SHRF MONTHLY REPORT - AUGUST 2007

SHRF  MONTHLY REPORT - AUGUST 2007

COMMENTARY
Forced Labour & Extortion
        The State-run physic nut plantation projects, which have been using unpaid forced labour of the people, have intensified in several townships in the early part of 2007, while other types of forced labour have also been routinely and occasionally used by the SPDC authorities in Shan State.
        Large amounts of money were extorted by the SPDC authorities from those who failed to cultivate physic nut during the previous years, and more have been forced to be grown this year,  and arrangements have been made to systematically control and ensure the success of the implementation of the physic nut projects.
        In some townships, people have been required to sign documents and make promises that they would take full responsibility for the physic nut cultivation. Those who did not want to sign such documents were threatened with displacement, or money extorted from them.
        In some townships, as in Murng-Nai township, committees responsible for supervising the implementation of the physic nut projects have been formed. These committees had the full-time duties to control and ensure the implementation of the projects meet the required standards.
        These physic nut plantation projects are being implemented with mainly the unpaid forced labour of the people who have already been overburdened by other obligations imposed on them, and have been stated by many of the refugees who arrived at the Shan-Thai border during the last several months as one of the main reasons that had caused them to flee.

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SITUATION OF PHYSIC NUT CULTIVATION
        Since the beginning of 2007, SPDC authorities have been forcing people to grow more physic nut all over Shan State. People have been forced to grow more plants apart from those that they were forced to grow before, and in some places the amounts were even more than that of the previous years.
        It should be noted that physic nut cultivation, which has been going on since around mid 2005, is one of the State projects that systematically use forced labour of the civilian populations and require their attention all year round, and is requisitioned without letting up any of the other obligations routinely and occasionally imposed on them.
        However, there appear to be more regulations and restrictions being put on the people this year than the previous years. Committees were said to have been formed to systematically control and oversee the physic nut cultivation in several townships.
        In some townships, people were required to sign contract-like documents, promising to properly do as told. Those who failed to do as instructed were fined large amounts of money and in some places were even threatened with displacement.
        The following are incidents of forced labour, intimidation and extortion that took place during early and mid 2007 in the State-run project of physic nut cultivation in Shan State:

VILLAGERS FORCED TO GROW MORE PHYSIC NUT PLANTS UNDER MORE RESTRICTIONS, THREATENED WITH EXTORTION AND DISPLACEMENT, IN NAM-ZARNG
        In early 2007, villagers in Haai Phak village tract in Nam-Zarng township were forced by SPDC troops of IB247 to grow more physic nut plants and forced to sign a document promising to look after them and replace every plant that did not grow properly or that had died, all year round.
        In February 2007, SPDC authorities of IB247 called a meeting of village and village tract headmen of Haai Phak village tract in Nam-Zarng township and issued an order requiring all the villagers in the village tract to grow more physic nut plants in addition to those that were grown in the previous years.
        Each household was ordered to grow 500 more physic nut plants apart from those they had been forced to grow during the previous years. Those who did not want to follow this order could leave the village tract, and those who for some reasons were unable to comply but wanted to remain in the village tract had to pay a fine of 5,000 kyat per household, said the order.
        Those who agreed to comply with the order were required to sign a document which was like a kind of contract. The villagers had to promise that they would look after the physic nut plants carefully like their own plantations all year round and immediately replace the plants that did not grow well, that had died or that had been destroyed by something.
        The physic nut plantations were not required to be fenced but livestock owners in the area were warned that if they did not properly look after their cattle and let them trespass into the plantations, they would have to take responsibility for each and every plant destroyed by their cattle, or pay a fine of 150 kyat for each plant.
        During the meeting, the commander of the SPDC troops, Maj. Kyaw Myint, who issued the order accused the villagers of not taking good care of the physic nut plants grown in the previous years and even scolded them for not being willing to work for the Burmese military. “If you don’t want to work for us, go to Thailand”, he said.

        Another similar case took place at Wan Pung village, about 2 miles west of Nam-Zarng town in Nam-Zarng township.
        In March 2007, villagers of Wan Pung were told by the SPDC authorities to grow 70 more physic nut plants in 2007, in addition to the 500 plants they had been forced to grow in 2006, per household.
        The villagers were responsible to look after all the plants, including those grown in the previous year, all year round and make sure they were in good condition all the time. Cattle owners were also warned that they would have to pay a fine of 150 kyat for each plant destroyed by their stray cattle.

EXTORTION FOR FAILING TO GROW PHYSIC NUT IN KAENG-TUNG
        In March 2007, large amounts of money were extorted from several villages for failing to grow physic nut during the previous years as instructed by the township SPDC authorities in Kaeng-Tung township.
        From 9 to 15 March 2007, members of the Kaeng-Tung township SPDC authorities went on an inspection tour in Kaad Pha village tract, about 12-13 miles east of Kaeng-Tung town, and found many villages had not grown physic nut as instructed.
        There were 18 such villages in Kaad Pha village tract and all of them were located on slopes and mountains and inhabited by mostly hill peoples such as Akha and Palawng. The village headmen of those villages were then called to a meeting by the SPDC authorities.
        The villagers were scolded and forced to pay fines in money for failing to grow physic nut to the Kaeng-Tung township SPDC authorities. Different amounts of money were fined according to the sizes of the villages as follows:
1. Saai Kao     -       -       -       29,250  kyat
2. Saai Mai     -       -       -       24,250  kyat
3. Kaw Nawng Seng-      -       80,750  kyat
4. Kaw Paang Hung-      -       26,250  kyat
5. Kaw Wo Ya Sai        -       -       68,000  kyat
6. Kaw Huay Saai        -       -       26,500  kyat
7. Kaw Nawng Erng-      -       37,500  kyat
8. Kaw Pa Khaa  -       -         2,500         kyat
9. Loi Wan Kham Kao-    -       25,000  kyat
10. Kaw Paang Pen-      -       61,000  kyat
11. Kaw Nawng Hoi-      -         117,150       kyat
12. Loi Wan Khang       -       -       25,000  kyat
13. Kaw Saai Khaao-     -       30,000  kyat
14. Kaw Nawng Tang-     -       25,000  kyat
15. Kaw Huay Saai Tai-  -         5,000         kyat
16. Kaw Huay Saai Nur-  -         5,000         kyat
17. Kaw Huay Saai Mai-  -         7,500         kyat
18. Kaw Paang Khem-     -       15,000  kyat
        Total           -       -        610,650        kyat

        Many villages of hill peoples in Kaad Thaai village tract, located about 13-14 miles northwest of Kaeng-Tung town, were also said to be similarly fined by the township SPDC authorities. Although the number of villages was not known, the total amount of money fined was said to be 500,000 kyat.

MORE PHYSIC NUT CULTIVATION, EXTORTION, IN KUN-HING
        In early and mid 2007, people in Kun-Hing township were forced to grow more physic nut on hundreds of acres of land by the SPDC troops of IB246. People were also required to buy the saplings and provide unpaid forced labour in growing and maintaining them.
        Because physic nut plants in the 10-acre plantation in Wan Lao village tract, which local people were forced to grow in 2006, grew very well, the SPDC troops believed the soil in the area was good for physic nut and forced people to grow a lot more in 2007.
        In early 2007, villagers were forced to clear 90 acres more land north of Wan Lao village in Wan Lao village tract to grow physic nut plants. Villagers also had to buy the saplings from the Department of Agriculture in Kun-Hing town at the rate of 150 kyat per plant.
        After overseeing the planting of the saplings on about 10 acres of the land, the SPDC troops told the villagers to continue planting them every day until all the rest of the land acres were completed. Those who failed to provide forced labour in planting the crop would have to pay a fine of 1,500 kyat per household per day, the villagers were told.
        The villagers were also instructed to take care of the plantations like their own and make sure the physic nut plants grow properly, regularly clearing weeds and bushes and immediately replacing the old or dead plants with new saplings where necessary.
        More than 200 households in Wan Lao, Kaeng Kham and Saai Khaao village tracts in Kun-Hing township have been obliged to maintain the said physic nut plantations in addition to many other obligations imposed on them by the SPDC authorities.

        Similar cases have also taken place in other parts of Kun-Hing township. According to a villager from Ho Paang village in Ho Yaan village tract, Kun-Hing township, during the early part of 2007, his village was also forced by SPDC troops of IB246 to grow physic nut.
        Kawng Taak Led, the plantation site, was quite far from the village and villagers had to pay 1,500 kyat per person to mini-tractors for transport for a return trip each day. Villagers had to buy 5 condensed milk cans of physic nut seeds at the price of 1,000 kyat from the authorities.
        The villagers had to go to Kawng Taak Led and plant every day until all the seeds were finished no matter how many days it took, and those who failed to go before their quotas were finished had to pay a fine of 3,000 kyat per person.

SITUATION OF FORCED PHYSIC NUT CULTIVATION IN KAENG TAWNG SUB-TOWNSHIP, MURNG-NAI TOWNSHIP
        In 2007, people in Kaeng Tawng sub-township, Murng-Nai township, are being forced to cultivate more physic nut plantations and are being more systematically controlled by the SPDC authorities of the sub-township.
        According to an official document, 12,602 acres of land had been designated for physic nut cultivation in Kaeng Tawng sub-township in 2007, and a supervisory committee and 3 subcommittees were formed to implement the project.
        The document was issued on 23 February 2007 by the Kaeng Tawng Sub-Township General Administration Department and was titled Organization of and Duties for Sub-Township Physic Nut Cultivation Supervisory Committee and Sub-Committees.
        The following are brief descriptions of the committees and their duties as stipulated in the document signed by the Chairman of Kaeng Tawng Sub-Township Administration Department:
        The Supervisory Committee was composed of 10 members from various government departments with the Chairman of Kaeng Tawng Sub-township Administration, Win Min Kyaw, himself as its Chairman. The departments from which the other members came included Police, Immigration, Land Statistics, Electricity, Municipal, Information and Communication, Forestry, Union Solidarity and Development Association and Agriculture. The one from the Agriculture Department served as the Secretary of the Supervisory Committee.
        The Supervisory Committee was responsible for:
(a) supervising the town quarters, village tracts and government departments so that they prepare enough seedlings for the land areas designated to them;
(b) supervising the villages designated as models so that they were implemented in accordance with the basic requirements, by personally taking turns and inspecting them on a regular basis;
(c) supervising the choosing and clearing of plots of land so that physic nut could be grown in the same area at least as big as 100 acres and at most 300 acres, for each plot of plantation;
(d) supervising the necessary preparations to always be ready for inspection by higher authorities;
(e) supervising the maintenance of both last year’s and this year’s plantations by departments and town quarters to ensure their success.

        The 3 Sub-Committees consisted of 5-6 members, also from various government departments, and the main purpose of forming them was to assist the Supervisory Committee in implementing the project. The township was divided into 3 parts, each of which was under the responsibility of each of the Sub-Committees.
        The 3 Sub-Committees had duties similar in some respects and different in others. However, their duties collectively in brief were as follows:
        -- to make sure that the plantations of the departments and town quarters were always ready for inspection, especially the model plantations;
        -- to arrange for big plants to be grown on both sides of some specified main roads in town;
        -- to make sure every household grew physic nut plants as instructed, kept records and made surprise inspections;
        -- to make sure that each town quarter had enough land area as designated to them to grow physic nut;
        -- to make sure that each individual in town quarters did as instructed and often inspect them;
        -- to inspect the plantations regularly and instruct the concerned parties to do as necessary, such as replace dead plants, expand the plantation areas, construct fences and put up signposts, etc.;
        -- to make sure that all the houses and farms in the sub-township grew physic nut plants as or along their fences, and on all land spaces available at their locations.
        The heads of the Sub-Committees were responsible to report to the Office of the Kaeng Tawng Sub-Township Administration Department every Friday on the overall situation of the plantations and the progress of the work done during the week.

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OTHER TYPES OF FORCED LABOUR
        Other types of forced labour such as building and maintanence of military camps and public buildings, doing routine menial work, etc., are still rampant in many parts of Shan State up to the present.
        The following are some such incidents:

PEOPLE FORCED TO BUILD MILITARY CAMPS, MONASTERY AND SCHOOL IN LAI-KHA
        During the end of 2006 and early 2007, villagers in Naa Poi village tract in Lai-Kha township were forced to build 2 new military camps, a monastery and a school by the SPDC troops from IB64, in the area of Nam Hu Phyaa Tham village in Naa Poi village tract.
        During the end of 2006, villagers of Nam Hu Phyaa Tham and some nearby villages were forced to build a military camp, a monastery and a school near Nam Hu Phyaa Tham village. All were built of bamboo and thatch roofing, also forced to be provided by the villagers.
        But even some time after they had been completed, no one came to stay at the monastery and the school, and the military camp was only sometimes used as a resting place by passing SPDC troop patrols. However, the villagers were still required to look after all the places and keep them in good condition.
        In March 2007, the SPDC troops again forced the villagers to build another military camp just near the previous one but on top of another hill to the south. This second new camp was much bigger and more strongly built, with hardwood used as the posts of the buildings.
        Villagers had to do all the construction work from start to finish. They had to clear the place, even the ground, cut wood and bamboo and build several barracks, build fences and even dig trenches. The work took several weeks for villagers from 7-8 villages in Naa Poi village tract working on a rotation basis to finish. Some of the known villages were Nam Hu Phyaa Tham, Kung Sim, Paang Poi, Khur Nim and Wan Hio.

VILLAGERS FORCED TO PROVIDE WATER FOR A MILITARY CAMP ON A DAILY BASIS IN MURNG-KERNG
        For several months, from late 2006 to mid 2007, villagers of Khum Mong village in Murng-Kerng township were forced to provide water for the SPDC troops from LIB514, stationed at a camp on the hill called Loi Awn north of the town, on a daily basis.
        In early November 2006, as the rains stopped, the said SPDC troops forced the villagers of Khum Mong village, which was included in the No. 3 town quarter, to build a number of small dams along a stream at the foot of Lao Awn hill on which their camp was located.
        This was so that they could come down to bathe and fetch water up to the camp during the dry season, said the SPDC troops, and the villagers of Khum Mong, which were about 50 households, had to build the said dams for the troops without getting anything in return.
        After some time, at around late December 2006, however, the SPDC troops said that even the burden of having to come down the hill to bathe and fetch water was too much for them. The troops said they were so busy that they hardly had time even for that.
        The SPDC troops then ordered the villagers to transport water to their camp instead. The villagers were required to transport 2 ox-cart-loads of water to the military camp every day. Those who failed to do their duty would have to pay a fine in the form of 2 big tins of cooking oil and a certain amount of rice per household, they said.
        After that, the 50 or so households in Khum Mong village had to take turns and transport 2 cart-loads of water to the military camp every day without fail until the beginning of the rainy season in mid 2007, when the troops were able to gather water from the rains.

FORCED LABOUR OF MINI-TRACTORS IN BUILDING MILITARY FACILITIES, IN MURNG-TON
        During February and March 2007, mini-tractors of villagers of Naa Kawng Mu village in Murng-Ton township were forced by SPDC troops of IB65 to carry bricks, sand and water to a military camp every day for several weeks.
        Every day, 3 mini-tractors per day from the Shan quarter in Naa Kawng Mu village had to go and work for the SPDC troops in carrying bricks, sand and water to the military camp west of the village where new buildings were being constructed.
        The mini-tractors not only had to provide free labour but also had to provide their own fuel and food and even pay for the daily wages of the labourers hired to work at loading and unloading the tractors at the rate of 3,000 kyat per person per day, which altogether cost each tractor over 10,000 kyat per day.
        To fulfil this forced labour demand, tractor owners in the village had to work in rotation. If for some reasons the tractors could not go on the day of their turns, the SPDC troops came and drove away the tractors by themselves.
        Since the SPDC troops usually handled the tractors roughly and often caused serious damages which they did not take any responsibility for, the owners always tried their best to be able to handle the tractors themselves.

FORCED REQUISITIONING OF MINI-TRACTORS IN LAI-KHA
        For several weeks in early 2007, mini-tractors of villagers of Maak Kawk, Zalaai Loi, Zalaai Khum and Paang Phon in Lai-Kha township were forced to serve the military by the SPDC troops of LIB515 and a Shan ceasefire group.
        During January, February and March 2007, each of the above 4 villages had to provide 2 tractors with drivers, altogether 8 tractors with drivers, per day every day for the troops to use as necessary. The villagers also had to provide food for the drivers and fuel for the tractors.
        Money was collected among the villagers to buy fuel for the tractors, at the rate of 6,000 kyat per tractor per day and 2 tractors per village, every day. Since each village had to provide the same amount of money, households in villages with less populations had to give more, so that it differed from 100 kyat to 500 kyat per household per day.
        The money was collected on a daily basis and kept with the community leaders before it was used to buy fuel for the tractors. Sometimes even before the money could be used to buy fuel, some SPDC troops would forcibly take away some of it for their own use.
        This incident took place when people in the area were facing a very difficult situation because their rice paddies had been destroyed by floods, putting many in an unbearable situation and causing a number of people to flee to the Thai border.