. When they knew that a firewood tractor had passed through them without giving notice, the police went to the owner’s house and demanded the tax.

EXTORTION ALONG THE WAY BETWEEN TAWNG-GI, KAENG-TUNG AND TA-KHI-LAEK

Since late 2004, the amounts of money extorted from the drivers and passengers by SPDC authorities manning checkpoints along the way between Tawng-gi (Taunggyi), Kaeng-Tung and Ta-Khi-Laek townships have doubled.

It has long been a practice for the Burmese junta authorities, whether they be soldiers, police, customs or immigration officers, etc., manning checkpoints in Shan State to extort money from drivers and passengers passing through them.

However, recently, sometime in late 2004, the amounts of money extorted have increased about 2 fold. The following were the locations of checkpoints and the amounts of money being extorted from the passing vehicles and passengers as received by SHRF during recent months.

Starting from Tawng-gi: 1 checkpoint at the eastern exit of the town; 1 at the exit of Ho-pong town; 2 at the entrance and exit of Loi-Lem town; 2 at the entrance and exit of Nam-Zarng town and 2 manned by people’s militia at Sakuni and Kho Lam villages in Nam-Zarng township; 3 at Kun-Hing town; and 2 at both ends of Ta Kaw bridge which spans the Salween river.

All civilian vehicles had to pay at least 200 kyat to each of the said checkpoints every time they passed through and passengers also sometimes had to pay as demanded. However, at both ends of the Ta Kaw bridge, each passenger had to pay 1,000 kyat to each of the 2 checkpoints.

Between Ta Kaw bridge, Murng-Paeng and Kaeng-Tung, there was 1 checkpoint at Tong Ta; 1 at Paang Kiu; 1 at Paang Maak Mon; and 1 at Ho Kaeng Phawng. To each of these checkpoints, drivers also had to pay at least 200 kyat.

Between Kaeng-Tung and Murng-Phyak: 1 checkpoint at the eastern exit of Kaeng-Tung; 1 at Ta Zeo; and 1 in Murng-Phyak manned by a coalition of authorities from 5 departments, e.g., immigration, customs, police, drug eradication and soldiers. At least 200 kyat had to be paid to each of the checkpoints. Although there was only 1 checkpoint in Murng-Phyak, because it was manned by 5 departments, 200 kyat had to be paid to each of the departments.

In Ta-Khi-Laek township: 1 checkpoint at Ta Lur, 1 at Maak Yaang; and 1 at the entrance of Ta-Khi-Laek town. All these checkpoint also extorted at least 200 kyat from each vehicles.

According to the drivers, they were often left with hardly enough money even to buy fuel, let alone for their hard labour.

OWNERS OF CONFISCATED CARS IN TA-KHI-LAEK FORCED TO PAY THE COSTS OF TAKING THE CARS TO KAENG-TUNG

In March 2005, after confiscating about 500-600 cars without licence in Ta-Khi-Laek township, the SPDC authorities ordered the former car owners to take the cars to Kaeng-Tung town and hand them to the SPDC authorities there.

In early 2005, SPDC authorities in Ta-Khi-Laek issued an order requiring owners of cars without licences to bring their cars and hand them over to the authorities at the town police station not later than 31 February 2005, or face 7 years in jail.

By the end of February, there were about 500-600 cars at the police station that had been handed over to the authorities by the car owners. Ta-Khi-Laek authorities then received an order to take all those cars to Kaeng-Tung.

Ta-Khi-Laek authorities, however, did not bother to make any arrangement by themselves, but summoned all the former car owners and ordered them to take their former cars to Kaeng-Tung and hand them to the SPDC authorities there.

Although some of the car owners drove their former cars to Kaeng-Tung by themselves, most of them had to hire drivers to drive the cars to Kaeng-Tung. Those who hired drivers had to pay 800 baht of Thai money to the driver in addition to 500 baht to buy fuel for the cars.

Many former car owners complained that even though their cars had already been confiscated from them, they were forced to do things concerning those cars. They hoped that after those cars had been taken to Kaeng-Tung, they would not have anything to do with them again.

VILLAGERS’ CATTLE SHOT FOR MEAT IN LAI-KHA

In addition to various types of extortion, theft and robbery, the roaming SPDC troops still randomly shoot and kill villagers’ cattle for free meat. The following is one of many incidents.

In January 2005, a patrol of SPDC troops from IB224 shot and killed a buffalo belonging to a villager of Nam Tawng village in Naa Mang village tract, Lai-Kha township.

On 27 January 2005, an SPDC patrol, chasing after 2 of their own deserted soldiers, saw a herd of buffalos about 3 miles north of Nam Tawng village in Naa Mang village tract. The SPDC troops then shot at a large female buffalo, killing it on the spot.

The SPDC troops then cut the dead buffalo up into pieces of meat and distributed them among themselves and carried them away. This incident was witnessed by a villager tending the buffalos who hid among the trees in the nearby jungle when he saw the SPDC troops coming his way.