KHRG Report Februayr 23, 1996

[strider@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Received: (from strider) by igc2.igc.apc.org (8.6.11/Revision: 1.16 ) id EAA25613; Sat, 9 Mar 1996 04:42:33 -0800
Date: Sat, 9 Mar 1996 04:42:33 -0800


		  SLORC ORDERS TO VILLAGES:  SET 96-B
			   Taungoo District

	An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
		February 23, 1996     /     KHRG #96-09

      NOTE: SOME DETAILS HAVE BEEN OMITTED OR REPLACED WITH 'XXX'
		      FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION

Following are the direct translations of SLORC typed and handwritten 
orders sent to Karen villages in Taungoo District in mid-1995.  At that 
time SLORC was intensifying its "Four Cuts" program in the area, 
ordering villages to move and burning villages and food supplies in order 
to cut off all possibility of civilian support for the few Karen resistance 
forces still remaining in the area.  This campaign is still continuing - 
since January 1996 many more villages have been ordered to move to Army 
labour camps under threat of death, the flow of goods from Taungoo to 
villages in the area has been cut off, and hundreds of villagers have been 
taken as porters and other forced labour (see related KHRG reports).  The 
written orders being used right now are not yet available, but they are 
doubtless almost identical to those in this report.

The following orders are just a small sample of the hundreds issued in the 
area.  All of these orders were signed by SLORC Army (Tatmadaw) 
officers, and most of the orders bear the rubber stamps of the issuing 
military unit.  Many of them were copied and sent to many villages.  
Photocopies of the original orders (with certain details such as village 
names blacked out) are available on request.

Some of the orders mention "voluntary labourers", a SLORC euphemism 
for forced labour; as the orders make very clear, serious action will be 
taken if the "volunteers" fail to show.  Some abbreviations used in the 
report:  IB = Infantry Battalion; LIB = Light Infantry Battalion, LORC = 
Law & Order Restoration Council (SLORC's local-level administration, 
such as Village LORC, Township LORC and Karen State LORC).  In the 
orders, numeric dates are always written in dd-mm-yy format.  Some 
details such as village names must be omitted for protection, and these 
have been replaced by 'xxxx', 'yyyy', etc.

TOPIC SUMMARY:  Forced relocation (Order #1), army camp forced 
labour (#2-9), porters (#10),  threats to destroy villages (#1,6), 
destruction of ricefields (#1), extortion (#10).
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #1

	 Stamp:
No. XXX Infantry Battalion     To:  Chairman (Village LORC)
       XXXX camp                    xxxx    village      
    Date: 1-7-1995

Subject:        Relocation of mountain villages

1.  Regarding the above subject, as soon as you receive this letter, the 
mountain villages must move to and settle in XXXX resettlement 
village within 10 days and not later than (10-7-1995).

2.  If you fail to report before the deadline, the Tatmadaw will march into 
your village.  The villages-in-hiding will be burned down and attacked with 
guns.  The hill fields will be burnt and destroyed.

3.  Each village has to report to XXXX camp and resettlement 
village by the deadline.  If they fail to report, I warn you again that 
serious action will be taken.

					  [Sd.]
					  Camp Commander
					  XXXX Army Camp
					  Frontline #XXX Infantry Battalion

[Note:  The 'resettlement village' and the army camp that issued this order
are at the same place.  This is a duplicated typed order with the name of 
the village and the deadline date written in; it was sent to several 
villages.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #2

	    Stamp:
Frontline No. XXX Infantry Battalion
	  Column 2                                                  
       Date: 10-4-95

To:     Chairman
	xxxx village

Subject:        To send voluntary labourers to build the camp

Regarding the above subject, Chairman / Secretary, we inform you that you 
must send (20) male or female workers from your village to XXXX 
army camp with their machetes on 11, 12, and 13 April 95 at 0700 [7 a.m.] 
without fail.

					   [Sd.]
					   Column Commander
					   No. XXX Infantry Battalion
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #3

							   Stamp:
						  No. XXX Infantry Battalion
To:     Chairman and members                          Auxiliary Company
	xxxx village                                   Date: 16-6-95

I am informing you now that:

    (1) The headman must send (15) voluntary male workers from your 
	village to XXXX army camp on 20-6-95 at 7 a.m. without fail.

    (2) To make a fence, each one must bring along one machete and food 
	for one day.

    (3) I inform you that the headman or one member must come and lead 
	the group without fail.

						[Sd.]
						Company Commander
						Auxiliary Artillery Company
						No. XXX Infantry Battalion

[Note:  "Important and Urgent" was written on the back of the order.  
"Chairman and members" means the appointed Chairman and members 
(secretary, etc.) of the Village LORC.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #4

	 Stamp:                                                   29-7-95
No. XXX Infantry Battalion      To:  Chairman and members
    Auxiliary Company                xxxx village

(1) Send (22) voluntary workers from xxxx village to XXXX army 
    camp on 30-7-95 at 7 a.m. without fail.

(2) One of the village leaders must lead the group and come without fail.

(3) Bring along a list of the villagers who fail to come.

						[Sd.]
						Company Commander
						Auxiliary Artillery Company
						No. XXX Infantry Battalion
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #5

To:     Chairman and members                                   30-7-95
	xxxx village

(1)  Why have the voluntary labourers not come yet?

(2)  Come immediately.

Stamp:  [illegible unit stamp]                  [Sd.]
						Company Commander
						Auxiliary Artillery Company
						No. XXX Infantry Battalion
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #6

To:     Headman and members                                      31-7-95

(1) This is the last letter.

(2) This evening, 31-7-95, (22) voluntary labourers from xxxx village 
    must come without fail.

(3) One of the village leaders himself must lead them and come.

(4) If you fail to come, we will not take any responsibility for xxxx 
    village.  Headman, you yourself must come and solve this problem 
    at XXXX army camp.

	Stamp:                                   [Sd.]
No. XXX Infantry Battalion                       Company Commander

[Note:  "We will not take any responsibility for xxxx village" means they 
will come and destroy the village.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #7

To:     Village Law & Order Restoration Council
	xxxx    village                                    Date: 5-8-95

Subject:        To send voluntary labourers

Regarding the above subject, Headman / Secretary, you must send (5) 
voluntary labourers from your village on 7-8-95, Monday morning, to No. 
XXX Infantry Battalion at XXXX army camp without fail.  I inform you, 
Chairman / Secretary in charge, to send voluntary labourers according to 
the list below:

List of villages to send voluntary labourers

(1)  XXXX                    (25) people
(2)  XXXX                    (20) people
(3)  XXXX                    (15) people
(4)  XXXX                    (15) people
(5)  XXXX                    (15) people
(6)  [illegible]             (10) people
(7)  [illegible]              (5) people
								
				     [Sd.]
				     Army Commander - 2nd-in-Command, IB #XX
				     No. XX Strategic Command
				     Western Command Headquarters

[Note:  Units from Western Command, normally deployed in areas such 
as Arakan State, have been sent to Taungoo District for the offensive 
against Karen civilians.]
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #8

To:  Chairman                               Stamp:                   30-8-95
     Secretary and Members     Frontline No. XXX Infantry Battalion
     xxxx village                     Column 2 Headquarters

I inform you in this letter that:

    (1) One person from each house in xxxx village must come to XXXX 
	army camp on 31-8-95 at 7 a.m. without fail.

    (2) The Chairman or Secretary must lead the group himself without fail.

					      [Sd.]
					      Captain XXXX
					      (for) Column Commander
				   
				   [Stamped:] Company Commander
					      Auxiliary Artillery Company
					      No. XXX Infantry Battalion
_____________________________________________________________________________                                          

				  Order #9

	  Stamp:                                                  15-9-95
No. XXX Light Infantry Battalion
       No. 1 Company                 To: Chairman / Secretary
					 xxxx village

Chairman (or Secretary), we inform you that you must come and bring one 
person from each house with food for (2) days on 15-9-95 to contribute 
voluntary labour in XXXX army camp.

On 15/9/95 at 6 p.m., report to XXXX army camp.

						[Sd.]
						Army No.: XXXXX
						XXXX
						Company Commander
						No. XXX LIB
_____________________________________________________________________________

				  Order #10

	 Stamp:
No. XXX Infantry Battalion
	Column 2               To: xxxx village

Subject:        Calling servants for military operation

1.  Regarding the above subject, on 8-2-95 the Column Commander and 
Chairmen had a meeting to consider and discuss the military operation.  
We all agreed about the operation.

2.  In accordance with the above, the Strategic Command and (20) servants 
have been ordered to go to Taungoo town within (2) days for labour.

3.  As agreed with your village, you will come and give 3,000 Kyats per 
servant to the XXXX army camp on 11-2-95 without fail.  If you need 
more details, we inform you that you can come immediately.

				     [Sd.]
				     Column 2
				     Frontline No. XXX Infantry Battalion

[Note:  This is a typed form letter which was sent to several villages.  As 
it refers to previous arrangements, the meaning is somewhat unclear.  
Apparently each village is being ordered to send 20 porters, or 3,000 Kyat 
for each person who doesn't go. Here "servants" is SLORC's way of 
referring to porters.  When it says "agreements" were made, it means 
orders were issued - civilians have no say in "agreements" with SLORC.]

				- [END] -