Mizzima: Burma uses prisoners for h

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Burma uses prisoners for hard labor and treats them inhuman

By our reporter, Mizzima News Group
Dhaka, January 29, 2000

Since the present military regime took over power in 1988, prisoners in
Burma have been used in hard labour camps, which are known as "Convicts'
Labour Camps". The prisoners, including political prisoners and student
activists, are sent from various prisons across the country to the hard
labour camps, which are mostly established in the border areas of the
country. They continue to wear prison uniforms. Convicts doing forced
labour are treated brutally and are usually used in dangerous work.
Although underfed, convicts are forcibly made to break stone, dig up
earth and do other hard labour the whole day.

One of those camps is situated in Maung Tor Township in Arakan State of
Burma. The camp, known as "Kyee Kann Pyin Labour Camp", houses nearly
260 convicted prisoners sent from various prisons in Arakan State which
is bordering with Bangladesh. Most of them are serving long-term
imprisonment.

At 5 in the morning, the prisoners drink one small tin each of
water-like boiled rice soup without spoon. Then they are put to hard
work of stone breaking, earth digging, removing stones, ploughing land
like bullocks. There is no rest. At 12 noon, they eat cooking of broken
and old rice with a peace of eggplant. Then work continues and same food
is given at 8 p.m. for dinner.

Attempts have been made by these prisoners to escape from the hard
labour camp. Two convicts, namely Kyaw Mya Thein and Mg Kyaw Kyi ran
away from the camp on 12th this month. The duo swam across The Nef
River, which divides boundary between Burma and Bangladesh and escaped
to Bangladesh. Other two prisoners, however, got drowned.

Far from having adequate food, medical treatment is virtually
nonexistent for the prisoners should they fall ill. According to the
escapees, from October 1999 till they escaped, 30 prisoners died of
fever in the camp. They were half-buried and due to foul smell, the
convicts could not work and some fell unconscious. But soldiers kicked
and hit them. No medicine was given. They abused the convicts and told
them that they would also be buried pointing the dead bodies.

The two escapees, who are in their 30s, said that life at the labour
camp is not as good as a dog. "One old man from Akyab (Sittawe Township)
aged 60 years was suffering from asthma. With pointed gun, a soldier
asked him to lift a stone size 1' x 1' x 1'. He could not and fell down.
The soldier kicked his head many times and the old man died", recalled
Kyaw Mya Thein. "I will never forget this in my life", he said.

It is learnt that the stones broken are sold to Bangladesh.