The following situation update was written by a villager in Nyaunglebin District who has been trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. It is presented below translated exactly as originally written, save for minor edits for clarity and security.[1] This report was received along with other information from Nyunglebin District, including one incident reports, three interviews, one other situation update, and 116 photographs.[2]
In the Tha Ba Ler area of Nyaunglebin District, there was SPDC [Tatmadaw][3] army troop movement on September 15th 2011 in the Moo Kaw Sha area near Maw Kha Der, Ler Kla, and Htee Ler Baw Hta. The villagers had to flee to the jungle. There was also troop movement in the Ya--- area on October 6th 2011 and the SPDC soldiers shot one of the villagers when he was in his betelnut field and [the bullet] broke his leg. This villager's name is Saw Gh---. He is 43 years old and lives in M---. On October 7th 2011, all the villagers who had been staying in their plantations [in that area] were forced to go back and stay in their villages.[4] The SPDC Army closed the road and they refused to give the villagers travel permission documents [to go to work in their fields].
As for Yu Loh and Gk'Mu Loh villages, starting on October 1st 2011, they did not let villagers carry food [when they went to work in their fields]. Each person was only allowed to carry two bowls of rice to the plantation. These villagers are not working on [dry paddy] hill fields, they are only working on betelnut and durian plantations. They work on the betelnut and durian plantations to get money and then they buy rice to eat. Because of this it causes problems for the villagers.
The real situation for villagers' livelihoods in this region is that 116 farms, about 379 acres, were destroyed by floods. The paddy plants were under water for a long time so all that paddy was spoiled. In Ler Doh, there was two months of flooding and a lot of the paddy plants were destroyed. Also in the Hoh Lu area, the insects destroyed the crops so the paddy plants were destroyed and the villagers could not farm anymore. In the mountainous hill regions, the hill farmers also could not farm in 40 different places because the heavy rain prevented them from burning the brush on their fields. In Hsaw Hteet Township, villagers who work on hill fields could not burn the brush on their fields. Because of this, villagers who work on farms are facing food problems.
In Ler Doh Township, SPDC soldiers were active in the area. On August 8th 2011, soldiers from LIB #345 under the command of Thet Saw Win forced villagers from Noh Ghaw and Thoo Gk'Bee village tracts to go and work for them at the Htaik Htoo army camp. At the gkaw per doh [literally 'country government'] army camp at Htaik Htoo in Ler Doh Township, the soldiers closed two jails. So forced labour has reduced a bit but there are still demands for forced labour. The set tha[5] work has reduced a bit but the villagers still have to do it in some places. In places like Kyweh Cha and Aung Soe Moe, the villagers still have to stand guard [as sentries] on the road.