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On Wed, 26 Jul 1995 strider@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> From: <strider>
> Received: (from strider) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.11/Revision: 1.14 ) id =
RAA16871; Wed, 26 Jul 1995 17:51:06 -0700
> Date: Wed, 26 Jul 1995 17:51:06 -0700
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> X-Content-Transfer-Decoded: Quoted-Printable to 8bit
> Status: RO
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> LIFE AS A VILLAGE HEAD
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> An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
> July 1, 1995 / KHRG #95-21
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> The following information on life as a village head was given
> by a woman who used to be a village headwoman in Kawkareik Township,
> central Karen State, and is now a refugee in Thailand.  We have
> published it in this form because it is very consistent with information
> given by village heads throughout the country, from many different
> regions and from areas where fighting is going on and those where
> it is not.  Note that almost none of what she says has any direct
> relationship to fighting going on between SLORC and opposition
> forces.
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> Villages can have several types of "village heads".  First there
> are village elders, who become elders according to traditional
> practices and are recognized and respected by all the villagers;
> one of them is generally chosen as the village head.  Then there
> is the "SLORC village head", sometimes called the "Village LORC
> [Ya Wa Ta] chairman".  This person is appointed by SLORC, often
> against his or her will, to chair the Village LORC committee,
> whose members are also appointed by SLORC frequently against their
> will.  The Village LORC committee is responsible for all village
> liaison with SLORC, organizing and sending people for forced labour,
> extortion money, food, etc., and constantly going to the local
> Army camps to give intelligence reports and receive orders.  Village
> LORC members are tortured or killed whenever an order is not obeyed
> or whenever the village is suspected of aiding resistance forces,
> which explains why most people do not want this job.  In this
> woman's village, it appears that the villagers choose the SLORC
> village head by rotation rather than having the SLORC choose.
>  Then in Karen areas there is usually a KNU village head, who
> handles liaison with Karen soldiers and organizing the food, porters,
> recruits etc. which they demand.  SLORC is constantly trying to
> find out who is the KNU village head so that they can execute
> him - often KNU village heads have to flee the village, and if
> his family is left behind then SLORC will generally arrest and
> torture them instead.
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> This woman's name and personal details have been omitted in order
> to protect her.
> _________________________________________________________________________=
_____
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> The following testimony was given by a woman who used to be a
> village headwoman in Kawkareik Township, and is now a refugee
> in Thailand:
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> Village heads are not directly appointed by SLORC but rather are
> elected by the villagers themselves.  They are usually women,
> because men cannot survive the repeated beatings and punishments
> by the soldiers [whereas women are beaten and tortured somewhat
> less often].  Therefore, nobody wants to be a village head throughout
> the whole region.  Some villages operate a rotation system for
> the position, and change the village head as often as every two
> weeks or every month.  As a result, even 17 or 18 year old girls
> sometimes act as village heads, but they can control the villagers
> and will be obeyed because everyone knows that they are being
> instructed and guided by the village elders, usually monastic
> leaders, and so they never misuse their powers.
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> The main duty of village heads to SLORC is to give them information
> on the situation in the village, especially the security situation
> [meaning intelligence on KNLA movements], at a specified SLORC
> post in the area before 7 a.m. every morning.  Usually these bases
> are on hilltops overlooking the villages.  Attendance is compulsory
> =0C
> when called for and all orders from them must be followed, especially
> when they order "community service" by the villagers, or money.
>  The level of soldier dealing with the village head is usually
> a captain, who is also usually the battalion intelligence officer.
>  Typically he will call the village headwoman "Mother" and himself
> "Son", even if he is older than her.  If he doesn't like the village
> head he will treat her badly, but if he likes her he will speak
> politely and be pleasant - "No need, one action; need, another
> action" [this means that how he treats her depends on what he
> wants, and how harsh he feels he has to be to get it].
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> Punishments of village heads vary.  Beatings are usually inflicted
> with 1=AB" diameter bamboo sticks, especially on the waist, hips
> and legs, for a minimum of 5 strokes.  If a village head gives
> "false" information she will be locked in the stocks [crude mediaeval-sty=
le
> leg stocks of wood or bamboo].  In one specific situation the
> soldiers of Battalion #230 dug a hole in the graveyard of a village,
> about the size of a child's body and 7 feet deep, and they placed
> a set of stocks at the bottom.  The Captain in charge then warned
> the village head that if exact information on KNLA activities
> was not given, she would then spend a minimum of 3 days at the
> bottom of the hole, with no protection from sun or rain.  He said
> that on the first day she would receive only water, on the second
> day a little rice and water, and on the third day, nothing.  He
> said the more serious the digression, the longer the time in the
> hole, up to 6 months.  I'm not sure whether or not anybody had
> actually been forced to suffer this.  A more common threatened
> punishment is to force the village head to lie face up in the
> midday sun for 1-2 hours.  I know of at least one case where this
> was done.  In that case, a regular officer came and let the woman
> go, then the intelligence officer came back and argued with him
> for doing so.
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> As a result of such treatment, if there is a landmine blast, battle
> or gunshot in the vicinity of the village the village head is
> usually too afraid to report it for fear of the consequences.
>  If the SLORC units find out about such an occurrence, they usually
> send an order demanding that the village head come to their camp
> immediately.  When she gets there, their usual procedure is 1)
> beat, then 2) abuse and ask questions, then 3) demand money.=20
> Scolding and abuse is usually something like, "You are all Karens,
> therefore you must know about these things but you are liars".
>  There was one amusing case of an elderly village head who, after
> SLORC demanded information from him, went directly to the KNLA
> officer in the area, Lt. Col. Johnny, and asked "Hey, what numbers
> of men and weapons do you have and what are you up to, because
> the Burmese are asking me so I need to know."  And Johnny gave
> him enough information to keep them happy!
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> Porter fees demanded are like this:  for "rich" class, such as
> people who own a television, 300 Kyat per house per month; for
> "middle" class, such as people who own paddy fields or cattle,
> 150 Kyat per house per month; and for "poor" class, people who
> are living day to day, 80 Kyat per house per month [she is from
> a fairly well-off village in the plains; in hill villages, no
> one would count as "rich" or "middle" class].  Villages must also
> provide "rice for porters".  Owners of televisions must also pay
> an extra tax of about 200 Kyat per year to the SLORC office in
> Kawkareik, plus the local soldiers also demand 150 Kyat per month
> per television, even if it is the oldest, smallest, battery-operated
> black-and-white kind.
>=20
> Another duty required of the village head is to arrange for villagers
> to go make and repair roads, fences, man-traps and barracks for
> the battalions.  Previously, Kawkareik Township was run by Battalion
> #230 plus one other battalion, and Myawaddy Township by Battalion
> =0C
> #97 plus one other battalion, but this is now being changed to
> accommodate the DKBA.  The SLORC soldiers now are worse than the
> ones who were under the Ma Sa La [Burma Socialist Programme Party,
> Ne Win's pre-1988 dictatorship].  If an officer is angry his letter
> will be typed or written in red ink, and it may have a bullet
> or charcoal enclosed [a bullet enclosed with an order means the
> village head and others will be shot for failure to obey; a piece
> of charcoal means the village will be burned].  If a village head
> fails to obey after an order like this then her village may be
> shelled.  Five years ago this happened at Ta K'Rah village, but
> nobody was hurt.
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> -  [end]  -
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