Human rights abuses in Burma from D

[caroline@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Human rights abuses in Burma from DAWN July/August

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Forced Labor in Kawkayeik Township 
 
	Slorc has been using civilians in Kawkayeik Township, Karen State, as 
forced laborers on the motor-road construction projects, for about nine 
months. Currently, motor-roads are being built from  Kyondoe to Nabu, from 
Kawkayeik to Nabu and also from Dawnan to Nabu.   
	Each road is about fifteen miles long and all construction is being 
monitored by Slorc LIBs 545, 546, 547, 548, and 549.  Each village group is 
assigned to dig the ground and build up the roadway.  Each group is 
responsible for a section of roadway 8 ft high, 60 ft wide and 1200 ft long. 
All family members, with the sole exception of the person allowed to stay 
and take care of the house, must report for work daily  from the beginning 
of construction.  Failure to do so, results in a 1,200 kyat fine.  
	Every morning soldiers from the LIB come and order the villagers to go to 
the worksite. "The soldiers always use very bad language and tell us we 
should leave the country if we do not want to work," said one villager, 
recently arrived at the Thai-Burma border.  
	There is no break in construction work even during the raining season. 
Often, sections of newly constructed roadway collapse due to the heavy rains 
while the work is still underway.  
	In addition to having to supply unpaid labor in motor-road construction, 
residents also face having their land confiscated by the five newly arrived 
battalions. By order of Col. Ye Htut, strategic commander, many plots of 
land belonging of local people have already been confiscated without any 
compensation whatsoever.  Moreover, people are ordered to construct military 
barracks, to make bricks for the military, as well as work on the 
battalions' farms without any pay. 
 
NMSP Gains Business Rights from Slorc 
 
	Slorc has given business privilege to the ethnic groups who have reached 
cease-fire agreements with them.  
	The New Mon State Party (NMSP) which signed a cease-fire agreement on June 
29, 1995 has been given Slorc's permission to run seventeen businesses 
including contracts in offshore fishing in the name of NMSP. 
	To start the offshore fishing concession, ten high-tech fishing vessels 
have arrived in Moulmein. This is the first group of a total of 25 vessels 
purchased from Thailand. The new vessels are named Ramanya-1, Ramanya-2, 
etc. and painted blue, according to merchants from Moulmein, Mon State, Burma. 
	Among the seventeen business contracts permitted the NMSP are logging, 
offshore fishing, trade rights with Singapore and Malaysia, inland 
transportation, gold mining, soft drink manufacturing, and trading natural 
gas concessions. Local business people are greatly concerned by these 
special privileges granted  to the NMSP, according to local  
merchants. 
	NMSP said that these business contracts with Slorc permission did not mean 
their surrender to the military dictatorship and that they are only a tactic 
to promote the well-being of Mon people. The actual policy of NMSP would be 
clarified after their third conference to be held in this year, a source 
from NMSP said. 
 
Forced labor in the TOTAL's gas pipe project 
 
	Local people are conscripted and forced to work in virtual concentration 
camps related to the ongoing construction of natural gas-pipe between Yadana 
offshore natural gas field and Thailand, according to refugees who recently 
fled to the Thai-Burmese border. 
	Ko Ngwe Win, a villager from Mintha villager in Yebyu township, Tennessarim 
division, said one family member from each household in the village is 
ordered to work every fifteen days at the Heize Boke island, 20 kilometer 
southwest of Phaungdaw village. "Our village has 40 houses and that means 40 
people have to work on the island every fifteen days without pay." he said. 
If someone fails to go and work, the family is required to pay 2000 kyat to 
the local military in fines.  
	Similar taxation is also levied on the local villagers for the construction 
of new army barracks in the region. "Our village, which has forty houses, 
has been levied a tax of 25,000 kyat at one time for this purpose," Ko Ngwe 
Win said. Not a single village in the region is spared the taxation and 
forced labor conscription. Although local people are subjected to unpaid 
forced labor in the natural gas pipeline project, military troops 
responsible for security on the gas pipeline are paid 200 kyat per day by 
the French company TOTAL.   
	"People cannot endure the many forms of taxation and unpaid work such as 
gas pipeline project, Ye-Tavoy railway project, porter fees, forced labor 
fees and other unknown fees. "That's why my whole family decided to flee to 
the refugee camp on the border," said Ko Ngwe Win surrounded by his 
six-member family. 
 
******** 
 
Open Market Merely for Slorc 
 
	Slorc is claiming that it has introduced an "Open Market " economic system 
in Burma, and on the surface it is true, bringing apparent new prosperity 
into the cities. But the army remains firmly in control of the economy so 
that the open market system is merely for Slorc's senior members and their 
immediate families.  It certainly does not benefit ordinary Burmese people, 
since all businesses and trades are being monopolized by the Slorc and army 
officers.  Ordinary people are suffering an even more miserable life than 
ever before. 
	The army's holding company, Union of Myanmar Economic Holding is Burma's 
largest firm. It was established on February 19, 1990 with the objective of 
carrying on business internally and abroad and making investments "in the 
interest of the state" which is none other than the Burmese army itself. 
Its registered capital stands at ten billion kyats, or $1.4 billion at the 
official exchange rate.  Forty percent of the capital shares are to be 
subscribed by the Ministry of Defence and 60% by the members of the armed 
forces, either active or retired, and by regimental institutions and 
organizations.  
	Many private companies are suffering various difficulties because of the 
economic monopoly of the military-run Myanmar Economic Holding. It's also 
the dominant player in the area of foreign investment, controlling 14 joint 
ventures ranging from garment manufacturing  to real estate. It also notably 
manages the army's pension funds and owns Myawaddy Bank, giving it ready 
sources of financing.  In addition, Myawaddy Tour, one of the businesses run 
by Umeh, is granted special privileges to run its tours in highly restricted 
areas.  For example, it won the exclusive contract for tours to Mogok, which 
is off-limits to others due to security concerns but is famous as the land 
of jade and sapphires. 
	  Individual army officers are also enjoying special business privileges 
and running lucrative businesses.  The two- storey building which is an 
office of the Press and Publishing Corporation, situated at the corner of 
Merchant Street and Pansodan street in Rangoon was rented to Gen. Tun Kyi, 
the  Minister for Trade for 70,000 kyats per month.  Gen. Tun Kyi then 
converted the building's space into a number of small shops which he now 
rents to other well - connected businessmen. From this one building alone, 
he earns at least 500,000 kyats per month in rental fees.  People in Rangoon 
have now nicknamed the building "Tun Kyi's Department Store."  
 
*********** 
 
New Artillery Battalion and Human Rights Violations 
 
	While the construction of barracks and facilities for No (20) new artillery 
division near Kyauk Sit Pon village, Monywa township, Sagaing division is 
underway, the land owned by local people is confiscated and people are being 
used as forced laborers in the construction work.  
	Villagers from nearby villages are ordered to work every Saturday at the 
construction site for the new battalion.  Locally owned motorcycles are 
comandeered for use by the army in rotatation without any money paid.  Army 
officers are making good money in this way by selling the battalion's quota 
of gasoline on the black market. 
	A lot of land belonging to local villagers has been confiscated for the 
construction without any compensation. In order to cultivate the land during 
the cultivating season and postpone construction, landowners must pay 700 
kyats per acre to Major Zaw Min, the commander of the battalion. 
	Similarly, large tracts of land of Thapyidaw, Kyi Padon, Palingone, Minte, 
Kan O, Yinpan, Magyigone, Songone and Thegyigone villages that are affected 
by the construction of 15-mile long motor-road between the Northwest 
military command and new artillery battalion are also being taken without 
compensation by the army. 
**************** 
 
Religious Discrimination in Naga Hills Region 
	Not only Buddhism but also other religions in Burma have been persecuted 
under the iron-grip reign of the Slorc.  Burmese people can not enjoy the 
freedom guaranteed under Article 18 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
which clearly states the all have the right to practice according to their 
own religious choice.  
	The mainly Christian Naga people in Layshe township, Sagaing division are 
suffering racial and religious discrimination from Slorc troop in the 
region.  Local villagers in Layshe township have frequently been threatened 
and coerced to convert to Buddhism whenever columns of LIB 222 and IB 369 
come to their village.   
	Layyon, Pansut, Konkanlon, Sonmaya, Pontayet, Kuki and Mayeyon villages 
primarily inhabited by Christian Nagas have repeatedly been the victims of 
Slorc's religious persecution. In November of last year, a military column 
led by division commander Capt. Myint Kyaw from LIB 369 came to the villages 
and ordered the villagers to sign affidavits of conversion to Buddhism. 
Many Christian villagers, fearing  torture or execution, signed the affidavit. 
	After that, the same military column went to Sonmaya village and broke down 
the door of the village church.  After the soldiers made two Buddhist monks 
sit on the preaching stage, they forced the Christian Naga villagers to 
worship them  
	On December 20, a military platoon from IB. 222 arrived in Konkailon 
village and ordered the Christian minister, U Maung Hlaing, to make the 
Christian Naga convert to Buddhism.  They also threatened to destroy the 
Christian churches in the region and replace them with Buddhist temples. The 
troop warned the villagers that there would be a big trouble if the 
villagers did not convert into Buddhism when they came next time. 
	Similar actions are also taking place in some places of Karenni and Shan 
States where majority of  local residents are Christian. Regional Control 
Military Strategic Headquarters in Loikaw, Karenni state ordered the 
villagers to build one Buddhist monastery in every Christian village. 
 
Slorc Orders to Hang its Chairman's Portrait  
 
	All village and ward Law and Order Restoration offices and governmental 
offices in Tacheleik Township, Shan State were ordered to hang the portraits 
of Senior General Than Shwe, Slorc's Chairman,  according to an order issued 
by Captain Win Aung, chairman of township lorcs. 
	The order, issued on June 24, 1996, said the portraits of Senior General 
Than Shwe are on sale at the Tacheleik township Cooperative Ltd. One 
portrait costs 140 baht and everybody is entitled to purchase it, the order 
said. 
	In another letter dated July 4, 1996 to the members of lorc, it ordered 
them to urge local people along the Thai-Burmese border to hang the portrait 
of Slorc chairman at their home and other public places. The letter urged 
the local people to demonstrate their patriotism by hanging the portrait of 
the head of the state, instead of the hanging of his Majesty the King of 
Thailand and other Thai leaders. It was the duty of the authorities to urge 
the people to follow the order in a way of maintaining nationalism, the 
letter said.  
	Other sources from Mandalay told that portraits of the Slorc chairman are 
also hung along the stairs to Mandalay hill. However, the portraits are 
frequently defaced and damaged with chewing gum by pilgrims, he said. 
	The source from Tacheleik said there are large numbers of the portrait of 
the Slorc chairman still remaining in the shops as local people are not 
following the order or purchasing the portraits. 
 
 
Racial Discrimination and Religious Assault in Karenni 
 
	Since it took power in 1988, Slorc has been attempting to destroy  many 
historic and religious places across the countries. Many landmarks and 
places of worship have been sealed off or destroyed.  
	There are four central wards in Shardaw town in Karenni State one of which 
one is called " Mother Mary Ward". The name derives from the Roman Catholic 
faith since the majority of the residents in the ward are Catholic.  Slorc 
has ordered the name of the ward changed to "Aung Chan Tha Ward" to the 
distress of local Catholic residents.  
	Moreover, the Muslim cemetery in Loikaw was destroyed while the Catholic 
cemetery in the same city was ordered closed and sealed off. Under the name 
of beautification program for coming "Visit Myanmar Year 1996", many 
historic and religious places are being destroyed across the country. 
 
 
Slorc Torches Two Villages in Palaw 
 
	A military column of  IB 103 and 433 led by Capt. Nyo Win torched Min Win 
village and Shan Thay village in Palaw township, Tanessarim division on June 
3, 1996. No notice or reason was given. 
	Altogether 22 houses and one primary school in the villages were burned 
while soldiers looted villagers' property.  Troops took more than a hundred 
baskets of paddy and wantonly shot a number of cattle and buffaloes.  
 
 


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