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KHRG Karenni, part 1/5



		  FORCED RELOCATION IN KARENNI

     An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
	      July 15, 1996     /     KHRG #96-24

 * PART 1 OF 5 - SEE OTHER POSTINGS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THIS REPORT *

[NOTE: SOME DETAILS OMITTED OR REPLACED BY 'XXXX' FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION]

Throughout June and July 1996, the State Law & Order Restoration 
Council (SLORC) military junta ruling Burma has conducted a mass 
forced relocation campaign covering more than half of the geographic 
area of Karenni and affecting at least 183 villages so far with an estimated 
total population of 25-30,000.  The first orders to move came as early as 
April in Baw La Keh (sometimes spelled Bawlake) area on the Pon River.  
However, the biggest wave of relocations began on 1 June, when an order 
was issued to all 98 villages between the Pon and Salween Rivers to move 
to relocation sites beside SLORC Army camps at Shadaw and Ywathit.  
The order clearly stated that after 7 June, anyone seen in or around any of 
these villages would be "considered as enemy", i.e. shot on sight with no 
questions asked.  Shortly afterward the relocations spread.  To the south, 
villages in Pah Saung township were ordered to move to a relocation site 
near Pah Saung by 20 June.  Villages surrounding Mawchi and to the 
north and west all through the Too River watershed were ordered to move 
to Mawchi, Bu Ko and Kwa Chi by 20 June - a total of at least 52 known 
villages.  At least 26 villages east of Pruso and Deemawso were ordered 
to move by 25 June, and 7 to 10 villages in the Daw Tama area east of the 
Salween River were forced to move to Daw Tama by the same deadline.  
Even just to the northeast of Loikaw, the capital, at least 29 villages have 
been forced to sign papers stating that they will be forced to move if any 
shots are fired in their area.

The main purpose of the relocations is in keeping with SLORC's current 
policy of "draining the ocean so no fish can swim"; anywhere there is 
opposition, the entire civilian population of the region is forced at 
gunpoint into relocation camps and told that they can never go home until 
the opposition group capitulates.  Similar operations have already been 
conducted this year in central Shan State and Papun District of Karen 
State (see related KHRG reports) and this represents a significant shift in 
SLORC military policy, away from the pretext of negotiated ceasefires and 
aiming for a forced surrender in every case.  The geographic extent of the 
current scorched earth campaigns and the number of people being 
affected are greater than anything previously attempted by SLORC.  In the 
Karenni case, the forced relocations cover almost every area where the 
Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) has ever operated.  The 
KNPP has been fighting Burmese occupation for over 45 years. (Note: 
Karenni was granted independence by the British colonial regime in 1875; 
the KNPP fights for that independence and considers the SLORC an army 
of occupation.  They call their homeland Karenni, while SLORC calls it 
Kayah State.  This report does not concern politics; it uses the name 
Karenni because the KNPP lives there while SLORC does not.)  In March 
1995 the KNPP made a ceasefire with SLORC, but SLORC broke the 
ceasefire on 29 June 1995 with fresh attacks.  By the end of March 1996, 
SLORC had taken all of the main KNPP bases near the Thai border.  The 
KNPP reorganised and guerrilla columns were sent further inside Karenni 
to disrupt SLORC forces.  Rather than hunt the guerrilla columns, SLORC 
is removing the entire civilian population so the columns will have no 
means of support, and also to try to get civilians to pressure the KNPP to 
surrender.  Currently, almost the only areas of southern and central 
Karenni not to be affected by the relocations are areas where the Karenni 
Nationalities People's Liberation Front (KNPLF) operates; the KNPLF 
made a ceasefire with SLORC in 1994 which is still holding.

So far 183 villages are known to have been moved throughout the Shadaw, 
Ywathit, Daw Tama, Baw La Keh, Pruso, Deemawso, Pah Saung and 
Maw Chi areas, and 29 villages northwest of Loikaw have been forced to 
sign papers that they will be forced to move if any shots are fired in the 
area (see the map and list at the end of this report).  Even in areas east of

the Salween River which have not been ordered to move, most people are 
living in hiding in the forest due to fears of fighting in the area, SLORC 
troops taking porters, and their fear of forced relocations at gunpoint 
coming to their area.  Most of the villagers affected by the relocations are 
ethnically Kayah, and there are also many Shans.  These Shans have no 
connection to the opposition groups or relocations now occurring in Shan 
State.  Even many of the Kayah villages affected have had little or no 
contact with KNPP forces in recent times.  The relocations are largely 
arbitrary and based on large geographic areas, crossing all ethnic and 
religious lines.

Most of the people ordered to move have been fleeing to the relocation 
sites, towards Thailand or to other areas.  A few are attempting to hide in 
the forests, though most feel this is too dangerous.  SLORC has promised 
food and places to stay at the relocation sites, but on arrival people find 
neither.  At some sites hundreds of people are living in monasteries, 
abandoned huts, shelters, or under other people's houses.  At Shadaw 
some barracks are being built beside the military camp to house some of 
the people.  At most sites, SLORC troops simply allocate an area of 
scrubland and tell the villagers to clear it.  At Wan Mai, near Baw La Keh, 
the troops have confiscated farmland, marked it out with stakes and are 
forcing the relocated villagers to buy plots from the Battalion to build
their 
houses.  No one has any land to farm, nor are they allowed to go back to 
farm their home fields.  Most people had no chance to bring much food 
with them and SLORC provides none, so at most sites SLORC has 
relented and allowed people to go back to their villages to get supplies.  
This is only for a limited time: for example, at Shadaw people were told 
that they must all be back by 27 June, and after that anyone outside the 
camp would be shot on sight.  Near Baw La Keh, villagers were told that 
by July all roads would be blockaded and even cross-river ferries would 
stop operating in the area.  It is important to note that these relocations 
are all happening at planting and growing time for the year's only rice 
crop, so this year at least half of Karenni will have no rice harvest.  
SLORC soldiers have made clear to the villagers that this is fine with them 
- as one villager told us, "They told us that it is not necessary for us to 
grow anything, because we won't eat it ourselves, we will only use it to 
feed the rebels."

Water is inadequate at some of the sites, and at every site disease is 
rampant.  Those wishing medical help must buy their own medicines, and 
at Shadaw people must even pay for a 'clinic ticket' before they can go to 
the nurse.  At Ywathit, the relocated villagers are already being used by 
the troops to do forced labour on a road; at the other sites, soldiers tell 
the villagers there will be no labour "for now", but all the villagers are 
sure they will be used as military porters and other labour in the near 
future.  Some of them believe this is the whole reason for the relocations - 
very few of them have much idea of what is happening between SLORC 
and KNPP.

At least 3,000 people fleeing the relocations have arrived at Karenni 
refugee camps in Thailand, despite the difficulty and danger of the 4 to 7 
day walk in the monsoon rain and mud through the forest and over 
mountains, with little or nothing to eat and the possibility of encountering 
SLORC troops at any point along the way.  As of 3 July, 2,091 new people 
had registered in Karenni Camp 2, the main arrival point, and up to 100 
more were arriving each day.  In many cases entire villages are arriving 
together.  A very high proportion of them are arriving suffering malaria, 
respiratory infections, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, dysentery, skin diseases,

malnutrition and exhaustion.  Many children have died on arrival at the 
camp - in the first week of July one observer estimated that one child per 
day was dying.  Overseas organisations helping the refugees are saving as 
many people as possible with the resources at their disposal.  SLORC officers
across the border have already demanded that the Thai Army hand all the 
refugees back.

The remainder of this report consists of the following parts: Interviews, 
translation of a relocation order, photocopy of the relocation order in 
Burmese, relocation map, and list of villages affected.  The interviews in 
this report were conducted by KHRG in a Karenni refugee camp just 
inside Thailand at the beginning of July 1996.  The names of those 
interviewed have been changed to protect them, and some other details 
omitted.  Note that Preh Tho Leh Township is a Karenni name; SLORC 
considers it to be part of Shadaw Township.

			     CONTENTS

Introduction (p.1), Interviews (p.4), Translation of relocation order (p.21),

Copy of relocation order in Burmese (p.22), Relocation map (p.24), 
List of villages affected (p.25).

			  TOPIC SUMMARY

Relocation orders:  Contents of orders (Interview #1,2,4,5,8-10), 
relocation at gunpoint (#3,7), hardships of the move (#2,3,6), burning 
houses (#1,2), reasons for relocation (#3,5,6,7,9), arrest of those who stay 
behind (#3,8).

Conditions at relocation sites:  Shadaw site (#2,5,6,10,11), Ywathit site 
(#3,7), Wan Mai (Baw La Keh area) site (#1,8), allocation of housing area 
(#1-3,5-8,10,11), confiscation of local farmers' land for relocation site 
(#1,7), selling plots to relocated villagers (#1), local villagers forced to 
clear relocation site (#10), food (#1-3,5-8,10,11), sickness/clinics (#1-3,5-
8,10,11), deaths (#1,2,5,6,8), forced labour (#1,3), looting (#5), 
impounding relocated villagers' rice and rationing it back to them (#1,3,8), 
phony 'food distribution' photo session (#11), movement restrictions (#1-3,
5,7,8,10,11).

General:  Lost possessions (#1-11),  hardships during flight (#1-4,6,9-11), 
giving birth during flight (#4), deserted villages (#2,3,5,9,10), 
situation in villages before these relocations (#1-3,6,7,9,11).
_____________________________________________________________________________

   - [END OF PART 1 - SEE OTHER POSTINGS FOR PARTS 2 THROUGH 5] -


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