KHRG Report #96-24

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		  FORCED RELOCATION IN KARENNI

     An Independent Report by the Karen Human Rights Group
	      July 15, 1996     /     KHRG #96-24

 * PART 1 OF 5 - SEE OTHER POSTINGS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THIS REPORT *

[NOTE: SOME DETAILS OMITTED OR REPLACED BY 'XXXX' FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION]

Throughout June and July 1996, the State Law & Order Restoration
Council (SLORC) military junta ruling Burma has conducted a mass
forced relocation campaign covering more than half of the geographic
area of Karenni and affecting at least 183 villages so far with an estimated
total population of 25-30,000.  The first orders to move came as early as
April in Baw La Keh (sometimes spelled Bawlake) area on the Pon River.
However, the biggest wave of relocations began on 1 June, when an order
was issued to all 98 villages between the Pon and Salween Rivers to move
to relocation sites beside SLORC Army camps at Shadaw and Ywathit.
The order clearly stated that after 7 June, anyone seen in or around any of
these villages would be "considered as enemy", i.e. shot on sight with no
questions asked.  Shortly afterward the relocations spread.  To the south,
villages in Pah Saung township were ordered to move to a relocation site
near Pah Saung by 20 June.  Villages surrounding Mawchi and to the
north and west all through the Too River watershed were ordered to move
to Mawchi, Bu Ko and Kwa Chi by 20 June - a total of at least 52 known
villages.  At least 26 villages east of Pruso and Deemawso were ordered
to move by 25 June, and 7 to 10 villages in the Daw Tama area east of the
Salween River were forced to move to Daw Tama by the same deadline.
Even just to the northeast of Loikaw, the capital, at least 29 villages have
been forced to sign papers stating that they will be forced to move if any
shots are fired in their area.

The main purpose of the relocations is in keeping with SLORC's current
policy of "draining the ocean so no fish can swim"; anywhere there is
opposition, the entire civilian population of the region is forced at
gunpoint into relocation camps and told that they can never go home until
the opposition group capitulates.  Similar operations have already been
conducted this year in central Shan State and Papun District of Karen
State (see related KHRG reports) and this represents a significant shift in
SLORC military policy, away from the pretext of negotiated ceasefires and
aiming for a forced surrender in every case.  The geographic extent of the
current scorched earth campaigns and the number of people being
affected are greater than anything previously attempted by SLORC.  In the
Karenni case, the forced relocations cover almost every area where the
Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) has ever operated.  The
KNPP has been fighting Burmese occupation for over 45 years. (Note:
Karenni was granted independence by the British colonial regime in 1875;
the KNPP fights for that independence and considers the SLORC an army
of occupation.  They call their homeland Karenni, while SLORC calls it
Kayah State.  This report does not concern politics; it uses the name
Karenni because the KNPP lives there while SLORC does not.)  In March
1995 the KNPP made a ceasefire with SLORC, but SLORC broke the
ceasefire on 29 June 1995 with fresh attacks.  By the end of March 1996,
SLORC had taken all of the main KNPP bases near the Thai border.  The
KNPP reorganised and guerrilla columns were sent further inside Karenni
to disrupt SLORC forces.  Rather than hunt the guerrilla columns, SLORC
is removing the entire civilian population so the columns will have no
means of support, and also to try to get civilians to pressure the KNPP to
surrender.  Currently, almost the only areas of southern and central
Karenni not to be affected by the relocations are areas where the Karenni
Nationalities People's Liberation Front (KNPLF) operates; the KNPLF
made a ceasefire with SLORC in 1994 which is still holding.

So far 183 villages are known to have been moved throughout the Shadaw,
Ywathit, Daw Tama, Baw La Keh, Pruso, Deemawso, Pah Saung and
Maw Chi areas, and 29 villages northwest of Loikaw have been forced to
sign papers that they will be forced to move if any shots are fired in the
area (see the map and list at the end of this report).  Even in areas east
of
the Salween River which have not been ordered to move, most people are
living in hiding in the forest due to fears of fighting in the area, SLORC
troops taking porters, and their fear of forced relocations at gunpoint
coming to their area.  Most of the villagers affected by the relocations are
ethnically Kayah, and there are also many Shans.  These Shans have no
connection to the opposition groups or relocations now occurring in Shan
State.  Even many of the Kayah villages affected have had little or no
contact with KNPP forces in recent times.  The relocations are largely
arbitrary and based on large geographic areas, crossing all ethnic and
religious lines.

Most of the people ordered to move have been fleeing to the relocation
sites, towards Thailand or to other areas.  A few are attempting to hide in
the forests, though most feel this is too dangerous.  SLORC has promised
food and places to stay at the relocation sites, but on arrival people find
neither.  At some sites hundreds of people are living in monasteries,
abandoned huts, shelters, or under other people's houses.  At Shadaw
some barracks are being built beside the military camp to house some of
the people.  At most sites, SLORC troops simply allocate an area of
scrubland and tell the villagers to clear it.  At Wan Mai, near Baw La Keh,
the troops have confiscated farmland, marked it out with stakes and are
forcing the relocated villagers to buy plots from the Battalion to build
their
houses.  No one has any land to farm, nor are they allowed to go back to
farm their home fields.  Most people had no chance to bring much food
with them and SLORC provides none, so at most sites SLORC has
relented and allowed people to go back to their villages to get supplies.
This is only for a limited time: for example, at Shadaw people were told
that they must all be back by 27 June, and after that anyone outside the
camp would be shot on sight.  Near Baw La Keh, villagers were told that
by July all roads would be blockaded and even cross-river ferries would
stop operating in the area.  It is important to note that these relocations
are all happening at planting and growing time for the year's only rice
crop, so this year at least half of Karenni will have no rice harvest.
SLORC soldiers have made clear to the villagers that this is fine with them
- as one villager told us, "They told us that it is not necessary for us to
grow anything, because we won't eat it ourselves, we will only use it to
feed the rebels."

Water is inadequate at some of the sites, and at every site disease is
rampant.  Those wishing medical help must buy their own medicines, and
at Shadaw people must even pay for a 'clinic ticket' before they can go to
the nurse.  At Ywathit, the relocated villagers are already being used by
the troops to do forced labour on a road; at the other sites, soldiers tell
the villagers there will be no labour "for now", but all the villagers are
sure they will be used as military porters and other labour in the near
future.  Some of them believe this is the whole reason for the relocations -
very few of them have much idea of what is happening between SLORC
and KNPP.

At least 3,000 people fleeing the relocations have arrived at Karenni
refugee camps in Thailand, despite the difficulty and danger of the 4 to 7
day walk in the monsoon rain and mud through the forest and over
mountains, with little or nothing to eat and the possibility of encountering
SLORC troops at any point along the way.  As of 3 July, 2,091 new people
had registered in Karenni Camp 2, the main arrival point, and up to 100
more were arriving each day.  In many cases entire villages are arriving
together.  A very high proportion of them are arriving suffering malaria,
respiratory infections, fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, dysentery, skin
diseases,
malnutrition and exhaustion.  Many children have died on arrival at the
camp - in the first week of July one observer estimated that one child per
day was dying.  Overseas organisations helping the refugees are saving as
many people as possible with the resources at their disposal.  SLORC
officers
across the border have already demanded that the Thai Army hand all the
refugees back.

The remainder of this report consists of the following parts: Interviews,
translation of a relocation order, photocopy of the relocation order in
Burmese, relocation map, and list of villages affected.  The interviews in
this report were conducted by KHRG in a Karenni refugee camp just
inside Thailand at the beginning of July 1996.  The names of those
interviewed have been changed to protect them, and some other details
omitted.  Note that Preh Tho Leh Township is a Karenni name; SLORC
considers it to be part of Shadaw Township.

			     CONTENTS

Introduction (p.1), Interviews (p.4), Translation of relocation order
(p.21),
Copy of relocation order in Burmese (p.22), Relocation map (p.24),
List of villages affected (p.25).

			  TOPIC SUMMARY

Relocation orders:  Contents of orders (Interview #1,2,4,5,8-10),
relocation at gunpoint (#3,7), hardships of the move (#2,3,6), burning
houses (#1,2), reasons for relocation (#3,5,6,7,9), arrest of those who stay
behind (#3,8).

Conditions at relocation sites:  Shadaw site (#2,5,6,10,11), Ywathit site
(#3,7), Wan Mai (Baw La Keh area) site (#1,8), allocation of housing area
(#1-3,5-8,10,11), confiscation of local farmers' land for relocation site
(#1,7), selling plots to relocated villagers (#1), local villagers forced to
clear relocation site (#10), food (#1-3,5-8,10,11), sickness/clinics
(#1-3,5-
8,10,11), deaths (#1,2,5,6,8), forced labour (#1,3), looting (#5),
impounding relocated villagers' rice and rationing it back to them (#1,3,8),
phony 'food distribution' photo session (#11), movement restrictions (#1-3,
5,7,8,10,11).

General:  Lost possessions (#1-11),  hardships during flight (#1-4,6,9-11),
giving birth during flight (#4), deserted villages (#2,3,5,9,10),
situation in villages before these relocations (#1-3,6,7,9,11).
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