KNU PR#16/98 (Translated Version)

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Press Relese No. 16/98
Regarding Human Rights Violations by SPDC
July 3, 1998

Thaton District
· 18-6-98: The military column from LIB 546, led by column commander Myint
U, came to Da-rweh-kee and Par-kee villages and looted 3, 4-gallon tins of
rice and 3,000 Kyat cash.
· 12-6-98: Kyaw Min, a DKBA soldier, extorted 100,000 Kyat from
Kyet-thaung- seik village. 
· 18-6-98: Company #2 of SPDC IB 27, came to Kyet-thaung-seik village and
extorted money from the villagers. The amounts extorted were, from (1) Saw
Yin Sein 20,000 Kyat (2) Naw Ler Paw 23,000 Kyat (3) Naw Mu 30,000 Kyat (4)
Naw Ber Kee, 2,300 Kyat (5) Naw Say 5,000 Kyat (6) Naw Paleh 2,500 Kyat (7)
Naw Tin 1,700 Kyat (8) Maung Ku 30,000 Kyat (9) Par Gler Mu 3,000 Kyat (10)
Naw Mu Say 2,500 Kyat (11) Naw Khin Aye 8,000 Kyat (12) Naw Hsway Pa 2,500
Kyat (13) Daw Than 3,000 Kyat (14) Ma Khaing 1,200 Kyat (15) Ma Htay 15,000
Kyat (16) Maung Tin Ngwe 2,300 Kyat (17) Naw Tin Aye 33,000 Kyat (18) Saw
Aung Than 1,500 Kyat (19) Saw Chit Myint 3,000 Kyat (20) Maung Khin Htwe
15,000 Kyat (21) Naw Paw Ku 10,000 Kyat (22) Naw Graw 5,000 Kyat (23) Maung
Thein 1,000 Kyat (24) Ma than Aye 2,000 Kyat (25) Naw Ma Mu 12,000 Kyat
(26) Ma Mya 1,000 Kyat (27) Saw Peet 1,300 Kyat (28) Par Klay 12,000 Kyat
and (29) Eh Toe 15,000 Kyat.
· 20-6-98: Saw San Shwe, a DKBA soldier, extorted money from Ka-mar-seik
villagers, who were making and selling charcoal. The amounts were, from Saw
Htin Aung and Naw Hseh Bya 15,000 Kyat, Naw Aye Mya 10,000 Kyat, Naw Mi Mer
10,000 and Naw San San 10,000 Kyat. 
Papun District
· 20-5-98: The military column led by battalion commander of LIB 350, Myint
Kyaing, was conducting a military operation in the village tracts of
Waw-mu, Ma-lay and Kyauk-daing in  the western part of Pa-pun township. The
troops arrested Htee-gay-kee villager Maung Nyo Kyaw and Pway-bwa villager
Par Saw Bo, without any reason, and tortured them. The troops told the
villagers to ransom the two with guns. The villagers could not comply,
since they had no guns. On the same day the troops came to Htee-gay-kee and
executed villager Saw Tha Myaing, 50, after looting the villagers of their
belongings.
· 21-5-98: The military column led by IB 63 battalion commander, Than Tun,
looted 5 baskets of rice, a pig and 10 chickens from Htee-theh-leh village,
and one 4-gallon tin of rice from Htee-law-ta village.
· 25-5-98: The military column from IB 63 looted 40 chickens, and some
other troops looted a pig from Po-ma-eh village, in Pa-pun township. 

Words & Abbreviations: KNU = Karen National Union (Political wing of Karen
resistance); SPDC = State Peace and Development Council (Military
dictatorship of Burma); DKBA = Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army (Puppet of
SPDC); Kyat = Name of Burmese currency; One tin of rice = 4 gallons = 16.65
Kg; One basket of rice = 8 gallons = 33.3 Kg ; LIB = Light Infantry
Battalion; IB = Infantry Battalion; 
(Translated and distributed by the Karen Information Center)
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