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HR Violations & Atrocities by SPDC



KNU Press Release No. 2/98
Regarding Brutal Military Offensive by SPDC (formerly SLORC)
February 5, 1998
Toungoo District
v The SPDC army Tac. (2) Commander Lt. Col. Thein Maung, LIB 707 Commander
Aung Hein Mya, IB 39 Commander Myo Lwin, commandeered the trucks of Gor-day
villager Mar Ma and  Kler-lar villager Kyaw Mor Tor. The 2 trucks were
loaded with supplies and ordered to follow the bulldozer going to
Si-hkeh-doe and Tha-kwee-soe army camps. The trucks still have not returned.
v 6-1-98: The SPDC LIB 710 Commander Thein Tun and IB 39 Commander Myo
Lwin, seized Kler-lar villagers for portage. The villagers have not been
released up to this day. 
v 9-1-98: An SPDC army column led by Maj. Htin Kyaw Thu from LIB 540, under
the Op. Commd. 3, came to Beh-gor-weh village, in Tharn-daung township, and
demanded a pig and 20,000 Kyat of cash. 
v 10-1-97: The SPDC government authorities in Toun-goo district issued an
order instructing the Halar rice- milling machine owners to sell 1,000
baskets of paddy each  to the government. Those who were not able to sell
the paddy must cease milling rice, the order said. Many millers who failed
to sell the paddy have been banned from milling rice, at the present. The
price of 100 baskets of paddy is 35,000 Kyat on the open market, whereas
the SPDC government price is only 26,000 for 100 baskets. In Tan-da-bin
township, the farmers are forced to sell the so-called "dutiful paddy"  to
SPDC agents at the rate of 12 baskets per acre tilled. Those who failed to
sell the full quotas are being pressured in many ways. In Tan-da-bin
Township, all the Halar rice-milling machines are closed down. Rice is not
permitted to be taken to Toun-goo. All rice found being transported to
Toungoo is confiscated.
v 12-1-98: A group led by column commander, Kyi Win U, from the SPDC LIB
540 came to the cardamom field huts of  Deh-doh villagers (1) Saw Glu Klu,
(2) Saw Si Peh and (3) Saw Say Heh, and accused the villagers of keeping
the  huts for the rebels . The SPCD soldiers then burnt down the huts
together with the cardamom  seeds kept in them after harvest. The loss from
the burning was estimated to be 150,000 Kyat.  The soldiers then entered
Deh-doh village and took the rice, salt, cooking oil, chickens, pigs, dogs
and etc. of the villagers, without any payment, and ate them. A villager
Saw Kwa Htoo, 25, was accused of being a rebel and tortured by various means. 
v 14-1-98: Soldiers from SPDC LIB 708 fired heavy weapon shells into
Glay-soe-kee village. When the villagers fled, the troops entered the
village and ransacked every house. This same group came to Kler-lar
village, on the same day, and arrested a family of 4 members and, later,
all the 4 were shot to death. 
v 14-1-98: The SPDC IB 39 Commander, Myo Lwin, and Tac.2 Commander, Thein
Maung commandeered the trucks of Kler-lar villagers Saw Lu Bway Doh and Saw
Lar Yu for hauling supplies to Gor-theh-doe village. On 16-1-98, the truck
of Saw Ta Bleh and on 19-1-98, the truck of Saw Gor Rey, both of Kler-lar
village, were commandeered for sending rice to Gor-theh-doe. At the
present, the two SPDC commanders Myo Lwin and Thein Maung have arrested
truck owners of Kler-lar  and pressuring them to bring back their trucks
which have been sent away to the town . 
v Nowadays, SPDC commanders Brig. Tin U of the Southern Command, Lt. Col.
Thein Maung of Tac. 2 Command and Myo Lwin of IB 39, have been forcing
people of Kler-lar, Ler-ko, Gor-soe-ko Be-tho-ko & etc. villages, which are
near the motor road, to carry supplies to Si-hkeh-doe and Bu-hsa-kee
military camps. As most villagers are afraid of going, they are paying 500
Kyat per family. So far the villagers have paid a total of 100,000 Kyat.  
Words & Abbreviations: KNU = Karen National Union (the political wing of
Karen resistance); SPDC = State Peace and Development Council (the military
dictatorship of Burma); Tac.= Tactical; Lt. Col. = Lieutenant Colonel; Maj.
= Major; Brig. = Brigadier; LIB = Light Infantry Battalion; IB = Infantry
Battalion; Op. = Operation; Commd. = Command; Kyat = Name of Burmese
currency; By volume a basket = 8 gallons; Halar = Brand name of
rice-milling machine
(Translated, printed and distributed by the Karen Information Center)
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