THE 1996 RELOCATION PROGRAM

In most cases the villagers were given only 3-5 days to move, and were threatened to be shot if they did not comply. Those villagers with ox-carts could carry some supplies with them, but those walking on foot could carry almost nothing. The relocation sites were often a day's walk away. Nearly all farmers, they were forced to leave behind their crops and most of their animals, many of which were stolen immediately by the SLORC troops. During the relocation, villagers were beaten, burned alive and shot dead.

No assistance was provided for the villagers at the relocation sites, which were just empty areas along the sides of roads. Those lucky enough to have relatives in towns moved in to stay with them; the rest had to build make-shift huts in the sites. Living conditions were crude and unsanitary, and many died of malnourishment and illness. Children were seen begging at the side of the roads.

As well as depriving the villagers of their homes and livelihood, the SLORC troops also used them as forced labour. Villagers were made to stand guard along the roads and clear trees and bushes along the roads so that rebel soldiers could not hide there. They were also made to work at SLORC military camps and on road-building projects.

The SHRF report "Uprooting the Shan," published in December 1996, documented a total of 605 villages relocated in eight townships, as follows:

With an average household containing at least 5 people, it was estimated that well over 100,000 people were affected by the forced relocation in 1996. The area from which people were relocated covered approximately 5,000 square miles.