Fri, 22 Aug 2003
Education and Health

The following two sections contain orders related to education and health matters.  The SPDC military and civil authorities try to exert control over all aspects of education and health as they do with all other aspects of life in Burma and the orders in this section give some indication of this.  The previous section, ‘Demands for Intelligence’, contains additional orders telling village heads to send lists of all details on schools and health clinics (see Orders #356380390398399403410419.) with the apparent purpose of controlling their operation and intimidating the villagers.

Education 

These orders show that military control and forced labour also intrude even into education at the village level.  Orders #429430 and 435 demand wood for construction of schools and Order #431 demands substantial amounts of money for the construction of schools.  Whenever schools are built the villagers must provide all the building materials, the money for the cost, as well as the labour.  Much of the money given by villagers for the cost of building the schools goes into the pockets of the SPDC officers.  Army officers often use the construction of a school as an excuse to demand more materials than are necessary, and sell the surplus for their own profit.  In the same way officer often demand more money than is needed, or in the cases where money is sent by the Education Ministry to build a school, most of the money is pocketed by the officers while the difference is demanded from the villagers.  In some cases villagers have complained to KHRG that after providing all the demanded materials for building the school, the school is never built and the materials are never seen again.  Although the SPDC does provide salaries to some teachers, the villagers must pay the salaries of most of the teachers as well as pay for all school materials and school fees.

Order #427 (Pa’an)

                       Stamp:                                          Township Peace and Development Council
Township Peace and Development Council            Myawaddy Town
                Myawaddy Town                                  Letter No: x / xxx / Yay x
                                                                             Date:
Year 2002, January 19th

            To:
                 - Chief of departments concerned
                    _________________ Myawaddy Town
                 - Chairperson / Village Head
                       xxxx                                               Section/Village
                    Peace and Development Council, Myawaddy Township

Subject:      Invitation to attend a coordination meeting for the opening of the ‘Ah Thon Lon’ training

Reference         Letter No: x/x - xxx/Yay x of Myawaddy Township Peace and Development Council dated 26-10-2002

1.         To reach 91 percent to 95.5 percent literacy percentage in Burma in the years 2000-2003 a movement of the masses has to be carried out.  During the education year 2001 - 2002 the implementation and carrying out of the Ah Thon Lon training in Rakhaing [Arakan] State and Kayin [Karen] State will begin.  To begin the implementation and carrying out of Ah Thon Lon training in Myawaddy Township, a coordination meeting will be held for the opening of the Ah Thon Lon training as below.  Ah Thon Lon training supervisory township members, members of Section/Village Peace and Development Councils, Chairpersons, clerks yourself attend without fail (without fail) and continue to invite the school headmasters from your section/villages’ basic education schools to attend the meeting and call them along, you are informed.

            (a) Date the [meeting] will be held       - 22-1-2002, Tuesday
            (b) Time the [meeting] will be held      - 09:30 hours
            (c) Place the [meeting] will be held      -Township Peace and Development Council, Chairperson’s Office Room

2.         The Village Ah Thon Lon Training Supervisory Committee still has to send the registers ofxxxxyyyy and zzzz villages, so the committee should organize and carry it out in accordance with the information in the organizing reference letter and bring along the committee registers, you are informed.

                                                                                                [Sd.] 19/1/2002
                                                                                              (for)  Chairperson
                                                                              Moe Kaing, Township Deputy Staff Head

[Page 2]

Copy to: 
             - Chairperson, District Peace and Development Council
                Myawaddy District, Myawaddy Town
             - Township, Chief of Education, Township Chief of Education Office, Myawaddy Town - must know and continue to know the school headmasters concerned 
             - File/Office Receipt Letter

[‘Ah Thon Lon’ is the Burmese equivalent of the English reading, writing and arithmetic.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #428 (Pa’an)

                                                   Township Peace and Development Council 
                                                                      Myawaddy Town                                Date: 22-1-2002
To:             Village Head_
                 xxxx village__
               Myawaddy Town

Subject:            Invitation to a meeting

            Regarding the above subject, the meeting, we will hold a meeting with the aim as below.  Attend (without fail), you are invited.

Aim:                 ‘Ah Thon Lon’ training matter
Agenda:            Date (25-1-2002) Friday

                         Time (10:00) hours
                         Place TPDC Chairperson Office Room

                                                                                                                   [Sd.] 22/1
                                                                                                             (for) Chairperson

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #429 (Papun)

                   Stamp:                                                                                            Date: 25-1-02
Peace and Development Council 
            Date: 20-1-02
   K’Dtaing Dee Village Tract
                                                      To:
                                                           Head
                                                           xxxx [village]  

                                    Subject:
                                                 Wood matter

            In accordance with the directive of #36 Battalion from the Strategic Operations Command, send quickly 2 logs of thit poke [malodorous wood] to yyyy sawmill on 26-1-02 for repairing the zzzzteaching school, you are informed.
Note:    thit poke (circumference) 4 feet, in length 

                        18 feet, 2 logs.

                                                                                                                   [Sd.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #430 (Pa’an)

            To:                                                                                                               22-2-2002
                 Chairperson
                 Village Peace and Development Council 
                 xxxx village

            Subject:            Temporarily hire the sawmill

Regarding the above subject, temporarily hire the sawmill for about 3 days starting on 24-2-2002 from Saw aaaa from elder’s village for the building of xxxx Monastery, teaching school and hall, you are requested.

                                                                                                                     [Sd.]
                                                                                                             Mobile Column 
                                                                                                                Company #x

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #431 (Thaton)

                     Stamp:                                                                                        Date: 2-3-2002
Village Peace and Development Council 
                   xxxx Camp                            To:
                                                                          Village Head
                                                                          xxxx, yyyy [villages]

            With respect, on 2-3-2002, in accordance with the decision of the xxxx [camp] Division Commander’s arrangement for the building of the middle and high schools together, the estimate of the money it will cost is 150,000 [Kyat], 150 thousand [Kyat].  The responsibility for sixty thousand (60,000) Kyat is given to xxxx big village and yyyy village.  Therefore, the big village has to take responsibility for thirty thousand Kyat (30,000K) and yyyy village for thirty thousand Kyat (30,000K), letting you know.  
            This money must be sent in April. 

                                                                                      [Sd.]  U aaaa, 2/3/2002
                                                                                         Stamp: Chairperson 

                                                                           Village Peace and Development Council 
                                                                                     zzzz Village, Bilin Township

[The SPDC is going to build a combined middle and high school.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #432 (Pa’an)

                       Stamp:                                            Township Peace and Development Council 
Township Peace and Development Council              Myawaddy Town
                 Myawaddy Town                                   Letter No #x / x - xxx / Yay x
                                                                               Date: Year 2002, April [unclear] 

            To:
                 Chairperson
                    xxxx________ Section / Village Tract
                 Peace and Development Council (All) 
                 Myawaddy Township

Subject:            Distribution and donation of books and pencils for the 2002 ‘Ah Thon Lon’ trainees.  

1.         For the Ah Thon Lon trainees males/females who are starting in the year 2002 dry season at Myawaddy District, Myawaddy Township, the District Peace and Development Council sent and donated 2,262 books and 2,262 pencils.  For the continued distribution of 1 book, 1 pencil to each AhThon Lon trainee male/female from your section/village tract, we are sending them in accordance with the attached list. 

2.         Without fail report again the situation when finished distributing it to the trainees of  the AhThon Lon training which is starting and training in your section/villages to the office, you are informed.

                                                                                               [Sd.]
                                                                                         Chairperson
                                                                            Kyi 16530/ Captain Ni Aung 
Copy to:
            -Chairperson, State Peace and Development Council 
                                    Kayin State, Pa’an Town
            - Chairperson, District Peace and Development Council 
                                    Myawaddy District, Myawaddy Town
            - Township Chief of Education, Township Chief of Education Office, Myawaddy Town
            - File/Office Receipt.

[Page 2]

                                                                                                                                                 Attachment
List of the distribution of books and pencils to sections/village tracts which were sent and donated by the District Peace and Development Council

No

Section/Village tract

Number of trainees male/female

Number

Note

books

pencils

1

No (1) Section

   43

  43

  43

 

2

No (2) Section

   40

  40

  40

 

3

No (3)     “

   41

  41

  41

 

4

No (4)     “

   35

  35

  35

 

5

No (5)

    7

   7

   7

 

6

Yay Bu Village

   21

  21

  21

 

7

Meh Daw Th’Lay (b)

   70

  70

  70

 

8

Meh Daw Th’Lay (a)

   15

  15

  15

 

9

In Kyin Myaing

   13

  13

  13

 

10

Min Let Pan

   19

  19

  19

 

11

Pa Lu

   22

  22

  22

 

12

Waw Lay

     8

    8

   8

 

13

Pa Chaung

    56

  56

  56

 

14

Meh Ka Neh

    58

  58

  58

 

15

Ywa Thit

    20

  20

  20

 

16

Thin Gan Nyi Naung

  100

 100

 100

 

17

Huay Shan

    73

   73

   73

 

18

Meh P’Leh

  129

 129

 129

 

19

A’Pyin Gwin G’Lay

    50

   50

   50

 

20

Bpaw Law

  140

 140

 140

 

21

Than P’Ya

    71

   71

   71

 

22

Htee Char Ra

  250

 250

 250

 

23

Htee Wa B’Law

    50

   50

   50

 

24

Htee Law Thay

  250

 250

 250

 

25

Kaw Kaw

  250

 250

 250

 

26

Shwe Kok Koh

  302

 302

 302

 

27

Kyaw Koh

    49

   49

   49

 

28

IB#275

    25

   25

   25

 

29

LIB#355

    10

   10

   10

 

30

LIB#356

    34

   34

   34

 

31

LIB#357

    11

   11

   11

 

 

Total

2262

2262

2262

 

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #433 (Pa’an)

                        Stamp:                                           Township Peace and Development Council 
Township Peace and Development Council              Myawaddy Town
                    [Illegible]                                           Letter No # x - xxx / Yay x
                                                                               Date: Year 2002, April [illegible] 

To:
     Chairperson
                  xxxx                Section / Village Tract
      Peace and Development Council (all)
      Myawaddy Township

Subject:      For the distribution of donated books and pencils to the Year 2002 ‘Ah Thon Lon’ trainees

1.                     The District Peace and Development Council sent and donated 2,262 books and 2,262 pencils for Ah Thon Lon male/female trainees who started the training in the hot season Year 2002 at Myawaddy District, Myawaddy Township.  Continue distributing to the Ah Thon Lon male/female trainees 1 book, 1 pencil each in your section/village tract, we are sending them according to the attached list.

2.         Report without fail the situation when finished distributing them to the trainees of the AhThon Lon training which has opened and is training in your sections/villages.  Report without fail again to this office, you are informed.

                                                                                                               [Sd.]
                                                                                                    Stamp: Chairperson
                                                                                              (Kyi 16530/ Captain Ni Aung)

Copies to- 
                 - Chairperson, State Peace and Development Council 
                              Karen State, Pa’an Town.
                 - Chairperson, District Peace and Development Council 
                              Myawaddy District, Myawaddy Town.
                 -Township Education Chief, Township Education Chief Office, Myawaddy Town
                 - File/ Office receipts.

[Page 2]

                                                                                                                                        Attached
List of distributed books and pencils to sections / village tracts that were sent and donated by the District Peace and Development Council.

No

Section/ village tract

quantity of male/female trainees

Number of

books

 

Pencils

Note

1

No (1) Section

    43

    43

    43

 

2

No (2) Section

    40

    40

    40

 

3

No (3)     “

    41

    41

    41

 

4

No (4)     “

    35

    35

    35

 

5

No (5)     “

      7

      7

      7

 

6

Yay Bu Village

    21

    21

    21

 

7

Meh Daw Tha Lay (b)

    70

    70

    70

 

8

Meh Daw Tha Lay (a)

    15

    15

    15

 

9

In Kyin Myaing

    13

    13

    13

 

10

Min Let Pan

    19

    19

    19

 

11

Pa Lu

    22

    22

    22

 

12

Waw Lay

      8

      8

      8

 

13

Pa Chaung

    56

    56

    56

 

14

Meh K’Neh

    58

    58

    58

 

15

Ywa Thit

    20

    20

    20

 

16

Thin Gan Nyi Naung

  100

  100

  100

 

17

Kway Shan

    73

    73

    73

 

18

Meh P’Leh

  129

  129

  129

 

19

Pyin Gwin K’Lay

    50

    50

    50

 

20

Bpaw Law

  140

  140

  140

 

21

Than P’Ya

    71

    71

    71

 

22

Htee Cha Ra

  250

  250

  250

 

23

Htee Wa Blaw

    50

    50

    50

 

24

Htee Lay Thay

  250

  250

  250

 

25

Kaw Kaw

  250

  250

  250

 

26

Shwe Kok Koh

  302

  302

  302

 

27

Kyaw Koh

    49

    49

    49

 

28

IB (275)

    25

    25

    25

 

29

LIB (355)

    10

    10

    10

 

30

LIB (356)

    34

    34

    34

 

31

LIB (357)

    10

    10

    10

 

 

Total

2,262

2,262

2,262

 

 ______________________________________________________________________________

Order #434 (Pa’an)

                         Stamp:                                             Township Peace and Development Council 
Township Peace and Development Council                 Myawaddy Town
                  Myawaddy Town                                     Letter No: x / xxxx / Yay x
                                                                                  Year 2002, April 19th

To:
     (All) the department chiefs concerned
     _________________________________Myawaddy Town
     Chairperson
            xxxx - yyyy                       Section/Village Tract Peace and Development Council, Myawaddy Township

Subject:            The matter of the ethnic people of the Union who are finishing the Development College Primary Teacher Training Number (33) and applying for the 1 Year Education Training Diploma.

Reference:        Letter No: x / x - x / Oo x of the Karen State Peace and Development Council dated 25-3-2002

1.         Regarding the ethnic people of the Union who are finishing the Development College Primary Teacher Training Number (33) and applying for the 1 Year Education Training Diploma, the State Trainee Selection Committees are to send these applications to the Central  Trainee Selection Committee to arrive on time on 1-4-2002.  The above Central Trainee Selection Committee informed the ethnic people of the Union Development College with letter No: xxx / - x / x / x / x xx dated on 6-3-2002, and the Karen Sate Peace and Development Council is informing again with this reference letter.

2.         Therefore, if the people from your concerned departments and sections/villages who are applying to attend the 1 Year Education Training Diploma 1, remind them to send the applications on time, you are informed.

                                                                                                                 [Sd.]
                                                                                                           Chairperson
                                                                                                (Kyi 16530, Bo Gyi Ni Aung)

Copy to:
            - Chairperson, Myawaddy District Peace and Development Council, Myawaddy Town
            - Township Education Chief, Myawaddy Town- (Let the male/female teachers in your township know again)
            - File/ Receipt

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #435 (Thaton)

To:
         Chairperson + saw mill owners
                xxxx village

            The wood order which is needed to build the new school building
 pyin k’doe      5” x 5” = 13’ - 16 pieces
                        5” x 2” = 11’ - 10 pieces
                        “     “    = 15’ - 10 pieces

Send the wood that is shown to yyyy to arrive on 30-4-2002.

                                                                  Thankfully, 
                                                                                     aaaa
                                                                                     22-4-2002

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #436 (Thaton)

                 Stamp:                             To:                                                                 22-5-02
Peace and Development Council              Head
    K’Dtaing Dee Village Tract                            xxxx village

Subject:            Asking for hill toddy palm thatch

1. Regarding the above subject, xxxx (basic middle school) and (health clinic) are destroyed.  
2. To prepare for building the education and health [facilities], bamboo and thatch are needed.
3. Therefore, help with 100 shingles of hill toddy palm thatch from the Elder’s village, you are requested.  
4. Thatch and bamboo have already been asked for from the other villages.
5. Therefore, send 100 shingles of thatch to the VPDC office at the latest on 25-5-02, you are informed.

                                                                                                       [Sd.] 22-5-02
                                                                                                 Stamp: for Chairperson
                                                                                      Village Peace and Development Council 
                                                                                   K’Dtaing Dee Village Tract, Papun Township

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #437 (Papun)

                Stamp:                            To:                                                               Date: 2-6-2002
Peace and Development Council           Head - xxxx [village] 
    K’Dtaing Dee Village Tract

Subject:            The matter of repairing xxxx school. 

Regarding the above subject, for the roof of xxxx school, 10 male loh ah pay people from the elder’s village come to VPDC office tomorrow on 3-6-2002 to arrive at 7 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

<Note> Do not fail at all.                                                      Stamp: Chairperson
                                                                              Village Peace and Development Council 
                                                                           K’Dtaing Dee Village Tract, Papun Township

[The roofing of the school took two days to complete.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #438 (Dooplaya)

                                                                                                                         Stamp: 
                                        24-8-2002                                         Frontline #301 Light Infantry Battalion 
                                                                                                           Column #1 Headquarters
       To:
               Chairperson
               xxxx [village]

                        This is for continuing to send these books which have been brought now together with a letter for yyyy village and zzzz village’s school.

                                                                                                      [Sd.]
                                                                                          Camp Commander 
                                                                                                xxxx Camp

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #439 (Pa’an)

(80’ x 30’) zinc roof, brick wall, timber flooring one floor school (New design)
List of the estimated expenses

No

Subject

magnitude/count

Rate (kyat)

Your money (kyat)

1

Cement

   146

sacks

  3,500

  511,000

2

Brick

25282

sheets

        17

  429,794

3

Pebble

   7.61

piles

 12,000

    91,320

4

Sand

     23

piles

   5,000

  115,000

5

Lime

   253

cubic feet

   1,000

  253,000

6

Pyin K’Doe [ironwood tree]

     12

tons

 35,000

  420,000

7

Pyin K’Doe (tongue and groove plank)

  5.16

tons

 50,000

  258,000

8

Teak

  1.21

tons

200,000

  242,000

9

beat nail

   226

pounds

      350

    79,100

10

7’Myoung Zinc

   296

sheets

   2,100

  621,600

11

8’Myoung Zinc

     12

sheets

   4,000

    48,000

12

Zinc nail

     55

pounds

      450

    24,750

13

Glass 

   414

sa/ feet

      550

  227,700

14

2’ ceiling flat rock

   670

sheets

      800

  536,000

15

 Teak beading

 1742

feets

        15

    26,130

16

nail carpenter’s square

     32

[long] pieces

      450

    14,400

17

brickbat

  3.72

piles

   3,000

    11,160

 

 

 

 

 

3908,954

18

Materials for fixing the window

 

 

     3 %

  117,268

19

oil paint / painting

 

 

     5 %

  195,447

 

 

 

 

 

4,221,669

                                     Payment for work 20 %                   844,333
                                     Total Kyat                                  = 5,066,002

                                                            (About 5 millions 100 thousands)

Note:
         (Calculate with the area rate on 17-9-2002.)

                                                                                       [Sd.] 17-9-2002
                                                                                      ([Illegible] aaaa)
                                                                               Middle Engineer #x Myoh Pya

[This is a list of materials which were used to build a school.  Six villages had to contribute the money and materials listed here to build this school.]

Health

 

The SPDC has long been criticised for placing almost none of its resources into health care.  In 2000 the World Health Organisation rated Burma’s health care system 190th out of 191 countries (Sierra Leone ranked last).  Over the past several years foreign non-governmental organisations, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), UNICEF and even the UN Development Programme have been trying to force aid for health care on the regime, and been somewhat more efficient in seeing that the aid reaches the target; new clinic, vaccinations and HIV awareness meetings.  All of these are financed and arranged by foreign organisations, although when the projects are implemented the SPDC is quick to try and take credit for them.

Order #440 (Pa’an)

                          Stamp: 
Village Tract Peace and Development Council 
                       yyyy village

                                         To: 
                                              Chairperson
                                              xxxx Village Peace and Development Council 
                                              Kawkareik Town
                                                                                                               Date:    Year 2002 May 5th

Subject:      The matter of carrying out assistance money to build the village health department building in yyyy village.

                                    1.         To build the village health department building at yyyy village on March 30th 2002, Village Chairperson and the elders were to coordinate and decide but we have seen that you have not helped or paid until today on 5-5-2002.

                                    2.         Therefore, for the donation money to help from the each of the elder’s of the Village Tract, pay to the Treasurer and Funding Committee Chairperson, Chairperson U aaaa at yyyy village, you are informed.

                                                                                                         [Sd.]
                                                                                              Camp Commander 
                                                                                               xxxx Army Camp
Copy to: 
              Chairpersons, xxxxyyyyzzzz,
              wwwwvvvvuuuu 

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #441 (Papun)

                Stamp:                          To:                                                                            26-9-02
Peace and Development Council         Saw aaaa
         Papun Township                        xxxx [village]
             yyyy village 

                                    With respect, informing you as below.  
            Tomorrow morning, the teacher [nurse] will come to give injections to the children under 5 years old, will give injections to the children under 5 years old.  Come without fail, and wood sawyers and Saw aaaa yourself come to wait at zzzz [village].  Wood sawyers and Saw aaaa come early without fail to wait at zzzz.

                                                                                                          [Sd.]
                                                                                             Stamp: Chairperson
                                                                               Village Peace and Development Council 
                                                                                       yyyy village, Papun Township

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #442 (Papun)

                    Stamp:                                                                                                   28-9-2002
Township Health Chief Department 
                Papun Town

To:
     Chairperson
     VPDC Group
     xxxx Village Tract

Subject:            The matter of measles vaccination injections

            Regarding the above subject, the responsible people from yyyy Health Department will come to give measles vaccination injections to the young children between 9 months to 5 years at the Elder’s village, so the elder has to know and call and gather the children between 9 months and 5 years old from the villages near to xxxx village, letting you know and you are informed.
            Come to be picked up on 1-10-2002 at 10 o’clock in the morning by engine boat.

                                                                                                 [Sd.]
                                                                                        Stamp: (aaaa)
                                                                                     Health In-Charge  
                                                                               yyyy Health Department 
                                                                                       Papun Town

Fri, 22 Aug 2003

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