Forced Labour in Kabaw Valley

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                   Prison Labour Camp.
                  ====================

The military junta established prison labour camp elsewhere
in  our country,  many convicts were sent to these camps to
contribute  their free slave labour.  Among these notorious
prison  camps,  the  most  notorious  are  quarry  mine  in
Kyaikhto in Mon State and Htonebo in Mandalay division. And
also  the  camp  near  the  Indo-Burma  border  is becoming
notorious  for  harsh  labour,   persecution  and  cruelty.

Kabaw Valley Camp.

Under  the guise of kabaw  valley development project,  the
prison  labour force  are being  used in  land reclamation,
road  building,  prison  labour camp  construction and city
planning.   Moreover,  forced donation from people,  unpaid
hire  to cattle and farm implements,  and forced labour are
rampant in this area.

In these camps, the main work sites are earth work, quarry,
road   building,   farm  land,    plantation  and  building
construction.  The labourers work full time without holiday
there.   There are  more than  1,000 convicts  in Yarzagyo,
Wetshu,   Myothit and  Tanan camps along  the Kabaw valley.
One  more new camp is under construction since 1996 between
Mawlaiklay  and Indaing,  expected to be completed in 1999.
In  this  work  site 400  persons  are being  used  and the
construction project is in full swing.

Sending to Camps.

Firstly,   selected convicts from all over the country were
sent  to Monywa  Prison in Sagaing  Division.  Among these,
most  were  aged between  20  and 30,   criminals  and drug
addicts.   A few are over 50-60 age.  They were fettered in
Mandalay and Monywa prisons.  (Fettering written separately
in  more  detail) They  were sent  to  camps from  there by
river boats and in 200 persons a batch. On upper deck, they
were placed in rows and columns. Everyone can imagine their
plight of journey,  sitting position throughout the journey
tightly  like the sardine.  They  were not allowed to stand
nor  to lie,  overlapping thigh  to thigh,  hurting the rib
bones  each other. Due to ignorance and unbearable pain, an
over  50 age old  man stood and  subsequently beaten on the
head  and suffered skull crack.  Even worse,  they were not
allowed to go to toilet,  given plastic bag instead.  Daily
two  meals were served  in the morning,   packed in plastic
bag.   The food was rotten in  the evening and no one could
eat it.

At  Kalaywa  jetty,  they  embarked and  were put  onto the
trucks,  similarly in sitting position.  The trucks have no
roofing,   sitting  in  10  rows,  50  persons  per  truck,
travelled for two nights. They were not allowed to move nor
get   off   for   pain  relief   throughout   the  journey.

After  getting the camp,   they were herded  into the camp.
Some  could not move  due to long  and painful journey were
beaten  and forced  to run.  And  then,  they  were sent to
respective  work  sites.  Immediate  next  day they  had to
start to work, ignoring poor health and handicap, they were
also forced to do like others.  Emergency reinforcement are
sent  there from Mandalay,  Lashio  and Monywa prisons when
there were deaths in camps.

Harsh Labour

Harsh  labour in farm work,  earth work,  land reclamation,
road building,  construction and plantation.  But there are
no  commute or remission in return as a reward.  Work hours
is from 6 AM, to 6 PM from 11 AM to 1 PM is lunch break. No
excuse  for sick and injuries.  One day,  Maung Maung Chit,
age  26 mingled with the sick persons in morning roll call.
(One  who want to get medical leave had to bribe the prison
officials).   Prison  warden  and overseer  kicked  him and
forced  him to work  that day.  On that  day he worked farm
work and died next day due to torture, poor health and poor
work condition.

As sayings goes,  fact is stranger than fiction,  there was
an inhumane work,  beyond imagination the plough was pulled
by  four persons,  one person rode on the plough guarded by
two  wardens on  each side.   In this  way the  fields were
ploughed   due  to  lack  of  modern  farm  equipments  and
implements like tractor.

In  each morning, after breakfast gruel, the prisoners were
herded in fetters after a tractor ridden by prison wardens,
went  ting-a-ling.  Grueling work in  mud and swamp all the
day,  no drinking water, no shed for having meal. There are
many  death in camps  and fleeing from camp  at the risk of
their lives.

An  escaped youth,  age 28 said their anguished agony in an
interview.  "We decided to flee from these camps, otherwise
we would die in these appalling work conditions",  he said.

In  1995,  a rice field Labour camp was awarded first prize
for high yield,  but no prisoners were awarded cash rewards
of  in any  kind for their  slave Labour.  A  youth said in
resentment,  "Do not buy the rice from Kabaw valley,  it is
not  rice, it is our blood, sweat and lives. Do not buy the
rice,   do not buy our  blood." Though they produced paddy,
beans,  grams and mustard abundantly,  they were given only
very  low  ration.  One  prisoner  was severely  beaten and
kicked for his petty crime of stealing and eating a fistful
of beans.

Living condition and nutrition

The  prisoners were kept  in 2 barracks in  500 x 500 yards
surrounded  by double barbed wire guarded by armed security
500  persons slept  in row on  the long  double sleep berth
face  to face.  They did not remove fetter in the night and
the  prisoners had  to hold their  fetters in  the night to
make   sure  not   making  any  sound.    Anyone  who  make
ting-a-ling  sound could be  punished.  Almost all suffered
beriberi  due to  the malnutrition.   Besides to  it,  they
picked  and ate wild vegetable  to enhance their nutrition,
cosenquently suffered from dysentery and diarrhoea. Malaria
is  also rampant  in this  area due  to unhygienic drinking
water  and lack  of mosquito  net.  Some  drug addicts were
contracted with HIV virus.

Hospitalization  in time  is the exception  and rare chance
for prisoners. Very lucky prisoners were sent to Mintha and
Tamu  hospital by cart.   But many died  in hospital due to
lack  of medicine,  overload work for medical personnel and
late arrival. From 1997 January to July, 48 persons died in
Mintha  hospital.  Of which,  13 persons were died of AIDS.

In  average,  at least  no prisoners died  in each of these
four  camps.  There were  more deaths in  rainy season.  In
1995,  over 100 persons in a month,  this make all camps in
panic when the news spread.

If  the  prisoner died  in camp,   according to  the prison
manual  and regulations,  death report,  post mortem report
and medical report are required. To avoid these troublesome
workload  and responsibility some dead  bodies were sent to
hospital  with glucose intravenous set attached,  when they
arrived  the hospital,   they could get  easily simple "the
patient  brought  certificate  from  the  medical  officer.

Prison  authorities kept all the clothes and personal items
on  their  arrival.  They  only  permitted a  set  of dress
already  put on.  "We  have no spare  dress to change,  our
clothes  are torn to pieces and  we call it "Tarzan" dress.
We  wear this  ragged clothes  all the  time." One prisoner
said.   Prison  dress  was  issued  only  on  the  VIP  for
inspection and took back after that.

The   prison  authorities  do  not  inform  the  prisoners'
relatives when they died.  Simply buried the dead bodies in
the  shallow  grave.  It  is  not surprising  the prisoners
tried  to escape from the  hell,  full of torture,  terror,
malnutrition and poor medical care.  Unlucky prisoners were
rearrested fell into worse hell.  There is a standing order
to  shoot without  challenge and  warning of  the attempted
escapees.   Some were  brought back and  beaten severely by
the  fellow prisoners.   Some were  beaten by collaborator-
prisoners   and  sent  to   hospital  in  dying  condition.

There  are many coses  of prison death  of the unsuccessful
escapes.  In 1996 July four prisoners went berserk and beat
a  warden by hoe and ran away.  But unfortunately they were
rearrested  by  the  prison  guards  and  beated  to death.
Unsurprisingly,   no prison  authorities were  taken action
against  their inhumane and brutal crime.  Another incident
took  place in 1995 June. . Maung Lay, aged 20, and 3 other
fisherman  convicts ran  away from camp  and rearrested and
tortured.    Three  prisoners  died   instantly  of  severe
injuries.   But,  when Maung Lay did  not die though he was
beaten  severely for a long  time,  impatient prison guards
smashed  his  private  part with  a  brick and  put  him to
death.

"Many are crippled and handicapped upon their completion of
serving  terms.  I can walk for only a few minutes,  always
suffer  from arthritis",  one  former prisoner said showing
his  scars.  This  is mostly due  to their  hard labour and
constant wearing of fetters.

When  the death rate increased  in the camp,  the remaining
prisoners  had to make  up the lost  labour force and their
work load getting worse. Fresh reinforcement used to arrive
the camp from Mandalay,  Lashio and Monywa prisons within a
month.   "There  are always  200 or  more prisoners  in the
camp",  one prisoner said. (There are always 7 to 8 monthly
eascapee rate).

To be free from their heavy work load,  fetter and torture,
some  prisoners bribed the prison  officials to be admitted
to the hospital and take rest. The price varies from 300 to
500  kyats  from  time to  time.   Those who  can  not pay,
including  the real sick and crippled prisoners had to make
up   their  work   load  besides  their   own  heavy  work.

On  24th July 1997, Lt. Gen Mya Thin, SLORC's Home Minister
said  officially that the  prison labour should  be used in
construction  work at full extent in a routine departmental
co-ordination  meeting.  This is the death warrant from the
hell  angel for all prisoners in  the camps,  which may put
them to death definitely.

We  should do something for the deplorable and unsung agony
of the prisoners in Kabaw Valley, to be granted with lawful
prisoner  rights,  humane treatment  and protection by law,
otherwise  they would be ended up in the deep forest on the
untrodden ways.

   News and Information Bureau All Burma Students League

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