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SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION MONTHL



Subject: SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION MONTHLY REPORT  --  JUNE 1999

SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION MONTHLY REPORT  --  JUNE 1999

KILLING OF RELOCATED VILLAGERS IN NAM-ZARNG

On 27.5.99, 7 villagers, originally of Nawng Kwaai village that had
been
relocated to Kho Lam village relocation site in Nam Zarng township 2-3
years
ago, were beaten to death by SPDC (State Peace and Development Council
-- the
currently ruling military junta) troops of LB247 for failing to provide
forced
labour on a road building project, from Kho Lam in Nam Zarng township to
Wan
Zing in Kae-See township.
For some time, people in the surrounding areas of the road building
sites
were
being forced to work at the sites without being paid and had to provide
their
own food and use their own tools. The people had to work in shifts of
groups
almost every day.
On 27.5.99, SPDC troops found that 7 persons were missing in the group
that
was to work on that day and asked the headman. The headman said that
they had
gone to work on their farms and had not yet returned, and that as soon
as they
got back to the village they would know and would come immediately.
The relocated villagers from Nawng Kwaai had asked the local military
authority, and had been granted, permission to go and cultivate their
fields
and farms at their original village. As it was approaching rice growing
season,
the villagers were trying very hard to prepare their farms and fields
while at
the same time having to provide various kinds of forced labour for the
military.
The said 7 villagers worked overtime on their farms and had failed to
turn up
on time for the forced labour on the road building site on that day.
When they
came back to the village, on the same day, the SPDC troops seized them
and
accused them of working for the Shan resistance and so were unwilling to
provide 'voluntary labour' for the SPDC, and had probably gone to meet
the
Shan
soldiers to give information and food.
The SPDC troops then forced the villagers to show them where their
farms
were.
All the 7 villagers were eventually beaten to death. The victims were:
1. Zalae Yaao, male, aged 45, from Kho Lam relocation site, originally
from
Nawng Kwaai village
2. Loong Sai, male, aged 50, from Kho Lam relocation site, originally
from
Nawng Kwaai village
3. Saang Kaw Lam, male, aged 38, from Kho Lam relocation site,
originally from

Nawng Kwaai village
The names of the other 4 victims were not yet known.

KILLING OF FARMING VILLAGERS IN LAI-KHA

On 15.5.99, 8 villagers from Wan Mai Kawng Saang and Wan Paang
villages, Naa
Mang tract, Lai-Kha township, were beaten to death by SPDC troops from
LIB513
led by Capt Lin Aung at a farm located at a place known as Ho Khaai
Nawng
Kuen,
about 4 miles east of the town.
On that day, the villagers were working in the farm when a patrol of
about 56
SPDC troops from LIB513 led by Capt Lin Aung surrounded and arrested
them. The
troops accused them of being agents of the Shan resistance who were
collecting
intelligence on their troop activities.
The soldiers then tied the villagers up and interrogated them and beat
them
until eventually they all died. The victims were:
1. Sai Wi-Ling, male, aged 36, from Wan Paang village
2. Sai Kaw-Wi, male, aged 32, from Wan Mai Kawng Saang village
3. Sai Pan-Ti, male, aged 28, from Wan Paang village
4. Sai Khae-Min-Da, male, aged 27, from Wan Paang village
5. Sai Lao Wan, male, aged 19, from Wan Paang village
6. Sai Lu, male, aged 33, from Wan Paang village
7. Naang Ae Nawng, female, aged 30, from Wan Paang village
8. Naang Leng, female, aged 17, from Wan Paang village

RAPE AND KILLING OF RELOCATED VILLAGERS IN NAM-ZARNG

On 24.5.99, 3 young women who were originally from Wan Paang village,
Nawng
Hee tract, Nam-Zarng township, that had been relocated to the town in
August
1998, were gang-raped and later one of them killed by SPDC troops from
Company
No.4 of IB247 led by Commander Tha Aye at a farm 3-1/2 miles from the
town.
The 3 women -- Naang Zing Mya, aged 22, Naang Zang (not her real name),
aged
18 and Naang Non (not her real name), aged 16 -- were working on their
rice
farm when a patrol of about 50 SPDC troops came and asked them where all
their
men were. The women explained that their men had not come with them and
were
not at home either, they had been taken by SPDC troops to serve as
porters 3-4
days ago and had not yet returned.
Commander Tha Aye then took Naang Non, aged 16, into a nearby farm hut
and
raped her, and slapped her until there were bruises all over her face.
The
other 2 women were raped by other officers and later handed over to all
the
troops to gang-rape them.
At one point, during a short respite, Naang Zing Mya ran away. However,
she
had only managed to get to the brink of the farm when soldiers who were
standing guard outside the farm saw her and shot her dead right on the
edge of
the farm. After that, the remaining 2 women were slapped and beaten
until they
were bruised all over.
After the troops left, the 2 women came back to their parents and told
them
about their horrible experiences. Their parents then took them to the
headman
and consulted him. However, the headman only said that complaining about
it
would only bring more harm and that it was probably more advisable just
to
keep
quiet. Later, the headman led the parents of Naang Zing Mya and some
villagers
to Naang Zing Mya's body and quietly buried her..

ROBBING AND BURNING OF A RELOCATED ELDERLY WOMAN IN LAI-KHA


On 4.5.99, 8 SPDC troops from IB64 led by Capt Than Myint drove a
Tolagyi
(mini-tractor) and roamed the countryside, hunting for loose cattle left
by
relocated villagers in Naa Maang tract, Lai-Kha township.
When they got to Kawng Saang village relocation site 3 miles from the
town,
they asked around for information about any movement of the Shan
soldiers. But
all the villagers they asked said that they had not seen any Shan
soldiers in
the area.
At one point, the troops came to a house where there were only an old
woman of
70, Me Thao Kham Leng, and her daughter-in-law, Naang Kyaan, who had
been
relocated from Taak Led village. On seeing the troops approaching their
house,
the daughter took off the small bundle of gold jewelry she was carrying
and
handed it to her mother-in-law to hide, in case she was searched, hoping
that
the aging woman probably might not be searched.
However, the troops had seen the younger woman hand something to the
old
woman. They called the 2 women out of the house and asked about the Shan
soldiers. When the women said they had not seen any, the troops told the
old
woman that they knew her son was a Shan soldier and that he had just
sent a
letter to her and, therefore, they would search her for it.
When the soldiers held her arms and began to search, the old lady
struggled.
Some soldiers brought a bundle of hay, lit it and burned the sarong
which the
woman was wearing, causing the bundle of gold to fell down.
As soon as they saw the bundle, the SPDC Captain grabbed it and left to
continue their cattle hunt. There were a pair of gold earrings and a
gold
necklace in the bundle.
As for Mae Thao Kham Leng, both of her thighs were badly burned and she
could
not walk for several weeks.

MUTILATION USED AS MEANS OF TORTURE IN MILITARY PRISON IN LAWK-ZAWK

In the military prison at Ba Htoo military base in Lawk-Zawk township,
where
suspected political prisoners are kept for interrogation, mutilation as
well as
other means of torture are being used to extract confessions from the
suspects.
Sensitive organs such as nose, ears and lips etc., down to the soles of
the
feet, are cut and salt is applied to the wounds to increase the pain.
A former suspect, who was fortunate enough to be released, recounted
his
experience: He was arrested at 02:00 hrs on 16.5.99 in Murng-Kerng
township by
SPDC troops from Lai-Kha-based IB64 under the suspicion that he was an
important agent working for the SSA-S (Shan State Army - Southern). The
troops
blindfolded him and took him by car to Lai-Kha military base where they
put
him
on a helicopter and took him to Ba Htoo on the same day.
They interrogated him day and night, using different methods of mental
torture
to force him to confess to all the accusations they made against him.
But he
kept denying all the charges, simply because he really had not committed
any of
the accusations.
After that they started beating him during interrogation and on 20.6.99
they
brought several victims of torture with mutilated noses, ears, lips and
soles,
and those with broken legs and sprained waists etc. to show and warn him
that

he would have to suffer like them if he did not confess. They even
showed him
some instruments for torturing as if they would use them on him to
frighten
him
into confessing. However, he stood his ground and kept denying the
charges.
Meanwhile, his parents and several village and community leaders were
trying
to appeal for his release. They eventually went to the military
authorities at
Ba Htoo and testified to the innocence of him and he was released on
26.5.99.

VILLAGE HEADMAN AND DEPUTY TORTURED WITH FIRE IN MURNG-PAN

On 4.5.99, 35 SPDC troops from LIB332 led by Maj Than Aung came to Pa
Khaa
village, Ho Phaai Long tract, Murng-Pan township and arrested the
village
headman, Loon Kaang Taan Lu, and his deputy, Zai Taan Awng.
Pa Khaa village was ordered to move to Murng-Pan town on 2.5.99 by SPDC
troops
from LIB520 led by Capt Kyaw Myint.
The troops interrogated the headman and his deputy and tortured them.
They
tied bundles of hay, lit them and burned the villagers' bodies and
faces.
The villagers were badly burned on their faces and were unable to speak
at
the
time of this report.

TORTURE, EXTORTION AND DETENTION IN MURNG-PAN

On 15.5.99, a husband and wife were arrested and beaten, until the
husband
lost consciousness 5 times in just one day, by SPDC troops of LIB332 led
by
Capt Sein Maung Win at their military base in Murng-Pan township. The
troops
extorted all the money and valuable from the couple and has detained the
husband up to the present.
The couple, Sai Nya-Na, aged 40 and Naang Man, aged 36, and their
daughters,
Naang Kham Ing, aged 19 and Naang Non Hawm, aged 16, were originally
from Pa
Saa village in Nawng Hee tract, Kaeng Tawng area, Murng-Nai township,
that had
been burned down and forced to move in early 1996 by the then Slorc
(State Law
and Order Restoration Council) troops.
The family had since then moved to Pawk Kaad Nawk village, Murng-Pan
township.
After 5-6 months, Sai Nya-Na secretly went back to catch their loose
cattle in
the area of their old village. He managed to catch a few at a time and
sold
them for a period of one and a half year until he had sold all his
cattle, and
had accumulated a lump sum of money, 289,765 Kyat.
Using 200,000 Kyat of that money as capital, Sai Nya-Na continued to
trade in
cattle and, by the time he and his wife were arrested by SPDC troops,
had
managed to save 586,595 Kyat of money, 150 ancient British silver coins
and
some gold weighing 9 Kyat. The couple had carefully hidden their
possessions in
secret places in their house.
However, on 15.5.99, 15 SPDC troops from LIB332 led by Sein Maung Win
came
and
arrested them and took them to the military base. At first the troops
tortured
both of them, but later stopped torturing the wife and forced her to
watch
while her husband was being beaten and tortured.
After her husband lost consciousness 5 times she could not bear the
agony any
more and, thinking they would really kill her husband, begged them to
spare
her
husband's life and offered to show them where she and her husband had
hidden
their possessions.
Naang Man had hoped the troops would release her husband once they got
their

money. But, after they had searched the house and took all the valuables
there
were to take, the troops accused Sai Nya-Na of dealing in illegal drugs
and
locked him up in the military base up to the present.

LAHU MILITIA FORCED TO COLLECT TAX FROM DRUG DEALERS IN MURNG-PHYAK

Since December 1998, SPDC troops at Murng-Phyak-based LIB329 have
ordered
Lahu
militia from the villages of A-Mu-Te and Za-Ku-Ni to set up checkpoints
and
collect tax money from passing amphetamine drug dealers.
This has been going on up to the present. The collected money, around 5
millions Kyat or more per month, is divided into 2 portions of 70% and
30%.
The SPDC troops take the larger portion and leave the smaller one to
the Lahu
militia despite the fact that Lahu have done all the work and are having
their
reputation tarnished as drug-traffickers.

FORCED LABOUR AND EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 7.6.99, SPDC troops of Ta-Khi-Laek-based LIB526 forced the villagers
of
Wan
Mong, Sri Ngawk, Sri Naw, San Saai, Murng Hi, Paang Hat, Wan Pung, Ho
Yaang
and
Kawng Kaat in Murng Ko tract, Ta-Khi-laek township, numbering in
thousands, to
harvest rice for the military.
The rice fields, cultivated by the military, covered altogether 360
acres and
the villagers were required to finish the cutting and piling of rice
plants in
a single day. Since the beginning of the cultivating season, the
soldiers have
been using forced labour of these same villagers, starting from
ploughing,
sowing and planting, up to the present.
In addition to the forced labour, the villagers were required to pay
for the
cost of paddy seeds to be used for next year's cultivation. On 8.6.99
each
household in the area was forced to pay 200 Baht to the military.
When the time for winnowing and transporting the rice to the military
base
come, these same villagers will most likely have to provide free labour
again.

BEATING AND EXTORTION IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 1.6.99, a Lieutenant from the SPDC's LIB659 in Ta-Khi-Laek, Bo Bala,
beat up
a villager in Murng Phong, Ta-Khi-Laek township for failing to sell drug
for
him.. The villager was kicked and beaten several times until he was
bruised
all
over and lost 3 teeth.
On 31.5.99, 7 troops from LIB659 led by Bo Bala had seized 2 packages
of
amphetamine pills from 2 Lahu villagers of Wan Maak O village in Murng
Phong
tract, Ta-Khi-Laek township. But the SPDC troops only took the
amphetamine and
released the 2 Lahu villagers, father and son, and even gave each of
them 200
Baht for them to buy charoots and cigarrettes. There were about 2,000
tablets
of amphetamines in the 2 packages.
On 1.6.99, Bo Bala sent his trusted man, Private Kyaw Thein, to force a
villager of Wan Nam Luk in Murng Phong tract to sell the drug for them.
When
the villager was trying to sell the pills on the Thai side of the
border, he
was spotted by the Thai police and chased after.
He ran and managed to get away, but lost one of the amphetamine
packages,
about 1,000 tablets, during the run. He reported the incident to Private
Kyaw
Thein who in turn took him to Bo Bala.
Bo Bala accused the villager of trying to cheat him and beat him up,
breaking

3 of his teeth. He ordered the villager to pay back the cost of the lost
drug.
The father of the villager had to sell one of their family buffalo,
worth
about
80,000 Kyat, to pay for his son's release.
The victim was Sai Pan, aged 21

BEATING OF LAHU HEADMAN IN TA-KHI-LAEK

On 6.6.99, Lt Hla Tin from the SPDC's LIB330 beat up the Lahu village
headman,
Aa Kyuay, aged 49, of Wan Li Za in Loi Taw Kham tract, Ta-Khi-Laek
township.
On that day, Lt Hla Tin, who was the commander of a platoon of SPDC
troops
stationed at Nam Pung, a former stronghold of MTA (Murng Tai Army), in
Loi Taw
Kham area, had  sent some of his troops to demand 6 chickens from one of
the
nearby villages, Wan Li Za. But the headman of the village was not able
to
find
all the required chickens and was able to provide only 2 chickens.
When Hla Tin learned about it from his men, he became very angry and
summoned
the village headman to the military camp and scolded and beat him. The
headman
was also hit on the head with a pistol butt which fractured his skull
and
split
his scalp at 2 places.
After he had beaten the headman, Hla Tin warned him not to tell anyone
about
the incident. The headman dared not tell anyone but went quietly alone
to
receive medical treatment at a hospital in Mae Sai, a border town on the
Thai
side of the border.

BEATING AND TORTURE IN MURNG-YAWNG

On 26.5.99, SPDC troops from LIB334 severely beat up 3 innocent
villagers at
Kaeng Khaang village, Murng Yu tract, Murng Yawng township.
The troops suspected the villagers of knowing the place where some
former
members of MTA had hidden or buried their cache of arms and ammunition
in the
area. They arrested the villagers and ordered them to tell where the
arms
cache
was. But when the villagers could not tell because they really did not
know,
the troops beat and tortured them.
The villagers were eventually released on the guarantee of the village
headman
that they were innocent and really did not know anything about what they
were
being forced to tell.
After their release, one of them had to be sent to the hospital at
Murng-Yawng
where his head wounds had to be stitched 7 times. The 3 victims were:
1. Aai Lawt, aged 26, who suffered a sprained waist, arm and leg
2. Aai Wong, aged 19, who suffered a sprained waist and leg
3. Aai Zang, aged 20, who suffered a prained leg and arm and head wounds
which
needed 7 stitches

SHOOTING OF LIVESTOCK IN MURNG-YAWNG

On 1.6.99, a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from LIB334 came to Hawng Koey
village
in Murng-Yawng township and shot one of the cattle belonging to the
villagers.
After that, the troops seized some of the villagers and forced them to
cut
the
carcass into pieces and carry them to the military base.
The cattle shot belonged to Aai Zawm, male, aged 39, and was worth
65,000
Khat.

VILLAGERS CANED FOR DEFYING ORDERS IN MURNG-PHYAK

On 29.5.99, SPDC troops from LIB221 gathered up 6 villagers of Murng
Haai Tai
village in Murng-Phyak township and took them to their military base.
At the military base, the villagers were instructed to work as
informers for
the SPDC military and their duties would be to report back every 7 days

on the
activities of the villagers who provided food for SSA-E (Shan State Army
-
East).
However, the villagers refused to follow the instruction. Capt Kyaw
Hla, who
was giving the instruction, became very angry and ordered his troops to
make
the villagers kneel down in line at gun point. He then ordered one of
his men
to beat each of the villagers 20 times with a cane, 1 inch thick and 1
metre
long, while the others kept their guns constantly on the villagers.
The villagers were dismissed after they were caned. They were:
1. Sai Waat, male, aged 19
2. Sai Kam, male, aged 26
3. Sai Kaw, male, aged 20
4. Sai Leng, male, aged 37
5. Sai Saw, male, aged 31
6. Sai Pi, male, aged 41

FORCED LABOUR IN KAENG-TUNG

On 6.6.99, SPDC troops from Murng-Phyak-based LIB330 ordered several
villagers
of Murng Pak in Murng Khawn tract, Kaeng-Tung township, to carry their
things
from Murng Pak village back to their Murng-Phyak base which was 2-days
walking
distance away.
Altogether 15 villagers had to go, providing their own food and other
travel
expenses if any. Some who could not go had to hire others, 3,000 Kyat
for
each, to go instead.

BULLYING IN KAENG-TUNG

On 27.6.99, a column of about 60 SPDC troops from IB244 led by Maj
Maung Kyi
was patrolling the mountains in the outlying areas in Kaeng-Tung
township.
In the afternoon, they came near Sen Zerm village, a village of Loi La
people
that belongs to the same ethnic group as the Wa, and saw a group of 3
young
women fetching water just outside the village. Maung Kyi  very much fell
for
one of the women and decided to camp at the village monastery for the
night.
At night, he ordered the village headman and his villagers to bring
food and
drinks and serve him and his officers. When it got a little late, at
about
09:30 p.m., and the soldiers were a bit drunk, Maj Maung Kyi ordered the
headman to bring the woman he saw fetching water when they entered the
village
to entertain him.
However, the headman did not know who that woman was and could not
provide
any
woman. Maung Kyi then became very angry and fired his pistol into the
air and
kicked the headman, and also kicked and overturned the tables on which
food
and
drinks were being served.
On hearing the news, all the young women dared not stay in the village
any
longer and secretly left to hide in the forest and farms. The headman
also,
feeling so humiliated, cried and went back to his house. The headman was
Loong
Pan-Nyaa, aged 51.

EXTORTION IN KAENG-TUNG

In June 1999, SPDC military authorities of Electrical & Mechanical
Engineer
Battalion No.6, stationed at Loi Muay in Kaeng-Tung township, issued an
order
requiring the villagers in Paang Law and Murng Zaem tracts in Kaeng-Tung
township to provide money for their battalion.
The money was supposed to be used to hire labourers to work on farms to
grow
corn, peanut and soya bean for the military.
Each household was required to pay 2,000 Kyat and the deadline for the
handing
in of the money was set at 5.6.99. Those who failed to hand the money in
on
time would be fined twice as much.
There were 12 villages in the 2 village tracts, and not less than 560
households, which meant that the amount of 1,120,000 Kyat would finally

be
accumulated, and even more if some had to pay double.
The local people were saying that it would cost only a fraction of the
money
even if the SPDC troops really intended to pay the labourers.

FORCED LABOUR IN MURNG-KHARK

On 4.6.99, SPDC troops of IB227 ordered the villagers of all the 7
villages in
Murng Noong tract, Murng-Khark township, to reap rice for the military.
The
villagers had to work all day without pay and had to provide their own
food.

EXTORTION OF LIVESTOCK IN MURNG-YARNG

On 23.5.99, 7 SPDC troops from Murng-Yarng-based IB279 led by the
Commander of
Company No.3, Capt Sein Myint, came to Yarng Lao village, Yarng Lao
tract,
Murng-Yarng township, and demanded 12 viss of chicken.
However, the village headman of Yang Lao could not find as many
chickens as
were demanded and offered to give money for the troops to buy more
chicken
somewhere else.
But Capt Sein Myint did not accept the offer and shot his gun into the
air in
anger, forcing the headman to get more chickens. The headman, being in a
dilemma and unable to find any more chickens, then bought a pig and
brought it
to the soldiers.
The soldiers seemed to be satisfied with the pig, but ordered the
villagers to
kill it, cut it into pieces, wrap them properly and bring them to the
military
base.

EXTORTION IN MURNG-YARNG

In May 1999, a patrol of 12 SPDC troops from IB279 led by Capt Sein
Myint met
2 villagers, father and son, of Mawn Ke village who had bought a buffalo
at
Murng Phen and were returning with it.
Capt Sein Myint stopped the villagers and, accusing them of having
stolen the
buffalo, arrested them and demanded 10,000 Kyat of money for their
release.
The villagers tried their best to explain that they had bought the
buffalo.
But Sein Myint insisted on having the money. Eventually, afraid of
further and
harsher abuses, the villagers gave 4,000 Kyat, which was all they had at
the
time, before they were released.