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DAWN aritcle Vol.6 No.3, July/Augus



Subject: DAWN aritcle Vol.6 No.3, July/August

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Mass Exodus of Karenni Refugees

	During the past 40 years, civilians, especially ethnic people, have borne
the brunt of government attempts to crush the resistance against the central
government.  The inhabitants of the war-zones also suffer as a result of
human rights abuses committed during the military operations, especially
during the forcible relocation of villages, enforced portering and the
seizure of land and property. The Slorc always claims these tactics are
"Counter-insurgency" operations.  Under the "Four Cuts" campaign, entire
communities have been forcibly relocated from their homes and army
operations have created large numbers of refugees and displaced peoples in
the border area. The number of displaced or forced to resettle since 1988 is
as high as four million which amounts to a full ten per cent of the population.
	From every corner of Burma, there is irrefutable evidence that the forcible
relocation of civilians by the Slorc military is taking place on a massive
scale in both government-controlled areas and ethnic minority zones of
conflict. Not only are such moves themselves a major cause of poverty and
deprivation, but it is in the context of such relocations that many of the
worse human rights abuses by the security forces have occurred. 
	The most recent massive forced relocations, begun in March 1996, are being
carried out by Slorc in Shan State and Karenni State.  To date, at least
70,000 villagers in Shan and Karenni States have been ordered to move to new
sites under the Slorc control. Those who fail to comply face death,
according to orders issued by township Lorcs.  
	Karenni Nationalities Progressive Party (KNPP) signed a cease-fire
agreement at a ceremony in Loikaw on March 21, making it the fourth and
final armed group in the Karenni State to do so. But on June 28, the KNPP
issued a statement claiming that the Slorc had broken the terms of the
agreement by sending an additional 2,000 troops into its territory and
continuing to take civilians for porters from the area.  Two days later,
fighting broke out after the Slorc launched an attack on the KNPP
headquarters near the Thai border.
	The fighting was fierce until the Slorc captured some of the strategic
locations in the region.  During the operation named "Pyi Nyein Aye", Slorc
used between 2000-3000 of its armed forces from 27 battalions. Slorc also
launched an air attack, sending its Swiss-made PC-7 planes against KNPP
strongholds. Skirmish are still taking place, followed by orders demanding
forced relocation of the civilians in the region.  The purpose, of course,
is mainly to eliminate the KNPP forces from the region by cutting off all
food, information, communication and recruitment.
	In Karenni state, ninety-six villages in Shar Daw township, between Pun
Creek and the Salween River received relocation orders in the first week of
June 1996. An original order, given to the ABSDF by newly arrived refugees
on the Thai border, gave a deadline of June 7, 1996 for relocation in Shar
Daw town.
	The letter dated May 31, 1996 issued by Chairman of  Shar Daw Township Lorc
reads as follows:

Stamped		: Township Lorc
		   Shar Daw Township
Letter No.		: 101/0-1/Ya Ta-1 (tha wa)
Date		: May 31, 1996

Village headman
xxxxxx village
Shar Daw South Village group

Subject		: Building concentration village with the villages in Shar Daw township
ref:		: Letter No. 337/01/Oo-1 dated May 30, 1996 on the front line LIB 337.
	Regarding the above-mentioned case, we order you to move the villagers from
the villages between Salween River and Pun Creek as well as villages in
southern and northern part of Shar Daw into Shar Daw town by June 7, 1996.
This is in order to restore peace, law and tranquillity in the region.
Anyone who fails to comply the order will be considered an enemy and dealt
with accordingly.
	Thus, we inform you to move your whole village into Shar Daw not later than
June 7, 1996. The relocating village will be resettled by the Township Lorc.

Signed by
Chairman
Shar Daw Township Lorc

cc.
- Chairman State Lorc, Kayah State
- Chairman District Lorc, Kayah State
- Front line office, LIB 337, Shar Daw town
- Chairman, Market Ward, south, middle and Aung Chan Tha- in order to assist
the resettlement.

	Over 20,000 people in Karenni State were affected by the orders. About
10,000 of them went to Shar Daw as ordered while 2,300 fled and reached the
border. Villagers were not allowed to take their livestock or food supplies
with them and had to move with just the barest of essentials, such as
cooking pots and what clothing they could bring. All their property
including silver coins that are being still used for trade in that area were
left  behind. 
	In Daw Leh Ku village alone, 22 houses, 300,000 baskets of paddy and about
10 cattle and buffaloes were left behind. 
	About 10,000 villagers went to stay in Shar Daw town while the rest of them
either moved to Shan State or fled to Thai-Burmese border. Those who went to
Shar Daw according to the order were placed in the churches and schools and
other built makeshift shelters. Slorc intended to make no provision for
them, they found out later.  These shelters were very crowded and no food or
medicine was provided for the arrivals. Due to overcrowded conditions and
lack of medical assistance, diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and cholera
are rampant.  At least 150 newly relocated Karenni refugees, mostly the
elderly and the very young, died during the month of July at the new
relocation site in Shar Daw town. 
	When the villagers asked permission to go back to their villages in order
to fetch rice and other food supplies for themselves, they were allowed to
go back for three days.  Upon their return to the relocation site, all the
food stuffs and rice they had carried back from the villages were seized by
the troops, who later redistributed only six tins of rice per family back to
them for their daily use.
	Experiencing the overcrowding and large number of deaths in the new site,
many fled to the border after staying some time in the camp. Many refugees
reported that their villages had been razed, after soldiers had taken all
the livestock and destroyed the remaining crops and barns. One hundred
houses in Daw Tama and Daw Bo Leh villages as well as the local schools and
churches were burned down on June 15 by the Slorc.  Soldiers looted more
than 10,000 silver coins from that village alone.  One of the villager
reported that he himself had left 6,000 silver coins behind. Many villagers
reported that they saw soldiers using and selling silver coins in Shar Daw. 
	In some cases,  people were shot in the deserted villages.  A 70-year-old
refugee woman reported that U Law Reh, a 53-year-old Karenni from Daw Tama
village was burnt to death in the last week of July when his house was fired
while he was still inside. The woman herself had been left behind in the
village by her family because they thought she could not walk to the border.
However, she managed to reach the border with two companions in the first
week of August; she hadn't dared remain any longer in the abandoned village.
	Slorc troops committed many other brutal killings against the Karenni
villagers. Bu Me, 50-year-old Karenni woman from Daw Hti Kaw Le village was
dragged out from her house by the Slorc troops in the last week of July.
Shot twice in the stomach, she died instantly, according to Ngar-Reh, a
witness from Daw Htaw Vee Me Le village. 
 	Over 2,000 Karenni villagers reached the Thai-Burmese border sheltering in
existing Karenni refugee camps near Mae Hong Son. Although the villages and
the border is only two days walks far, many refugees took at least five days
to reach to the border. The heavy rain on the way and Slorc's attempts to
prevent their escape forced the refugees to hide by day and walk only at
night.  Troops from IB. 54 based in Loikaw, IB.94 based in Shwe Nyaung in
Shan State and LIB.530 based in Lawpita have been sent to the region to
prevent the people from escaping to Thailand.  Some people were arrested on
the way to border and sent back to the concentration camps in Shar Daw.  In
one case, a group of villagers from Htee Saw Ku were arrested while they
stopped to help one woman in the group give birth en route to the border.
	Despite the heavy monsoon rain and flooding in the region, the new arrivals
reach the camps every day.  These refugees are also facing terrible
shortages of food and medicine. "At least ten of them, mainly children, have
died of malaria and diarrhea since July and many are very sick," according
to a medic working with the Karenni refugees.  "Many of these people are
seriously ill due to their exhausting journey to the border and the heavy
rains" said another aid worker. "There are many Karenni hiding in the jungle
because they couldn't go to relocation site but they couldn't manage to walk
to the border either. We do not know their fate, but we believe that their
situation must be getting worse." added by other worker.
	Slorc has also issued the order of forced relocation to the villages in
Prusoe and Maw Chi townships in Karenni state. Similarly forced relocation
is widely practiced in Shan State.  The victims of human rights abuses by
Slorc are taking refuge along the border. They are in desperate need of
assistance as very few international aid agencies are operating. 
	The exodus of thousands of Karenni refugees to the border because of the
forced relocation orders by the Slorc in the region clearly indicates the
level of human rights violations going on in Burma.  
	Also relocations in this area are designed to pressure the KNPP into
signing a new binding cease-fire agreement which would enable the government
to open up the area to tourism after October 1996, the start of "Visit
Myanmar Year." 
	Besides, Slorc is desperately attempting the regain cease-fire with KNPP in
order to cover its renewed repression against opposition forces inside Burma. 
	"Cease-fire agreements" which lack the genuine desire and means for
internal peace can not last long.  Pressuring a group with threats and
harassment to its people clearly shows that Slorc has neither the desire nor
the way to establish internal peace in the country.  



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