Description:
Far from indicating a shift away from utilizing forced labor, much less a cessation of this practice, ERI?s interviews demonstrate that
the authorities? use of forced labor continues through the present.
The following statements are all drawn from these interviews: "Just
three days before I came to Thailand, I had to fence their [the
military?s] camp" (Interview #11); "We had to go to fence the
military base once a month" (Interview #32); "Every month we have
to go and work for the soldiers more than ten days, and sometimes
it was almost the whole month" (Interview #2); "Every five days,
two villagers in our village tract had to go by rotation [to accompany
soldiers]" (Interview #38).
Several interviews suggest, however, that the authorities are
attempting to alter in name what they refuse to reform in practice:
"Starting in November 2000... the District Peace Development
Council has ordered the villagers to call porters ?helpers? and if
people still call ?helpers? porters, they will punish them" (Interview
#6); "According to the villagers, there is no ?porter[ing]? now, but
[the military] calls it by another name. This time they ask for
?A-Ku-A-Nyi,? which means ?helper.? That means a villager has to
go with them for give days as a guide, and they ask for it all the
time" (Interview #28).
The enclosed interviews were conducted by ERI or by people from
Burma who received prior training from ERI on how to conduct
interviews. Due to security concerns and our own confidentiality
policies, identifying information in the interviews has been redacted.
We have given the township names to provide the location of
incidences of forced labor and other human rights abuses. We have
excluded people?s names, but if this information is needed please
contact us.
In sum, it is clear that use of forced labor, including portering, has
not stopped in areas where we have been able to collect
information. ERI will continue to monitor the situation and send
information as it is received.
Source/publisher:
EarthRights International
Date of Publication:
2001-06-04
Date of entry:
2010-11-01
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English