Forced
Relocation
While massive relocation is
going on in the countryside, even urbanites are not exempt from such upheavals.
In connection with tourism, the whole community of Pegu was forcibly relocated
hundreds of kilometres north. SLORC has forced 500,000 inhabitants of
Orders are given without
adequate notice by military commanders that villagers must leave their homes,
carrying what possessions they can. The Gas Pipeline and related Ye-Tavoy
Railway been the reason for massive upheavals of whole areas by SLORC. Often
villagers are forced to relocate near a military base or into towns, where
concentrations of population are less difficult to control than in the jungle.
Also, SLORC creates a “resource pool” to be more readily tapped for forced
labour this way. Some relocation places are more appropriately “concentration
camps” with barbed wire fencing, much like “strategic hamlets” than villages.
SLORC does not provide new building materials or fields for relocated victims;
villagers must fend for themselves in their new environment, no matter how
suitable the soil and surroundings are to habitation. These tactics aid the
SLORC idea of consolidation of captured territory from ethnic rebel groups, and
once again proves that human rights violations were actually increasing and
affecting more and more people in
In the Kalemyo area, villages have been forcibly relocated to build a large military basis. There used to be only one battalion in that area but recently SLORC have moved 3 more battalions around Kalemyo.
The base of the Kabaw
Valley Development Programme is
Another village, Sayar San,
was founded in 1993. It is 20 miles from Tamu and the programmes will be
similar to Aung Zay Ya Village. A police station was built by villagers at a
place 13 miles from Tamu. Furthermore, another village will also be founded in
SLORC'S
FORCED RELOCATION/DISPLACEMENT
OF ETHNIC VILLAGES IN TENASSERIM DIVISION
SINCE
MAY 1991
Conducted by SLORC's IB 104
and LID 408
during first quarter of
1993. Affected Villages:
1. Barine (Mayan)
2. Yapu
3. Kywethalin
4. Kyauk Gadin
5. Ale Sakhan
6. Kyauktayan
Estimated Total Population:
2,500
Conducted by SLORC's LIB
403 and other local units during the 1992/1993 dry season. Affected Villages:
1. Taung Zin
2. Badat Chaung
3. Kyaukbyu
4. Laung Minba
5. Hti Ywar
6. Ka Hti Wa
7. Inn Ywar
8. I'einbin Aing
9. Oat Tu
10. Kado Twin
Total Households: 732
Estimated Total Population:
approximately 4,000
Conducted by SLORC's local
infantry battalions during their "Than Lyet Sit Hsin Yay" military
operation, April 1992. Affected Villages:
1. Thayet Hna Khwa
2. Ye Byat
3. Me Ke
4. Kyauk Aing
5. Winkapaw
6. Kywe Cyan
7. Alezu
8. Byat Wi
9. Taung Byauk
10. Yapu
11. Thabyu Chaung
12. The Lan
13. Gonnyin Zeit
14. Yegyo Chaung
15. Thayetpin Aing
16. Si Dat
17. Pyinbyuthar
18. Sone Zin
19. Si Taw
Total Households: 2404
Estimated Total Population:
over
13,000
[source: CPPSM]
GAS PIPELINE AREA PRIOR TO
1994
As the planned gas pipeline
will necessarily be laid across the Mon and Karen territories, Thai authorities
in a move to help ensure security of the gas pipeline project have put
increasing pressure on the Mon and Karen guerrilla groups to enter into
ceasefire deals with the SLORC regime. In so doing, Thai military and civil
authorities have driven the Mon and Karen refugees seeking shelters on the Thai
border from pillar to post.
The forcible relocation of
7,400 Mon refugees at Loh Loe Camp began this year. Out of these 7,400
refugees, the majority were repatriated to Burmese side of the border at
Halockhani which was located at an only 5 kilometre’s distance from SLORC's
local army stationed at Three Pagodas Pass. The rest of the
refugees at Loh Loe were at the same time removed about 30 kilometres to the
west to Pa Yaw, another Mon refugee camp which was situated nearby the
Thai-Burmese border line.
Thai authorities have
forcibly relocated several other Mon refugee camps and villages on tie Thai
border since 1991. 2,500 Mon refugees at Day Bung refugee camp were forcibly
relocated by local Thai authorities to Hlabrad refugee camp (in the Loh Loe
area) in the middle of the Monsoon Season in June 1991. 1,000 Mon villagers at
Ban Mai were forcibly vacated from the site by local Thai militiamen in March
1992 A total of 5,000 Mon refugees from three other refugee camps – namely
Krone Kung, Panung Htaw and Day Bung –
were at the same time forcibly relocated to Loh Loe in April 1992. Some
500 Mon villagers at Halockhani (which was situated in Thai territory at that
time) were forced back to the Burmese side of the border in April 1993 by local
Thai authorities. (The new settlement, though inside Burmese territory, still
retained the name 'Halockhani" But this village was not under the
administration of the Mon National Relief Committee until the refugees from Loh
Loe camp were repatriated to the area and combined with the 500 or so old
villagers of Halockhani.) Two Karen villages on the Thai border near Nat Ein
Taung were also burned down by the Thai army in April 1993 in a move to secure
the gas pipeline route.
OIL AND INVESTMENT FUELS
HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
Total Co of France and
Unocal Corp of the
In terms of securing the
foreign business projects in
Foreign investments in
Since April 1993 our engineers have
conducted several surveys along the whole length of the
Burmese pipeline route on foot by car and by helicopter. The area is very
sparsely populated.
There are few villages and the region is perfectly
calm. No population displacement should
occur anywhere along the pipeline route.
Under such these
circumstances, hatred and fear to the SLORC army have naturally increased and
been deeply ingrained within these ethnic communities. As a result, these
ethnic communities have lacked any trust and confidence in the Tatmadaw. They
run away when Burmese troops come into their villages and only dare to go back
to their villages when the Burmese troops have returned. Those villagers who
cannot escape are normally subjected to any of the human rights abuses by the
Burmese troops aforementioned.
Since 1984, the Tatmadaw
has launched a major strategic campaign, which is notoriously known as the
"Four-Cuts Campaign for Annihilation of Insurgency Movements" in the
country: To cut any communication and support between the ethnic guerrilla groups
and ethnic populations. Under the rhetoric of the Four-Cuts Campaign, forced
relocation-displacement of ethnic villages by the Tatmadaw has been common in
the ethnic territories of the country. The military has normally forced the
ethnic villages which it cannot fully control to relocate in "strategic
hamlets "or "concentration camps" as a traditional tactic to
weaken the ethnic rebel groups and strengthen its military control.
The SLORC regime has
further intensified this strategic Four-Cuts Campaign in order to secure the
foreign business activities in the areas where it has had only loose control.
It is transparent that the foreign business operations in the ethnic territories
where SLORC has not had full control are obvious reasons for SLORC's increase
of the forced relocation-displacement. In trying to secure the oil-gas
exploration and developing activities of the foreign companies in Tenasserim –
such as Total Co of France, Unocal Corp of the US, Premier of the U K, Texaco
of the US and Nippon Oil of Japan – SLORC has increasingly conducted forced
relocation of the ethnic villages in the regions. For this, all these foreign
oil companies must share with SLORC any international blames and punishments.
The gas pipeline area,
which the Total Co said its representatives have thoroughly surveyed, means
just the pipeline route per se and is far smaller than the actual size of the
area and population affected by the ruthless inhumane measures taken by SLORC
in terms of securing their gas projects. Total Co and Unocal Corp must not be
allowed to hide the real amount and seriousness of social disaster and
ecological concern causing in the regions where their gas projects are located.
Both Total Co and Unocal Corp should be honest enough and must fully expose the
actual human miseries and environmental problems having been caused due mainly
to their gas pipeline project. The area for the gas pipeline route, as Total Co
says, may be truly sparsely populated and no population displacement should
occur due to the laying of the pipeline itself. But hundreds of thousands of
innocent ethnic peoples in
The End of a Village; the Beginning of Constant Fear
No
The villagers were again ordered to move on 23 June by SLORC 3rd Tactical Command. 31 August was given as the deadline. If the villagers did not abide by the order they would be shot as the area was declared a war zone under section 118 of SLORC law. Unable to abandon the village where they have lived for generations, and as they did not have thatch roofing and other materials for construction, the villagers were afraid of losing their farms and did not wish to bear any hardship in the jungle. So they continued living in their own village, as they experienced earlier.
Then, on 10 September, a joint military column of troops from LIB 355, led by Bn Comdr Myo Kyin, troops from LIB 375, led by Bn Comdr Than Soe and troops from LIB 356 reached No Phoe Village and fired four 81mm mortar shells into the village when they found villagers were still residing there. Because of artillery shells a house belong to Kyaw Ti Hoe was destroyed and villagers fled into the jungle as they dared not to live in their homes anymore. They have had to abandon No Phone Village and their traditional community, their children being deprived of education and stability. Although, the villagers were faced with difficulties for their living and also with bad sanitation, they dared not return to their old village because they were afraid of being shot to death by SLORC troops under the “law” of Section 188.
The terror in No Phoe Village caused the villagers to flee away, including finally U Oaktanza, a Buddhist monk in that village, because there was no one to provide with alms [Buddhist tradition is that monks must receive food and drink from followers]. Since U Oaktanza could no longer bear the situation, and the devote monk did not want to break his vows, he went to Myawaddy and asked U Wimala, secretary of Sangha Association in Myawaddy Township, who was also abbot of Phaya Gyi Monastery, for help in order that his monastery not to be removed. U Wimala showed him SLORC’s invitation letter and order issued for Section 188 and explained that he himself could not ignore SLORC’s order and told U Oaktanza it was not proper to live in the village anymore.
Thus the monk abandoned his will and stayed in a house in Htee Mu Hta Village temporarily and asked the villagers from No Phoe Village to build a temporary shelter for him. 6 villagers who built the shelter were arrested by SLORC military column. Although the monk asked for their release, he was told that they will be released “when the time is ripe”. On 26 September, the monks went to office of 3rd Tactical Command in Thingannyinaung and asked the operation commander and intelligence chief to allow a religious ceremony to be held at the monastery in No Phoe Village. The proposal was turned down by the intelligence officer without deliberation.
[see also
under “Eye-witness Accounts”, interview 1, 4, 33-34, 98-99, 109, 119]
List of Incidents
Sakham Gyi Payaw Hae and
Wae Htaw villages in Win Yaw Township were forced to relocate to a new site,
located 1-3 miles from their old villagers. 32 farmers in Sakham Gyi Village
become ruined as there was no one else to look after them. Although SLORC allowed
for farming, spending the night on the farm is not prohibited. The farmers had
to return on the same day. The monastery in the village was also destroyed.
Payaw Hae Village is 16 miles from Thanbyuzayat and the new sit is about 3
miles from the old village. As in Sakhan Gyi Village, SLORC allowed farming but
prohibited residents from spending the night there. 8 farms were ruined as
there was no one to look after them. Wel Htaw and Kyon Khani villages were
forced to relocate and both of them were combined and renamed as Wel Htaw Village.
More than 20 farms were destroyed. A farm belong to U Kya and another farm
belong to U Maung Than were totally forbidden by SLORC from farming.
|
Village
Name |
Households |
Families |
Population |
Relocated |
Perpetrators
|
|
Sakhan Gyi |
55 |
55 |
approx 200 |
1992/93 |
|
|
Payaw Hae |
30 |
20 |
approx 70 |
“ |
|
|
Wae Htaw |
90 |
70 |
approx 200 |
“ |
|
|
Kyom Khani |
200 |
200 |
1150 |
1994 |
3rd TOC, IB 355, 356, 357 |
|
(aka Ah Twin Kwin Kalay) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
[source: Bar Zi Tan]
Many acres of land in
Dependants in the religious
compounds, those who had problems with their landlords, those who became
homeless because of fire, those whose houses were in the way of road
extensions, those whose houses were destroyed for the extension of the roads;
were all forced to relocate to Nandawun satellite town, to be set up from Kyaik
Kar Lan Village to Sar Kyin Village, located in southeast of Monywa. The new
satellite town was on the peasants' farms which were forcibly bulldozed by
SLORC in order to parcel out the land for those who were under eviction.
Although the peasants have lost their land for more than one year, until now
they have not received a proper price for their land nor any other sort of
compensation. In fact, each household there was forced by SLORC authorities to
dig 3 earthen pits by the side of a 100 foot-long highway to grow trees.
Somebody else who cannot dig the earthen pit had to pay 50 Ks to SLORC
authorities and was forced to pay a maximum of 300 Ks each in case of absence.
They were also threatened from loudspeakers with promises of "effective
actions" being taken for failure. [source: ABSDF/NLD-LA]
On 15 December, SLORC LIB
406 from
The
following Karen villages in Mergui-Tavoy District were forcibly relocated in
December 1993; villages around B'Saw Law were forced to move to Kalaing Aung,
villages around Shwetapi were forced to move to Huan Gyi, and villages in the
Baw Law Gyi area were forced to move to Yabu. The villages which were forced to
move are all near the expected route of a planned gas pipeline from the
Yeh Mu Plaw Village is
situated where the