Situation Update | Kyauk Kyi Township, Nyaunglebin District (July to September 2012)

The following situation update was written by a community member 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 Nyaunglebin District, including three interviews and 393 photographs.[2]  

Introduction

In our area, some human rights abuses occurred plus abnormal rain, and the flood caused problems for the villagers as well. The various [events] that have taken place in our area are: (1) the forced demanding of money; (2) a Norwegian government project; (3) paddies died because of gold mining; and (4) aid supplies have been delivered.

Demands for money

During July [2012], a Government soldier based in Kyauk N'Ga base camp demanded money from gold miners living in T--- village. There are over 40 gold miners, and [for] each gold sluice [villagers are] demanded to pay 800,000 kyat (US $847.91)[3] per month. [The] people who collected the money were IB [Infantry Battalion][4] #57, and one of their people in charge said, "I have to collect the money because I have to send 20 million kyat (US $21,197.79) to the operation commander."

During August [2012], LIB [Light Infantry Battalion][5] #264 soldiers based at D--- camp demanded 20,000 kyat (US $21.19) each time loggers transported goods from G--- to H--- village by motorboat. Per Kaw [police] based at D--- demanded 2,500 kyat (US $2.64) each time from loggers transporting their logs.

Norwegian government support to Mu Theh village tract

The Norwegian government started sending aid on August 8th 2012. So far, rice sacks have arrived at Hsaw Mee Luh base camp [Kat Pe base camp] only. A delay occurred because people transporting the rice by truck had to repair the road [during the trip]. At this time, only one truck was used for the transportation. One truck can transport 50 rice sacks. The truck came along with five workers and one motorbike, so that if the truck was broken or needed some tools they would go and buy them from Kyauk Kyi town. The Myanmar Peace Support Initiative [MPSI}[6] staff paid 8,000 kyat (US $8.47) for each of the rice sacks when the truck was hired. During the transportation process [the truck] had to transport them to Mu Theh. The workers received payment [directly] from MPSI staff if [payment] did not come through Burma government staff and Karen National Union [KNU] members. At this time, there were many problems during the food transportation process because the vehicle road was ruined due to too much rainfall, and the workers and truck driver had to patch up the vehicle road again and again.

The other problem is an anti-vehicle mine between Kat Pe base camp and Mu Theh village. This anti-vehicle mine was planted by Karen National Liberation Army [KNLA] Battalion #9 in October 2011. After KNLA soldiers planted this anti-vehicle mine, bulldozers repaired the road before Burmese [Tatmadaw] troops sent rations [to the area], so excavated soil covered the mine. A year ago, the Burmese [Tatmadaw] sent rations, but the mine did not explode because the car road did not go straight over it. This year, it rained too much and the soil was soft, and therefore a potentially dangerous problem might occur because of this mine. KNLA Battalion #9 soldiers marked this place where the old anti-vehicle mine was planted before MPSI came [to Mu Theh area]. KNLA soldiers do not dare to remove this mine because it was placed permanently [planted in such a way that it would definitely explode if a removal attempt was made]. If people detonate the mine, it will damage the road, [splitting it] into two parts. Then trucks will not be able to travel along on the road anymore. Currently, there is a marking where this mine is, and people extended the road to avoid going over it. If [people] detonate this mine, 30 feet of road will be damaged. Therefore, the mine was marked, and KNLA soldiers [hope to] come up with a solution in the summer. Because people could not send the rice [by truck to Mu Theh], villagers from Kheh Der village tract had to carry it from Hsaw Mee Luh to Mu Theh [then to their villages]. It is about eight miles from Hsaw Mee Luh to Muh Theh, and the additional distance from Muh Theh to their villages takes three hours. Even though the rice could not be sent to [Mu Theh by truck], villagers kept up an effort to carry it by themselves.

It took the Norwegian government quite a long [time] for the rice transportation because of the ruined road. The support from the Norwegian government can be found in [this] list of support paper [below].

The list of Norwegian government support for Kheh Der village tract[7]  

School equipment

Flooding in our area

On July 29th 2012, flooding started [and] numerous villagers encountered many problems. They [villagers] had no boats [to travel] and villagers were put at risk of becoming jobless during the flooding, and they had to face the risk of their paddies dying as a consequence of one month of flooding. But, on August 22nd 2012, UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] [World Food Programme (WFP)][9] staff came and helped villagers in the area of Kyauk Kyi Township. As government staff made the report [regarding how the flooding impacted villagers], [WFP] staff provided support [material aid] to villagers, (and the support was given to village leaders who distributed it to village households).

On August 23rd 2012, the Back Pack Health Worker Team and EAT-Burma [Emergency Assistance Team-Burma] carried out the action plan of providing 300 rice sacks, soap and medicine for villagers in Ma Au Pin village tract, Kyauk Kyi Township.[10]  

The river was full along the Tha Ye stream because the flooding occurred from July 29th to the middle of August [2012]. In Kaw Thah Say (Tha Ye Pin) villagers farmed the flat field farms there [in Tha Ye stream area], and gold miners did gold mining along Tha Ye stream. Villagers asked gold miners to stop digging gold for a short period while the flooding was happening, but the gold miners refused to stop and, as a result, polluted water flowed down toward paddies and spread throughout flat field farms. All paddies in 30 acres of flat field farms died. These [farms] are beside Tha Ye Pin village. Paddies [also] died in 30 acres of Leh Taw Kyi farm, which is beside Tha Ye Pin village.

General information

Road constructors and village leaders demanded 200 kyat (US $.21) from each person travelling [by road] through M--- village. Students who attend the M--- primary school were demanded to pay as well, and each student had to pay up to 10,000 kyat (US $10.59) per month. This turned out to be a problem for students' parents.

During August, the Burma government offered loans to farm workers in Pa Deh Kaw village tract, but bank representatives and village leaders did not lend the money to farm workers at all. Instead, they just lent the money to people who are not farm workers and those people who have good relationships with them. Therefore, this turned out to be a problem for villagers.

In addition, on August 22nd 2012, the Burma government [had kept bank deposits from farm workers] from 2006, and the Government [bank representatives] said that they would return the money back, but they have still not returned it back to villagers, even though the village head signed his name [as part of the agreement]. The Burma government gives loans to farmers. If a farmer pays back the loan with the amount of 100,000 kyat (US $105.98) to the Burma government, the government will save 5,000 kyat (US $5.29). On August 22nd 2012, village heads signed their names because people [bank representatives] told them that they would give the money to farm workers, but people have not given them any money yet. The complete information can be found in interview #3 [conducted] on September 9th 2012. I interviewed the village leader Saw N--- in M--- village, Pa Deh Kaw village tract.[11]  

Conclusion

The [events] that I reported are true incidents that happened in our area.