Type of Incident

Forced Labour

Date of Incident(s)

February 24th 2018

Incident Location

Thandaunggyi Township, Toungoo District

Victim Information

Name

Saw H---

Age

53

Sex

Male

Ethnicity

Karen

Occupation

Plantation worker

Religion

Christianity

Village

M---

Perpetrator Information

Name(s)

Rank

Unit

Base

Paing Soe Thein

Major

Military Operations Command (MOC) #6, Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #607

Than Daung Myot Thit

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

After hearing about an incident of forced labour in the area, a KHRG research called local people to gain more information. They went to the village where the incident occurred to interview the victims of this case of forced military labour.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The KHRG researcher heard about this incident of forced military labour first-hand from the victims. He interviewed one of the victims of forced military labour.

Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail.

On February 23rd 2018, forestry officers from the Karen National Union (KNU) went to Kan Ni Chang area accompanied by Company #1 from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Battalion #2. A businessman, Win Aung, had been logging a nearby forest after receiving permission from the Myanmar government in 2006. The KNU forestry officers and KNLA soldiers wanted to prohibit these logging activities.

The Tatmadaw Company Commander Major Paing Soe Thein, and soldiers from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) #607 under the Tatmadaw Military Operations Command (MOC) #6, heard about the KNU’s intentions. They moved into the area where the KNLA Company #1 was based and opened fire on them. The skirmish occurred around 4PM on February 23rd 2018.  After the fighting took place, the Tatmadaw soldiers from LIB #607 retreated, and returned to M--- village that night.

On February 24th 2018, the Tatmadaw soldiers from LIB #607 wanted to return to the location of the skirmish. They ordered two local people from M--- village to guide them. They left the village at 8 AM, and forced the civilians to guide them for a whole day. They only returned to their village after 4 PM. M--- village is far from the location of the incident.

The Tatmadaw soldiers did not provide the villagers with any food, despite the fact that they were forced to serve as a navigators for a full day. The villagers were forced to communicate between the two Tatmadaw groups, and had to walk in front of 20 Tatmadaw soldiers. They were not told that fighting had occurred in the area the previous day.

When the Tatmadaw soldiers returned to M--- village, Major Paing Soe Thein gave 2,000 kyat [USD 1.29][2] to each forced navigator. He told them that it is for alcohol.

According to the International Labour Organisation Forced Labour Convention, forced labour is “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily”.[3] Receiving a small compensation after the fact does not diminish the severity of this human rights violation. The Tatmadaw has routinely forced civilians to work on infrastructure projects, and to serve as porters, navigators and human minesweepers in conflict areas. In recent years, there has been a decline in forced military labour incidents in Southeast Myanmar. However, the Tatmadaw and ethnic armed groups still force local civilians to work for them, threatening to fine villagers if they refuse. This is a violation of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement Code of Conduct, which stipulates that the Tatmadaw and Ethnic Armed Organisations should “avoid forcibly taking money, property, food, labor or services from civilians”.[4]

Did the victim provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided.

The victim gave permission to KHRG to use this information.