News, Personal Accounts,
Report & Analysis on Human Rights Situation in Mon Territory and Other
Areas Southern Part of Burma
The
Mon Forum
Issue No. 10/2000
October 30, 2000
The
Publication of Human Rights Foundation of Monland (BURMA)
Contents
News:
(1) SPDCs MI No. 5 attempted to close Mon
National Schools,
(2) LIB No. 299 demanded fund to buy
walkie-talkie machines,
Report:
(1) Land confiscation and continuous civilians'
suffering in Ye Township.
Some Acronyms in This Issue
SPDC: State
Peace and Development Council,
SLORC: State Law and Order Restoration Council,
Ml: Military
Intelligence (of SPDC military regime)
IB: Infantry
Battalion (of Burmese Army),
LIB- Light
Infantry Battalion (of Burmese Army),
NMSP: New Mon State Party,
MNLA:
Mon National Liberation Army,
News
SPDCs MI No. 5 Attempted to close Mon National
Schools
(October,
2000, Kawkareik Township, Karen State)
On September 22, 2000, No. 5 military intelligence (MI No.
5) of SPDC, which based in Gyaing (cross river) bridge, ordered the village
headmen from many Mon villages in Kawkareik township of Karen State, to send
the detail information of the operation of Mon National Schools tried to close
down the schools in October, by threatening the teachers in there.
In an order given by MI No. 5, the area intelligence
officer of Gyaing bridge, it mentioned that he has known there was a teaching
of Mon language in the village by the help of village headmen, or an
establishment of Mon National School in these villages. Therefore, he needed to
know detail information including details who or which organization ordered for
the opening of Mon schools; the responsible person's name and position; the
names of all teachers in each school; their ages and ID number; the names of
their parents and addresses; the number of students for each class in schools.
MI No. 5 also set deadline to all headmen to send all these detail facts on September
23 without failure. So, some village headmen whose villages were close to MI
No. 5 base sent the lists of teachers, children and other information to
intelligence officer, while some village headmen did not send. However, in the
first week of October, MI No.5 sent another order that mentioned all teaching
activities in Mon schools must stop and if not, the teachers must be arrested.
It also declared the schools were illegal and ordered the headmen to stop the
children to not attend the schools and to give warning to their parents.
MI No. 5 sent this order to over 10 Mon villages, in which
the Mon community has operated the own National School to teach their children
with Mon language accordingly to the courses and system adopted by Mon National
Education Committee and Education Department of New Mon State Party (NMSP).
Along Gyaing river, which flows
from Karen State to Mon State and enters into Andaman Sea, there are many Mon
villages are residing along riverbank, which are in the part of Kawkareik Township
of Karen State. Most Mon local inhabitants are farmers and fishermen. Since
over 20 years when the NMSP and its military faction, MNLA, operated the
administrative and military activities in this area, Mon education system was
established and the local communities including monks and headmen have
maintained this system to help providing children with Mon education.
Many Mon villages in this area including Zathapyin,
Kaw-pauk, Min-ywa, Kaw-bein, Kaw-go, Kaw-kyaik, Thayet-taw and other small
villages have operated Mon education system by the help of community leaders,
Buddhist monks and educated people. NMSP's Education Department also found to
provide teachers for schools in their villagers by paying possible salaries to
hired teachers. From these Mon schools, all children in the villages could get
education at free charge.
During NMSP-SLORC ceasefire in 1995, although SLORC's
Secretary No. 1, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt agreed allowing the teaching of Mon
language in both government schools and private Mon National Schools, actually,
both SLORC and SPDC never kept their promise for the promotion of Mon
literature role in Mon community and still operate their assimilation policy.
LIB No. 299 Demanded Fund
to Buy Walkie-talkie Machines
(September,
2000, Ye Township, Mon State)
With objectives to take security of the villages, to have
regular radio contacts with the nearest military battalion, and to report all
conditions of the villages to SPDC authorities and army, LIB No. 299, which
takes base in the southern part of Ye Township ordered all Mon villages in
southern part of Ye Township on September 26, to buy walkie-talkie machines
with their own village money. They instructed the village headmen in the
southern part of Township, to collect fund, from 10000-30000 Kyat, in each
village and give the army to buy a walkie-talkie machine for each village.
LIB No. 299 ordered nearly 10 villages in this area where
they have firm control and asked the headmen to meet them and explained the
objectives of buying machines and using them in each village. For the headmen,
they could never refuse the order of local military commander accepted the
decision and agreed to buy machines.
The battalion also requested different amount of fund from
different villages. The army asked from the largest village, Hangan, to pay
about 30, 000 Kyat, other larger villages, Kalort and Kaw-hlaing village to pay
20, 000 Kyat, while many villages less than 100 households were asked to pay
10, 000 Kyat. Thus, every household in these villages had to pay about 200-500
Kyat to headmen. According to army officer, after they bought machines, they
would provide them to with machines and to regularly make contacts between the
villages and army battalion for the area security.
Additionally, with objectives
of area security, LIB No. 299 has constantly conscripted forced labour since
July, the clear bushes along the Ye-Tavoy motor road, in Ye Township part. The
villagers from the above mentioned villages have been constantly suffered from
this forced labour all the time.
Report
Land Confiscation and Continuous Civilians'
Suffering in Ye Township
I.
Background of Land Confiscation
During 1999, with objectives to deploy more army regiments
and attempt to control the whole former conflict zone, the Burmese Army or
SPDC'S Southeast Region Military Command (Southeast Command) confiscated
some 1, 000 acres of land from Mon civilians in Ye Township area. About 200 acres was confiscated in the
southern part of township, near Koe-mile village, in early 1999 and another 800
acres of land was confiscated in the northern part of township, near Aru-taung
village (See in the map). These confiscated spaces of lands are locating
along Moulmein-Tavoy motor road and most parts of lands (about 70%) are
owned by the local Mon civilians. The
civilians had grown rubber and other fruit trees such as durian, betel-nut,
lime, orange, and created plantations in these lands which have been remained
as main livelihood and support their survival for nearly 80 years. However, within one-year, the army took
their lands and created them to be land loss and helpless people.
ANDAMAN SEA
Location
Map of Ye Township, Mon State
Since NMSP-SLORC ceasefire in 1995, the Burmese Army has
tried to take more control in Mon State by deploying more army, police and
militia forces. Actually, the Burmese
Army and SPDC have taken this chance accordingly a point within the ceasefire
agreement. According agreement, the two sides agreed to create troop location
zones and NMSP must keep all its MNLA troops only in the designated troop
location zones. "12 permanent
ceasefire zones" for NMSP were recognized by SLORC/ SPDC and NMSP agreed to
keep its troops in these places and only surrounding areas. That meant their administrative powers only
have influences only in the permanent ceasefire zones and surrounding areas.
Among 12 zones, nearly half of them locate in eastern part
of Ye township area, along Ye river.
The remaining zones locate in Three Pagoda Pass, Kya Inn Seikyi and
Kawkareik townships. After establishment
of ceasefire zones, NMSP withdrew its MNLA guerrilla forces or troops or bases,
which were in many parts of Mon State, Karen State and Yebyu Township of
Tenasserim Division, into the designated permanent ceasefire zones. SLORC
agreed to create NMSP liaison office in cities in Mon State to communicate each
other for the several purposes during ceasefire period.
Thus, NMSP lost total control or semi-control in many parts
of Mon State, where they have been active before ceasefire. MNLA troops from Mudon, Thanbyuzayat and
Kyaikmayaw townships of Mon State and Yebyu township of Tenasserim Division
withdrew and moved into permanent ceasefire zones. This happened during 1995
and 1996. By taking as a good chance, SLORC/SPDC
has attempted to keep more control in the previous NMSP total control and semi-control
areas.
When SLORC/SPDC or the Burmese Army extent their base and
deploy new military regiment, the concerned military command in the concerned
area confiscated some lands and took responsibility to deploy new
battalion. Under the instruction of the
concerned military command the regular battalion or permanent battalion in the
township also has to take responsibility to provide fund for new military
battalion. For example, when LIB No.
299 was deployed in southern part of Ye township during the beginning of 1999, the
township regular battalion, IB No. 61, had collected various types of tax and
used them as battalion funds for LIB No. 299's building of military barracks
and feeding soldiers and their families.
In both land confiscation in 1999 in Ye township to deploy
LIB No. 299; and LIB No. 343 and one artillery regiment, Southeast Command paid
small amount of compensation to land owners of LIB No. 299 and never paid any
compensated costs to land loss villagers because of deployment of LIB No. 343,
or did not find any new lands for them . Because of land loss situation, it resulted
to villagers that they have facing hardship for survival and tried to get new
works, which they had no experience.
Some young villagers also migrated into Thailand and sought works in
Thai cities to support their families who were in hardship situation in Burma.
The detail of land loss, the complaints from civilians and
response from Southeast command, the collection of fund for the battalions and
the continuous conscription of forced labour accounts are mentioned as below:
II.
Losses after Land Confiscation
Like the majority Mon inhabitants in Mon State, some parts
of Karen State and Tenasserim Division, Ye township civilians are traditional
paddy-cultivated farmers; and rubber and fruit planters. Most low land Mon farmers grow paddy in many
thousands acres of farmlands in western part of Moulmein-Tavoy railway and the
inhabitants normally grow rubber and fruit trees between the railway and motor
road and eastern part of Moulmein-Tavoy motor road. The Ye township inhabitants get income and
survive from the producing the main paddy crops, rubber and other fruits
including a huge amount of betel-nuts, which sell and distribute in many parts
of Burma. If there is
no army or government's huge and different types of tax, the township
would remain in good economy with its rich resources.
However, since 1997, the Burmese Army local military
battalions and Southeast Command confiscated lands from villagers. According self-reliance program by SLORC and
instruction to the local military battalion to support themselves, IB No. 106,
based in Kamort-kanin village, northern part of Ye township confiscated about
50 acres of land from farmers. Additionally, according a satellite town
establishment program, the SLORC township authorities confiscated about 200
acres of lands just outskirts of the town.
The paddy cultivated farmers and palm tree planters lost their
lands. The authorities made land plots
for housing in these confiscated lands and distributed among themselves of
government authorities and servants, battalion commanders and police officers
and even giving as gifts to higher commanders in Southeast Command.
In 1998, the local military battalion, IB No. 61, in Ye
township planned to confiscate some lands in southern part of Ye township
following the command came from Southeast Command, actually, they confiscated
lands in early 1999. IB No. 61
confiscated about 200 acres of lands that owned by Koe-mile, Hangan and Kalort
villagers and most lands were with rubber, betel-nut and durian trees. After land confiscation, the battalion
stopped all plantation owners to not go to their plantations and to not collect
any crops and said all lands, trees and crops were owned by the new battalion,
LIB No. 299. About 17 families lost the
lands and in estimation they lost about 20 million Kyat totally. A biggest plantation has about 2000 cashew
nut trees and it could sell about 1.5 million Kyat according to market
price. To avoid condemnation for
compensation reason, the battalion paid compensation with 7 Kyat per trees to
some plantations, which had big trees and could product fruits or rubber
juice. So, the plantation owner who
had about 2000 trees with cost 1.5 million Kyat receive only 14, 000 Kyat
totally. With that compensation cost,
the villagers could not buy new lands or could not hire labour to clear a new
space of wild land. (Lode the list of villagers' loss due to land
confiscation for LIB No. 299 deployment, on Page?.) Besides plantation, the battalion also
confiscated about 15 acres of paddy farmlands later and forced the villagers to
cultivate paddy for them.
After that land confiscation and little
amount of compensation cost, LIB No. 299 took all planters' fruits and rubbers
and sold them in markets and used for battalion fund. Since initially, Southeast Command
instructed every concerned battalion to create self-reliance program already
and this was also related to the program.
After about six months, another similar Burmese Army's land
confiscation happened in northern part of Ye Township area again. Following the order from Southeast Command,
a local battalion, LIB No. 343 and Tactical Command No. 3 that based in
township confiscated about 800 acres, in which about 600 acres were owned by
Mon fruit and rubber planters from Kun-du and Aru-taung villagers. Most confiscated lands were planted with
durian, betel-nut, lime, orange and rubber trees.
After land confiscation, the Burmese Army planned to deploy
a battalion, LIB No. 343 and an artillery regiment. Recently, LIB No. 343 based in Ye town and
then the battalion moved to new place after land confiscation and started
taking base there. After LIB No. 343
has strong base in there, another an artillery battalion will deploy its
troops. According some source close to
Southeast Command, after a battalion and an artillery regiment take bases, the
Burmese Army would deploy a new air base close to these bases and the battalion
and regiment will take security for air base.
This information is believable, because there is an old air base made by
Japanese air force during World War II and SPDC planned to repair that base and
deploy their air forces.
Because of this land confiscation, about 83 families of
villagers from Aru-taung and Kun-du villages lost about 600 acres of lands
which were grown with rubber and various kinds of fruit trees. Some big plantation, over 10 acres of lands
have about 2000 rubber trees and its cost for the current price is about 2
million Kyat and some lands with 2000 betel-nuts also has price about 1.5
million Kyat. Even a small of
plantation, the owner has about 200 rubber trees. Therefore, the civilians from two villages
lost about 98 million Kyat totally from this land
confiscation. (Note: Unofficial
exchange rate is about 1 USD = 350 Kyat in estimation.)
From these lands, the planters could produce a lot of
rubber and other fruits, mainly betel-nut. According a
experienced villager, who lost a big plantation said:
"From this confiscated plantations, the planters could
produce many thousands pounds of rubber juice and, many hundreds of thousands
of betel-nut fruits and many thousands of durian fruits. I estimate, rubber plantations could produce
about 10,000 pounds of rubber juices on the daily basis,
betel-nut plantations could produce about 1.5 million fruits for the whole
year, while durian plantations could produce about 2000-3000 fruits everyday
for two months harvest season. So, this was
a huge loss."
The planters could get the rubber juice from their
plantations for 4-5 months every year and when betel-nut and fruit planters
could harvest their crops or take their fruit one round every year. Normally, to become a good plantation, the
villagers had to grow these types of trees for over ten years and at least they
have to wait for at least 5 years for harvest.
They have to invest money and labour during these years before they can
harvest. Most lands are provided from
their ancestors, grandparents or parents, for over 50 years, but all these gone
within a few days. Under the rule of
military dictatorship, the civilians have no guarantee for the ownership of
their lands.
III.
Complaints by Civilians and Responses by Army
Actually, in Ye township, there are many thousands acres of
wild lands and these are not used for plantations or other purposes. If the Burmese Army takes these lands and
deploys their battalions, it might not effect the
traditional livelihoods of the local communities. But, why did the Burmese Army or Southeast
Command confiscate lands with rubber and fruit trees? It is not so hard to give answer for this
question.
Since 1997, SLORC or the Burmese Army has allowed its
military battalions not only in Mon State but also in other areas, to seek new
lands or to confiscate civilians' lands according to an objective to create
self-reliance program or self-help activities for their own concerned
battalions.
So, the community leader, Mon leaders and villagers clearly
understood that the confiscation of lands with fruit and rubber trees was the
reason that the battalion would like to get lands, and rubber and fruits from
there. After confiscation, the army
owned these plantations and they could get rubber juice and various types of
fruits from there and sell them in the markets for their battalion fund. Although LIB No. 343 required to build about
9 military barracks in the plantations in January 2000, they did not cut all
trees but cut some only in spaces they needed to build barracks.
When IB No. 61 confiscated lands for LIB No. 299 and paid a
little amount of compensated cost for plantations, with 7 Kyat per one tree,
the battalion could stop the complaint from villagers. When LIB No. 343
confiscated 800 acres of plantation lands, the villagers from the above
approached to NMSP leaders and also asked for new lands and compensation cost
as market price, not government price of 7 Kyat for one tree.
Firstly, the villagers wrote letters and appealed the
concerned battalion, to not take their lands, and to take other wild lands
instead. However, the battalion or
Southeast Command did not accept this appeal and replied they could not
withdraw their plan. Secondly, the
villagers asked to pay compensated cost for both lands and valuable trees
accordingly to market price, but the army still refused. Thirdly, the villagers asked the commanders
in Southeast Command, they would like to harvest their fruits and rubber until
these trees died. As the ceasefire is
on-going situation and the villagers have some protection from NMSP leaders,
the army have not create any problems against the
villagers who made requests. However,
the army still refused the third request.
Because of villagers' serial requests and NMSP pressure,
Southeast Command agreed to negotiate with villagers. Thus, Tactical Command No. 3 and LIB No. 343
called a meeting with villagers who lost the lands and also invited the village
headmen as witness. The meeting was held
on January 30, in a monastery in Kun-du village. Tactical Commander Col. Cho Htun Aung and
LIB No. 343's a commander, Maj. Lin Oo attended the
meeting. Col. Cho Htun Aung explained
that because of the Burmese Army's necessity to deploy a battalion to secure
the area, it had to take these (confiscated) lands for the national
security. He added because of serial
requests by the villagers, he was given responsibility by Southeast Command for
explanation to villagers and said as army, it could not allow accordingly the
villagers' requests. But it would give permission to villagers to harvest their
fruit crops and gather rubber juice for three years at least. He said that was the last decision that the
army could allow the villagers to do harvesting for three years.
However, he also made some restriction against the
villagers, or the ways (accordingly to villagers) to stop the villagers'
desire to harvest their crops. He added
before the villagers came to fruit or rubber plantations, which were in
battalion compound, they must take permission letter from the village headmen. Without
permission, the security force would not allow any villagers to go into the
compound. If something happened, such as
bomb explosion and hiding weapons in the compound, the villagers who were in
the plantation or compound must take responsibility for these things, all of
them must be punished and all their harvesting activities must be stopped. These restrictions made the villagers to
abandon their decisions to go and harvest their crops. Everyday they went to plantation,
they needed to find the village headmen and paid some bribe to get permission
to go to the plantation. And, the
villagers were also afraid of bomb explosion trapped by soldiers and accused
the villagers that they were bringing the explosive things into compound.
Additionally, after official meeting with villagers and
most explanations were made by Col. Cho Htun Aung, and
Maj. Lin Oo of LIB No. 343 also called another unofficial meeting with
villagers again in a different place, in a monastery of Aru-taung village. The commander explained to villagers that
they were quite lucky that the army still allowed them to harvest their crops
and gather rubber juice for three years.
He admitted that army had to confiscate these lands because
it needed the battalion funds and to collect battalion fund from selling crops
and rubber produced from that compound in the market. However, he said, now the
villagers have chance to harvest for three years and instructed that the
villagers must give about one-fourth (25%) amount of battalion. If they would not like to give crops they can
pay with cash for the cost of the equal amount of crops or rubber they have to
give the battalion. After three years,
he added, all villagers must stop harvesting, the battalion
totally own all plantations and hopefully, the crops and rubber produced
from the plantations could provide enough income to feed 700 population
including about 300 soldiers and their family members. After the villagers heard his instruction,
they were quite disappointed and some decided even to abandon their
plantations.
IV.
Fund and Unpaid Labour Contribution for LIB No. 299 and LIB No. 343
(a) For LIB No. 299
To get the battalion fund for the deployment of LIB No.
299, IB No. 61 has taken responsibility to collect fund in 1999. Depending on the population and economic
conditions of the villages in both southern and northern parts of Ye Township
area, IB No. 61 collected fund 100-500 Kyat per household.
Since before the end of 1999, LIB No. 299 had conscripted
the local villagers from Mun-aung, Hangan, Koe-mile and Kalort villages to do
various types of construction in its battalion near Koe-mile village. First, in June and July, the villagers from
these villagers were forced to find wood, bamboo, thatches and other materials
to construct the military barracks.
Then, the villagers themselves cleared the lands, cut some trees for the
base of the building. The army ordered
the villagers to build about 6 large buildings, which were about 50 feet long
and 20 feet wide. Then the villagers
had to dig all long trenches and bankers, and fence the compound. These construction works had lasted for
three months, and the village headmen from these villages had to arrange in
sending the villagers to the construction site on a rotation basis.
Additionally, with a plan to get foods, the battalion also
confiscated about 15 acres of paddy cultivated farms from Kaw-hlaing village at
the beginning of 2000. In June 2000,
when the rainy season started, the commander from the battalions ordered
Koe-mile village to send farmers to do cultivation in their confiscated
lands. To plough the lands, the headmen
had to send both men and oxen to do for army. After ploughing land, they forced
the villagers to grow paddy plants again.
Possibly, they would force the villagers again to do some harvest in
December.
(b)
For LIB No. 343
On January 30 meeting, Lt. Col. Cho Htun Aung also
explained to villagers that during the deployment of LIB No. 343, it needed to
build about 16 large military barracks and he said he would ask 9 village track
in northern part of Ye township area and 7 town sections to contribute some
fund for buying of building facilities, such as, wooden poles and lumbers,
nails and other materials. One barrack
would need about 300, 000 Kyat totally to pay for buying facilities. He added after the village tracks and town
sections gave fund, the army still required the civilians to contribute their
labour in building these military barracks.
He instructed that as the villagers had contributed fund, each village
track or each town section must complete building one military barrack.
In February, 2000, the concerned headmen of town section
and village tracks collected fund from the civilians to pay for the facilities
of the barracks. Depending on the
households in a town section or in a village track, each household had to
provide fund about 500 Kyat to 1, 000 Kyat.
Even a poor family they have to pay about 500 Kyat.
After taking fund from the civilians, they have constantly
forced them again to contribute their labour in various types of work in the
battalion compound. In a battalion
base, the villagers were instructed to do the jobs such as cutting trees and
clearing grounds, building the military barracks, digging trenches and bankers,
fencing the surrounding of the bases, and even cooking for soldiers.
Similarly, LIB No. 343 also asked forced labour from many
Mon villages in northern part of Ye Township to do various types of works in
the battalion base since before the end of 1999. Started from September 18, the military
commanders ordered the villagers from nearby including the villagers who lost
the lands, to clear some lands in plantations and build temporary bases for
soldiers.
The villagers from Taung-zun, Aru-taung, Sone-na-thar,
Apa-laing, Tamort-kanin, Kun-du and others were constantly suffered from the
conscription of forced labour.
Depending on the works, the villagers have to work in the construction,
at least for one day base, sometimes, for over two-three days to complete its
works. Every time, the commanders asked
about 20-30 villagers to contribute their labour while sometimes, the army
conscripted the villagers from the whole village, which meant each house in
village, must send one villager and work in the base, (see the below order) In these
various situation of conscription of forced labour, the villagers had to carry
their own foods and sometimes, the commander asked to bring more or special
foods for soldiers.
The translated order of LIB No. 343 to some villages in
September 1999 is as below: (See the
origin order of Burmese version on Page 4.)
Date: September 21, 1999
To
Chairman
______________ Village
Subject: To send the set number of villagers for labour
contribution
With the purpose of the construction of new military
battalion, we request all villagers to come to the base on September 22, 1999
to reach there at 06:00 a.m. in the morning. You must lead the group of
villagers together with you.
Signed/-
A commander (LIB No. 343)
P. S. to bring some foods with you for cooking when you
come.
LIB No. 343 continuously asked for unpaid labour
contribution in October 1999 to January 2000. The set number of forced labourers
had been small number from every village except sometime they took for the
whole village. In January 2000, the
army planned to build big military barracks. Accordingly an order given to a
village headmen of one village by a LIB No. 343's commander Maj. Lin Oo, he
mentioned that "as our battalion now is required to build some temporary
military barracks, we need about 25 villagers from you village and they must
bring their own 10 digging tools, knives and foods together with them. We inform you that you must arrive to the
base about 7:00 a.m. in the morning on January 8, 2000". From reviewing
this order, the army just built only temporary bases during January.
On January 30, when the army called a meeting with land
loss villagers, the army commanders also mentioned to get fund and labour from
the villagers. Accordingly speech by
Tactical Commander Lt. Col. Cho Htun Aung, they planned to build 16 military
barracks totally and collected fund from the civilians first to cover for all
expenses that required to buy all facilities. After his speech, LIB No. 3 commanders were
getting momentum to use large number of unpaid civilian labourers in their
construction.
Soon after the meeting, LIB No. 343's commander for base
construction, Maj. Lin Oo called a meeting with village headmen and militia
leaders from 7 villages nearby and forced them to accept in taking
responsibility to build the military barracks, which were not temporary but for
permanent base that the villagers had to provide fund and labour. The meeting was named as "the new
battalion construction and area security meeting" and the commander
chaired the meeting. In meeting, the
commander did not allow any complaints from village leaders and but told them
that "in any constructions which are instructed by the State, the
demanding of labour from the civilians is legal accordingly SPDC policy, to get
cooperation from the civilians."
In the meeting, the commanders also shared work-duties to all village headman and instructed to them to send how many labourers
for every day. As a result, according
to meeting decision, there were "10 villagers from Kun-do and Hnin-sone
villages, 5 villagers from Tu-myaung village, 5 villagers from Ah-plaing
village, 5 villagers from Taung-zon village, 20 villagers from Aru-taung
village, 5 villagers from Sone-na-thar village, 20 villagers from Taung-bon
village, 10 villagers from Done-bi village and 20 villagers from Thaung-pyin
village," needed to be sent to work-site every day. Thus, the army required about 100
villagers every day and the concerned village headmen had to take responsibly
in rotating the villagers in their own villages and send the set number of villagers.
Sometimes, as the villagers were busy with their own works,
the village headmen could not manage to get the set number of villagers to send
to the base. As the village headmen had
to ask large number of villagers everyday, it was
quite difficult for them to get the set number of villagers. If that situation happened, the army
commander always reminded the headmen to send the set number of villagers.
As an instance,
"In February, 2000, after many village headmen could
not manage to send the set number of villager labourers to battalion base for
construction, the commander Maj. Lin Oo also wrote a reminding orders to some
village headmen who agreed in decision of the meeting. The commander mentioned that according to
meeting decision on Februarys, some village headmen failed to send the set
number of villagers, and that was why some work-duties in the battalion
construction had not been completed properly.
The commander added, thus, the battalion needed to administrate the
situation firmly, and the village headmen must send the exact set number of
village labourers without failure on February 22. The order put a paragraph of meeting
decision, which village headmen agreed to send the exact number of villagers.
Even in January and February, although the army has used
many hundreds of villagers, the construction still did not finish and so it
took more villagers again in March and April, 2000. Sometimes, after the village headmen again
could not manage to send the set number of villagers or able-bodied men to the
work-sites, the commanders dissatisfy much to those village headmen and send a
threatening letter to take against them.
In letters of in the first week of April, 2000, the Commander Maj. Lin
Oo put in the first paragraph that the village headmen must take responsibility
according the meeting decision to send the set number of villagers. In second paragraph, he mentioned that some
village headmen did not send the villagers accordingly to order, and threatened
that the headmen who failed to send the set number of villagers must come to
the base and give explanation why they could not send the villagers. It meant if a village headmen's explanation
was not believable, he must be detained.
In June, July and August, 2000, the conscription of forced
labour still happened for the construction of military barracks. In order, the commander gave rotation of
villages and one village had to work in the construction for 2-3 days totally
and then another village would replace them.
By this system, army have forced many hundreds
of villagers from over 10 villages in northern part of Ye Township.
The translation of order that instructed the rotation of
villages is as below: (The origin Burmese version is mentioned on Page 5.)
No. 343 Light Infantry Battalion
Ye Township, Aru-taung village,
Letter No. 343/12/Htout 4
Date: June 20, 2000
Chairman
Village Peace and Development Council
--------------------------------------Village
SUBJECT: Informing to send labourers.
1. To do
construction works in battalion base, we inform you to send the village
labourers accordingly to listed dates, the set number of villagers and the
concerned as below:
(a) Taung-bon
village, (from June 28 to June 30) to send 20 villager labourers,
(b) Kwan-du village,
(from June 28 to June 30) to send 7 villager labourers,
(c) Thaung-pyin
village, (from July 1 to July 3) to send 20 villager labourers,
(d) Zar-ga-le
village, (from July 1 to July 3) to send 7 villager labourers,
(e) Aru-taung
village, (from July 4 to July 6) to send 20 villager labours,
(f) Hnin-son
village, (from July 4 to July 6) to send 20 villager labourers,
(g) Son-na-thar village (from July 7 to July 9)
to send 5 villager labourers,
(h) Ah-plaing village, (from July 7 to July 9) to send 5 villager
labourers,
(i) Taung-zun village, (from July 7 to July 9) to send 5
villager labours,
2. We inform
that as the battalion has important works to
do, the set number of
villager labourers from every village must come and everybody must bring tools
together with them.
Signed/- Lin Oo (on behalf of) Battalion Commander
Copies to:
- Office copy
-IB No. 106
Although Maj. Lin Oo, took large
number of villagers to do various types of works in the battalion compounds, it
still did not complete. From July until
August the army had conscripted the local villagers on a rotation. After July 9, the army stopped works only
for six days only and then conscripted the villagers again. From July 15 to August 1, another 125
villagers from the above villages again forced to work in the construction
again. One village, whether it was big
or small, the headmen had to send about 10 villagers to work in the construction
for three days. Some normal villages
with 100-200 households had to send about 20 villagers for three days.
V.
Conclusion
Under the rule of the military regime, SPDC, although ILO
complained for its use of forced labour and requested to abandon this practice,
the regime has not actually acted to stop the use of forced labour. On the other hand, the government's
instruction for the self-reliance activities among the military battalions also
encourage the soldiers to use more forced labour because the battalions have no
budget to pay. However, the civilians
are suffered more and more and have less and less time to do their own works
for their families' survival.