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KHRG #97-04: Orders, Chin State



		   SLORC ORDERS TO VILLAGES:  SET 97-A
			       Chin State

	  An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
     From SLORC Orders Obtained by the Chin Human Rights Organisation
		  March 16, 1997     /     KHRG #97-04

SOME DETAILS OMITTED OR REPLACED BY 'XXXX' FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION.
A FULL COPY OF THIS REPORT IS AVAILABLE FROM KHRG ON APPROVED REQUEST.

Following are the direct translations of some written orders sent from 
SLORC Army units to Chin villages in Chin State, northwestern Burma.  
Copies of these orders were provided to KHRG by the Chin Human Rights 
Organisation, which is now actively documenting the human rights 
situation in Chin State.  For related information, see also "SLORC 
Abuses in Chin State" (KHRG #97-03, 15/3/97) and "The Situation in 
Northwestern Burma" (KHRG #96-06, 30/1/96).

These orders include demands for forced labour on roads and at Army 
camps, extortion money, food, building materials, and intelligence.  For 
every order reproduced here, hundreds more are issued every week; these 
should be seen only as a small representative sampling.  Most of the 
orders are addressed to Chairmen and Secretaries of Village Law & 
Order Restoration Councils (VLORC / Ya Wa Ta) from the Township Law 
& Order Restoration Council (TLORC / Ma Wa Ta).  These are local 
levels of SLORC administration.  A 'village tract' is all the villages in a 
subarea of the township.  While the Township LORC consists of SLORC 
officials under direct military control, the Village LORC members are 
appointed, often against their will, by the local military.  They are 
responsible for providing forced labourers, money, materials, intelligence 
etc. as demanded by the military and the Township LORC, and they are 
the first to be arrested and tortured if they fail to do so.   The similarity

of these orders to those obtained by KHRG in Karen areas at the opposite 
end of Burma show the systematic, widespread, and consistent nature of 
SLORC abuses throughout all rural areas of the country.

Most of these orders were typed, copied and sent to villages throughout 
the township.  Photocopies of the Burmese originals (with village names 
blacked out) are available upon approved request.  We have attempted to 
accurately reproduce the visual page layout of each order, and 
underlining, etc. are as they appear in the order.  'Stamp:' gives the 
translation of the unit stamp affixed to some of the orders.  Italic text in 
square brackets has been added by KHRG for clarification where 
necessary.  Note that Burmese grammar is very different from English, 
and therefore some of the phraseology sounds awkward because we have 
tried to reproduce the wording as exactly as possible.  

As in the originals, numeric dates are shown in dd/mm/yy format.  The 
term 'loh ah pay' appears frequently; in direct translation it implies 
voluntary labour, but it is SLORC's term for forced labour.  LIB = Light 
Infantry Battalion; IB = Infantry Battalion; LORC = Law & Order 
Restoration Council, SLORC's local and regional administration.  Where 
necessary for safety, details have been blanked out with 'xxxx', 'yyyy', etc.
 
Even so, please do not pass this report to any SLORC representatives.


TOPIC SUMMARY:  Haka-Gangaw road labour (Order #1), Than Tlang-Haka 
road labour (#2,3), orders for porters & messengers (#5,6), 
demands for Army camp building materials (#8), forced payment for a 
school (#4), extortion of money for sports and student festivals (#1,9,10), 
forced conscription and support for People's Militia (#11-13).
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #1

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 1/4-5/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 12 December 1996
To:     Chairman / In-Charge
	Ward/Village Law & Order Restoration Council
	xxxx    village
	Than Tlang township

Subject:        Invitation for a meeting

1)      For the Student Sports Festival fund and in accordance with the 
decision taken by the Chin State Law & Order Restoration Council, Than 
Tlang township must come to dig the road from Haka to Gangaw.  They 
must come to dig 22,500 kyin for the car road in the first week of January 
[1 kyin = 10 x 10 x 1 feet of dirt or stone].

2)      If you have difficulties in coming to work, others must be hired and 
the price is 200 Kyats for one kyin of ordinary soil.  After deducting the 
wage for one day, you must come along with 135 Kyats unit price for each 
kyin.

3)      The meeting will be held in the community hall of the Township 
Law & Order Restoration Council group on 18/12/96 at 1:00 p.m.  The 
village tract LORC Chairmen, Secretaries, members and responsible people 
are invited to attend the meeting without fail (without fail).
       
						   [Sd.]
						   (for) Chairman
						   (Kyin Za Pone, Secretary)
Copy to:  - Sent
	  - Office copy

[Gangaw is in northern Magwe Division 90 km. as the crow flies 
southeast of Haka, but this road goes through rugged hills and will 
actually be much longer.  Paragraph 2 implies that SLORC may be 
providing 65 kyats per kyin to pay the forced labourers, but that all this 
money is simply being kept by the Township LORC.  The Township LORC 
has reportedly claimed that it has allocated wages for the labourers, but 
has then decided on its own to 'donate' all these wages to the Student 
Sports Festival fund - which is in its turn stolen by officials and the 
military.  Regardless, the reality is that no one on this road is being paid,

and those who cannot work are being forced to pay 135 Kyats per kyin.  
No one is being 'hired' as the order claims.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #2

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 01/1-17/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 24 April 1996
To:     In-Charge
	Ward/Village Law & Order Restoration Council
	xxxx    ward/village
	Than Tlang township

Subject:        Regarding widening the motor road by 20 feet
Reference:      1) Letter # 93/3-17/TLORC (Tha Ta Lah) from this office 
		   dated 18/1/96
		2) Letter # 01/3-18/TLORC (Tha Ta Lah) from this office 
		   dated 26/2/96
		3) Letter # 01/3-18/TLORC (Tha Ta Lah) from this office 
		   dated 29/2/96
		4) Letter # 01/3-17/TLORC (Tha Ta Lah) from this office 
		   dated 4/4/96

1)      In accordance with the resolution of the meeting which was attended 
by members of the Township Law & Order Restoration Council, 
department heads and all village-in-charges, the work assignments to widen 
the road by 20 feet between Than Tlang and Haka shall be completed 
within April 1996.  You have already been informed that we will take 
serious action against any village which cannot finish its assignment.  This 
has been frequently acknowledged by letter and by spoken communication.

2)      However, until today, 24/4/96, we have found that you have not 
started yet.  This assignment is a national duty and is also regional 
development.  We have already given you enough time to do it.  
Furthermore, the Township Law & Order Restoration Council assisted as 
much as we could towards all of your needs.  If you give any reason, such 
as that you came late and could not fulfill your assignment building the 
motor road, we will not accept any such reason.

3)      We hereby inform you to complete the building of the road in April 
using all villagers necessary from your village.  Anyone who refuses to 
come to build the road shall be punished according to the law, and you 
should inform this office.  We hereby inform you again to report to the 
Township Law & Order Restoration Council when you go to build the 
road.  We hereby inform any villages which cannot come to do it by 
26/4/96 that all members of the Village Law & Order Restoration Council 
must come and meet with the Chairman of the Township Law & Order 
Restoration Council on 30/4/96 at 10:00 a.m. without fail.

						 [Sd.]
						(Tin Aung)
						 Chairman

Copy to: - Township engineer, public works department, Than Tlang;
		assign a place when they come to report to Than Tlang
	 - Township health department, Than Tlang; 
		take responsibility for health care
	 - Receipt/Office

[Widening the Haka - Than Tlang road will make it more effective for 
military use.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #3

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 01/3-18/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 26 February 1996
To:     Chairman
	Ward/Village Law & Order Restoration Council
	xxxx    town/village (Than Tlang township)

Subject:        Loh ah pay [forced labour] to widen the motor road
Reference:      Resolution 4/96 by supervisory group dated 21/2/96

1)      Regarding the above subject, on 24/2/96 the supervisory group 
checked the road construction which has already been done.

2)      Apart from the seven villages listed below which have fulfilled their

duty, all wards and villages have not completed their assignments yet.  
Therefore in accordance with the above reference, 15/3/96 is the deadline 
to redo and finish your assignments.

3)      The supervisory group will reassign the rest of the work which 
remains to be done.

4)      You are hereby informed that first the supervisory group will only 
collect rice rations.

5)      You can go home after sending the information and measurements 
to the engineer and the engineer accepts them [i.e. after the engineer 
verifies that you have built the road to all specifications].  (Instead of 
hard rock areas, build instead in softer soil areas.)

6)      Up until now, Bel Har village has still not started building the road

so the Village Tract Law & Order Restoration Council must solve this as 
quickly as possible.

7)      The Chairmen and secretaries of the village tracts themselves must 
supervise this repeated loh ah pay assignment from beginning to end, as per 
the arrangement.

8)      People must go to the worksite by their own arrangement.  The 
responsible person must inform the road supervisory group.

9)      The villages which have already fulfilled their loh ah pay are:
	 1)  Tibual village, Tlang Te tract
	 2)  Mualkai village, Tlang Te tract
	 3)  Kuhchah village, Chaung Ti Ya tract
	 4)  Ywakwa village, Saikah tract
	 5)  Thinghual village, Tikhuangtuam tract
	 6)  Tha Tlang village, Tikhuangtuam tract
	 7)  Leitak (A) village, Hmawngtlang tract

10)     You must not fail because it is your national duty.

					     [Sd.]
					     (for) Chairman
					     (Kyin Za Pone, Secretary)

Copy to:  All members of road supervisory group; U ____
	  Receipt/Office

[This order relates to forced labour to widen the Haka - Than Tlang road 
by 20 feet, and predates Order #2.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #4

Stamp: [illegible]

To:                                                   Date: 28/12/96
     Chairman
     xxxx village

Subject:        To send rice

1)      Regarding the above subject, you are hereby informed to bring 2 
sacks of rice to XXXX army camp on 29/12/96, as decided at the 
meeting with 12 villages under the authority of XXXX army camp.

2)      To set up Miza self-reliance middle school, XXXX tract must 
contribute 8,000 Kyats.  Therefore your village must contribute 1,000 
Kyats.

3)      If you send rice to the camp, it could make money for the Miza 
school fund.

					[Sd. / XXXX]
					Chairman
					Tract Law & Order Restoration Council
					XXXX tract

["Self-reliance" projects mean the villagers have to give all required 
money, materials and forced labour to complete the projects, then SLORC 
makes propaganda claiming credit for them.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #5

To:                                                           22/11/96
	Chairman / Secretary
	xxxx village

Subject:        To send servants [i.e. porters]

Regarding the above subject, the Chairman is informed to come along with 
5 servants and 4 days of rations [for the servants], on 24/11/96 at 12 
o'clock midday to XXXX army camp.  The Chairman himself must come 
to send them without fail.  If the Chairman fails, the responsibility will 
be on the Chairman and Secretary.  We inform you that we will take strict 
action.

						     [Sd. / 22/11/96]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #6

To:                                                             4/11/96
	Chairman / Secretary
	xxxx village

Subject:        To provide 2 special messengers from your village

If the enemy enters the area of the villages, each village must inform the 
mobile column which is nearest to their village.  We inform you to assign 2 
special messengers in order to send this information as quickly as possible.

					    [Sd. / 4/11/96]
					    (for) Column Commander
					    Frontline #XXX Infantry Battalion

[This will force the villagers to rotate being on standby for any call by 
SLORC to act as messengers.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #7

Stamp: [illegible]

To:                                                       Date: 25/11/96
     Chairman / Secretary
     xxxx village

Subject:        Invitation for a meeting

Regarding the above subject, a very important meeting will be held on 
30/11/96 at XXXX army camp, so you are hereby informed to report to 
this camp by 8 a.m. at the latest on 30/11/96.

					   [Sd.]
					   (for) Battalion 2nd in Command
					   #XXX Infantry Battalion

[On the back of this order was written, "Bring 2 chickens along with you".]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #8

						  Than Tlang Army camp
						  Than Tlang town
						  Letter no. 100/01/U 1
						  Date: 1996 January 18

To:     Chairman/Village in-charge
	Village Law and Order Restoration Council
	xxxx village (Than Tlang township)

Subject:        To inform you to supply wooden boards/bamboo/thatch

1.      According to the above-mentioned subject, we need wooden posts, 
bamboo and thatch in order to build the Army camp in Than Tlang.  
Therefore, each village is requested to collect (450) wooden posts, (450) 
bamboos and (450) bundles of thatch.

2.      The wooden posts must be 9 feet long, have a diameter of 1 1/2 feet 
at the top and may also be used for fencing.  The bamboo must be freshly 
cut.  As soon as you receive this letter, you must cut and collect these and 
send them to Than Tlang Army camp.

3.      Therefore, Sir, your duty is to provide these (450) wooden posts, 
(450) bamboo and (450) bundles of thatch, and when these are sent to the 
Than Tlang Army camp, the village in-charge or a member of the Village 
LORC must be present and inform the camp office.

					      [Sd.]
					      Camp Commander
					      Than Tlang Town
Copy to:
- Chairman, Than Tlang Township Law and Order Restoration Council
- Army Camp office copy only
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #9

			      Office of Township Education Department
			      Than Tlang
			      Letter #: Section 1/(mgmnt)/9006/Sports (Funds)
			      Date: 1995 December 12

To:     Headmasters
	State High School/State Middle School  
	xxxx town/village [State XXXX School]

Subject:  Collection and donation of funds for the 8th Students' Festival

Reference:  Telegram order #658/Section (1-A) dated 5-12-1995 
	    from State Education Officer - Haka

1.      According to the above-mentioned subject, every student from high 
school and middle school must contribute 50 Pyas [1/2 kyat] per month 
starting from 1 December 1995 in order to support the 8th Students' 
Festival.  A list and the money collected should be sent to the State 
Education Office before the 7th of each month, as per the referenced 
message mentioned above.

2.      Therefore, as per the above directions, I hereby inform you to 
collect 50 Pyas per student and send it to reach this office before the 
5th of each month together with a detailed list.

					[Sd. / 12-12-95]
					(Thla Cung)
					Township Education Officer
					Than Tlang

Copy to:
- State Education Officer, Chin State, Haka
- To all the headmasters
- Office copy

[Note:  This order was apparently sent to every Township Education 
Officer in Chin State by telegram.  It relates to the 8th All-Burma Students'

Festival which is to be held in Haka, Chin State in December 1997.  In 
1996 and 1997, students have to pay an additional 100 Kyats toward the 
Students' Festival fund with their admission fees.  People in Chin State 
must also give money, forced labour, materials, etc. to prepare for the 
festival.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #10

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 01/3-1/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 30 September 1995

To:  Chairman / In-Charge
     Village Law & Order Restoration Council
     xxxx    town/village

Subject:        To pay money for the sports festival
Reference:      Meeting minutes for 8/95

1)      For the 1995-96 women's under-15 and under-17 football 
competition and sports festival, and the sports competition for adults from 
the concerned townships (at Haka), the fund of 30 Kyats per household 
(excepting  government servants and religious leaders) must be received by 
the deadline date of 31/10/95.

2)      The village tract secretaries themselves must bring all of it [the 
money] along with them by the above date.

					     [Sd.]
					     (for) Chairman
					     (Kyin Za Pone, Secretary)
Copy to:        Receipt/Office

[This is a form letter sent to every village with the village name written in

the blank.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

[The following 3 orders form a sequence - first every village was ordered 
to provide recruits for SLORC's "People's Militia", then they were ordered 
to send these men for military training, then they were ordered to pay for 
the cost of the military training course.]

				  Order #11

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 03/1-18/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 2 September 1995

To:  Chairman / Secretary / In-Charge
     Village Law & Order Restoration Council
     xxxx    town/village

Subject:        To set up People's Militia and send their names quickly

1)      It has been learned that some villages of Than Tlang township have 
not formed People's Militia.  For those villages which have not yet set up 
People's Militia, they must set up 5 fulltime members and 10 reserve 
members from villages which have under 50 households.  From villages 
which have over 50 households, the strength will be 10 fulltime members 
and 25 reserve members.  Set it up quickly and fill out the list as shown 
below completely.  We inform you to do this and send it to our group 
without fail.

2)      If you fail to send this we will take punitary action.

						 People's Militia
Serial #  Name  Age  ID Card #   Village Name   Fulltime   Reserve   Remarks





						 [Sd.]
						 (for) Chairman
						 (Kyin Za Pone, Secretary)
Copy to:        Receipt/Office

[People's Militia members receive no salary, but villagers are generally 
forced to support them with rice and they are exempted from portering 
and other forced labour duty.  However, they are held responsible for 
keeping opposition groups out of the village on their own (which they 
cannot, so they don't try, and then SLORC accuses them of being rebel 
collaborators), and they are often called into action and used as cannon-
fodder by the local SLORC Battalions.  Generally no one joins voluntarily, 
so SLORC issues conscription orders like this one and the villagers have 
no choice but to draw lots to decide who will go.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #12

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 01/2-17/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 5 April 1996

To:  Chairman / In-Charge
     Ward/Village Law & Order Restoration Council
     xxxx    town/village

Subject:        People's Militia recruit training
Reference:      IB #266 Letter dated 29 March 1996, Ref. No. 266/15/A-1

1)      As per the above reference, the fulltime members of People's Militia 
from your village will be given combat training in the battle course from 
22/4/96 thru 27/4/96.  Therefore, 5 fulltime people from villages of under 
50 households and 10 fulltime people from villages of over 50 households 
must be brought to the Township LORC office by the village tract 
secretaries by the deadline of 20/4/96 without fail (without fail).

2)      The chairmen of the village tracts and the leaders of the People's 
Militia groups must come to this office for preliminary discussions on 
12/4/96 at 10:00 a.m. without fail.

3)      We inform all concerned leaders from wards and villages when they 
come to this office for the meeting on 12/4/96 to bring along the People's 
Militia list including names, dates of birth, ages, National Identification 
Card numbers, father's names, and village names.
     
						 [Sd.]
						 (Tin Aung)
						 Chairman
Copy to:        Receipt/Office
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #13

				     Township Law & Order Restoration Council
				     Than Tlang
				     Ref. # 01/2-17/TLORC (Tha Ta  Lah)
				     Date: 25 April 1996

To:  Chairman / In-Charge
     Ward/Village Law & Order Restoration Council
     xxxx    village

Subject:    Attending People's Militia training
Reference:  Township Law & Order Restoration Council letter 
	     No. 01/2-17/TLORC (Tha Ta Lah) dated 17/4/96

1)      As per the above reference, people from the towns, wards and 
villages must pay fees of 1,200 Kyats for food and 700 Kyats for rice, total 
1,900 Kyats, for each member of People's Militia attending the training.  
The secretary of the village tract must come himself to send it, we hereby 
inform you.

2)      We have received the amount shown below from the people 
attending the training, and we inform the secretary of the village tract to 
send the remainder himself by the deadline of 30/4/96.

A)  For XX people, received XXXX Kyats, remaining to pay XXXX Kyats.

					      [Sd.]
					      (Tin Aung)
					      Chairman
Copy to:        Receipt/Office

			   - [END OF REPORT] -


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