SHRF MONTHLY REPORT - JUNE 2006

COMMENTARY
        Despite all the denials and the twists and turns they have applied in their responses to the pressure of the international community to avoid more severe punitive actions by the ILO, SPDC military authorities in Shan State have still systematically and blatantly been using mass forced labour of the people in virtually all state-controlled projects, e.g., construction of roads and military facilities, and plantations of crops and other kinds of plants such as physic nut and rubber, etc..
        During military operations in which movements of large troop columns are involved, although convicts are often used as porters, villagers are still often taken as guides and porters when the numbers of prisoners are not enough. For small patrols, however, only villagers in the respective areas are used as guides as well as porters.
        At the same time, people are still required to provide routine types of forced labour duty which they are obliged to fulfill on a daily basis all year round year after year. Whether or not there are military operations or state-controlled projects, people in many places still have to regularly work in maintaining military camps, building and fixing fences, digging and clearing trenches and surrounding areas, fetching water, gathering firewood and standing-by at the camps, etc..
        There are several reports on forced labour, including mass forced labour being used to build roads and military facilities since earlier this year up to the present, in this month’s issue.
        Incidents of killing, rape, beating, robbery and extortion by roaming SPDC troops are also reported, together with incidents of forced relocation.

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ARBITRARY KILLING AND INTIMIDATION IN KUN-HING
        In March 2006, a villager was shot dead by a patrol of SPDC troops from IB246 near Kun Aw village in Laai Kaam village tract, Kun-Hing township.
        On 8 March 2006, a patrol of about 15 SPDC troops from IB246, led by commander Kyaw Kyaw, shot dead a villager without any apparent reason, near the crossroad leading to Kun Aw village.
        The victim, Lung Khat-Ti-Ya (m), aged 52, was a villager of Laai Kaam village in Laai Kaam village tract, Kun-Hing township. After hearing the news, Laai Kaam village leaders went to report the incident to the military authorities of IB246.
        However, the military authorities denied that it was their troops who had shot dead the said villager and warned the village leaders not to accuse the SPDC troops as the culprits, threatening to put them in jail for 5 years if they did not comply.
        After that no one dared to make any more complaint for fear of further abuses by the SPDC troops. Lung Khat-Ti-Ya was survived by his wife, Pa Yawd, aged 47.

RAPE IN KUN-HING
        In February 2006, a woman was raped by an SPDC soldier while her husband was kept out of sight by other soldiers, at a place near Naa Khawk village in Ka Li village tract, Kun-Hing township.
        On 19 February 2006, Naang Poi, aged 27, and her husband, Zan-Ti-Ma (not their real names), aged 31, of Luk Lur village in Ka Li village tract, Kun-Hing township, went in search of their draught oxen which had not returned home for 2-3 days.
        While searching for their oxen, the couple ran into a group of 5 SPDC troops at a place about 2 miles from Naa Khawk village. The troops stopped them and asked questions, and took the husband into a bush and tied him up.
        The commander, addressed by his troops by the name of Saya Myint Kyaw, then ordered his troops to stand guard nearby and raped Naang Poi. As the commander finished raping Naang Poi, they heard voices from a group of people coming from the direction of Naa Khawk village.
        The SPDC troops then immediately left the place and the couple, and Naang Poi was saved from being also raped by the rest of the troops who were waiting for their turns. Naang Poi then untied her husband, who was tied up with the rope they had brought for tying their oxen.
        Although Zan-Ti-Ma reported the incident to their village leaders, no one dared to take the case to the military authorities for fear of further abuses.

VILLAGER SHOT AND WOUNDED, ROBBED OF HIS BELONGINGS, IN LAI-KHA
        In late 2005, a villager who was driving a mini-tractor was shot and wounded, and robbed of his belongings, by SPDC troops from LIB372, at Ho Lom village in Taad Mawk village tract, Lai-Kha township.
        The victim was a male villager of Ho Lom village, Lung Kawn, who earned a living as a mini-tractor driver transporting goods between Lai-Kha town and surrounding villages within Lai-Kha township.
        On the day of the incident, Lung Kawn was to transport some goods from his village, Ho Lom, to somewhere else. A short distance outside his village, he was shot at by SPDC troops from a patrol who were stopping for a rest at his village.
        One of the bullets ripped off his left thumb, which was holding the steering and, greatly frightened, Lung Kawn instantly stopped the mini-tractor. The SPDC troops then approached the mini-tractor and searched it, and took away what they wanted among the goods it was carrying.
        After that, the SPDC troops took Lung Kawn to their patrol commander, Maj. Zaw Zaw Bo, who said, “You are lucky to just get a little wounded, I ordered them to shoot you dead! Why didn’t you stop when we told you to?” When Lung Kawn said he did not hear the order, the commander added, “From now on, when driving remember to open your ears wide to your left and right.”
        The SPDC troops patrol comprised about 60 troops from LIB372, led by Maj. Zaw Zaw Bo. For a period of several months in late 2005, these troops patrolled many village tracts in Lai-Kha township, bullying and robbing villagers at almost all the villages they passed through.
        At some places, they were said to have arrested and beaten and tortured villagers, and in some cases even shot dead some villagers. But SHRF field workers have not been able to obtain details of those incidents.

SEVERE BEATING AND ROBBERY IN LAI-KHA
        In late 2005, a villager was severely beaten up and robbed of his money by the SPDC troops of LIB515 near Paang Saang village in Wan Thi village tract, Lai-Kha township.
        On 2 October 2005, a villager of Paang Saang village, Saw-Nan-Ti, was driving a mini-tractor, carrying some sesame to produce oil at an oil mill in Lai-Kha town, when he was stopped by a patrol of SPDC troops on his way just about 1 mile from his village.
        There were about 40 SPDC troops from LIB515 in the patrol, led by Maj. Myat Htoo. Saw-Nan-Ti was stopped and questioned by them about the activities of Shan soldiers in the area. But he said he did not know and he could assure them that there were no Shan soldiers in his village area.
        The SPDC troops accused Saw-Nan-Ti of telling lies and kept repeating their questions several times, and became angry when they could not get the required answers from him. They then dragged him down from the mini-tractor and beat him.
        Saw-Nan-Ti was struck on the head with a rifle butt by an SPDC soldier while another one beat him on the back 2 times with a stick, and at about the same time another one kicked him in the thigh, causing him to fall down on his knees, and he begged them to stop.
        The SPDC troops then said, “You have lied to us. Give us money if you want us to stop beating you”. Saw-Nan-Ti was so frightened he hurriedly gave all the money he was carrying to the soldiers, 35,000 kyat in all.
        Saw-Nan-Ti barely managed to drive his tractor back home after he was let go by the SPDC troops. His skull was fractured and his back was bruised and swollen, and his thigh was also so badly bruised and painful he could hardly walk.

MASS FORCED RELOCATION IN KAENG-TUNG
        In late 2005, several villages in Murng Laab village tract in Kaeng-Tung township were ordered by the SPDC authorities to make preparation to move out of the area within 5 years to make way for a foreign lignite mining company.
        The order came out in November 2005 after a mining concession was granted to a Thai mining company by the SPDC authorities to dig lignite in the area of Murng Laab village tract in Kaeng-Tung township.
        The location of the lignite mine was about 10 miles southeast of Kaeng-Tung town, covering roughly 20 square miles of land area in which were situated several villages. The villages that would be affected by the forced relocation were at least the following 5 villages: Wan Tawng, Wan Sa, Wan Zawn, Wan Mai Kung Ken and Paang Satza.
        Even though the time frame to complete the relocation given by the SPDC authorities was long enough, from 2006 to 2011, places to which they would be relocated had not been indicated, and nothing about compensation had been mentioned, complained the affected villagers.

IMPENDING FORCED RELOCATION IN MURNG-TON
        In early 2006, several houses along the main road in Pung Pa Khem village in Murng Haang village tract, Murng-Ton township, were told by the SPDC authorities to move away unless they were rebuilt with better materials.
        After extorting large amount of money from the villagers for paving the main road that ran through the centre of Pung Pa Khem village (reported in last month’s issue), the SPDC authorities further issued an order requiring all the houses that were built with bamboo and thatched roofing along the main road to move away unless they were rebuilt with better materials.
        All the houses along the main road had to be at least wooden houses with tin (corrugated iron) roofing, if not concrete buildings which were preferable, so that they looked appropriate with the newly to-be-paved main road in the middle of Pung Pa Khem town-to-be.
        Those who could not rebuild their houses would have to move away, or swap places with those who lived in other parts of the village, to make way for those who could afford to build better houses, said the order.
        There were at least 36 bamboo houses with thatched roofing that needed to be rebuilt or move away as required by the order. However, the very reason these villagers did not have better houses was simply because they could not afford them.

MASS FORCED LABOUR IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION IN LAI-KHA, KAE-SEE AND MURNG-SU
        Since earlier this year, February 2006, SPDC troops of IB64 and LIB515 have been forcing people in Lai-Kha, Kae-See and Murng-Su townships to split rock and transport stones and sand for a road building project spanning the 3 townships.
        The project is to pave and tar the road that leads from Lai-Kha town to Murng Nawng in Kae-See township, and right up to Murng-Su town. The people have been required to provide stones and sand while the SPDC authorities said they would provide the tar for the road.
        In Lai-Kha township, each of the 9 village tracts situated along the road east of Lai-Kha town has been required to pave a 4-mile-span section of the road. The village tracts along the road in the other 2 townships, Kae-See and Murng-Su, are said to have been required to do the same.

MASS FORCED LABOUR IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND ROBBERY IN LOI-LEM
        Since January 2006, people in Ho Nam village tract in Loi-Lem township have been forced to split rocks by SPDC troops of IB9 for the construction of a new motor road in Loi-Lem township.
        The projected new road starts from Loi-Lem town down to Wan Paeng village in Murng Zit village tract. Villages along the route of the new road have also been required to split rocks for the road sections designated to them.
        The SPDC troops overseeing the road construction have also often forced the villagers working at the construction sites to cut wood, bamboo and gather farm produce from the people’s woodlands and farms along the route.
        At least 3 truckloads of wood, bamboo and farm produce from Ho Nam village tract alone have already been taken in this way by the SPDC troops without any compensation.

MASS FORCED LABOUR IN BUILDING MILITARY FACILITIES AND EXTORTION IN KAE-SEE
        In January 2006, people in Murng Naang village tract, Kae-See township, were forced by SPDC troops of IB286 to work for them for at least 10 days and money was also extorted from the villagers.
        Five of the 12 villages in Murng Naang village tract had to work at the military base at Murng Nawng village, fixing military barracks, clearing all the trenches and bunkers, and clearing brush and bushes outside and around the base compound. The work took 10 whole days to finish with 35 villagers working each day. Working in rotation, each household was needed to provide free labour for 5 days in all.
        The 7 other villages were required to cut logs in the forest and bring them to the miliary base for fixing and building bunkers. Each village had to provide 50 logs, 3 yards in length and 3/4 yard in circumference each.
        Furthermore, all the villages had to cut bamboo for building and fixing fences, and provide sheets of thatched roofing. Each village had to provide 50 pieces of bamboo and 300 sheets of thatched roofing. All these had to be transported to the military base by the villagers themselves.
        In addition, money was extorted from the villagers by the SPDC troops for what they called “curry money”, to buy meat and fish, etc., to add nutrition to their meals. For this, village leaders had to collect 10,000 kyat from each village and gave it to the troops.

MASS FORCED LABOUR AND EXTORTION IN BUILDING MILITARY FACILITIES IN LAI-KHA
        For almost one whole month, during November and December 2005, people in Naa Poi village tract in Lai-Kha township were forced by SPDC troops from LIB515 to work in building a new military camp.
        From 18 November 2005 to 13 December 2005, villagers from several villages in Naa Poi village tract were forced to build a new military camp set up by and for a Company of SPDC troops from Lai-Kha-based LIB515 near Nam Hu village in Naa Poi village tract.
        The work included having to dig and level the ground of the camp site, dig trenches and bunkers around the camp site, cut wood and bamboo and build fences around the camp and build barracks in the troops.
        About 50-60 people from at least 5 villages worked at the camp site each day. The villages were: Nam Hu, Kung Leng, Saam Seng, Ho Khaai and Paa Ae villages. Working in rotation, about 10 villagers from each village were required to go.
        Villagers were also forced to make thatched roofing sheets and bring them to the camp site, 200 sheets from each village, and roof all the buildings. Those who did not have time or family members to make roofing sheets had to buy them from other villagers at the rate of 150 kyat per sheet.
        Since the work took about 26 days, almost a whole month, villagers were faced with tremendous difficulties in trying to cater for their own daily basic necessities during the period.

FORCED LABOUR IN DAM CONSTRUCTION AND MONOPOLY OF WATER IN NAM-ZARNG
        Since 2005, villagers of Wan Pung village in Nam-Zarng township have not been able to cultivate any crops because of lack of water which has been diverted to different places by a dam built by SPDC troops with forced labour of the villagers.
        In mid 2005, a dam was built over a stream near Wan Pung village to divert water to Nam-Zarng town. The stream was the only water source that fed the cultivated land areas in Wan Pung village.
        The dam was built by the SPDC troops from IB66 and the villagers of Wan Pung were told to provide free labour in building the dam if they still wanted water to irrigate their rice paddies and other crops when the dam was finished.
        Fearing they would be left without water when the dam was finished, Wan Pung villagers went to work all day at the dam building site everyday, at least 5 persons per day, for several weeks until the dam was completed.
        However, when the dam was finished, all the water was diverted away by the SPDC troops, depriving Wan Pung villagers of their only water source to irrigate their fields and farms. Since then up to the present, villagers of Wan Pung are not able to grow any crops for lack of water.
        Before the dam was built, there were about 40 plots of rice fields, each of which was big enough for growing at least one basket or bushel, and upwards, of rice seeds, and many other vegetable plots in Wan Pung area.
        All of the fields and farms now have to be abandoned and most of the villagers of Wan Pung have lost their means of livelihood. Many of them have gradually left the place in search of means of survival and some have fled to Thailand.

VILLAGERS FORCED TO GROW CROP AND MONEY EXTORTED IN MURNG-PAN
        In late 2005 and early 2006, 3 villagers of Ho Phaai Long village in Ho Phaai Long village tract, Murng-Pan township, were accused by the SPDC troops of LIB332 of having overstayed their “work passes” and forced to grow soya bean, and money was also extorted from the villagers.
        During December 2005, an order was issued by the military authorities of LIB332 requiring villagers of Ho Phaai Long village to get permission from them to go to work in the forest outside the village. A pass valid for 4 days would be issued to each villager for 200 kyat, said the order.
        Some time after the issuance of the order, 3 villagers who had gone to gather a kind of resin in the forest were accused of overstaying their pass and arrested by the SPDC troops on their return. The villagers were all men: Nan-Taw, aged 35, Si-Ri, 40, and Ta-Lern, 37.
        The 3 villagers were fined 800 kyat each for their offence. Furthermore, as additional punishment, they were forced to cultivate a soya bean garden for the SPDC troops for several months. They not only had to do all things from beginning to end but also had to provide their own soya bean seeds for the garden.

FORCED LABOUR OF VEHICLES AND EXTORTION IN MURNG-KHARK
        For many years, civilian vehicles have been forced to provide free labour by the SPDC authorities in Murng-Khark township, and since the end of last year motorcycles going out of the town have been required to get a pass from the authorities for 700 kyat each.
        Each day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., 2 motorcycles and 1 mini-tractor have to stay on standby at the SPDC township office to be used by the authorities when necessary. Motorcycle and mini-tractor owners have to work in rotation to fulfill this routine forced and free labour duty.
        Because of the dilapidated roads between Murng-Khark and surrounding townships, for quite some time there have not been so many passenger cars and people in Murng-Khark often have to hire motorcycle texis to take them to other townships.
        Since the end of last year, motorcycle taxis carrying passengers and going out of Murng-Khark have been ordered by the authorities to get permission in the form of a pass from the SPDC township office for 700 kyat each.
        Since the motorcycle taxis still have to pay the 800 kyat original gate-pass fees at one of the checkpoints manned by officers from different SPDC departments before they can leave the town, it means that they have to pay 1,500 kyat to the authorities for the permission.
        Furthermore, people in the township have been banned from cutting and gathering firewood and have been told to buy it from the SPDC troops at a price of 18,000 kyat per ‘wah’ (a pile of firewood). Previously, when people could still cut and gather firewood, it was only 15,000 kyat per ‘wah’, said a local villager.

SITUATION OF RICE AND OTHER CROP PROCUREMENT IN KAE-SEE
        Since late 2005, SPDC authorities have resumed the practice of rice and other crops procurement, which had temporarily stopped over the last few years, from the farmers in Kae-See township.
        In Kae-See township, an order issued by the SPDC military authorities of IB131 to the villagers of Nawng Sawm village tract said that ‘taxes’ on farm produce such as rice, sesame, peanut, soya bean and ginger, etc., would be imposed as before on farmers in the area.
        The ‘taxes’, whether in kind or money, were required to be collected by the community leaders and needed to be transported to the military base of IB131 by the villagers themselves.
        A peanut farmer was required to sell at least 4 baskets of unhusked peanut to the military for which the farmer would get only 1/3 of the contemporary market price. The market price of peanut in early 2006 was 5,000 kyat per baskets.
        A soya bean farmer was required to sell at least 1/2 basket of soya bean and a sesame farmer was required to do the same. When the market price of the sesame was 2,500 kyat per 1/2 basket, the farmers were said to have been paid only 500 kyat per basket.
        As for unhusked rice, every household was required to give 4 baskets to the authorities, but in the form of money in accordance with their economic and social status which were divided into 3 categories.
        When the market price of 4 baskets of rice was 8,000-9,000 kyat, villagers in the least poor category had to pay as much to the authorities, while the less poor had to give 5,000-6,000 kyat and the poorest 3,000-4,000 kyat.
        Every household, especially Shan households, whether they grew rice or not, was required to pay these “rice taxes”. Even widows were not spared and were included in the poorest category, and were required to pay 3,000 kyat each.
        For instance, there were more than 3,000 Shan households in Wan Zing village tract and each and every household had to pay the taxes without fail. The reason given for this policy was simply because the villagers lived in the land owned by the Burmese military junta.
        Another SPDC military unit, IB287, in Murng Naang village tract, however, took the rice in kind. They forcibly bought 20 baskets of rice from each of the villages in the village tract, at the price of 2,500 kyat per 4 baskets while the market price was 12,000 kyat for the same amount.
        According to the local villagers, the rice bought by the SPDC troops was not for their consumption because they used different methods to get more rice from the people for that purpose, nor was it for the junta’s revenue.
        But the SPDC troops would just keep the rice until the next rice growing season and resell it to the farmers. By that time, most farmers would have no rice left to be used as seeds to start another round of rice cultivation and would have to buy it back from them at a very high price; 4,000 kyat per 1/2 basket for instance.