News,
Personal Accounts, Report & Analysis on Human Rights Situation in Mon
Territory and Other Areas Southern Part of Burma
The Mon
Forum
Issue No. 8/2000
August 31, 2000
The Publication of
Human Rights Foundation of Monland (BURMA)
Contents
News:
(1) LIB No. 343
asked civilians porters from Ye Township area,
(2) Tatmadaw IB
No. 9 killed 12 villagers in Thaton Township,
(3) SPDC forced
forming of militia forces in village tracts of Yebyu Township,
(4) Forced labour
in Kyaikmayaw Township,
Report:
(1) Collective accounts of SPDC cash extortion in Mon State
Some
Acronyms in This Issue
SPDC: State
Peace and Development Council,
SLORC: State Law and Order
Restoration Council,
LID: Light
Infantry Division (of Burmese Army)
IB:
Infantry Battalion (of Burmese Army),
USDA: (SPDC'S)
Union Solidarity and Development Association
LIB: Light
Infantry Battalion (of Burmese Army),
KNU: Karen
National Union,
NMSP: New
Mon State Party,
News
LIB No. 343 Asked Civilian Porters from Ye
Township Area
(July
2000, Ye Township, Mon State)
With an order dated June 30, 2000, Ye Town based SPDC'S
army battalion, LIB No. 343 gave an order through letters and wireless to
headmen of 9 Town sections and 19 villages, to provide it with 121 civilian
porters to use them carrying ammunitions and foods in offensives, which they
had to launch in southern part of Ye Township against an active Mon armed
force. In order, IB No. 343 ordered headmen to send the set number of porters
to Ye Town or LIB No. 343 headquarters on the same day and to not delay. When
the army asked porters from village headmen, they just asked from villages in
southern part of Ye Township, because it needed to operate military operation
in that area.
Since the beginning of 2000, the Mon armed force have been
more active and could launch many attacks against Burmese Army, also hold a big
Mon national day ceremony in one village in Yebyu Township area and since then,
the Burmese Army have angered to these Mon troops. While SPDC troops in Yebyu
Township have operated military offensives against Mon troops, Southeast Region
Military Command also ordered LIB No. 343, to launch military attack against
rebels and stopped their activities in Ye township area.
According to the order, depending on the village size and
the population numbers, the requested numbers for porters have been differed
from one village to another. In 9 town sections, the army requested from 2 to 5
porters. In some big, the battalions requested about 10 porters while a village
with about 50 households had to provide at least two porters.
In the official order, LIB No. 343 did use terms of porters
as "Military Operation Labourers", and not use civilian porters.
These porters must be used for longer days from at least one month until the
end of operation. Southeast Command also secretly ordered for the period of
operation. Thus, the village headmen in Town sections and villages could not
explain how long these civilian porters would be taken for how many days. Many
villagers would not like to go with this military operation because it would be
long and however, they could not refuse according to headmen's management, on a
rotation basis.
Actually, the headmen have to provide their villagers not
only for LIB No. 343, but they have to provide in other cases of conscription
such as for road construction, army camp construction, army farming, guards
along motor and railway roads and others. Civilians both in town and villages
have to pay a lot of their time for army and SPDC authorities every month.
Tatmadaw
IB No. 9 Killed 12 Villagers in Thaton Township
(July,
2000, Thaton, Mon State)
In the first week of July, 2000, IB No. 9 - a regular SPDC
regiment based in Thaton township, led by Maj. Nyan Htun and Maj. Aung Lwin -
killed about 12 Mon, Burman and Karen villagers from three villages,
Pein-ne-taw, Min-Iwin and Payit-kho, with the accusation that they were
rebel-supporters or KNU members. The villagers who were killed by SPDC soldiers
were: U Thein Aye (38 years), U Maung Aye (46 years), Saw Kyaw Kapaw (34
years), U Nan Ba (~ 60 years), Saw Pha Hla Shin (~ 50
years), U Kyaw Wai (41 years old), U Kyar We (~ 30 years) and other five
villagers from these three villages. They were killed near their own villages.
These killings happened after one KNU defector, Saw Phu
Too, a former KNU Thaton Township Chairman, surrendered to SPDC in February.
During February, when SPDC military LIB No. 357 operated
military offensives ; against KNU troops in eastern part of
When he went along with Burmese Army, KNU troops attacked
and killed him. After the killing, the local Burmese Army battalion IB No. 9,
which is based in Kyaikkaw village also took
responsibility to arrest KNU supporters or members in the villages in eastern
part of Township area and arrested some villagers who were alleged to have been
supporting KNU forces. Actually the KNU, and its armed faction the KNLA, could
operate in area only eastern part of township, and sometimes they went into
these villages.
The arrested villagers were not brought to court hearings and
were killed arbitrary without (?) a trial or strong evidence. Some villagers
were just local farmers near Than-lwin river and they were innocent villagers. Whenever the KNU
troops went into their villages or passed their farms, they had no opportunity
to stop them. However, they were accused as rebel-supporters and killed by SPDC
soldiers with complaint from them.
When the soldiers conducted killed these men, they also
made threats to the remaining villagers that if they were continuously
supporting KNU soldiers they must be killed like these men. When the Burmese
Army is using such tactics to cut contacts between civilians and rebel forces,
the local villagers have inhumanely suffered from killing and various types of
torture.
SPDC Forced Forming of Militia forces in Village
Tracts of Yebyu Township
(August,
2000, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division)
Since June until August, 2000, with a purpose to halt the
Mon and Karen rebel activities operated by a Mon armed force and KNU in Yebyu
Township area, the Burmese Army's local military battalions, LIB No. 273 and
No. 282, have forced the local headmen and villagers to cooperate with them in
forming militia forces in respective village tracts and to protect their tracts
their own village tracts by themselves and helped army in launching offensives
against the rebel troops. Normally, in this conflict area, the villagers would
not like to hold arms and create enemy with rebel forces because it could harm
their lives.
Since June, LIB No. 273 and No. 282 went to many main
village of village tracts in township area and called meetings with headmen
from all villages in each village tract and first the army formed
"Anti-Insurgency Force" first with participation of army commanders
and village headmen. In these Anti-Insurgency Force,
the army led the group and ordered the village headmen to cooperate with them
to attack against rebels. From the meetings, the commanders instructed the
policy for every village that the villagers themselves must protect their own
villages, to not allow any rebel forces into their villages, villagers must be
equipped with arms and fight against the rebels, and the villagers must pay for
those who hold arms, and if necessary, they must cooperate with army in
launching offensives. These were responsibility each village tract must have to
implement.
From the plan to equip villagers with arms, LIB No. 273 and
No. 282 again formed militia forces for every tract. On June 1, they officially
formed a village tract militia force with 30 members in Kwe-tho-nyima village
tract. In forming this militia force, they took selected villagers only from
Kwe-tho-nyima village, because they could have a firm that village and believes
these militiamen will not surrender and fled to other areas. In this village
tract, there are totally six villages such as Kwe-tho-nyima, Chaung-phar, Thaung-kun,
Chabon, Mae-taw and Chattaw.
Then in July, LIB No. 282 moved to Mintha village tract and
forced the village headmen to form a militia force with 30 members. In this
village tract, there are about 7 villages, and army took only selected
villagers who were under their firm control. At the beginning of August, LIB
No. 282 went to Yapu village tract and formed a military force with 26 members.
In this village tract, there are totally six villages and these are, Yapu,
Yapu-ywathit, Law-thaing, Kwetalin, Kyaukadin and Aleskan.
When they formed the militia forces, they also equipped
them with arms or weapons such as AK-47, M-16, G-3, G-4 and M-79 and
additionally trained them how to use these guns and equipment. All these
militia forces are under supervision of village tract chairmen and all chairmen
are also under the command of the concerned SPDC battalion commander. At the
moment, all of these militia forces are under the command of LIB No. 282
commander and open respective Anti-Insurgency Force in each main village of
village tract.
The commander also instructed to headmen and villagers that
they must take responsibility to pay 10, 000 Kyat salary
to each militiaman for their service protecting the villages and the headmen
need to collect from villagers every month. This salary includes 3,000 Kyat
foods and 7, 000 Kyat for other accommodation costs. Thus, the headmen
collected 500 - 1,000 Kyat from every household to pay
for salaries to militiamen. This is new tax collection for villagers in Yebyu
Township area and a new burden for poor villagers in the whole Township area.
Forced Labour in Kyaikmayaw Township
(July
2000, Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State)
In the whole month June, when rainy season started,
Southeast Military Command forced the Mon villagers from ten villages in
Kyaikmayaw Township to plow 100 acres of army lands in the township area. The
military command bases in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, and it also owns
lands in east of Moulmein city, in Kyaikmayaw township. That
100 acres of paddy-growing lands were confiscated since 1997 and the Mon
farmers from that area lost lands. The farm-lands are situating near Kha-yone
and Kyone-wan villages.
At beginning of rainy season, when the lands
received water and army ordered villagers from 10 villages, such as Damatha,
Than-ga-kung, Tarana, Kaw-thut, Kha-yone, Let-pan, Ywa-thit, Kyone-wan,
Kyone-manin and Kyaik-paran, to plow the lands.
After plowing lands, the soldiers continuously forced the villagers to grow
small paddy plants in the farms.
From these ten villages, the village headmen have sent
about 60 men, 60 pairs of oxen and 60 men-made plowing
equipment to the work-sites every day and the process of plowing lands
completed within 2 weeks period. After completing plowing the lands, the army
ordered the village headmen from the similar villages to send villagers to grow
small paddy plants in the new plowed lands. On a rotation basis, the village
headmen had to manage sending men and women from their own villages to
work-sites. Until the second week of July, these ten villages sent about 800
villagers totally to work growing small paddy plants in farm-lands.
Generally, ten villages shared 100 acres of lands to take
responsibility to plow and grow paddy plants for 10 acres each. Even some big
villages could send more villagers to work in the lands, some small villages
could not afford to complete on time.
While army was forcing the villagers to work in the farms,
most villagers were busy in their own farms. Some villages, the headmen could
not manage to get possible oxen and had to hire oxen and plowing equipment. If
they hired oxen and equipment, they have to pay about 1, 200 Kyat per day. Some
villages also had to hire labourers to grow small paddy plants by paying 350
Kyat per day for one labourer.
According to estimation by village headmen, the overall
using of forced labour was also equal to costs for 3 millions Kyat totally, if
they had to hire labourers, oxen and equipment. Some villagers had to spend
about 100, 000 Kyat to hire labour, oxen and equipment and the village had to
collect this fund from the villagers.
Report
Collective Accounts of SPDC Cash Extortion in Mon
State
I.
Taxation in Mon State after NMSP-SPDC Ceasefire
Since 1997, the military regime SLORC/SPDC has faced
financial constraint and could not provide enough costs for administrative and
military battalions. However, the
regime still claims that they are legitimate government and implement
development projects although it has very limited budget to implement these
projects. Thus, in any implementation of
development projects, State ceremonies, occasional Sports and other purposes,
SPDC'S concerned ministries or military commands always give orders to their subordinate
administrative bodies and military battalions to collect fund from civilians.
During SLORC-NMSP ceasefire in June, 1995, the former SLORC
Secretary (1) Maj. Gen. Khin Nyunt also gave promises to Mon leaders that
"Mon State must be developed within three years", by mentioning to
induct various types of development projects in Mon State. After his official speech, SLORC/ SPDC'S
concerned "Ministry of Progress of Border Areas & National Races and
Development Affairs" had adopted various types of development projects in
Mon State, such as building schools, hospitals, bridges, roads and others as
usual that the regime has implement in other parts of Burma.
Location map of
Mon State
Initially during 1995 and 1996, although SLORC's Ministry
could contribute complete financial supports accordingly to budget plan in some
development projects in Mon State, later it could not. Since 1997, the regime
has faced constraint of finance in government budget and so could contribute
less than 50% of the total requirement budget in the existing development
projects, but it does not terminate its implementation for some projects. The regime has ordered its Mon State PDC
authorities or Township authorities or army commanders to collect fund from
civilians or force them to make financial contribution to projects. As an
example, in 1997-1998, during the regime was building a bridge,
In 1999, SPDC planned to celebrate Students' Sport in
Moulmein, the capital of Mon State and the local authorities collected a lot of
fund from civilians by various ways. In
attempts to get fund from the civilians, every Township authorities staged some
concerts or boxing and forcibly sold tickets to all households in
township. Town section leaders or
village headmen had to take responsibility selling tickets and whether
civilians would like to watch shows or not, they had to pay for tickets. From this cash extortion, Mon State PDC
received some million funds for Sports.
However, because of corruption among authorities and stealing, the funds
were not enough to celebrate the Sports.
So, the authorities delayed to celebrate the Sports until December 2000
and planned to collect more funds.
Widespread habit of corruption among the authorities also
created more and more cash extortion in Mon State. Whenever an order came to
collect funds, all ranges of authorities including some village headmen also enjoy
in corruption by taking some public money into their pockets. It became as a habit and has taken roots in
Burma for many years already.
In Year 2000, such collection of fund, or extortion of
public money has continued and civilians in the whole Mon State had to pay
every month. Under this circumstance,
the local civilians lose any rights to complain to authorities or refuse to
contribute to authorities. The following
facts are the collection of cash extortion by authorities since the beginning of
Year 2000, in many townships of Mon State.
II.
Cash Extortion in Several Townships in Mon State
(a)
Ye Township
As described above, under the name of border development
program, some development project, the building of a field hospital has been continued
in Kyaung-ywa village of Ye township area and the collection of fund from the
local Ye Township civilians also made by the military battalions and local SPDC
authorities. In 1999, although Ye
Township and army IB No. 61 battalion have asked fund from many villages to pay
500 - 1, 000 Kyat per household for building this field hospital, they
complained the building was not completed yet and tried to collect more fund
again. Thus, later in February 2000, IB
No. 61 's army officer based Kyaung-ywa village
outpost also asked the local villagers to provide nearly 250, 000 Kyat
again. According to villagers, the
request of expenses for building of hospital is often made by army officers.
According to the order (the origin order with Burmese
version is enclosed), army officer said army had paid for the expenses in
advance and the villagers must replace and pay for the expenses used for
hospital. It said, army had paid 235,
000 Kyat totally and Kyaung-ywa villagers took responsibility to pay 80, 000
Kyat and so the other 17 villages from 4 village tracts, needed to pay for the
remaining expenses. The villages are in
east of Ye Town and situating along Ye river.
Depending on different numbers of household in the villages, the
requested amounts of fund were also differed from one to another. However these villagers are generally small
villages and the biggest one has only about 150 households. Army ordered some big villages must have to
pay about 13, 500 Kyat while small villages with households about 20-30 had to
pay about 5, 500 Kyat per village.
Village headmen in all villages have to take responsibility to collect
these funds and send them to IB No. 61 military outpost in Kyaung-ywa. Army also set the deadline for all villages
was to send all funds on February 28.
Besides the development fund, the local villagers always
have to pay monthly porter fees to the local military battalions in Ye, IB No. 61, LIB No. 343 and LIB No. 299, which base in Ye
and close to town. Sometimes, normally
in the cold and dry seasons, which are in period from October to May, when the
Burmese Army launched the military offensives against the rebel forces, the
request of porter fees became more and these are called "offensives porter
fees". Generally, the villagers in Ye Township have to pay about 200-500
Kyat per household monthly porter fees to the concerned military battalions and
in the special situation when the battalions asked for offensives porter fees,
each household has to pay 500 - 1,000 Kyat.
As an instance,
In the last December and January, when IB No. 61 and LIB
No. 343 were ordered to launch a military offensive, IB No. 61 also ordered to
the respective village headmen to collect offensive porter fees with 500-1,000
Kyat from one household in every village.
On December 7, when the headmen from Duya village collected huge amount
of porter fees, they had arguments with villagers. Most villagers refused to pay these porter
fees and the headmen could not manage.
On the next day, soldiers from IB No. 61 came into village and made
threat to villagers to pay porter fees. This village is situating in west part
of Ye Town and is far about 10 kilometers.
Additionally, military battalions, IB No. 61 and LIB No.
299 instructed all villages in southern part of Ye Township, to take security
along Ye-Tavoy railway road in the part of Mon State, about 20 miles long, to
prevent some sabotage activities conducted by rebels, or to let them inform to
nearest Burmese army outpost about the activities of rebel troops. The villagers have to build some small huts
along the roads and guard the road for 24 hours. The villagers near the road
were ordered to take security of the road on the rotation basis and if one
village failed to go and take security, he must have to pay 400 Kyat per day to
the nearest military outpost. On the
rotation basis the villagers have to security in railway road for 3-5 days
every month, without receiving any payment from authorities but also have to
pay if they have failed to go.
(b)
Thanbyuzayat Township
Likely to civilians in Ye Township area, the local Mon
civilians in Thanbyuzayat Township are also suffered from fund collection by
both township and village PDC authorities.
In Thanbyuzayat Township, two regular military battalions, IB No. 31 and
IB No. 62, and another No. 4 Military Training School are taking bases. In collection of funds, mainly government
authorities have been taken responsibility and while sometimes, the local
battalions directly ordered to headmen to collect instead of Township
authorities.
Under the name of development project, Thannbyuzayat
authorities and army also collect a huge amount of fund from civilians. In May, when army, No. 4 Military Training
School built a middle level school for students especially from soldiers'
families, army ordered town section leaders and village headmen to collect fund
from civilians and shops in town and villages.
On May 4, Town section leaders collected fund from every in town to pay
1,000 - 1,500 Kyat per household, depending on the size of shops and materials
in there. Additionally, the authorities
also collected 1, 000 Kyat from every household in town and two villages,
Wae-kalee and Wae-rat, which are close to place where the new school would be
built.
On the other hand, SPDC also modernize the education
systems widely in Burma, by equipping computer systems and other education
supporting materials and facilities in most high schools since the previous
years until Year 2000. However, in
equipping these materials and facilities, the government has
no enough budgets and just give order the concerned high school
authorities and Township authorities to collect fund from public. Similarly in May and June 2000, Education
Ministry also instructed Thanbyuzayat Township authorities to equip computer
systems and other facilities in some village high school under the
administration of Township.
As an instance,
On
June 21, according to instruction from Township, Karoat-pi village chairman,
Nai Aung Shein, called a meeting with the whole village and he expressed to 500
villagers about the government's instruction to equip computer systems and
other facilities in their own high schools.
He also explained to equip all these facilities, it needed about 3. 5 million Kyat fund totally from village to equip about 10 computer
systems and others in school.
After meeting, village chairman and committee members collected fund
4000 Kyat, or 3000 Kyat or 2000 Kyat per household depending on the economic
conditions of households. Even a poor
family, they have to pay 2000 Kyat to village authorities. As that village has about 1,000 households, village
authorities received 3.6 million Kyat totally in
June. They also set deadline June 30 was
the last day for them for some villagers who could not afford to pay. The villagers anyhow had to find money and
pay them.
Although SPDC claimed it would increase and provide 5 times
salaries to government servants and in June, they could provide only soldiers
and other servants such as teachers still could not receive increased salaries
from governments. The students who
attended all levels of schools still have to pay large amount of entrance cost
and other teaching costs to school authorities. Depending on the school authorities, the
decisions for collecting of these costs might be differed, but the schools in
Thanbyuzayat Township have collected much money from students as below:
When
the students began attending their schools in Panga village of Thanbyuzayat
Township, high level students, 10th Standard and 9th Standard had to
pay entrance costs, 2000 Kyat and 1700 Kyat respectively, middle level
students, 8th Standard, 7th Standard, 6th Standard and 5th
Standard, had to pay entrance costs, 1600 Kyat, 1530 Kyat, 1500 Kyat and 1350
Kyat respectively and primary level students, 4th Standard, 3rd
Standard, 2nd Standard, 1st Standard and Kindergarten had
to pay entrance costs, 1225 Kyat, 1200 Kyat, 810 Kyat, 715 Kyat and 515 Kyat
respectively. Additionally, high level
students also had to pay to teachers extra costs, 5000 Kyat per head for
teaching costs. The teaching cost was
defined as 1000 Kyat for one subject of school curriculums for one school year.
Because of various costs for one student to have education
in government schools, many poor parents could not afford to send their
students to higher level education in middle and high levels. After students completed primary levels, many
of them left from schools. Thus, the
student numbers in middle and high level schools have been dropped a lot.
(c)
Mudon Township
In Mudon Township, the authorities also collected various
types of fund from the local civilians.
In July, with a purpose to build a Buddhist Dhamma Centre in Moulmein,
the capital of Mon State, under the supervision of Mon State Police Department,
the police in every township in Mon State also collected fund from
civilians. For this large building, the
authorities required about 20 millions Kyat totally
from the civilians and Mon State Police Department has instructed their
subordinated police departments to collect fund in their respective township.
In the same month, July, police department in Mudon
Township, have collected fund with 500 - 1500 Kyat from truck or car owner in
the whole township area for that Dhamma Center.
Additionally, they have collected fund from shops with 500 Kyat, 1000
Kyat, 1500 Kyat and 2000 Kyat respectively depending on the sizes of the shops
and groceries in each shop. From Mudon
Township alone, the police could get about 2 millions Kyat totally.
Additionally, when any celebration happened in a township
of Mon State, the authorities also collected a lot of fund from villagers.
As an instance,
Before
Mudon Township PDC authorities hold a "Mon State Day" ceremony in
Mudon town, on March 29, the authorities have collected funds in both town and
villages in township area. The
authorities collected fund 200 Kyat from every household and there are over 25,
000 households in the township area and received 5 millions Kyat from the whole
township area.
Besides fund to contribute to special ceremonies, whenever
the township planned to conduct training for their own staff members, servants
and USDA (Union Solidarity and Development Association of SPDC) members, the
authorities always collected fund from civilians for training. In March, when Mudon Township SPDC
authorities planned to provide a "Management and Administrative
Training" to USDA members in Mudon Township, the authorities collected
fund 3, 500 Kyat from one village. In
Township, there are about 42 villages and the authorities received nearly 150,
000 Kyat totally to cover for expenses during short-term training.
Similarly to other township area, whenever Mudon Township
authorities implement development projects, building schools, hospitals, roads
and others, they always collected fund from civilians.
As an instance,
In
March, when Mudon Township authorities planned to build extent high school in
Kalort-tort village, village headmen have collected about 2 millions Kyat fund
from the local villagers in Kalort-tort village tract. In this village tract, it has about 4
villages and the authorities and village headmen have collected 800 Kyat, 600
Kyat and 400 Kyat per household, depending on each household's economic
conditions. However the fund was still
not enough for school building and authorities have requested more another
Kamawet village tract.
(d)
Chaungzon Township
Chaungzon Township is situating in an island, named Balu-kyun
and it is in the west of Moulmein city, the capital of Mon State. If compared with other township area, this
township area is under the firm control of military government, and the people
are under absolute control of SPDC'S township authorities. So, most of them are enjoying in corruption
or in taking public money. Whenever the
authorities are holding sports, implementing development projects and others,
the villagers always have to pay to Township authorities. As an instance of
fund collection for sport:
In
July, SPDC's Chaungzon township authorities also collected about 2 million Kyat
of fund for Township football match, which will be celebrated after rainy
season. Township authorities have
ordered the respective village headmen to collect 100 Kyat from each household
in their own villages. In Chaung-zon
Township, there are over 60 villages and the estimated total households in the
whole Township are 20, 000 households. From these households, Township
authorities could receive over 2 million Kyat during
one month period, July, to cover some costs for Township football match.
Additionally, when the authorities adopted a plan or are
implementing development project in an area in Township administration, they
similarly collect money from villagers to cover these costs. In May, Mon State PDC also ordered
Chaung-zon Township authorities to implement self-help development projects
such as building roads and others.
On May 5, about 11 o'clock, Township authorities called a
meeting with all village headmen in the whole administrative area and explained
them about Mon State PDC's instruction for implementation of self-help
development projects, mainly to improve roads, which connect from one village
to another in the whole Township area.
The authorities officially explained that all costs for new building or
re-building of the roads must be paid by the concerned villagers. It means, if one road is built connecting
with two villages, the villagers from these two villages must pay for all expenses
of road building. The village headmen
from the concerned villagers must take responsibility to collect fund from
villagers to cover for all expenses.
As an instance,
On
May 15, the concerned village headmen also ordered to build a new road that
connects two villages, Bo-net and That-kaw villages. This road is about 15 miles long and the
authorities instructed to village headmen that they must clear the road with 50
feet in width and build 15 feet width embankment and lay it with small pieces
of stones. To complete the building of
new road, both villages' headmen required about 7.5 million
Kyat totally. In these two
villages, there are about 1, 500 households totally and so they needed to
collect 5, 000 Kyat per household. So,
since May 15, the headmen from these two villages collected 5, 000 Kyat per
household to cover all expenses of new road building. But nearly 80% of total villagers could not
afford to pay 5, 000 Kyat money to headmen within one month.
Normally, the villagers in the remote areas of Chaung-zon
Township are quite poor and most of them are farmers. When they harvested paddy crops in December
and January, the authorities forced to sell many hundreds of thousands baskets
of paddy to government paddy-buying centers at low price. So most of them sold their paddy to get
supplement foods, to hire labourers and oxen for farming in lands and other
works, they have left only paddy for their own foods to eat in rainy season and
have no extra money. When the
authorities implemented such type of self-help road building, very few numbers
of villagers, the rich families, could afford to contribute these
fund. After the village headmen
could not get the set amount of money from the villagers, they were also
threatened by Township authorities that they must be dismissed if they failed
to manage to get enough fund or to implement the road.
(e) Paung Township
As mentioned above, the fund collections conducted by the
Township authorities are quite similar from one
Township to another. Like Chaung-zon
Township, the authorities from Paung Township also collected fund for both
celebration and development projects.
The methods of fund collection are similar as Township authorities
ordered the subordinated village headmen to collect fund and send it to them.
In Paung Township, the Township authorities also received
orders from higher authorities to conduct self-help development projects in
their own administrative areas and collect fund from the local villagers.
As first instance,
In
July, when
Such collection of fund for the development projects have
been made in various parts of Paung Township and if one development project is
implemented near one village or 2-3 villages, those villagers have to pay all
expenses for the development projects.
Another instance of fund collection for development project
was:
On
May 15, with a plan to build a boat station or bridge from land to river, which
was called as Yama boat station, on Yin-ngein river near Kyone-hor village,
Township authorities instructed to Yin-ngein village headmen to collect 5
million Kyat fund to cover for all expenses in building bridge. So, the village headmen collected fund from
farmers in Yin-ngein village that the farmers must have to pay 250 Kyat per
acre of land. Yin-ngein and other villagers owned about 20, 000 acres of lands
surrounding the village and so all farmers households provided totally 5
million Kyat fund to authorities to build the bridge.
In Paung Township to spend as administrative fund, the
Township authorities always collected fund from civilians on the monthly
basis. Actually, Paung Township area in
full control of SPDC and it has not affected for any military conflict in the
area. However, the authorities have
collected fund from both town civilians and villagers to pay 100 Kyat per
household. According to reliable sources,
Since the authorities have chance to collect fund as they
liked without showing any proper reasons, some Town section headmen themselves
in Paung Town also collected fund from the civilians as they liked. As an example, Town section authorities of
Moe-naing section of Paung Township collected 150 Kyat per household monthly in
their own section for their own expenses.
In this section, there are about 670 households and the authorities
receive nearly 100, 000 Kyat per month.
Sometimes, some village headmen in villages also collected fund without
showing any proper reasons and these money go to their pockets. In August,
Pan-gone village headmen collected 300-500 Kyat per household from villagers
and they received about 260, 000 Kyat totally from (800) households of
villagers. By this way, all government
authorities in various levels have enjoyed in corruption of taking public money
into their pockets.
III.
Results after Hugh Cash Extortion
In
In Mon State, most people living in town are day-labourers,
such as vendors, car drivers, small shop owners, trishaw drivers and other
workers. These civilians very less daily
income and sometimes, their daily income is not enough to support for food of
the whole families and daily expenses.
It is quite hard for a trishaw driver to get 500 Kyat as daily income
and they have at least to spend about 500 Kyat per day. Additionally, they also have to spend for
clothes, for schooling costs of their children and other costs. On the other hand, because of government's
mismanagement for economy, many town civilians are unemployed. Some carpenters have works only for a few
months during dry season and they are totally unemployed in rainy season. In comparison with civilians who have no
farmlands or fruit plantations, the lives of people in families who have
rice-farms or rubber plantations or fruit plantations are better.
In the village communities of Mon State, most villagers own
some pieces of lands for growing paddy or rubber or other types of fruit
trees. In these lands, the villagers
received these lands from their parents and they are traditionally farmers who
have the similar works for many years.
However, these farmers are forced by the concerned authorities to sell
their paddy crops or rubber at low price to government as yearly tax. For the farmers who own fruit plantations
also have to pay yearly tax to government authorities. Because of these huge amounts of yearly tax,
the local farmers are also facing many difficulties or have fewer expenses
similar to town civilians.
Additionally, after the concerned authorities collected
various types of tax or fund from them, all of them remain less and less
expenses and become poorer and poorer.
Some villagers also have to sell their own lands or properties after
they have no money for foods and other daily uses. Thus, many young men and women from every families in
However, SPDC authorities in every township of Mon State
have become richer and richer by taking money from public. As the people lose democratic rights, nobody
could complain about the authorities corruption and if
someone is talking against these authorities, he/she must be detained in prisons
or faced punishment.