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Chin Human Rights Organization, Jul
- Subject: Chin Human Rights Organization, Jul
- From: chinhro@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 20:10:00
Subject: Chin Human Rights Organization, July 1999
==========================
Rhododendron News Bulletin
==========================
Chin Human Rights Organization
50 Bell Street, N #2, Ottawa, ON K1R 7C7, Canada
Ph/Fx:(613) 234 2485 Email:Chokhlei@xxxxxxxxxxx
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Volume II No.5 July 1999
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Military government's attitude towards Christianity
===================================================
Christian persecution is on the rise in Burma. Christian activities
in the Churches and the practices of their faith are being
obstructed with any possible means and ways despite Burma is a
country which has claimed the right to freedom of religion. Just
after Chin Christian Centenial celebration in Haka in April, the
CHRO's monitor met a Chin Christian leader. The following is a
survey of the military government's attitude towards Christianity in
Chin State.
1. The effort of the military government not to allow crosses being
put up on the top of any hill in Chin State by Christians is well
known by now. What is so unfair, to my mind, is that the military
government did allow the Buddhist group from setting up Pagoda on
hills in Chin State without any interference from any body. This is
pure injustice.
2. The military government literally forbade the ZBC's CCOC ( Chin
for Christ in One Century ) evangelists from preaching in Paletwa;
the military "house arrested"(so to speak) seventy of them in their
headquarters in Paletwa for six months, while they allow the
Buddhist monks to assault Christians in the Paletwa districts
without any restraint from the military police. The ZBC (Zomi/Chin
Baptist Convention )later withdrew these evangelists since they were
not allowed to preach in Paletwa.
3. In all of Burma the Buddhists could build any number of Pagodas
anywhere with full Military government's support, whereas Christians
are not allowed to build Churches. During the last many years, no
Church building has been built officially permitted by the military
government. The only permission granted occasionally is to allow to
build " a prayer Center " or " mission center", but not Churches.
4. In all Burma armed forces, no Christian has been promoted rank
higher than Major. The few colonels are the ones promoted ten or
fifteen years ago. Since 1990, many of the Chin officers could go
only up to Captain, and not beyond.
5. In Magwe township, many evangelists were sent by the Churches from
Chin State, and at least 8 of them are now ordered by the military
government to return Chin State, forbidding them to preach anywhere
in the district.
6. When the "Chin Evangelical Centenary" festival was about to take
place in Hakha, the military government officially called it, " we
have nothing to do with the "white face" arrival in Chin State. They
did not openly and strongly oppose the celebration all the way,
simply because the military government realized that the Chins would
go on and celebrate, with or without military government's
permission. Even when the ZBC drew worship service programs, the
military government objected to a number items in the program, and
the ZBC had to revise the program four or five times before finally
giving approval. Why should a government had a say in the service
program of the Christian worship service?
7. The military government played delaying tactic as long as they
can: when the Chin held worship services in Yangon for the
celebration, on March 13 & 14, the Chins did not get permission to
worship for days and weeks. The permission came only 30 minutes just
before the worship service began. The ZBC applied for permission for
Centenary Permission 10 months ahead of time. The military government
granted them just 5 days before the celebration started, they did it
only when they saw that not granting them permission would be more
riskier.
8. The military government allowed only 4500 guests to attend the
centenary celebration in Hakha. What they said was, "accept only 4500
guests or you get no celebration." That was the ultimatum! However
obviously more people attended more than allowed.
9. The military used all types of means to spy on the activities of
the Chin Christians, including Buddhist monks. Monks often came to
worship service, not because of their interest in Christians'
message, but for other reason and the Christians know it well.
10. The military government did not permit the Carson hall in Hakha
to be completed. They may say many excuses but the fact remains: they
did not allow to be completed. When the military government wanted to
have Students' Festival in 1998, the military government asked for
and received all cooperation from the Christians in Hakha, including
all stones the Christians had collected for their Carson hall, but
when the Christians wanted to have their centenary celebration, help
was not coming; the military government would rather try to prevent
the celebration to take place. There is a lot of injustices, and they
had the guns. The sufferings of people is truly deep. They are simply
crying. Those who shouted about their sufferings are simply silenced
either by threat or by imprisonment.
11. Last, the military government kept large armies and those who are
stationed in Chin State did not behave like professional soldiers.
They would steal and take by force whatever belong to the citizens
without payment: their stealing is well known throughout the length
and breadth of the State. I have talked a good number of people whose
grocery items have been taken by force or stolen, by the soldiers,
including chickens and pigs.
Forced labour in Thantlang
=============================
The Burmese army in the Thangtlang area, Chin State, continuously
forced the villagers including men and women, the old and young, the
pastors, the teachers and students without attending school, to build
the car road (50 miles long) between Vuangtu village and Thantlang
town from dawn to 11:oo Pm without a rest, except the times of lunch
and dinner. The army officers ordered them "to complete the road
before the coming monsoon season that starts normally in the end of
May." Nothing is provided for the villagers.
A very tired man, Pa Za Kung, from Vomkua village, who took a rest in
a moment, was beaten and killed on the spot by the army on 5/5/99, on
account of taking rest without permits from the army. Another man,
aschool teacher of Salen village, was beaten by the army and sent to
the hospital for treatment who is in a serious condition.
On 11/5/99, the forced labors were ordered to explode ( dynamite )
the rocky road. After that they were forced to pick up the stones on
the road while the stones have been being rolling down on the road
from ( above ) the high rock. Villagers explained the army to pick up
then stones when the stones are in normal condition but the army
refused, beat and forced them again to pick up the stones.The rolling
stones, therefore, hit and pressed one man from Vomkua villages, and
each two perosons from Ze Phai and Hriphi villages. Their friends saw
and went to rescue them but the army ordered not to rescue them,
rather they said, " Don't help them, if they are killed by the stones
it is for the country." The army beat and forbad not to rescue the
persons those who are under the pressure of the rocks. "All were
seriously injured and sent to the hospital who are now in serious
conditions," said by our reporters.
Today, 28 families of Ze Phai village deserted their homes and
villages, and went to India where they are living as refugees due to
forced labors, human right violations and difficult living.
" One day is not enough to tell you our suffering "
===============================================
The following interviews were conducted in Chittagong Hill Tracts of
Bangladesh by a human rights monitor from Immage Asia in February
1999.
Name : Pa Tui (not his real name)
Sex / Age : Male/43
Ethnicity / religion : Chin / Christian
Occupation : Slash-and-burn farmer + Village headman
>From : Lung Phum village, Paletwa Township
Marital status : Married with 5 children
Name : Pak Dir (not his real name)
Sex / Age : Male/38
Ethnicity / religion : Chin/Christian
Occupation : Slash-and-burn farmer
>From : Lung Phum village, Paletwa Township
Marital status : Married with 3 children - His wife is Khumi
Interview date : 6.2.1999
Q : When did you arrive in Bangladesh?
Pa Tui : We arrived in Bangladesh in May 1998. We had to come
secretly. We were 10 families from Lung Phum village. I was the
headman, so I came out first to check the situation in Bangladesh,
and went back to fetch the others.
Pak Dir : The day after our headman, Pa Tui, left our village, the
Burmese Army got informed about our decision to leave. The soldiers
came and beat us, even the children. After the beatings, we hold a
meeting among our ten families to discuss how we could escape. Two
days later, at night time, we ran away from our village. Then, we
walked day and night. On the way, we didn't enter any village. We
only took a rest in the jungle at the bank of a river.
Q : Why did you leave your village?
Pa Tui : Because of portering. Sometimes we had to be porters for
awhole month. We could not work in our field. Except for my wife,
all the other members of my family are young children. They were
always struggling when we, the men, were away as porters for the
army.
Pak Dir : Because of all the problems caused by the Burmese Army.
This is because of the opposition groups. We always have to give
money to the Burmese Army, but we also have to pay to several other
armed groups. It became unbearable for us. That is why I decided to
leave.
Q : How big is your village?
Pa Tui : There were 28 families at the time. All Chins. Now, not a
single family is left there. When we came out to Bangladesh, the
remaining families had already left to Mizoram. We were the last
group to leave.
Q : How far is your village from the border?
Pa Tui : 2 days walk to India and 3 days walk to the Bangladesh
border.
Q : Why did you choose to go to Bangladesh?
Pa Tui : Because we knew some people who are living here. We knew
that if we go to them they would help us, and we could stay with
them.
Q : Have you ever been beaten yourself?
Pa Tui : They beat me three times. The first time was in 1994 when
we were building a fence at Shinletwa camp. We finished the work and
came out a bit late, so the soldiers beat our group. Again in 1996
we were working [doing forced labour] at Shinletwa army camp and we
drank some water. The soldiers told us: "Why did you drink water
instead of working?" Then they beat me in my back. The third time,
also in 1996, the troops came to demand porters in my village. They
only gave me 30minutes to collect 150 or 160 people. But within half
an hour, I could not gather the full amount of porters. They beat me
seriously with their rifle butts. They hit me on the cheeks, on the
nose and in the chest and I fell down. They pressed the butt of
their G-3 so hard in my chest that the skin was torn. They also
punched my mouth and it became swollen. Afterwards, they went on
beating the other villagers too. They beat me more than the others
because I was the headman. They beat the head of each family and
took them as porters. After beating us, they fined us 10 tins of
rice and one fat pig that we had to give to the army.
Q : Is there any army camp in your village?
Pa Tui : No. The nearest one is Shinletwa camp. Two days walk away.
Usually we have to carry their loads to and from their camp at
Shinletwa.
Q : But you complained that you were portering for one month?
Pa Tui : When the soldiers brought us with them to check the pillars
along the borderline, they told us that we could come back after 7
or10 days. But once we arrived there, it was not like what they said
and we had to stay with them for a whole month. We only brought our
own ration for 10 days. When the food was eaten up, we asked them to
provide us with more and they replied: "Why didn't you bring more
food? We can't supply anything. Drink water instead!" Each time they
stopped, we had to build a rest camp for them.
Q : I heard that in 1997 the villages near Shinletwa were being
ordered to move?
Pa Tui : Yes. They hold a meeting around the end of 1996. They
called all the village headmen together and the army ordered us to
move down to Shinletwa near their camp. It was an order. At that
time, all the village leaders opposed this. The people knew that if
they stayed near the camp, the soldiers will use them as porters all
the time and they will not be able to survive. That is why the
people were afraid to move, and some decided to cross to Mizoram.
When the army failed to gather the people at Shinletwa, they issued
another order to do road construction work. We had to go and work on
the main car road linking Kyauk Taw (Arakan State) to Paletwa. They
ordered to work at a site beyond Paletwa town. We went there doing
forced labour for 16 days. To go there and back on foot, it took us
about one month. It was very far and all the villages had to go
there. We had to walk for 3 days and then take a boat for one day.
After 4 days traveling we finally arrived at the worksite. Ofcourse,
we had to pay the boat fare ourselves.
Q : Did you get any salary?
Pa Tui : No salary. We even had to carry our own ration. We carried
12 kg of rice per person but at the worksite it was not enough. So
we had to buy more rice and pay for it ourselves.
Q : Did you work there too?
Pak Dir : Yes, I did.
Q : How many people had to go from your village?
Pa Tui : 14 people at one time. When the first group returned, the
remaining people had to go there. Some of our villagers did not go
to work. They had to pay a fine of 300 Kyats per head. However, the
army did show some respect for our religious leaders. The church
elders had to pay 150 Kyats instead of 300, and the village headman
could pay as he wished. The road from Paletwa to Kyauk Taw did exist
before, but it was very narrow, so we had to widen it. After the
rainy season, it collapsed in various places. That road looks like a
river in the rainy season. We can't imagine that they will ever
drive on it!
Q : Did the women work there too?
Pa Tui : In our area, because we are quite far away from the camp,
the women did not have to go. Also, when the soldiers came to our
village, they didn't beat or harm any women. But we do know that
they tortured those who are living near the army camp or along the
bank of the river.
Q : Did they ever steal in your village?
Pa Tui : Extortion was unbearable in our village. At least once a
month they used to come on patrol and stay at our village for one or
two nights. Then they demanded whatever food they needed. If they
demanded one pig and we refused to give it, they would shoot it
anyway. Wherever they went, if they saw a chicken, they would just
take it. They never gave any compensation. Moreover, they often
collected taxes from us too. They told us this money was for paying
labour or for the road. They collected 100 Kyats per family twice a
year. In addition, they showed so many expenses that we have to pay.
Sometimes, they said it was for fencing the camp, sometimes for the
payment of the teachers, sometimes for the road construction. So
many different things that we never understood what all the taxes
were for!
Q : As a headman, were you contacted by opposition groups?
Pa Tui : Yes. First a letter would reach me. They always sent a
letter first. Then after the money is collected, they came and
picked up the taxes. Once a year AA and ALP collected 300 Kyats [per
family]separately. CNF also demanded 300 Kyats per family. But we
didn't pay 300, we paid 200.
Q : Did they have make any troubles in your village?
Pa Tui : No, because we never failed to pay to them. In their
letters, they always put a warning. So we were afraid, collected the
money and paid them even if we could not afford it.
Q : Is there a school in your village?
Pa Tui : Yes, a self-supported school with only one teacher. We paid
him in kind, 180 tins of paddy per year.
Q : And a clinic?
Pa Tui : No. If someone is seriously ill, we have to go and see the
doctor, 6 hours walk away.
Q : Did other villages in your area flee too?
Pak Dir : Yes. So many people are suffering. For the Khumi people it
is more difficult because they can't leave the country. They have
nowhere to go. [Khumi have no "cousin" tribes in Bangladesh or
Mizoram to stay with]. So many people from the border area have
already fled to Mizoram. Samang, Dongwa, Lung Phum, Sung Tulung,
Tahai Wa, etc.... all these villages are now empty. They are quite
far from each other,1 day walk, 2 days walk, 3 days walk. Tahai Wa
is not even in the border area, it is located up towards Paletwa.
All are Lai Chin or Khumi villages and suffer the same. The small
villages suffer more, because the population is very few. Some Khumi
villages are quite big and suffer a bit less because there are many
people [to respond to the army' demand]. Bu we can say that we all
suffer the same.
Q : Do the Burmese Army recruit people? And the opposition groups?
Pak Dir : Until we came here, we didn't experience any such
problems. The Burmese Army did make a request, but we didn't send
anybody.
Q : Anything else that you would like to say?
Pa Tui : That is all. We have already explained the most important.
If you want to know all about our suffering, one day is not enough
to tell you.
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