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Forced Labour ILO reports on forced labour in Burma See also under International Labour Organisation Websites/Multiple Documents Title:   CEACR: Individual Observations Concerning ILO Convention No. 29, Forced Labour (1930) - Myanmar (ratification: 1955) Description/subject:   ILO Committee of Experts on the Applications of Standards and Recommendations: most years from 1991. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://webfusion.ilo.org/public/db/standards/normes/appl/appl-displayAllComments.cfm?hdroff=1&ctry=... Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Individual Documents Title:   On the Run - an army porter’s story of brutality and murder Date of publication:   March 2005 Description/subject:   "When the Burmese army hauled Naing Myint out of prison and forced him to become an ammunition porter on the frontline they actually did him a favor, opening the door to freedom. Naing Myint, a long-term prisoner, spent just two days humping ammunition before making a run for it..." Author/creator:   Shah Paung Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy" Vol. 13, No. 3 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   29 August 2005 Title:   ILC 2001, 89th Session: Discussion in Plenary Date of publication:   21 June 2001 Description/subject:   Discussion in Plenary of the report of the Committee on the Application of Standards, Part 3 of which is the report of the Special Sitting on Myanmar. The discussion includes some brief words on Burma, by the Reporter of the Committee, Ms Wiklund (Govt., Sweden), the Employer Delegate Mr Wisskirchen (Germany) and the Worker Delegate, Mr Cortebeek. The report also contains a statement by Mr Mya Than, the Myanmar Permanent Representative in Geneva. Scroll down for the references. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2001: Special sitting on forced labour in Myanmar (Provisional Record) plus supporting documents Date of publication:   21 June 2001 Description/subject:   Provisional Record 19 (Part 3). Committee on the Application of Standards. Special sitting concerning the application by Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), in application of the resolution adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 88th (2000) Session. The document contains: A. Record of the discussion in the Committee on the Application of Standards; B.Observation of the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations; C.Documents GB.280/6, and (Add. 1) and (Add. 2) under item 6 of the agenda of the Governing Body at its 280th Session (March 2001): "Developments concerning the question of the observance by theGovernment of Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)"; D. Provision minutes of the discussion of this item; E.Developments since the 280th Session of the Governing Body (March 2001): Arrangements for an objective assessment of the situation of forced labour following measures taken by the Myanmar Government. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   pdf (103K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour and Freedom of Association in Burma Date of publication:   01 May 2001 Description/subject:   in "Amnesty International's Concerns at the 89th International Labour Conference 5-21 June 2001, Geneva" Language:   English Source/publisher:   Amnesty International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 280th Session, March 2001: GB.280/6 Date of publication:   March 2001 Description/subject:   Developments concerning the question of the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Responses from the ILO constituents (workers, governments and employers) and the rest of the international community to the measures adopted by the ILC in June 2000. Updates on forced labour from various sources, communcations between the ILO and the Government of Myanmar; Appendix 9 is the Observations of the CEACR (from November 2000). Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   PDF (214K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 280th Session, March 2001: GB.280/6 (Add.1) Date of publication:   March 2001 Description/subject:   Developments concerning the question of the observance by the Government of Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Additional communications received after GB.280/6 was finalized. Language:   English Source/publisher:   ILO Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 279th Session, November 2000: GB.279/6/1 (Add.2) Date of publication:   15 November 2000 Description/subject:   Various instructions from the Govt. of Myanmar prohibiting forced labour. Effect given by the Government of Myanmar to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar (Friday, 20 October-Thursday, 26 October 2000). Addendum. 1. The Office has received from the Government of Myanmar copies of a number of instructions mentioned in a communication dated 31 October 2000 from the Director-General of the Myanmar Department of Labour, excerpts of which are reproduced in Annex B of document GB.279/6/1(Add.1)(Rev.1). 2. These instructions are annexed... Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   PDF Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 279th Session, November 2000: GB.279/6/1 Date of publication:   November 2000 Description/subject:   Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar (Friday, 20 October-Thursday, 26 October 2000). Effect given by the Government of Myanmar to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar (Friday, 20 October-Thursday, 26 October 2000). 1. Origin of the mission. 1. In talks with the Permanent Representative of Myanmar, Ambassador U Mya Than, shortly after the conclusion of the 88th Session of the International Labour Conference, the Director-General emphasized the need for urgent action on the part of the Myanmar authorities to give effect as quickly as possible to the resolution adopted by the Conference at its 88th Session. He recalled that the resolution in question had authorized the Office to respond positively to all requests by Myanmar for assistance in attaining that goal. On 14 July, the Director-General followed up this conversation with a letter addressed to the Minister of Labour of Myanmar (Annex 1). 2. In an interim reply dated 7 August (Annex 2), the Minister of Labour, while expressing regret that the Conference had not chosen the path of cooperation to resolve the issue, stated that consultations were in progress in Yangon with a view to the adoption of a considered position. 3. On 8 September, the Director-General met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, Mr. Win Aung, at the United Nations Millennium Summit. During the meeting, the Director-General again emphasized the increasing urgency of action on the part of the Myanmar authorities to give effect to the Conference resolution, given that the next session of the Governing Body was only two months away, and recalled that such action was needed in the three main areas indicated in the resolution, namely legislative, executive and administrative measures. In the absence of any concrete action in those areas, the measures adopted by the Conference would take effect. The Minister assured the Director-General..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   PDF (233K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 279th Session, November 2000: GB.279/6/1(Add.1)(Rev.1) Date of publication:   November 2000 Description/subject:   The chain of command in Myanmar; The document signed by Secretary-1; The communication of the Director-General of the Dept. of Labour. Effect given by the Government of Myanmar to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar (Friday, 20 October-Thursday, 26 October 2000) Addendum. 1. In paragraph 40 of its report, the mission indicated that following the announcement made by Secretary-1, new elements in the form of a document issued by the SPDC itself would probably be made available. 2. The Director-General on Friday, 3 November received a letter from the Minister of Labour which communicated the text of an instruction signed by Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt in his capacity as Secretary-1 of the SPDC. In addition, in a separate communication addressed to the head of the mission, the Director-General of the Department of Labour specifies the measures adopted to ensure that forced labour is no longer imposed in practice. These communications are attached (Annexes A and B). 3. The following observations may assist the Governing Body in its assessment of the import of these new elements: (i) The chain of command in Myanmar 4. The highest authority in Myanmar is the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), which includes all military regional commanders and the chiefs of staff of the army, navy and air force, but does not include government ministers. Thus, the SPDC is the highest military authority and the highest civilian authority in the country. 5. Myanmar is divided into 14 administrative areas (7 States and 7 Divisions), which are further subdivided into districts, townships, and then village tracts (in rural areas) and... Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   PDF Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 279th Session, November 2000: GB.279/6/1(Add.3) Date of publication:   November 2000 Description/subject:   "Communication from the Government of Myanmar. Effect given by the Government of Myanmar to the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar (Friday, 20 October-Thursday, 26 October 2000). Addendum. The Office has received from the Government of Myanmar the attached communication..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   International Labour Conference 2000 Date of publication:   July 2000 Description/subject:   (Useful overview and analysis) "Burma Debate" issue on ILC 2000: "Dancing with the Generals - The ILO Technical Cooperation Mission to Burma" (Mary Pack); Interviews with Lord Bill Brett, Mr. Rolf Thusing, H.E. Ambassador Asda Jayanama & Mr. Andrew Samet; ASEAN's ["alternative"] Proposal and the Compromise text - excerpts from the discussion in the Selection Committee; the text of the resolution and the result of the record vote. Author/creator:   Mary Pack Language:   English Source/publisher:   "Burma Debate" Vol. VII No. 1 Format/size:   Spring/Summer issue. Undated, but probably July/August 2000 Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2000, 88th Session: Report of the Selection Committee Date of publication:   09 June 2000 Description/subject:   Provisional Record 6-4: Report of the Selection Committee. "Measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the Constitution � Implementation of recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry entitled Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma)". This is the key debate in the ILC adoption of the measures on Burma which have been widely interpreted as implying sanctions. The draft resolution (enclosed in the report) submitted by the Selection Committee was endorsed by the Conference Plenary. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2000, 88th Session: Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma). Background information and recommended action. Date of publication:   June 2000 Description/subject:   Provisional Record 4: Measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the Constitution - Implementation of recommendations contained in the report of the Commission of Inquiry on forced labour in Myanmar (Burma) Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Alternate URLs:   http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc88/pdf/pr-5.pdf Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2000, 88th Session: Myanmar - Discussion in Plenary, text of the resolution. Date of publication:   June 2000 Description/subject:   Discussions in plenary, text of the resolution adopted and a link to the results of the record vote. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2000, 88th Session: Plenary, results of the record vote Date of publication:   June 2000 Description/subject:   Vote on the resolution concerning the measures recommended by the Governing Body under Article 33 of the Constitution with respect to Myanmar. Record of the votes by the Government, Worker and Employer delegates. (For: 257; Against: 41; Abstentions: 31; Quorum: 271). By this resolution, the ILC adopted the measures widely interpreted as implying sanctions against Myanmar (to be triggered in November 2000 unless the Governing Body were satisfied that the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry had been adequately fulfilled. This did not occur, and the measures came into force on 30 November 2000). Language:   English, Francais, Espanol Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILC 2000, 88th Session: Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar Date of publication:   June 2000 Description/subject:   Provisional Record 8. Report of the ILO technical cooperation mission to Myanmar, 23-27 May 2000. The Mission's Conclusions (extract): "...Firstly, the mission believes that the Commission of Inquiry�s recommendations could be satisfied in a coherent and practical way if a comprehensive framework of legislative, executive, and administrative measures were adopted: i.rendering all practices constituting forced labour in the sense of Convention No. 29 illegal under national law, and ensuring that all legislative provisions in force that permit the imposition of forced labour are repealed or appropriately amended; ii.giving specific instructions to the state authorities, and notably to the responsible military authorities, regarding the consequences to be drawn from the above as regards the various forms of work mentioned in the Commission�s report, and monitoring their application, so that in practice no forced or compulsory labour is imposed by any authority; iii.informing the entire population adequately and completely about the above measures as well as the penalties applicable pursuant to section 374 of the Penal Code to all those imposing forced labour; and taking concrete action to ensure that these penalties are strictly applied in practice. Secondly, as the Myanmar authorities were told by the mission, the Office could certainly help formulate and implement such a framework if the Government�s commitment to take expeditious action to this effect was made sufficiently clear in the eyes of the Conference..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Alternate URLs:   http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc88/pdf/pr-8.pdf Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   The 88th International Labour Conference Date of publication:   01 May 2000 Description/subject:   Amnesty International's concerns relevant to the Committee on Application of Standards Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Director-General: Second report to the Governing Body (Addendum) Date of publication:   23 March 2000 Description/subject:   Letter to the Director-General of the International Labour Office from the Director-General of the Department of Labour of the Government of Myanmar, dated 20 March 2000 Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 277th Session, March 2000: GB.277/6 Date of publication:   March 2000 Description/subject:   Measures, including action under Article 33 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization, to secure compliance by the Government of Myanmar with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) A. Information available on measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, and action taken in this regard within the ILO since the 276th Session (November 1999) of the Governing Body. B. Measures that may be recommended by the Governing Body to the International Labour Conference for their possible adoption under article 33 of the Constitution Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 277th Session, March 2000: GB.277/6(Add.1) Date of publication:   March 2000 Description/subject:   Draft resolution addressed to the Conference. Measures, including action under Article 33 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization, to secure compliance by the Government of Myanmar with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Director-General: Second Report to the Governing Body Date of publication:   25 February 2000 Description/subject:   Second report of the Director-General to the members of the Governing Body on measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine its observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Contents: Introduction; I. Amendment of legislation; II. Measures to stop the exaction in practice of forced or compulsory labour and information available on actual practice; A. Measures to stop the exaction in practice of forced or compulsory labour. B. Information available on actual practice;(1) Communications from the Government; (2) Findings of the CEACR; (3) Information received upon my request of December 1999; General observations; Forms of labour and services requisitioned: (a) Portering, military camp work and other work in support of the military: (b) Work on agricultural and other production projects; (c) Construction and maintenance of roads, railways, bridges and other infrastructure work. III. Punishment of those imposing forced labour. Final observations: Appendix I. CEACR observation. Appendix II. Letter from the Government of Myanmar dated 21 January 2000. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   PDF (174 K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 276th Session, November 1999: GB.276/6 Date of publication:   November 1999 Description/subject:   Measures, including action under article 33 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization, to secure compliance by the Government of Myanmar with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). I. Information available on measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, and action taken in this regard within the ILO since March 1999. II. Measures that may be considered by the Governing Body Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   One Foot Out the Door? -- Report of the International Labour Organization's Committee on Application of Standards June 1999 Date of publication:   June 1999 Description/subject:   This June,in an extreme move by the International Labour Organization ILO, a resolution was passed that prohibits one of its member countries, Burma, from receiving technical cooperation and assistance from the ILO or attending its meetings, symposia or seminars... . Language:   English Source/publisher:   "Burma Debate", Vol. VI, No. 2 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Director-General's Report, May 1999 Date of publication:   21 May 1999 Description/subject:   Report of the Director-General to the members of the Governing Body on Measures taken by the Government of Myanmar following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine its observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 274th Session, March 1999: GB.274/5 Date of publication:   March 1999 Description/subject:   Measures taken by the Government of Myanmar to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the complaint concerning its observance of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour in Myanmar (Burma) Date of publication:   02 July 1998 Description/subject:   "Report of the Commission of Inquiry appointed under article 26 of the Constitution of the International Labour Organization to examine the observance by Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)"...Full Text (about 400 pages) The central ILO report on forced labour in Burma. Appendix III contains 246 interviews, largely with people from non-Burman ethnic groups - Chin, Rohingya, Arakanese, Karen, Karenni, Shan, Pa-O, Mon. The interviews cover forced labour, but also many other violations of human rights such as killings (executions), rape, torture, looting, forced relocation (forced displacement) violence against women, violence against children, looting. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Format/size:   Main link (html by section); 2nd html link, complete text - for searching online (1800K); Word - for download (2010K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/myanmar-OBL.htm http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/myanmar-COI-OBL.doc Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ILO Governing Body, 267th Session, November 1996: GB.267/16/2 Date of publication:   November 1996 Description/subject:   Complaint concerning the non-observance by Myanmar of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), made by delegates to the 83rd (1996) Session of the Conference under article 26 of the Constitution of the ILO. Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Labour Office Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Non-ILO Reports on Forced Labour in Burma Websites/Multiple Documents Title:   EarthRights International Burma publications Description/subject:   General publications page, with several on Burma Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   html, pdf, Word Date of entry/update:   11 August 2003 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Description/subject:   The largest body of high-quality reports on the civil war in Burma, especially focussed on the civilian victims. Language:   English Source/publisher:   KHRG Format/size:   html, pdf Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Individual Documents Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2008 - Chapter 7: Forced Labour and Forced Conscription Date of publication:   23 November 2009 Description/subject:   "...the use of forced labour remains widespread and pervasive throughout the country. The routine disruption of work and life has brought many communities to the brink of humanitarian crisis, with villagers in rural areas struggling to find the time to grow food or earn a wage in between fulfilling the various demands of the junta and its allied ceasefire groups...Reports of forced labour were received from sources across the country during the year 2007 and again in 2008, with particularly high rates of incidence reported in Arakan State, Karen State and Shan State. In some states, military demands for labour, food or money were often expressed in written order documents, although some officers have become aware of the importance of these documents as evidence of human rights abuse and have begun circumventing the problem by issuing their orders verbally at meetings. In August 2008 the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) published a collection of 59 translated order documents issued by State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) authorities in Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, Papun and Thaton Districts between October 2007 and March 2008. Some of the orders covered general issues and specified travel permission or restrictions on the sale of meat, but many included demands for food, materials, services and various kinds of labour or attendance at meetings..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Docmentation Unit (HRDU) Format/size:   pdf (974K) Date of entry/update:   05 December 2009 Title:   SPDC and DKBA order documents: October 2007 to March 2008 Date of publication:   06 August 2008 Description/subject:   "As evidence of ongoing exploitative local governance in rural Burma, this report comprises a collection of 59 translated order documents issued by SPDC and DKBA officers to village heads in Karen State between October 2007 and March 2008. The orders provide tangible confirmation of rural villagers’ consistent testimonies regarding the regular demands for labour, money, food and other supplies to which their communities are subject by local military forces. Amongst other things, these order documents articulate demands for the payment of money and food; fabrication and delivery of building supplies; attendance at meetings; road clearance and construction; portering of military supplies; agricultural labour and the delivery of bullock carts. In almost all cases, such demands are uncompensated and backed by an implicit threat of violence for non-compliance. Almost all demands articulated in the orders presented in this report involve some element of forced labour in their implementation..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG #2008-02) Format/size:   pdf (353 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg0802.html Date of entry/update:   15 November 2009 Title:   Kein Ende der Zwangsarbeit in Burma Date of publication:   07 September 2007 Description/subject:   Trotz des seit Ende Februar 2007 offiziellen Verbots von Zwangsarbeit in Burma (Myanmar), gibt es unaufhörlich Berichte über neue Fälle – ganz besonders in den Grenzgebieten, zu denen Ausländer keinen Zugang haben und wo Minderheiten wie die Karen verfolgt werden. Burmesische Gewerkschafter legten Anfang Juni einen Bericht vor, in dem 3.400 Vorwürfe der Zwangsarbeit dokumentiert sind. Ein von der ILO (Internationale Arbeitsorganisation) im März eingerichtetes Beschwerdeorgan für Zwangsarbeit in Burma registrierte von März bis Juni nur 23 Fälle. Forced labour in ethnic minority areas Language:   German, Deutsch Source/publisher:   Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker Date of entry/update:   03 May 2008 Title:   The Compounding Consequences of DKBA Oppression: Abuse, poverty and food insecurity in Thaton District Date of publication:   09 July 2007 Description/subject:   "As the principal means of establishing control over the people of Thaton District, the SPDC has supported a more aggressive DKBA role in the area. With the junta's political, military and financial backing the DKBA has sought to expand its numbers, strengthen its position vis-à-vis the civilian population and eradicate the remaining KNU/KNLA presence in the region. To those ends, the DKBA has used forced labour, looting, extortion, land confiscation and movement restrictions and embarked on a hostile campaign of forced recruitment from amongst the local population. These abuses have eroded village livelihoods, leading to low harvest yields and wholly failed crops; problems which compound over time and progressively deepen poverty and malnourishment. With the onset of the rainy season and the 2007 cultivation period, villagers in Thaton District are faced with depleting provisions. This food insecurity will require that many harvest their 2007 crop as early as October while still unripe. The low yield of an early harvest, lost time spent on forced labour and the harmful fallout of further extortion and other abuses will all combine to ensure once again that villagers in Thaton District confront food shortages and increasing poverty..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F5) Format/size:   pdf (527 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f5.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2006: Forced Labour and Forced Conscription Date of publication:   25 June 2007 Description/subject:   1.1 Introduction: Forced Portering; Forced Labour; Forced Convict Labour; Forced Military Conscription...1.2 ILO Activities in Burma: Construction of the New Capital [box]... 1.3 Forced Labour Resulting from International Joint Ventures: The Settlement of the Total Lawsuit; Potential Use of Forced Labour on Internationally Sponsored Projects; Salween Dams; Shwe Gas Development; Road and Rail Projects...1.4 Forced Portering – Partial List of Incidents for 2006: Arakan State - Buthidaung Township; Chin State - Matupi Township; Karen State - Dooplaya District, Mergui/Tavoy District, Nyaunglebin District, Thaton District, Toungoo District; Mon State - Ye Township; Shan State - Kae-See Township, Murng Kerng Township, Murng-Nai Township, Namkhan Township, Nam-Zarng Township...1.5 Forced Labour – Partial List of Incidents for 2006: Arakan State - Buthidaung Township, Kyaukpru Township, Maungdaw Township, Palawa Township, Ponna Kyunt Township, Rathidaung Township; Chin State - Falam Township, Hakha Township, Matupi Township, Paletwa Township, Tedim Township, Thantlang Township; Kachin State - Hopin Township, Sinbo Township; Karen State - Dooplaya District, Nyaunglebin District, Pa’an District, Papun District, Thaton District, Toungoo District; Karenni State; Mon State - Khaw Zar Sub-Township, Mudon Township, Thanbyuzayat Township, Ye Township; Pegu Division; Sagaing Division; Shan State - Kae-See Township, Kun Hing Township, Lai-Kha Township, Lashio Township, Muse Town, Murng-Ton Township, Tachilek Township; Tenasserim Division 1.6 Forced Prison Labour – Partial List of Incidents for 2006: Arakan State; Chin State; Karen State - Papun District, Thaton District, Toungoo District; Mandalay Division 1.7 Forced Conscription and Forced Military Training – Partial List of Incidents for 2006: Arakan State - Manaung Township, Maungdaw Township, Ponna Kyunt Township, Yathetaung Township; Chin State - Paletwa Township, Matupi Township; Kachin State; Karen State - Nyaunglebin District, Pa’an District; Mon State; Tenasserim Division 1.8 Interviews and Personal Accounts [20 interviews]. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   pdf (626K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs4/HRDU2006-CD/ Date of entry/update:   13 July 2007 Title:   Forced Labour, Extortion, and Festivities: The SPDC and DKBA burden on villagers in Pa'an District Date of publication:   22 December 2006 Description/subject:   "In Pa'an District of central Karen State, Burmese authorities impose strict controls on the movements and activities of all villagers while also taking their land, money and livestock, using them as forced labour, and forcing them to join state paramilitary organisations. Muslims are being forcibly evicted from their villages into relocation camps to make way for new SPDC army camps. Simultaneously the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) acts on behalf of the SPDC in many areas, extending the regime's control in return for impunity to exploit and extort from the civilian population. The double burden of forced labour, extortion, restrictions and forced conscription imposed by two sets of authorities takes a heavy toll on the villagers, yet in a cruel irony they are also being forced to give money and unpaid child labour to prepare New Year festivities where the DKBA plays host to foreigners and Rangoon movie stars..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F12) Format/size:   pdf (972 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f12.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Less than Human: Convict Porters in the 2005 - 2006 Northern Karen State Offensive Date of publication:   22 August 2006 Description/subject:   "To support its military attacks on hill villages throughout northern Karen State since November 2005, Burma’s State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) military junta has brought several thousand convicts from prisons across Burma to carry ammunition and supplies and to act as human minesweepers. Many of these men are innocent of any crime, but were imprisoned because they were too poor to bribe police and judges who use their positions to extort money. The corruption continues with their jailers, who send them to the Army as porters if they are unable to pay. The SPDC relies increasingly on convict porters for its major military operations, both as a large-scale and accessible workforce to augment the forced labour of villagers and to legitimise its use of forced labour in the eyes of the international community. However, the use of convict porters in frontline operations is anything but legitimate: treated as property of the soldiers, worked to the point of exhaustion or death, beaten, tortured or murdered whenever they can no longer carry loads, underfed and given no treatment when sick or wounded, their treatment flagrantly violates Burma’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions and the ILO Forced Labour Convention. Right now SPDC troops in northern Karen State are leaving a trail of porters’ bodies behind them, while hundreds are attempting escape. This report is based on KHRG’s interviews with some of those who have escaped, whose stories reveal a system of endemic corruption and horrific brutality. Yet despite the presence of thousands of convict porters SPDC forces continue to recruit villagers for forced labour whenever possible, indicating that Burma’s ever-expanding Army is using convict labour as a supplement rather than an alternative to the forced labour of villagers..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG #2006-03) Format/size:   pdf (1.2MB), hrml Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg0603.html Date of entry/update:   06 October 2006 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2005: Forced Labor, Portering, and Military Conscription Date of publication:   July 2006 Description/subject:   1.1 Background; 1.2 ILO Activities in Burma; 1.3 Forced Labor Resulting from International Joint Ventures; 1.4 Forced Portering - Partial List of Incidents for 2005; 1.5 Forced Labor - Partial List of Incidents for 2005; 1.6 Forced Prison Labor - Partial List of Incidents for 2005; 1.7 Forced Conscription and Forced Military Training - Partial List of Incidents for 2005; 1.8 Interviews and Personal Accounts. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   http://www.ncgub.net/staticpages/index.php/HYB_2005 Date of entry/update:   03 November 2007 Title:   Doing Business with Burma - report Date of publication:   25 January 2005 Description/subject:   What are the consequences of investment in or trade with Burma? How does it work? Who profits? Who suffers from it?... Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Who owns the economy? (When you do business with Burma, who do you need to deal with? Can a company have independent business links in Burma?) 3. Levels of FDI and trade; 4. How much of this money is going to the junta? Another source of income: all kinds of taxes; A possible third source of income: the exchange of foreign currency; 5. What do the generals do with this money? 6. On corruption, transparency and drugs; 7. Is there a link between FDI and politics? 8. Are there direct links between FDI and abuse of workers? 9. What is the effect of sanctions on ordinary citizens? Language:   English Source/publisher:   International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) Format/size:   html, pdf (262K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs3/Doing_Business_in_or_with_Burma.pdf Date of entry/update:   07 February 2005 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2002-03: Forced Labour Date of publication:   October 2003 Description/subject:   "In 2002, the SPDC continued using forced labor in Burma; particularly forced portering for military operations; forced labor for military bases and income generating projects for the military and building and maintenance of roads. Despite the release of Aung San Suu Kyi in May, little changed for Burma’s ethnic minority groups, particularly the Karen, Karenni and Shan, living in rural areas where forced labor is regularly conscripted for portering, infrastructure projects and military support activities. The use of forced labor in these areas is often perpetrated under the guise of "Government Development Programs." Although the issue of forced labor in Burma has received much recent attention internationally, there has been little corresponding action by SPDC to eradicate it despite an order banning the use of forced labor which was promulgated in 2000 (see below). Two trends that continued in 2002 were the use of prison labor for portering during military operations and the collection of porter fees. Porter fees take on two forms; in one, each household in a village is required to pay a certain amount each month in order to compensate the conscripted porters. In the other, villagers are forced to pay a fee so that they are not conscripted as porters. Porter fees are a burden on villagers that should not be underestimated as its affects their livelihood in almost the same way that portering does. Villagers who cannot afford to take time away from their livelihood to porter also cannot afford to pay money to avoid portering. Both the increase in the use of prisoner portering and porter fees can be attributed to SPDC’s desire to improve its image in the international community. The use of prisoner porters lessens the number of civilian porters that need to be conscripted and when porters are paid with funds forcibly collected from villagers, the Burmese military can claim that the porters are paid laborers..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit, NCGUB Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   10 November 2003 Title:   SPDC & DKBA ORDERS TO VILLAGES: SET 2003-A Date of publication:   22 August 2003 Description/subject:   "This report presents the direct translations of 783 order documents and letters, selected from a total of 1,007 such documents. The orders dictate demands for forced labour, money, food and materials, place restrictions on movements and activities of villagers, and make threats to arrest village elders or destroy villages of those who fail to obey. Over 650 of those selected were sent by military units and local authorities of Burma’s ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) junta to village elders in Toungoo, Papun, Nyaunglebin, Thaton, Pa’an and Dooplaya Districts, which together cover most of Karen State and part of eastern Pegu Division and Mon State (see Map 1 showing Burma or Map 2 showing Karen State). The remainder were sent by the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) or the Karen Peace Army (KPA), groups allied with the SPDC. All but a few of the orders were issued between January 2002 and February 2003..." Papun, Pa’an, Thaton, Nyaunglebin, Toungoo, & Dooplaya Districts General Forced Labour (Orders #1-150); Forced Labour Supplying Materials (#150-191); Set to a Village I: Village A, Papun District (#192-200); Set to a Village II: Village B, Papun District (#201-226); Set to a Village III: Village C, Thaton District (#227-241); Set to a Village IV: Village D, Dooplaya District (#242-251); Extortion of Money, Food, and Materials (#252-335); Crop Quotas (#336-346); Restrictions on Movement and Activity (#347-354); Demands for Intelligence (#355-426); Education, Health (#427-442); Education (#427-439); Health (#440-442); Summons to ‘Meetings’ (#443-652); DKBA & KPA Letters (#653-783); DKBA Recruitment (#653); DKBA General Forced Labour (#654-685); DKBA Demands for Materials and Money (#686-719); DKBA Restrictions (#720-727); DKBA Meetings (#728-771); KPA Letters (#772-783); Appendix A: The Village Act and the Towns Act; Appendix B: SPDC Orders ‘Banning’ Forced Labour. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports ( KHRG #2003-01) Format/size:   html, pdf (5.4MB) 405 pages Date of entry/update:   17 November 2003 Title:   Entrenched: an Investigative Report on the Systematic Use of Forced Labor in a Rural Area [of Burma] Date of publication:   13 June 2003 Description/subject:   "In a recent investigation inside Burma, EarthRights International has detailed just how the systematic practice of forced labor operates and continues in the country. Using rare interviews with local village heads, the report, entitled Entrenched, provides an in-depth look into one small rural area, including the involvement of high-ranking military officers in the practice of forced labor. The rare testimonies illustrate how forced labor—a modern form of slavery—remains prevalent in an area of active military conflict in eastern Burma. Entrenched: an Investigative Report on the Systematic Use of Forced Labor in a Rural Area is based on extensive interviews with ten village heads from one small area that took place during the winter of 2002-2003. Recent interviews from the same area confirm the practice continues into May 2003. (See the Supplemental Report that also includes updates on the Yadana and Yetagun pipeline region, prisoner porter interviews, and other forms of forced labor). By providing an in-depth examination, the report documents the highly systematic and violent nature of labor abuse by the Burmese military..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   pdf (334K), Date of entry/update:   16 June 2003 Title:   Supplemental Report on forced labour in Burma (to be read with "Entrenched") Date of publication:   04 June 2003 Description/subject:   "The following nineteen recent interviews with villagers from eastern Burma confirm the continued use of forced labor in their communities during 2003. The interviews show the use of forced labor and portering coordinated by high-ranking military officers in some areas of Burma; some orders originate from battalion commanders and a local strategic commander. The interviews also illustrate that it is ultimately the military that issues these orders for forced labor even if they often use village heads as intermediaries in giving and enforcing the orders. These interviews are redacted and abridged to ensure the security of those interviewed and their families. EarthRights International keeps the interviews in their entirety on file...[This] Supplemental Report...also includes updates on the Yadana and Yetagun pipeline region, prisoner porter interviews, and other forms of forced labor. By providing an in-depth examination, the report documents the highly systematic and violent nature of labor abuse by the Burmese military..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   pdf (251K) Date of entry/update:   16 June 2003 Title:   Reise mit AUA - LAUDA AIR und TAI PAN zu den Schaupl�tzen der Zwangsarbeit Date of publication:   09 March 2003 Description/subject:   "A trip to the sights of forced labour". Tourism and forced labour, forced relocation. Dieses "besondere Reiseerlebnis" ist in seinem Ablauf dem Katalog des Reiseb�ros Tai Pan (www.taipan.at) in Wien entnommen. Tai Pan ist der wichtigste Kooperationspartner von AUA - Lauda Air beim Verkauf von organisierten Burma-Reisen. Mit Ausnahme der AUA - Lauda Air fliegt derzeit keine einzige europ�ische Fluggesellschaft von Europa nach Burma. Diese bedient seit 5. Nov. 2002 die Strecke Wien - Rangoon/Yangon und bereits etwas l�nger Italien (Milano) - Yangon. Author/creator:   Burma Campaign Austria Language:   Deutsch, German Source/publisher:   Indymedia Germany Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2001-2002: Forced labour, Date of publication:   September 2002 Description/subject:   "...The SPDC in 2001 continues using forced labor in Burma; particularly forced portering for military operations; forced labor for military bases and income generating projects for the military and building and maintenance of roads. Despite ongoing talks between Aung San Suu Kyi and SPDC, little has changed for Burma�s ethnic minority groups, particularly the Karen, Karenni and Shan, living in rural areas where forced labor is regularly conscripted for portering, infrastructure projects and military support activities. Although the issue of forced labor in Burma has received much recent attention internationally, there has been little corresponding action by SPDC to eradicate its use..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   WE ARE NOT FREE TO WORK FOR OURSELVES: Forced Labor and Other Human Rights Abuses in Burma Date of publication:   June 2002 Description/subject:   "Burma’s State Peace and Development Council’s Order No. 1/99 (March 1999), along with the Supplementary Order to Order No. 1/99 (October 2000),1 outlawed forced labor throughout the country. Despite these orders, forced labor continues. The villagers of Shan State, Karenni State, Karen State, Pegu Division, Mandalay Division, and Tenasserim Division tell of their experiences in the 77 accounts that follow. Life under military rule still means a life where the rule of law is absent. Without legal recourse and continued international pressure for change, these people have no choice but to flee..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International (ERI) Format/size:   pdf (1.1MB) Date of entry/update:   15 March 2007 Title:   Supplement to "More of the Same: Forced Labor Continues in Burma (October 2000 - September 2001)" Date of publication:   07 February 2002 Description/subject:   "...This report demonstrates that civilians continue to be conscripted for forced labor by military units providing security to two natural gas pipelines in southern Burma, the Yadana and Yetagun pipelines. The multinational oil companies that operate these pipelines, including TotalFinaElf (formerly Total) of France, Premier Oil of the United Kingdom, and Unocal of the United States, continue to be morally complicit and legally responsible for the forced labor occurring in the pipeline region..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   html, pdf (46K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.earthrights.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=18 Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma - Forced Labour: ICFTU submission to ILO Committee of Experts November 2001 Date of publication:   29 November 2001 Description/subject:   " The ICFTU sincerely hoped that, as a combined result of the Resolution on Burma adopted by the 88th Session of the International Labour Conference (Geneva, June 2000) and of the ILO's success in restoring a climate of dialogue with the authorities, the use of forced labour would significantly decrease in intensity and, in time, even be eradicated. In fact, nothing of the sort has happened and, as a result, the ICFTU is compelled to continue to supply up-to-date evidence thereof to the Committee of Experts. It does so with regret, and with increasing frustration at the authorities' lack of sincerity and commitment to eliminating forced labour. In spite of their denials, alleged efforts to suppress the practice, professed good will and spirit of co-operation with the ILO, the military authorities of Burma have continued to resort to forced labour on a massive scale. Senior, middle and low-ranking army officers and rank-and-file soldiers, as well as civilian authorities, have continued to exact forced labour in all areas of activity previously identified by the ILO. In support of its claims, the ICFTU encloses nearly 30 reports and other documents, totalling over one hundred pages. They provide detailed evidence, from the same sources and of the same quality as the hundreds of reports examined over the last 5 years by the ILO and found to be credible and authentic..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   ICFTU Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   More of the Same: Forced Labor Continues in Burma (October 2000 - (October 2000 - September 2001) Date of publication:   15 October 2001 Description/subject:   "Even though they have a sign in our village [Ye Pyu Township] that there will be no forced labor or portering in our village, we still have to do forced labor. ...[The army officials] told us that if people ask you about it, don't tell them that we are forcing you to do it, but that we are just asking you to help do it." (Page 25) "This report was published on the heels of the International Labour Organization’s visit to Burma to investigate the continuing forced labor and the military regimes compliance with its calls to end the practice. The report documents the widespread continuance of forced labor and the regime’s attempts to hide the practice from the ILO’s view. For the report, EarthRights International staff interviewed many Karen, Tavoyan and Shan victims in Shan State and Tenasserim Division over the past year..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   PDF (359K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 2000: Forced Portering and Labor Date of publication:   October 2001 Description/subject:   "Throughout the year 2000, the military junta continued its blatant use of unpaid civilian forced labor in virtually all their undertakings, including economic activities, military operations, building and maintaining infrastructures such as roads, bridges and military facilities, cultivating crops for the military, and, in many cases, even in their daily personal matters. Carts, mini-tractors, trucks, cars and other vehicles of the people were frequently forced to serve the military without compensation or responsibility for any damage done to the vehicles. Civilians in rural and ethnic areas in Burma were called for �wontan� (�servants�), which usually means porters or military camp labor, or �loh ah pay� (translated here as �voluntary labor�); SPDC�s term for forced labor..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit, NCGUB Format/size:   html Alternate URLs:   Main page of the Yearbook: http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/yearbooks/Main.htm Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   A Report to the International Labour Organization on Forced Labor in Burma From December 2000-April 2001 Date of publication:   04 June 2001 Description/subject:   Far from indicating a shift away from utilizing forced labor, much less a cessation of this practice, ERI's interviews demonstrate that the authorities' use of forced labor continues through the present. The following statements are all drawn from these interviews: "Just three days before I came to Thailand, I had to fence their [the military's] camp" (Interview #11); "We had to go to fence the military base once a month" (Interview #32); "Every month we have to go and work for the soldiers more than ten days, and sometimes it was almost the whole month" (Interview #2); "Every five days, two villagers in our village tract had to go by rotation [to accompany soldiers]" (Interview #38). Several interviews suggest, however, that the authorities are attempting to alter in name what they refuse to reform in practice: "Starting in November 2000... the District Peace Development Council has ordered the villagers to call porters 'helpers' and if people still call 'helpers' porters, they will punish them" (Interview #6); "According to the villagers, there is no 'porter[ing]' now, but [the military] calls it by another name. This time they ask for 'A-Ku-A-Nyi,' which means 'helper.' That means a villager has to go with them for give days as a guide, and they ask for it all the time" (Interview #28). The enclosed interviews were conducted by ERI or by people from Burma who received prior training from ERI on how to conduct interviews. Due to security concerns and our own confidentiality policies, identifying information in the interviews has been redacted. We have given the township names to provide the location of incidences of forced labor and other human rights abuses. We have excluded people's names, but if this information is needed please contact us. In sum, it is clear that use of forced labor, including portering, has not stopped in areas where we have been able to collect information. ERI will continue to monitor the situation and send information as it is received. Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Zwangsarbeit in Burma: Europäisches Investment finanziert militärische Unterdrückung Date of publication:   June 2001 Description/subject:   forced labour, ILO, human rights, international economic relations. Bericht über Zwangsarbeit in Burma. Der Artikel von Tom Kramer beleuchtet auch den Aspekt von Auslandsinvestitionen und wie auslaendische Unternehmen von der Zwangsarbeit profitieren. Author/creator:   Tom Kramer, Deutsch von Gudrun Witte Language:   Deutsch Source/publisher:   Südostasien Jg. 17, Nr. 2 / Asienhaus Format/size:   html 24k Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   SPDC & DKBA Orders to Villages: Set 2001-A Date of publication:   18 May 2001 Description/subject:   Papun, Pa'an, Thaton, Nyaunglebin, Toungoo, & Dooplaya Districts.This report presents direct translations of over 500 order documents and letters sent to villages by SPDC military units and authorities from late 1999 through January 2001. Over 300 of them contain demands for forced labour, negating the SPDC's claims to have put a stop to the practice. Others were used to restrict the movements and activities of villagers, demand crop quotas, extortion money, food and building materials without payment, and order villagers to cooperate with SPDC occupation troops in several different ways. Many of them threaten to arrest and detain village elders, shell villages with mortar fire, shoot villagers, or pillage, burn or relocate villages if they fail to comply. This report, our longest in almost 10 years of human rights documentation, is part of KHRG's ongoing project to translate and publish these orders as evidence(previous sets can be seen in "SPDC & DKBA Orders to Villages: Set 2000-B" and other earlier reports); even as it went to print, we had already obtained over 300 newer order documents which we are currently processing for upcoming release. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG #2001-02) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Northeastern Pa'an District: Villagers Fleeing Forced Labour Establishing SPDC Army Camps, Building Access Roads and Clearing Landmines Date of publication:   20 February 2001 Description/subject:   Information on a new flow of refugees from northeastern Pa'an District into Thailand. The villagers say that they fled their village in mid-January 2001 because SPDC troops are using them as porters, forced labour on an access road, and Army camp labour in order to strengthen the regime's control over this contested area. Worst of all, the villagers say they are being ordered to clear landmines in front of the SPDC Army's road-building bulldozer, and to make way for new Army camps. Language:   English Source/publisher:   KHRG Information Update #2001-U1 Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Appendices Submitted by ICFTU to ILO Date of publication:   February 2001 Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Convict Porters: The Brutal Abuse of Prisoners on Burma’s Frontlines Date of publication:   20 December 2000 Description/subject:   The Brutal Abuse of Prisoners on Burma's Frontlines. Based on KHRG interviews with prison convicts from all over Burma who have escaped forced labour for SPDC troops, this report tells the story of their arrest, sentencing, life in the prisons and the increasing use of convicts as porters by Burma's military junta. Documents the arbitrary arrest and sentencing of people to long jail terms for petty offences, the brutal and inhuman conditions in the prisons, and the even more brutal abuse and killings of convicts who are forced to go into combat situations with the military - in many cases after their sentences should have expired. This report also includes an Annex of Interviews. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2000-060) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Peace Villages and Hiding Villages: Roads, Relocations, and the Campaign for Control in Toungoo District Date of publication:   15 October 2000 Description/subject:   Roads, Relocations, and the Campaign for Control in Toungoo District. Based on interviews and field reports from KHRG field researchers in this northern Karen district, looks at the phenomenon of 'Peace Villages' under SPDC control and 'Hiding Villages' in the hills; while the 'Hiding Villages' are being systematically destroyed and their villagers hunted and captured, the 'Peace Villages' face so many demands for forced labour and extortion that many ofthem are fleeing to the hills. Looks at forced labour road construction and its relation to increasing SPDC militarisation of the area, and also at the new tourism development project at Than Daung Gyi which involves large-scale land confiscation and forced labour. Keywords: Karen; KNU; KNLA; SPDC deserters; Sa Thon Lon activities; human minesweepers; human shields; reprisals against villagers; abuse of village heads; SPDC army units; military situation; forced relocation; strategic hamletting; relocation sites; internal displacement; IDPs; cross-border assistance; forced labour; torture; killings; extortion, economic oppression; looting; pillaging; burning of villages; destruction of crops and food stocks; forced labour on road projects; road building; restrictions on movment; lack of education and health services; tourism project; confiscation of land and forced labour for tourism project;landmines; malnutrition; starvation; SPDC Orders. ... ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #2000-05) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Monks Used to Recruit Forced Labour Date of publication:   October 2000 Description/subject:   "...According to reliable sources, military authorities in Karen State have been turning to local Buddhist abbots to recruit villagers for road-building and other construction projects. The sources added that sizeable donations were being offered to the senior monks in exchange for their cooperation..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   "The Irrawaddy", Vol. 8. No. 10 (Intelligence section) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Total Denial Continues - Earth rights abuses along the Yadana and Yetagun pipelines in Burma Date of publication:   May 2000 Description/subject:   "Three Western oil companies -- Total, Premier and Unocal -- bent on exploiting natural gas , entered partnerships with the brutal Burmese military regime. Since the early 1990's, a terrible drama has been unfolding in Burma. Three western oil companies -- Total, Premier, and Unocal -- entered into partnerships with the brutal Burmese miltary regime to build the Yadana and Yetagun natural gas pipelines. The regime created a highly militarized pipelinecorridor in what had previously been a relatively peaceful area, resulting in violent suppression of dissent, environmental destruction, forced labor and portering, forced relocations, torture, rape, and summary executions. EarthRights International co-founder Ka Hsaw Wa and a team of field staff traveled on both sides of the Thai-Burmese border in the Tenasserim region to document the conditions in the pipeline corridor. In the nearly four years since the release of "Total Denial" (1996), the violence and forced labor in the pipeline region have continued unabated. This report builds on the evidence in "Total Denial" and brings to light several new facets of the tragedy in the Tenasserim region. Keywords:, human rights, environment, forced relocation, internal displacement, foreign investment. ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced Language:   English Source/publisher:   Earthrights International Format/size:   pdf (6MB - OBL ... 20MB - original) Alternate URLs:   http://www.earthrights.org/files/Reports/TotalDenialCont-2ndEdition.pdf Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Summary of Forced Labour in Burma (Information Update) Date of publication:   07 August 1997 Description/subject:   "These notes are intended to provide a brief summary of the systematic use of forced labour by the State Law & Order Restoration Council (SLORC) military junta ruling Burma. For further details and supporting evidence, we suggest that the Commission refer to the other reports already submitted by the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG). These supporting documents include written/typed order documents sent to villages by SLORC military units and administrative bodies demanding that villages provide forced labour under threat of retribution should they fail..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG #97-S1) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Tenasserim Division: Forced Relocation and Forced Labour (Information Update) Date of publication:   09 February 1997 Description/subject:   "SLORC's campaign of forced relocations and forced-labour road building in the Palauk-Palaw, Mergui and Tenasserim regions, which began in September 1996, is now being accelerated ... Almost every village between the Tavoy-Mergui-Kawthaung car road in the west and the Tenasserim River in the east, from Palauk in the north to Tenasserim town in the south has been ordered to move one or more times between September 1996 and January 1997..." ADDITIONAL KEYWORDS: forced resettlement, forced relocation, forced movement, forced displacement, forced migration, forced to move, displaced Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour Around Taungoo Town Date of publication:   28 July 1996 Description/subject:   "The interviews in this report are with two Karen refugees who recently visited relatives in the plains just east of Taungoo town, in the far north of Karen State. Their accounts focus on the land destruction and forced labour of many villages east of Taungoo for the Pa Thee Chaung (Pa Thee River) hydroelectric dam project, as well as other kinds of forced labour such as standing guard along the roadsides. The Pa Thee dam project started about 2 years ago and is supposed to be completed this year. It has been done entirely with forced labour of villagers, and no compensation has been given to villages, in particular Ywa Gyi village, which have lost their homes and land to the project..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #96-28) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Total Denial - A Report on the Yadana Pipeline Project in Burma Date of publication:   10 July 1996 Description/subject:   "'Total Denial' catalogues the systematic human rights abuses and environmental degradation perpetrated by SLORC as the regime seeks to consolidate its power base in the gas pipeline region. Further, the report shows that investment in projects such as the Yadana pipeline not only gives tacit approval and support to the repressive SLORC junta but also exacerbates the grave human rights and environmental problems in Burma.... The research indicates that gross human rights violations, including summary executions, torture, forced labor and forced relocations, have occurred as a result of natural gas development projects funded by European and North American corporations. In addition to condemning transnational corporate complicity with the SLORC regime, the report also presents the perspectives of those most directly impacted by the foreign investment who for too long have silently endured the abuses meted out by SLORC for the benefit of its foreign corporate partners." ...Additional keywords: environment, human rights violations. Language:   English Source/publisher:   EarthRights International (ERI) and Southeast Asian Information Network (SAIN) Format/size:   pdf (310K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour in Mon Areas Date of publication:   22 May 1996 Description/subject:   The accounts below were given by villagers from coastal areas of Mon State and Tenasserim Division in southern Burma, ranging from Kya In Seik Gyi Township in the north to Ye Pyu Township in the south. The main problems they discuss are forced labour on the Ye-Tavoy railway, the Ye-Tavoy motor road and other roads, at army camps and as porters, and the increasing extortion of money from villagers by the ever-increasing number of SLORC troops in the region. Ye Town now has regular curfews; parts of Ye Pyu Township are under martial law because of the gas pipeline project; travel is becoming more difficult as more and more army checkpoints are set up where everyone has to pay in order to pass. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #96-20) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour in the Irrawaddy Delta Date of publication:   16 May 1996 Description/subject:   "The area is fertile farmland with a population which is half Karen and half Burman. Out of sight of the rest of the world and with no easy escape for the people who live there, it has seen some of the SLORC’s worst human rights abuses, particularly after a failed attempt by the Karen National Union to start a Karen uprising there in 1991. Now the region suffers from extensive forced labour on SLORC road-building projects and tourism-related projects such as Bassein Airport and the Nga Saw beach project..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports (KHRG #96-18) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burma Human Rights Yearbook 1994: 11 - Forced Labour and Slavery Date of publication:   September 1995 Language:   English Source/publisher:   Human Rights Documentation Unit of the NCGUB Format/size:   html (123K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour in Burma Date of publication:   August 1995 Description/subject:   "SLORC continues to show no remorse whatsoever for its continually expanding program of civilian forced labour throughout Burma. Roads, railways, dams, army camps, tourist sites, an international airport, pagodas, schools - virtually everything which is built in rural Burma is now built and maintained with theforced labour of villagers, as well as their money and building materials..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG Commentary) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   SLORC Orders to Villages: Set 95-C: Mon Area: Ye-Tavoy Railway, Other Forced Labour, Etc Date of publication:   02 May 1995 Description/subject:   "The reportincludes the direct translations of some typical SLORC written orders received by Mon villages in southern Burma's Tenasserim Division, along the route of the Ye-Tavoy railway line which is currently being built with forced civilian and convict labour, and in the area where the SLORC / Total / Unocal gas pipeline from the Martaban Gulf is to come ashore en route to Thailand. All of the orders were signed by SLORC officers or officials, and in most cases were stamped with the military unit or local LORC stamp. Photocopies of the order documents themselves may be enclosed with this report, and if not they are available on request. Most of these orders concern forced labour, money and materials being extorted for construction of the railway, forced labour building a naval base which is most likely intended to protect the gas pipeline, extortion of labour and money to build houses for Mon soldiers who surrender to SLORC, general routine demands for money and labour, and summonses to 'meetings'. While many of the orders repeat each other, they are included to give an idea of the endless series of SLORC demands and threats faced by Mon villagers who are already struggling to survive. For each order included here, there are hundreds more which have been issued. Many are lost or destroyed, while others are impossible to obtain. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those who helped us obtain copies of these documents..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG Photoset 95-C) (KHRG #95-15) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Summary of Types of Forced Portering Date of publication:   11 April 1995 Description/subject:   "The use of civilian porters was common by the British Army in colonial days. Porters were men who were either hired for money, or conscripted from a village and made to carry supplies to the next village, where they were sent home and the process was repeated. After Burmese independence, the Burma Army continued using similar practices. However, as the Burma Army degenerated into a strictly repressive force and particularly after Ne Win took power in 1962, portering became forced, unpaid, harsher and more brutal. Long before SLORC took power in 1988, portering was already well-known among the people as a brutal form of slavery that must be escaped at any cost. It was already driving refugees across the borders..." _SLORC has not only taken portering to new extremes of brutality, but they have also used it as part of the "Four Cuts" policy which aims to cut off civilian support for opposition forces by terrorizing the civilian population and making them destitute. In this context, villages are faced with such constant demands for porters and other forced labour that they can barely work to support themselves anymore. Villagers and townspeople alike must constantly face the threat of various types of portering, primarily the following:[OPERATIONS PORTERS, PERMANENT PORTERS, EMERGENCY PORTERS, PORTERS OF OPPORTUNITY, PORTERING AS PUNISHMENT, CONVICT PORTERS, PAID PORTERS] Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Articles and Papers (KHRG #95-13) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   SLORC Officers Talk About Forced Labour & Refugees Date of publication:   25 September 1994 Description/subject:   Transcript of part of a recorded conversation, southern Burma, mid-94. Insight into attitudes regarding villagers, NGOs, forced labour etc. Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Report by an Escaped SLORC Munitions Porter Date of publication:   13 November 1992 Description/subject:   Including details on conditions in Mandalay Prison..."The following account was given through an interview in Burmese with a porter recently escaped from the SLORC’s current offensive in the northern Karen area of Saw Hta. He was serving a criminal sentence in Mandalay Prison when he was taken to Saw Hta as a munitions porter, so his description includes details of his arrest and imprisonment, conditions in Mandalay Prison, and his life as a porter. At the time of the interview he was still suffering from an open gash on the back of his head inflicted by a beating with a G3 rifle butt. On arrival, he also had severe bruises on his back caused by other rifle butt beatings..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Testimonies of Porters Escaped from the SLORC Army Date of publication:   26 February 1992 Description/subject:   "These men all arrived at a Karen Army camp on February 13, 1992, after each spending over 2 months as porters for # 14 LIB of SLORC’s 66 Division. On arrival, the Karen soldiers noted that they were extremely emaciated and shaking from hunger and terror, both of their immediate past and their immediate future. This was clear when, despite their state of starvation, they were at first afraid to eat the rice given to them. By February 21, when this interview was conducted, they had already relaxed and recovered a great deal, but were still quite weak..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Testimony of Porters Escaped from SLORC Forces Date of publication:   25 January 1992 Description/subject:   "Following are the accounts of four women who were conscripted as munitions porters by the SLORC army, No. 1 Light Infantry Battalion, on or about December 23, 1991. They served for 22 days, experiencing all manners of suffering and atrocities, before escaping into the hands of the Karen National Union on about January 16, 1992. Because of their weakened state after escaping and their understandable shyness about discussing what they’d been through, learning their stories was a slow process. The testimonies included here are actually summaries of what came out over the course of several conversations in Burmese. Many of their experiences were common to all 4 women, so to avoid too much repetition not all the details of every incident have been copied into all four stories. For example, all four women described the looting and ransacking the SLORC soldiers did in villages, but it isn’t detailed in every written summary. The stories of the sick Karen boy and the women’s escape, which are written in Daw Hla Myaing’s testimony, were actually told in detail by all four women..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Regional & Thematic Reports Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ICFTU Pages on Burma Description/subject:   "In Burma, on any given day, several hundred thousand men, women, children and elderly people are forced to work against their will by the country�s military rulers. Forced labour can include building army camps, roads, bridges, railroads, etc. Refusal to work may lead to being detained, tortured, raped, or killed. Military officers issue written forced labour orders everyday. The ICFTU knows their units, rank, names and movements. There are only two ways to escape forced labour: paying for a replacement, or, when money has run out, fleeing before the army comes to burn your village and kill you or your family. The International Labour Organisation has called on Burma�s authorities to end the practice of forced labour since the early 1960�s. In 1997, the SPDC refused to co-operate with a special ILO Commission of Inquiry into violations by Burma of the ILO Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (ILO Convention n� 29). In early 1998, it refused to allow the Commission into the country. In its report, the Commission of Inquiry said forced labour in Burma was a crime against humanity, likely to continue as long as the military stayed in power. In June 2000, the annual ILO Conference adopted a Resolution calling on its constituents (Governments, Employers, and Trade Unions) to review relations with Burma and cease any relations that might aid its military junta to abet forced labour. The Resolution also called on all UN and other multilateral agencies to do the same. It came into effect on November 30 after the ILO Governing Body decided that it was not satisfied that Burma had done enough to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry." 80+ articles, press statements, reports etc. In English, French and Spanish. Language:   English Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Non-ILO reports of forced labour in Arakan (Rakhine) State Individual Documents Title:   Forced labour on the Sittwe-Rangoon Road Date of publication:   30 December 2002 Description/subject:   Sittwe, 30th December 02: "The repair of the weather-worn Sittwe � Rangoon Road has been conducted by the use of extensive forced labour in Ann, the southern town of Rakhine State in the western part of Burma, according to our correspondent..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (14K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   FORCED LABOUR AND EXTORTION STILL EXISTS IN ARAKAN Date of publication:   26 December 2002 Description/subject:   Buthidaung, December 26: "Forced labour and extortion are still continuing in Arakan State even if SPDC authorities have officially denied the existence any forced labour across the country, according to our correspondent..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   KALADAN NEWS Format/size:   html (8K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour in Road Construction Date of publication:   10 December 2002 Description/subject:   Sittwe, 10 December: "The dilapidated Sittwe-Rangoon Road connecting the western state of Rakhine with the Burmese capital has been under repair since the 17th November...In the Mrebon section about 1,700 people has been used as forced labour to do the repair work till 1 December, in Ann about one hundred people have been used everyday as forced labour, while the number in the Kyauktaw-Mrauk-u section could not be established..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara News Format/size:   html (10K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Muslims from Burma flee forced labour Date of publication:   05 December 2002 Description/subject:   Cox's Bazaar, 5 November: "A fresh intrusion of Muslims from Burma including the Rohingya Muslims has been reported through the porous borders of the south-eastern district of Bangladesh close to Burma's western border, reports our correspondent..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (13K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   ARMY USED FORCED LABOUR IN ARAKAN STATE Date of publication:   14 November 2002 Description/subject:   "Buthidaung, November 14: The Commander of the Military Operation Command of (MOC-15) of Buthidaung Township, Arakan State used forced labor for reaping his own crop, according to our source. The villagers of Nanragoon and Quandaung village tracts of Buthidaung township of Arakan State had to pay 100 labors daily for reaping the said Commander�s own paddy crop from last October 22 to 27. The two village tracts, about one mile east of Buthidaung town consisting of 1125 households, said a villager..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Kaladan News Format/size:   html (9K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burmese junta issues orders to stop forced conscription Date of publication:   05 November 2002 Description/subject:   "Sittwe, 5th November: The Western Command in Rakhine State in the western part of Burma has issued directives to stop forceful conscription for the Burmese Army..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (9K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Nasaka behind indicting a UNHCR official retaliation to reports on forced labour? Date of publication:   10 October 2002 Description/subject:   Maungdaw, 10 October 02: "The Nasaka, Burmese border security forces, have masterminded for filing a legal case against Mr Garry, the Philippine Education-in-charge at Maungdaw, the western border town in Burma's Rakhine State bordering with Bangladesh, according to an insider source..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   HTML (8k) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burmese Muslims flee starvation and forced labour in western Burma Date of publication:   07 October 2002 Description/subject:   Maungdaw, 7 October 02: "Fresh reports of Muslims in the western part of Burma fleeing starvation and forced labour to Bangladesh have begun to flood in. Our correspondent from Maungdaw in Rakhine (Arakan) State in Burma has said that while repatriation of 22,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has been moving at snail's pace due to reluctance shown by the Burmese authority, there are new instances of Rohingyas leaving Burma in large numbers..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (9K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Burmese Junta uses Forced Labour Freshly in Rakhine State in Western Burma Date of publication:   23 August 2002 Description/subject:   Maungdaw, 23 Aug. 02: "... There are reports of new incidents of extensive use of forced labour in and around Maungdaw in Rakhaing (Arakan) state, Western Burma, which has caused to raise tough arguments between the UNHCR and the Burmese law enforcement agencies including the officials of the military junta..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara News Format/size:   html (6K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   CONSTRUCTION OF ANOTHER NEW MODEL VILLAGE FOR NEW SETTLERS IN MAUNGDAW TOWNSHIP Date of publication:   18 August 2002 Description/subject:   "Maungdaw, August 18: At about 50 houses are being built in Nasaka Area No. 2, between Ngaran Chaung and Lanchi villages of Maungdaw Township, adjacent to the Burma-Bangladesh border for the new Buddhist settlers by the forced labour of Rohingya villagers, said a member of local village council..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Kaladan Press Network Format/size:   html (8K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Land Confiscation And Forced Labour For Model Villages: Date of publication:   08 June 2002 Description/subject:   "Maungdaw, Arakan, June 08: The commander of the Sector No. 6 Major Than Tun has confiscated about 300 acres of Rohingyas’ lands from “Khoror Dale” (Nwa-ron-daung) village, a place 3.5 miles north of Maungdaw while extracting forced labour for constructing 80 tin roofed houses for the new Buddhist settlers. This has been done by the order, dated May 13, of Lt. Col. Soe Twe, the chairman of the District Peace and Development Council (DPDC) and Lt. Col. Aung Ngwe, the Commander of Nasaka headquarters of Maungdaw Township, said a trader to the Kaladan Press..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Kaladan Press Network Format/size:   html (8K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   FORCED LABOUR FOR ROADWORKS Date of publication:   04 June 2002 Description/subject:   "Buthidaung, Arakan, June 04: On May 12, the commander of the Military Operation Command (MOC) No.15 Brig. General Sein Hlaing has ordered the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) chairmen and secretaries of 5 Rohingya villages of Buthidaung township to build a 10 kilometre long connecting road between battalion No. 551 and the jetty of Mayu river at Buthidaung town, told Kaladan Press by a retired school teacher..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Kaladan Press Network Format/size:   html (9K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour and Lands Confiscation Continued in Arakan Date of publication:   30 May 2002 Description/subject:   "Maungdaw,Arakan, May 30: On May 25, 2002 the SPDC armed forces ordered to the chairmen of the many local Village Peace and Development Council ( VPDC ) in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State to supply house building materials and construct a total of 347 houses within the next few months on the confiscation lands of Rohingyas with the forced labour of the Rohingya villagers, said a VPDC chairman..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Kaladan Press Network Format/size:   html (12K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   FORCED LABOUR IN RUBBER PLANTATIONS IN ARAKAN STATE Date of publication:   02 March 2002 Description/subject:   Ponnagyun, 2 March 02: "In the military rubber plantations in the south western state of Burma villagers have been used as forced labourers..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (6K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   UNHCR OFFICIAL FINDS FORCED LABOUR EXTENSIVELY PRACTISED IN RAKHINE STATE Date of publication:   21 January 2002 Description/subject:   Maungdaw, 21st January 02: "Reports on forced labour being practised extensively across Rakhine State, the western member of Myanmar, have started to pour in to us through traders coming to this border town..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Narinjara news Format/size:   html (7K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Non-ILO reports of forced labour in Karen (Kayin) State Individual Documents Title:   Exploitative abuse and villager responses in Thaton District Date of publication:   25 November 2009 Description/subject:   "...SPDC control of Thaton District is fully consolidated, aided by the DKBA and a variety of other civilian and parastatal organisations. These forces are responsible for perpetrating a variety of exploitative abuses, which include a litany of demands for 'taxation' and provision of resources, as well as forced labour on development projects and forced recruitment into the DKBA. Villagers also report ongoing abuses related to SPDC and DKBA 'counter insurgency' efforts, including the placement of unmarked landmines in civilian areas, conscription of people as porters and 'human minesweepers' and harassment and violent abuse of alleged KNLA supporters. This report includes information on abuses during the period of April to October 2009..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F20) Format/size:   html, pdf (531 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09f20.html Date of entry/update:   29 November 2009 Title:   Forced recruitment, forced labour: interviews with DKBA deserters and escaped porters Date of publication:   13 November 2009 Description/subject:   "...This news bulletin provides the transcripts of eight interviews conducted with six soldiers and two porters who recently fled after being conscripted by the DKBA. These interviews confirm widespread reports that the DKBA has been forcibly recruiting villagers as it attempts to increase troop strength as part of a transformation into a government Border Guard Force in advance of the 2010 elections. The interviews also offer further confirmation that the DKBA continues to use children as soldiers and porters in front-line conflict areas. Three of the victims interviewed by KHRG are teenage boys; the youngest was just 13 when he was forced to join the DKBA..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2009-B11) Format/size:   pdf (629 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09b11.html Date of entry/update:   29 November 2009 Title:   Patrols, movement restrictions and forced labour in Toungoo District Date of publication:   28 September 2009 Description/subject:   "This report documents the situation for villagers in Toungoo District, both in areas under SPDC control and in areas contested by the KNLA and home to villagers actively evading SDPC control. For villagers in the former, movement restrictions, forced labour and demands for material support continue unabated, and continue to undermine their attempts to address basic needs. Villagers in hiding, meanwhile, report that the threat of Burma Army patrols, though slightly reduced, remains sufficient to disrupt farming and undermine food security. This report includes incidents occurring from January to August 2009..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F16) Format/size:   pdf (850 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09f16.html Date of entry/update:   28 October 2009 Title:   SPDC and DKBA order documents: August 2008 to June 2009 Date of publication:   27 August 2009 Description/subject:   "This report includes translated copies of 75 order documents issued by Burma Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army officers to village heads in Karen State between August 2008 and June 2009. These documents serve as supplementary evidence of ongoing exploitative local governance in rural Burma. The report thus supports the continuing testimonies of villagers regarding the regular demands for labour, money, food and other supplies to which their communities are subject by local military forces. The order documents collected here include demands for attendance at meetings; the provision of money and alcohol; the production and delivery of thatch shingles and bamboo poles; forced labour as messengers and porters for the military; forced labour on road repair; the provision of information on individuals and households; registration of villagers in State-controlled 'NGOs'; and restrictions on travel and the use of muskets. In almost all cases, such demands are uncompensated and backed by an implicit threat of violence or other punishment for non-compliance. Almost all demands articulated in the orders presented in this report involve some element of forced labour in their implementation..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG #2009-04 ) Format/size:   pfd (1.2 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg0904.html Date of entry/update:   15 November 2009 Title:   Military movements, forced labour and extortion in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   15 May 2009 Description/subject:   "In some areas of Nyaunglebin District, north-western Karen State, frontline army camps from which SPDC troops withdrew at the end of 2008 remain empty. Elsewhere in the district, however, the Burma Army is active with regular patrols amongst villages in both the plains and hills. In those areas where the SPDC maintains a consolidated hold on the civilian population, Burma Army personnel continue to demand forced labour and extort money and supplies from local communities. This report describes the military situation in Nyaunglebin District from January to March 2009 as well as the Burma Army's continued use of forced labour and extortion of the local population..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F10) Format/size:   pdf (651 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09f10.html Date of entry/update:   30 October 2009 Title:   SPDC and DKBA road construction, forced labour and looting in Papun District Date of publication:   31 March 2009 Description/subject:   "Late last year, during SPDC reconstruction work on two main roads leading from Papun town to SPDC camps in the Kyauk Nya and Dagwin areas of Bu Tho Township, KNU/KNLA forces took the opportunity to launch secret guerrilla attacks against the SPDC site. Believing that local Karen villagers had cooperated with KNLA forces, the SPDC began to force villagers and convict porters to work on the roads and also killed and looted villagers' animals and property when it patrolled villages in the area. DKBA forces have also recently demanded forced labour and forced recruitment from Papun villagers during this time. The incidents detailed in this report occurred between December 2008 and February 2009..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F5) Format/size:   pdf (546 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09f5.html Date of entry/update:   31 October 2009 Title:   SPDC and DKBA extortion and forced labour in Thaton District Date of publication:   26 November 2008 Description/subject:   "Militarisation in practice is not always uniform. As the SPDC and DKBA rotate their army units in Thaton District, western Karen State, villagers confront shifting patterns of authority and abuse. While villagers living around the SPDC's army camp at Yoh Gkla continue to face forced labour, extortion and threats of arbitrary detention and execution, the local SPDC battalion that has been deployed there since July 2008 has patrolled less frequently than its predecessor. This decreased patrolling has led to a weakened ability to enforce movement restrictions on villagers. This report documents incidents which took place between July and October 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F16) Format/size:   pdf (520 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f16.html Date of entry/update:   31 October 2009 Title:   Routine forced labour in Pa'an District Date of publication:   29 October 2008 Description/subject:   "For those villagers living under the control of SPDC and DKBA forces in Pa'an District, certain forms of forced labour have now become routine. Such 'routine' forced labour includes: cultivation of rainy season and dry season rice crops on fields owned by DKBA officers, maintaining rubber plantations, roadside clearance of forest overgrowth following the rainy season, portering military supplies out to soldiers operating at 'frontline' army camps, collecting, preparing and delivering bamboo and thatch for use in the repair and construction of the region's many army camps, and temporarily serving as camp-based messengers. Combined, these various forms of forced labour significantly cut into crucial time villagers need for their own agricultural and other livelihoods activities. This report looks at cases of forced labour from July to September 2008 and includes a short video of recent forced labour in Pa'an District..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F15) Format/size:   pdf (670 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f15.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Daily demands and exploitation: Life under the control of SPDC and DKBA forces in Pa'an District Date of publication:   18 September 2008 Description/subject:   "In SPDC- and DKBA-controlled Pa'an District villagers face regular, and sometimes daily, demands for labour, money, food and other supplies from local military units. With troop rotation ensuring the constant presence of active troops patrolling these areas, villagers are given little respite from the demands which place a constant drain on their time, incomes and food supplies. In addition to forced labour, extortion and arbitrary taxation, looting by soldiers is rife and families face increased and arbitrary fees for their children's education. Such continual exploitation undermines villagers' livelihoods and makes family survival unsustainable, leading many villagers to instead seek more sustainable livelihood opportunities in other areas of Burma or neighbouring Thailand. This report focuses on the situation in Dta Greh township of Pa'an District, detailing incidents which occurred between January and July 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F13) Format/size:   pdf (573 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f13.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Forced labour and extortion in Pa'an District Date of publication:   08 August 2008 Description/subject:   "At a time when civilians in Pa'an District are already struggling with rising food prices and unemployment, an increasing number of villagers are being subjected to forced labour and extortion by local SPDC and DKBA forces. This is especially true in eastern Karen State, near the Thoo Mweh (Moei) river, where DKBA commanders are forcing villagers to ignore their own livelihoods in order to help these leaders cultivate their personal rubber plantations. The result of these abuses is a worsening food crisis and constant economic migration to other areas both in Burma and in neighbouring Thailand, places where villagers hope to find more sustainable employment opportunities. This report describes the situation in the Dta Greh and T'Nay Hsah townships of Pa'an District from January to June 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F11) Format/size:   pdf (511 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f11.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Military expansion and exploitation in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   05 August 2008 Description/subject:   "With the SPDC Army's continued expansion in Nyaunglebin District, local villagers not under military control have had to once again flee into the surrounding forest while troops have forcibly interned other villagers in military-controlled relocation sites. These relocation sites, typically in the plains of western Nyaunglebin, alongside army camps or SPDC-controlled vehicle roads, serve as containment centres from which army personnel appropriate labour, money, food and supplies to support the military's ongoing expansion in the region. Extortion by military officers operating in Nyaunglebin District has included forced 'donations' allegedly collected for distribution to survivors of Cyclone Nargis in the Irrawaddy Delta. This field report looks at the situation in Nyaunglebin up to the end of May 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F10) Format/size:   pdf (697 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f10.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Exploitative governance under SPDC and DKBA authorities in Dooplaya District Date of publication:   11 July 2008 Description/subject:   "With largely consolidated control over Dooplaya District in southern Karen State the SPDC and DKBA, as the two dominant (and allied) military forces, operate under a system of coexistence. The local civilian population, in turn, faces exploitative governance on two fronts as both SPDC and DKBA soldiers seek to extract money, labour, food and other supplies from them. Enforcing heavy movement restrictions on top of persistent exploitative demands, local communities are facing deteriorating livelihood opportunities, increasing poverty, and a constriction of educational and health care opportunities. Persistent human rights abuses thus foster the economic pressures fuelling the continuing migration of rural communities in Dooplaya District to refugee camps in Thailand and towards livelihood opportunities at urban centres in Burma and Thailand. This report examines the situation of abuse in Dooplaya District from January to June 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F8) Format/size:   pdf (666 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f8.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Attacks, forced labour and restrictions in Toungoo District Date of publication:   01 July 2008 Description/subject:   "While the rainy season is now underway in Karen state, Burma Army soldiers are continuing with military operations against civilian communities in Toungoo District. Local villagers in this area have had to leave their homes and agricultural land in order to escape into the jungle and avoid Burma Army attacks. These displaced villagers have, in turn, encountered health problems and food shortages, as medical supplies and services are restricted and regular relocation means any food supplies are limited to what can be carried on the villagers' backs alone. Yet these displaced communities have persisted in their effort to maintain their lives and dignity while on the run; building new shelters in hiding and seeking to address their livelihood and social needs despite constraints. Those remaining under military control, by contrast, face regular demands for forced labour, as well as other forms of extortion and arbitrary 'taxation'. This report examines military attacks, forced labour and movement restrictions and their implications in Toungoo District between March and June 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F7) Format/size:   pdf (880 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f7.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Title:   Oppressed twice over: SPDC and DKBA exploitation and violence against villagers in Thaton District Date of publication:   20 March 2008 Description/subject:   "Throughout Thaton District the SPDC has persistently worked to expand and entrench military control not only by increasing its own troops, but also by heavily relying on the DKBA as a local proxy force. Both groups exploit the civilian population to support their respective military hierarchies and local villagers thus face a double burden on their lives. This report looks at various forms and specific incidents of forced labour, extortion, violence and other abuse against villagers in Thaton District which SPDC and DKBA personnel have perpetrated up to February 2008..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F4) Format/size:   pdf (672 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f4.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Militarisation, violence and exploitation in Toungoo District Date of publication:   15 February 2008 Description/subject:   "While the SPDC leadership proposes dates for a constitutional referendum and eventual multiparty elections it nonetheless continues without the slightest hesitation the violent subjugation of villagers in northern Karen State. The area of Toungoo District is now saturated with SPDC troops and the local civilian population living under military control as well as those living in hiding are facing constricting options for their lives. The SPDC has continued to increase the military build-up of the area deploying more troops, building new camps and bases and constructing and upgrading vehicle roads to facilitate troop deployment and the stocking of army camps. In this context attacks on villages, arbitrary detentions, killings, forced labour and extortion have continued consistent with the regime's policy of civilian subjugation and in opposition to its claims of a potential return to civilian rule through the current constitution-vetting process..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F2) Format/size:   pdf (1.1 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f2.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Attacks, killings and increased militarisation in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   11 January 2008 Description/subject:   "With the dry season in northern Karen State well under way, the SPDC continues to intensify its militarisation of the area. In Nyaunglebin District this intensification has come in the form of an increased troop build-up with the regime deploying new military units, establishing new camps and bases and attacking displaced civilian communities in hiding. Maintaining a shoot-on-sight policy SPDC soldiers operating in Nyaunglebin have shot and killed or otherwise severely injured displaced villagers and destroyed rice storage barns and civilian rice supplies across the district. In those areas more firmly under SPDC control, soldiers have ordered villagers to labour building army camps, porter mortar shells and army rations and repair SPDC-controlled vehicle roads in support of the region's growing military presence. This report looks at the human rights situation in Nyaunglebin District from October to December 2007..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2008-F1) Format/size:   pdf (788 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f1.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   Forced labour, extortion and the state of education in Dooplaya District Date of publication:   16 October 2007 Description/subject:   "As world attention focused last month on the large-scale public demonstrations in Rangoon and other major urban centres around Burma, the magnitude of domestic frustration over the military's systematic impoverishment of the civilian population became evident to the international community. This frustration is keenly felt by the people of Dooplaya District in southern Karen State and found expression last month in local anti-regime gatherings. Amongst other abuses, forced labour and extortion in their many guises have been leading causes in the economic collapse and resultant frustration with militarisation in Dooplaya District. A crucial factor making these abuses even more oppressive in Dooplaya and other areas of Karen State as compared with central Burma is the multiplicity of armed groups which compete with each other and with the region's civilian administration for the spoils of village-level exploitation. Across Dooplaya District the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Army; the regime's district and township-level civilian administration; the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA); and the Karen Peace Force (KPF) all continue to fatten themselves off of the toil of village labour. Amongst other detrimental consequences, this persistent predation has undermined opportunities for educational advancement and the application of such education beyond traditional village livelihoods or subservience within the local system of militarisation..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F8) Format/size:   pdf (586 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f8.html Date of entry/update:   07 November 2009 Title:   State agencies, armed groups and the proliferation of oppression in Thaton District Date of publication:   24 September 2007 Description/subject:   "Throughout SPDC-controlled areas of Karen State the regime has been developing civilian agencies as extensions of military authority. On top of this, the junta has continued to strengthen the more traditional forms of militarisation and, at least in Thaton District, has firmly backed the expansion of DKBA military operations to control the civilian population and eradicate KNLA forces which continue to actively patrol the area. The people of Thaton District thus face a myriad of State agencies and armed groups which have overburdened them with demands for labour, money and supplies. While engaging with these groups, addressing the demands placed on them and attending to their own livelihoods, local villagers have sought to manage a delicate balance of seemingly impossible weights..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F7) Format/size:   pdf (1 MB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f7.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Shouldering the Burden of Militarisation: SPDC, DKBA and KPF order documents since September 2006 Date of publication:   14 August 2007 Description/subject:   "Forced labour continues to be among the most pervasive of human rights abuses in Burma and a leading cause of displacement, both internally and as refugees into neighbouring countries. Villagers living in Karen State have expressly condemned the regular, and in many cases daily, demands for forced labour imposed upon them. According to these individuals forced labour has lead to collapsing livelihoods, increased poverty and severe difficulties in addressing health, education and other community needs; leading them to respond with varied strategies including flight and displacement. Such views have been consistent in thousands of KHRG interviews with local villagers conducted over the past 15 years. Despite these testimonies the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the military regime currently ruling Burma, continues to deny the practice of forced labour. However, order documents explicitly demanding forced labour and signed by SPDC officers are regularly collected by KHRG field researchers working throughout Karen State. These documents provide tangible evidence of the continued large-scale perpetration of forced labour in Karen State by military officers and civilian officials of the SPDC, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army and the Karen Peace Force. This report has been written to provide contextual details on the widespread and systematic perpetration of forced labour as background to a compendium of 145 order documents sent to villages in Karen State since September 2006, translations of which are included in the appendices below. These order documents have been compiled for submission to the International Labour Organisation's Committee of Experts meeting in September 2007..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG #2007-02) Format/size:   pdf (1.54 Mb, 111 pages) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg0702.html Date of entry/update:   15 November 2009 Title:   Provoking Displacement in Toungoo District: Forced labour, restrictions and attacks Date of publication:   30 May 2007 Description/subject:   "The first half of 2007 has seen the continued flight of civilians from their homes and land in response to ongoing State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military operations in Toungoo District. While in some cases this displacement is prompted by direct military attacks against their villages, many civilians living in Toungoo District have told KHRG that the primary catalyst for relocation has been the regular demands for labour, money and supplies and the restrictions on movement and trade imposed by SPDC forces. These everyday abuses combine over time to effectively undermine civilian livelihoods, exacerbate poverty and make subsistence untenable. Villagers threatened with such demands and restrictions frequently choose displacement in response - initially to forest hiding sites located nearby and then farther afield to larger Internally Displaced Person (IDP) camps or across the border to Thailand-based refugee camps. This report presents accounts of ongoing abuses in Toungoo District committed by SPDC forces during the period of January to May 2007 and their role in motivating local villagers to respond with flight and displacement..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F4) Format/size:   pdf (527 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f4.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Bullets and Bulldozers: The SPDC offensive continues in Toungoo District Date of publication:   19 February 2007 Description/subject:   "The first two months of 2007 have done nothing to lessen the intensity of attacks against the villagers of Toungoo District. SPDC forces continue to send in more troops and supplies, build new camps and upgrade older ones using forced village labour, convict porters and heavy machinery brought in for this purpose. Local villagers have been the ones to suffer from the increased military build-up and infrastructure 'development' as such programmes have put the SPDC in a stronger position to enforce their authority over civilians in rural areas and undermine the efforts of local peoples to evade military forces and maintain their livelihoods. Employing the new roadways and camps to shuttle troops and supplies deeper into areas beyond military control, SPDC forces continue to expand their reach in terms of extortion of funds, food and supplies; extraction of forced labour; and restriction of all civilian movement, travel and trade. These abuses have combined to exacerbate poverty, worsen the humanitarian situation and restrict the options of villagers living in these areas..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2007-F1) Format/size:   pdf (819 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2007/khrg07f1.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Oppression by proxy in Thaton District Date of publication:   21 December 2006 Description/subject:   "With the onset of the cold season the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) has been able to push ahead with military attacks against villages and displaced communities in the northern districts of Karen State. In Thaton District and other areas further south, however, the military is more firmly in control, fewer displaced communities are able to remain in hiding, and SPDC rule is facilitated by the presence of its ally the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA). By increasingly relying on DKBA forces to administer Thaton, the SPDC has been able to free up soldiers and resources which can then be deployed elsewhere. To force the civilian population into submission, the DKBA has scoured villages throughout Thaton - detaining, interrogating and torturing villagers and conscripting them to serve as army porters. Commensurate with its increased control over the civilian population, DKBA soldiers have subjected villagers to regular extortion, arbitrary and excessive 'taxation', forced labour, land confiscation and restrictions on movement, trade and education which all serve to support ongoing military rule in Thaton. By systematising control over local villagers, the SPDC and DKBA have been able to implement 'development' projects that financially benefit and further entrench the military hierarchy. Amongst such initiatives, the construction in Thaton District of the United Nations-supported Asian Highway, connecting Burma with neighbouring countries, has involved uncompensated land confiscation and forced labour..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F11) Format/size:   pdf (619 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f11.html Date of entry/update:   08 November 2009 Title:   Toungoo District: The civilian response to human rights violations Date of publication:   15 August 2006 Description/subject:   "Attacks on villages in Toungoo and other northern Karen districts by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) since late 2005 have led to extensive displacement and some international attention, but little of this has focused on the continuing lives of the villagers involved. In this report KHRG's Karen researchers in the field describe how these attacks have been affecting local people, and how these people have responded. The SPDC's forced relocation, village destruction, shoot-on-sight orders and blockades on the movement of food and medicines have killed many and created pervasive suffering, but the villagers' continued refusal to submit to SPDC authority has caused the military to fail in its objective of bringing the entire civilian population under direct control. This is a struggle which SPDC forces cannot win, but they may never stop trying..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F8) Format/size:   pdf (588 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f8.html Date of entry/update:   09 November 2009 Title:   Forced Relocation, Restrictions and Abuses in Nyaunglebin District Date of publication:   10 July 2006 Description/subject:   "This report presents information on ongoing abuses in Nyaunglebin (Kler Lweh Htoo) District, Karen State committed by SPDC forces during the period of March to May 2006. Attacks on hill villagers have continued as SPDC units seek to depopulate the hills and force all villagers to relocate to military-controlled villages in the plains and along roadways. However, those villagers living in SPDC-controlled areas are subject as well to continued abuses including arbitrary arrest and detention, extortion, restricted movement and forced labour..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F6) Format/size:   pdf (645 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f6.html Date of entry/update:   09 November 2009 Title:   Pa'an District: Land confiscation, forced labour and extortion undermining villagers' livelihoods Date of publication:   11 February 2006 Description/subject:   "Villagers in northern Pa'an District of central Karen State say their livelihoods are under serious threat due to exploitation by SPDC military authorities and by their Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) allies who rule as an SPDC proxy army in much of the region. Villages in the vicinity of the DKBA headquarters are forced to give much of their time and resources to support the headquarters complex, while villages directly under SPDC control face rape, arbitrary detention and threats to keep them compliant with SPDC demands. The SPDC plans to expand Dta Greh (a.k.a. Pain Kyone) village into a town in order to strengthen its administrative control over the area, and is confiscating about half of the village's productive land without compensation to build infrastructure which includes offices, army camps and a hydroelectric power dam - destroying the livelihoods of close to 100 farming families. Local villagers, who are already struggling to survive under the weight of existing demands, fear further forced labour and extortion as the project continues..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG #2006-F1) Format/size:   pfd (739 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2006/khrg06f1.html Date of entry/update:   09 November 2009 Title:   SURVIVING IN SHADOW: Widespread Militarization and the Systematic Use of Forced Labour in the Campaign for Control of Thaton District Date of publication:   17 January 2006 Description/subject:   " This report examines the situation faced by Karen villagers in Thaton District (known as Doo Tha Htoo in Karen). The district lies in what is officially the northern part of Mon State and also encompasses part of Karen State to the west of the Salween River . Successive Burmese regimes have had strong control over the parts of the district to the west of the Rangoon-Martaban road for many years. They were also able to gain 'defacto' control over the eastern part of the district following the fall of the former Karen National Union (KNU) stronghold at Manerplaw in 1995. The Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) is also strong in the district, particularly in the eastern stretches of Pa'an township. Although diminished in recent years, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU, is still quite active in the district. The villagers in the district have had to contend with all three of these armed groups. The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and DKBA demand forced labour, taxes, and extortion money from the villagers while also severely restricting their movements. While the demands for some forms of forced labour such as portering have declined over the past few years, the villagers continue to be regularly called upon by both the SPDC and the DKBA to expand the ever-increasing network of roads throughout the district, as well to fulfil the frequent orders to supply staggering quantities of building materials. A number of new SPDC and DKBA controlled commercial ventures have also appeared in the district in recent years, to which the villagers are also forced to 'contribute' their labour. In 2000, the SPDC confiscated 5,000 acres of land for use as an immense sugarcane plantation, while more recently in late 2004, the SPDC again confiscated another 5,000 acres of the villagers' farmland, all of which is to become a huge rubber plantation, co-owed and operated by Rangoon-based company Max Myanmar. In addition, the villagers are punished for any perceived support for the KNLA or KNU. All such systems of control greatly impoverish the villagers, to the extent that now many of them struggle just to survive. Most villagers have few options but to try to live as best they can. SPDC control of the district is too tight for the villagers to live in hiding in the forest and Thailand is too far for most villagers to flee to. The villagers are forced to answer the demands of the SPDC and DKBA, of which there are many, while trying to avoid punishment for any supposed support of the resistance. They have to balance this with trying to find enough time to work in their fields and find enough food to feed their families. This report provides a detailed analysis of the human rights situation in Thaton District from 2000 to the present. It is based on 216 interviews conducted by KHRG researchers with people in SPDC-controlled villages, in hill villages, in hiding in the forest and with those who have fled to Thailand to become refugees. These interviews are supplemented by SPDC and DKBA order documents selected from the hundreds we have obtained from the area, along with field reports, maps, and photographs taken by KHRG field researchers. All of the interviews were conducted between November 1999 and November 2004. A number of field reports dated up until June 2005 have also been included. The report begins with an Introduction and Executive Summary. The detailed analysis that follows has been broken down into ten main sections. The villagers tell most of the story in the main sections through direct quotes taken from recorded interviews. The full text of the interviews and the field reports upon which this report is based are available from KHRG upon approved request." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   28 January 2006 Title:   Seeing Through the Smoke of Ceasefires Date of publication:   09 June 2005 Description/subject:   "Drawing upon recent KHRG reports, this Commentary asks the question why the Karen ceasefire is not generating a human rights dividend for Karen villagers, and looks for the answer in the nature of conflict in Burma. It finds the conflict to be much broader than that between armed entities, pitting villagers against the military junta in a daily struggle for control of their lives. The villagers' role in this struggle is too often ignored, both by outside actors who insist on treating villagers as passive bystanders to their own context, and by activists who seek to subjugate everything to the narrow struggle for an elitist Burmese 'democracy'. Double standards are used to further marginalise rural, agrarian, and non-Burman voices, when the real need now is for these voices to be heard more in political processes. The Commentary also discusses forced labour trends in Karen areas, and the new ways KHRG is documenting the human rights situation..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group Commentaries (KHRG #2005-C1) Format/size:   pdf (498 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2005/khrg05c1.html Date of entry/update:   16 November 2009 Title:   Papun District: Forced Labour, Looting and Road Construction in SPDC-Controlled Areas Date of publication:   20 May 2005 Description/subject:   "Villagers in Papun District who live under the control of nearby SPDC army camps are reporting that this year they are doing less forced labour as porters because convict porters are being brought in, and less forced labour repairing roads because much of this work is being done by SPDC soldiers - but that forced labour as unarmed sentries, Army camp servants, logging for the DKBA, and particularly cutting thatch and bamboo to build and repair SPDC and DKBA army camps, are still taking enough of their time to jeopardise their livelihoods. Worse yet, SPDC soldiers doing road work are destroying the villagers' fields and irrigation systems, putting this year's rice crop under serious threat. This has made the villagers deeply angry and frustrated, but any attempts to protest have been met with threats and gun-barrels. With the SPDC now beginning work on new roads and Army camps to secure the construction of massive dams on the Salween River, this situation is only likely to worsen in the near future..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG #2005-F5) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   23 May 2005 Title:   Nyaunglebin District: Food supplies destroyed, villagers forcibly displaced, and region-wide forced labour as SPDC forces seek control over civilians Date of publication:   04 May 2005 Description/subject:   "Between October 2004 and January 2005 SPDC troops launched forays into the hills of Nyaunglebin District in an attempt to flush villagers down into the plains and a life under SPDC control. Viciously timed to coincide with the rice harvest, the campaign focused on burning crops and landmining the fields to starve out the villagers. Most people fled into the forest, where they now face food shortages and uncertainty about this year's planting and the security of their villages. Meanwhile in the plains, the SPDC is using people in relocation sites and villages they control as forced labour to strengthen the network of roads and Army camps - the main tools of military control over the civilian population - while Army officers plunder people's belongings for personal gain. In both hills and plains, increased militarisation is bringing on food shortages and poverty..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group KHRG #2005-F4) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   23 May 2005 Title:   From Prison to Frontline: Portering for SPDC Troops during the Offensive in Eastern Karen State, Burma, September-October 2003. Date of publication:   January 2005 Description/subject:   "...In November 2003, in the wake of the joint military offensive by the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) and the DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army), Burma Issues set about documenting the systematic use of prisoners as porters for military purposes. This practice constitutes an egregious human rights abuse. Research for the project began with interviews with twenty-two escapees who had taken refuge near the Thai-Burma border. We dealt with issues such as their prison lives, their journey to the conflict area, their treatment at the hands of the soldiers, their experiences in battle, and also their experiences relating to landmines. We then proceeded to conduct more in-depth research to supplement this invaluable first hand information. We have compiled the analysis and present our findings in this report..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Burma Issues Format/size:   pdf (709K) Alternate URLs:   http://www.burmaissues.org/En/reports/porters.html Date of entry/update:   27 June 2005 Title:   Enduring Hunger and Repression: : Food Scarcity, Internal Displacement, and the Continued Use of Forced Labour in Toungoo District Date of publication:   September 2004 Description/subject:   "This report describes the current situation faced by rural Karen villagers in Toungoo District (known as Taw Oo in Karen). Toungoo District is the northernmost district of Karen State, sharing borders with Karenni (Kayah) State to the east, Pegu (Bago) Division to the west, and Shan State to the north. To the south Toungoo District shares borders with the Karen districts of Nyaunglebin (Kler Lweh Htoo) and Papun (Mutraw). The westernmost portion of the district bordering Pegu Division consists of the plains of the Sittaung River, which are heavily controlled by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military junta which presently rules Burma. The rest of the district to the east is covered by steep and forested hills that are home to Karen villagers who live in small villages strewn across the hills. For years, the SPDC has endeavoured to extend its control through the hills, but their efforts thus far have been hampered by the continued armed resistance of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Within the areas that are strongly controlled by the SPDC, the villagers must live with constant demands for forced labour, food, and money from the SPDC battalions that are based in the area. Villages that do not comply with SPDC demands risk being relocated and burned. Many villages have been burned and their inhabitants forcibly relocated to sites where the SPDC may more easily control and exploit them. Those villagers who do not move to the relocation sites flee into the jungles where they live as internally displaced persons (IDPs). Several thousand villagers now live internally displaced in the mountains of Toungoo District. These villagers live in almost constant fear of SPDC Army units, and must run for their lives if they receive word that a column of soldiers is approaching. SPDC Army columns routinely shoot displaced villagers on sight. The villagers here continue to suffer severe human rights violations at the hands of the SPDC Army soldiers, including, but not limited to summary arrest, torture, forced labour, extortion, extrajudicial execution, and the systematic destruction of crops and food supplies. Although a verbal ceasefire is in place between the Karen National Union (KNU) and the SPDC, not much has changed for the villagers in the district. KNLA and SPDC military units still occasionally clash. The SPDC has taken advantage of the ceasefire to move more troops into the area and to build new camps. These new camps and troops have meant that the villagers now have to do forced labour building the new camps and portering supplies up to the camps. There are also more troops and camps to demand food and money from the villagers. The many new camps have made it more difficult for internally displaced villagers work their fields or to go to find food..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Format/size:   pdf (9.5MB), html Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2004/khrg0401a.html Date of entry/update:   16 November 2004 Title:   Eastern Pa'an District: Forced Labour, Food Security and the Consolidation of Control Date of publication:   23 March 2004 Description/subject:   "The SPDC and DKBA continued to consolidate their control over Pa'an District in 2003, especially in the mountainous eastern part of the district. Fighting between the SPDC and the DKBA was ongoing up until the ceasefire talks began in December 2003, culminating in an offensive against the KNLA's 7th Brigade headquarters in October. In order to expand their influence DKBA units are actively recruiting in the area. Villagers must also face demands from both the SPDC and the DKBA for forced labour, building materials and extortion money. Fulfilling these demands have left the villagers with little time to work their fields. Many villagers are unable to get enough food to eat, making food security a serious issue in the area..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Report (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   09 November 2009 Title:   Expansion of the Guerrilla Retaliation Units and Food Shortages Date of publication:   16 June 2003 Description/subject:   KHRG Information Update #2003-U1 June 16, 2003 "The situation faced by the villagers of Toungoo District (see Map 1) is worsening as more and more parts of the District are being brought under the control of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) through the increased militarisation of the region. At any one time there are no fewer than a dozen battalions active in the area. Widespread forced labour and extortion continue unabated as in previous years, with all battalions in the District being party to such practices. The imposition of constant forced labour and the extortion of money and food are among the military’s primary occupations in the area. The strategy of the military is not one of open confrontation with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) – the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU) - but of targeting the civilian population as a means of cutting all lines of support and supply for the resistance movement. There has not been a major offensive in the District since the SPDC launched Operation Aung Tha Pyay in 1995-96; however since that time the Army has been restricting, harassing, and forcibly relocating hill villages to the point where people can no longer live in them. Many of the battalions launch sweeps through the hills in search of villagers hiding there in an effort to drive them out of the hills and into the areas controlled by the SPDC. Fortunately, the areas into which many of them have fled are both rugged and remote, making it difficult for the Army to find them. For those who are discovered, once relocated, they are then exploited as a ready source for portering and other forced labour..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   01 July 2003 Title:   Operation Than L'Yet: Forced Displacement, Massacres and Forced Labour in Dooplaya District Date of publication:   25 September 2002 Description/subject:   "In January 2002 it appeared that the SPDC considered most of Dooplaya district of southern Karen State to be pacified and under their control. But then Light Infantry Division 88 was sent in and commenced Operation Than L'Yet, forcibly relocating as many as 60 villages by July. Villagers were rounded up and detained without food for days, or force-marched to Army-controlled relocation sites after their houses were burned. Village heads, women and children were tortured. People who tried to flee into the forests were shot on sight, including one brutal massacre of ten people, six of them children under 15. Over a thousand people fled into Thailand, and several thousand more are still trying. Another five thousand are in Army relocation camps, where they have been provided with nothing and are struggling to survive on rice gruel and whatever roots they can forage. Their movements are tightly controlled and they are being used as forced labour to build roads, bridges and Army camps which will help Division 88 to clamp down further on the district. They are also forced to work as porters for the Army columns which go out to loot and destroy even more villages. KHRG researchers expect a renewed onslaught after the rains end in October, when Division 88 will probably set out to hunt down those still in hiding and may extend the forced relocations to more areas." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Information Update #2002-U5 Format/size:   html (34K) Date of entry/update:   03 June 2003 Title:   Forced Labour Orders Since The Ban Date of publication:   08 February 2002 Description/subject:   The report includes the direct translations of 453 order documents and letters received by village leaders in Karen State and Pegu Division of Burma. All but a few of them are demands for forced labour issued by State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) military units and local authorities, while the remaining few are letters and notes written by village heads about the forced labour they have been ordered to provide. All of these orders and letters were written and issued after November 1st 2000, which is the date when SPDC Secretary-1 Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt signed an order prohibiting the further use of forced labour by military and civilian authorities (see Appendix B). The orders translated here carry dates up to November 2001, more than a year after Khin Nyunt’s order was supposedly implemented, and a perusal of all of them shows that there has been no reduction in forced labour in any of the regions covered by this report. Villagers and village heads throughout these regions also consistently testify to KHRG that there has been no reduction in forced labour in their areas, and their testimonies are presented in other KHRG reports. Meanwhile, though the most recent documents translated herein are dated November 2001, similar orders are still being issued and gathered by KHRG..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Orders Reports (KHRG #2002-01) Format/size:   pdf (1 Mb, 187 pages) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2002/khrg0201.html Date of entry/update:   15 November 2009 Title:   Forced Labour Briefing Notes Date of publication:   10 February 1998 Description/subject:   "...hese notes list some of the main types of forced labour currently experienced by villagers in most of the main rural Karen areas of Burma, including Karen State, Tenasserim Division, parts of Mon State and Pegu Division, and the Irrawaddy Delta. This list does not include all the types of forced labour, it only tries to give an idea of the main types. For further details on labour conditions and the implementation of this forced labour please see KHRG’s written submission to the ILO Commission of Inquiry dated August 1997. Details and supporting evidence of the situation in each of the areas listed below is available in existing and upcoming KHRG reports. Presently the SPDC is rapidly expanding the concentration of its armed forces in most Karen areas, and the burden of forced labour on all villagers is increasing even more quickly; each Battalion is demanding more and more forced labour of villagers, and the number of these Battalions is also increasing. Several major military offensives have been conducted over the past year, particularly in Dooplaya and Tenasserim, and an offensive is expected soon in Papun District of Karen State. The SPDC has greatly extended its control in Karen areas in the past year, and is continuing on a program to gain complete control over all Karen areas. Forced labour is used both to gain control (as porters, camp labour, etc.) and once control is established (as camp labour, forced labour on roads and other "development", growing cash crops for the military, etc.)..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group (KHRG Articles & Papers) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   26 November 2009 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentary #95-C4 Date of publication:   04 August 1995 Description/subject:   "...SLORC continues to show no remorse whatsoever for its continually expanding program of civilian forced labour throughout Burma. Roads, railways, dams, army camps, tourist sites, an international airport, pagodas, schools - virtually everything which is built in rural Burma is now built and maintained with the forced labour of villagers, as well as their money and building materials. Forced labour as porters fuels the SLORC's military campaigns, while forced labour farming land confiscated by the military, digging fishponds, logging and sawing timber for local Battalions fills the pockets of SLORC military officers and SLORC money-laundering front companies such as Union of Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. Even farming one's own land is more and more becoming a form of forced labour, as SLORC continues to increase rice quotas which farmers must hand over for pitiful prices. Even after a year like 1994, when record floods destroyed crops in much of the country, the quotas must be paid - if not, the farmer is arrested and the Army takes his land, only to resell it or set up yet another forced labour farm. 1995 has seen very small harvests, increased confiscation and looting of rice and money from the farmers, 40 million people struggling to avoid starvation, and SLORC agreeing to sell a million tonnes of rice to Russia for profit - rice which it has confiscated from village farmers for 50 Kyat a basket, or for nothing..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group (KHRG #95-C4) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   22 November 2009 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentary # 94 Date of publication:   06 June 1994 Description/subject:   "...Just when we think the SLORC already has enough in its inventory of brutality, it amazes us by coming up with even more dirty tricks. Now the regional SLORC commanders have called most of the village heads in Thaton District to a meeting, and informed them that "In the future, for every one of our soldiers who dies we will execute 5 of your villagers." This order appears to have come from Rangoon, and it is a frightening omen of the way SLORC is going. The SLORC's demands for "compensation" from villagers are ever-increasing. Every time they lose a truck to a Karen landmine, they now systematically demand 50,000 Kyat from each of up to 10 or 12 surrounding villages, and 100,000 from the nearest village. One written order from 42 Infantry Battalion states that the next time a truck explodes, they will demand 1 million Kyat, which must be paid within 7 days or all surrounding villages will be burned down - and from then on, villagers will be forced to ride along on all SLORC trucks. Along with the existing heavy burdens of "porter fees" and food looting, villagers are now forced to pay "taxes" on every farm field and on many of their tools such as woodcutting saws. In many villages, every time they boil their sugarcane into jaggery, the SLORC then either comes and confiscates it or "buys" it from them, then forces them to "buy" it back at a much higher price. Soldiers no longer eat their own rations - they force the villagers to buy them at inflated prices, then loot food back from the villagers..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group Commentary (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   22 November 2009 Title:   Karen Human Rights Group Commentary #94, Jan 19 Date of publication:   16 January 1994 Description/subject:   "...On December 24, 1993, the officers of SLORC No. 301 Burma Regiment ordered the village headmen of Kyo Waing and No Kaneh villages, in Thaton District, to ensure that security is maintained in their respective village tract areas. They were forced to sign papers guaranteeing that if a single bomb explodes or a shot is fired in the entire village tract, they will pay compensation of 50,000 Kyat to SLORC, and if one truck is damaged by a land mine they will pay 100,000 Kyat. What wasn't written on the paper was that these headmen will also pay with their lives and those of several of their villagers. Already the SLORC has shelled defenceless villages with mortars without warning and massacred villagers this year in that area for much lesser "crimes", like "not guarding the road" and "failing to pay protection money when ordered". All this at a time when SLORC delegates are travelling the world talking about the SLORC's "peace initiatives". But what means more - what the SLORC says at the UN, or what it does in Burma? Sadly, many foreign governments are now looking at their wallets and hedging on a decision. They should have a talk with the headmen of Kyo Waing and No Kaneh if they want to learn what "peace initiative" means to the SLORC - or better yet, they should go and try living in those villages for a year. While their governments consider resuming multi-million dollar "development aid" to the SLORC military, about 400 people in Thaton District have died since September from a dysentery epidemic because they had no medicine and no outside aid. The SLORC executes anyone in the area caught with medicine as a "rebel supplier". Aid could have reached them from the Thai border, if it had been sent..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Right Group (KHRG) Format/size:   html Date of entry/update:   22 November 2009 Non-ILO reports of forced labour in Mon State Individual Documents Title:   Land confiscation and the business of human rights abuse in Thaton District Date of publication:   02 April 2009 Description/subject:   "While the SPDC and DKBA have both continued to utilise forced labour and extortion as means of financing local operations in Thaton, these two groups have also employed other, separate exploitive practices. The SPDC has confiscated large tracts of land belonging to local villagers and then sold it to the Max Myanmar Company for use in rubber cultivation. The DKBA, for its part, has used forced labour, arbitrarily detained and beaten villages and has also required Thaton villagers to buy calendars and religious photographs of DKBA leaders. This report documents abuses between September 2008 and January 2009..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2009-F6) Format/size:   pdf (602 KB), html Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2009/khrg09f6.html Date of entry/update:   31 October 2009 Title:   Villagers responses to forced labour, torture and other demands in Thaton District Date of publication:   02 October 2008 Description/subject:   "From February to July 2008, SPDC and DKBA forces operating in Thaton District continued to demand forced labour, extort money and threaten villagers as punishment for allegations that villagers had contacted KNU/KNLA personnel. In addition, the destruction wrought by Cyclone Nargis on Thatons infrastructure and crops has added to the struggles of villagers. Despite such hardships, villagers in these communities continue to test and refine strategies to resist abuse by the SPDC and DKBA. Both local and international humanitarian and development agencies should increase efforts to support these villager-based resistance strategies, enabling villagers to claim their rights..." Language:   English Source/publisher:   Karen Human Rights Group Field Reports (KHRG #2008-F14) Format/size:   pdf (573 KB) Alternate URLs:   http://www.khrg.org/khrg2008/khrg08f14.html Date of entry/update:   01 November 2009 Non-ILO reports of forced labour in Shan State