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The Nation - Eviction even makes to



Subject: The Nation - Eviction even makes tough Karens cry

The Nation - August 1, 1999.
Eviction even makes tough Karens cry

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN -- By tradition, the Karen people's homes are always
open to visitors, but the villagers of Baan Pa Mak in this southern province
look upon their new neighbours with tears in their eyes.

The tears come from pity for the neighbours' fate.

On July 15 about 200 villagers of Baan Suan Thurian in Hua Hin district were
evicted from their homes and relocated in Baan Pa Mak, Pranburi District --
a distance of about 40 kilometres.

They said the military forced them to relocate.

The military transported them in trucks and abandoned them on the way to the
village, they said. The villagers had to walk across about 10 creeks to
reach their destination.

The villagers could take only what was essential. Some families could not
take any belongings because they had too many children to take across the
creeks.

One man had to hold his pregnant wife with one arm while the other carried
some essential belongings. His small son sat on his shoulders.

When he staggered into Baan Pa Mak, the scene brought tears to the eyes of
the villagers.

The first thing the newcomers had to do when they arrived was to build
houses.

''The soldiers ordered us to finish our houses before they returned,'' said
the reluctant migrants.

''We don't understand why we had to leave our homes like refugees,'' Mapang
Januppatham, a 60-year-old villager, said while sitting in his small
newly-built house which has a bamboo floor.

He said it was impossible to go deep into the jungle for cutting bai ka por
making roofs because of the rapid tides.

Meanwhile, Orasa Januppatham, 30, was late in her pregnancy when she left
her home in Baan Suan Thurian with her husband. Her son was born two days
after arriving in Baan Pa Mak.

''I am still wondering how to take care of him as we have nothing here,''
she said hopelessly.

Orasa was holding her two-week-old son while preparing food for the first
meal of her family. The meal was vegetables that had been growing around her
new shelter.

Most of the villagers who were evicted are now dying because of shortage of
food and no proper shelter.


The villagers said that even some soldiers, out of pity, gave them some rice
but it was not enough.

The military said they would give the villagers 400 kilogrammes of rice, she
said, but only 300 kilogrammes were handed to villagers.

''We don't know where the rest of the rice has gone,'' said the villagers.

Orasa and Mapang, who have the same last name but are not related, said they
want to go back to stay in their village.

Baan Suan Thurian, located along the shoulder of the Tanaosri mountain range
in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Pran Buri district, was officially announced a
village seven years ago. Only six of the 355 villagers have identity cards
while about 200 villagers have hilltribe cards (widely know as blue cards).
The rest do not have anything to identify themselves as Thais.

Most of the villagers with cards registered their last name as
''Januppatham.'' So, it is not surprising that the villagers have the same
family name, although they are not related to each other.

According to the written order of the Thai-Burma Border Command Centre,
Prachuap Khiri Khan province, villagers who have no cards are classified
''illegal immigrants'' and have to be ''sent back'' to Burma.

Janjang Januppatham said he still does not understand why the military
forced all 355 villagers to leave the village where they have lived for
generations.

July 14, was the last day that these 355 Karen were registered as Baan Suan
Thurian villagers. The next day was the day that these villagers will never
forget.

''It is the day that the most terrible event happened in my life. They
[soldiers] treated us like terrorists,'' said Janjang.

On that day, said Janjang, about 10 soldiers from the First Royal Army
Area's Ninth Infantry Division and 12 border patrol policemen, who were all
armed, went to the village and ordered the villagers to move out.

''We were told that because of the nation's security and watershed area
conservation we had to move out. But we don't know how our living affected
the security of the nation and the forest encroachment,'' he said.

Now there is no one living in Baan Suan Thurian, but it does not mean that
all 355 villagers are now living in Baan Pa Mak. The villagers said about
150 villagers are now living in the forest because they have no cards to
prove they are Thais.

Janjang said these villagers do not want the military to send them to Burma.

''I don't understand why the military wants to send them to Burma. They were
born in the village. They are Thais, but the authorities refused to issue
them a card,'' said Janjang.

Janjang and his friends who have identity cards were allowed to deforest two
rai a family. Moreover, they received one rai from Baan Pa Mak villagers who
were asked to share with them.

''The most important thing we are concerned about is not our living, but our
friends who are living deep in the forest now. Think how they can live
without food and shelter in the deep forest during the rainy season that
turns creeks into rapids,'' Janjang said.


BY PENNAPA HONGTHONG

The Nation