The following Incident Report was written by a community member who has been trained by KHRG to monitor local 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 in November 2013 along with other information from Hpapun District, including four other incident reports, 17 interviews, one situation update and 31 photographs.[2]
Type of Incident |
Forced Labour |
Date of Incident(s) |
October 2013 |
Incident Location (Village, Township and District) |
A--- Village, Meh P’Lee village tract, Bu Tho Township, Hpapun District.
|
Victim Information |
|
Name |
Saw A--- |
Age |
37 |
Sex |
Male |
Nationality |
Karen |
Family |
Yes |
Occupation |
Flat field farmer |
Religion |
Buddhist |
Position |
Villager |
Village |
A--- village |
Perpetrator Information |
||||
Name(s) |
Rank |
Unit |
Base |
Commander’s Name |
Maung Soe |
Captain |
Border Guard Force Battalion #1013 |
K’Taing Tee BGF army camp |
Commander Hla Kyaing |
1. Explain in detail how you collected this information. |
Actually, as a KHRG community member, I didn’t know about this forced labour committed by the Border Guard Force [BGF][3] [before I arrived at the village]. When I [went to the village] to document information about the case of Ma S---,[4] the villagers also told me about a case of forced labour. I did not need to go anywhere to follow up the incident because the villagers themselves told me about this incident. |
2. Explain how the source verified this information. |
According to the village administrator who provided this information: “We have had to stay with them [the BGF] since they started to build their camp. While staying with them, we have to look for firewood, chop firewood, carry water and find vegetables for them.” By listening to what he said, we can understand clearly that the BGF is still subjecting people to forced labour. |
Describe the Incident(s) in complete detail. For each incident, be sure to include 1) when the incident happened, 2) where it happened, 3) what happened, 4) how it happened, 5) who was involved, and 6) why it happened. Also describe any villager response(s) to the incident, the aftermath and the current living situation of the victims. Please use the space prepared below, and create an attachment if needed. |
Since the ceasefire talks between the Thein Sein government and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA),[5] it’s true that forced labour has reduced a little. However, in the places where the KNLA doesn’t go or media groups can’t reach, forced labour is still happening. The forced labour [described in this incident report] happened from October 2013 until now [November 2013], which is when the villagers reported the abuse. The abuse is being committed by the BGF and is taking place in A--- village, Meh P’Lee village tract, Bu Tho Township, Hpapun District. The BGF armed group is still committing human rights abuses now. The abuse that is happening is forced labour. The armed actor which is committing forced labour is BGF [Battalion] #1013. [It is being ordered by] a company commander, Captain Maung Soe, led by battalion commander Saw Hla Kyaing. The villagers have suffered [as a result of being subjected to] forced labour by them until now. According to the village administrator, an A--- villager [named] Saw A--- was forced to go and stay at the BGF army camp and serve as a sentry and messenger. Each day, at least one villager has to go and stay at the BGF army camp to serve as a sentry or messenger. While the villagers are staying with them in the camp, they have to chop firewood, carry water and cook rice and curry for them. Moreover, the villagers also have to guard them and carry their rice pots and curry pots for them when they are travelling, without being paid. Therefore, the villagers still have to do a lot of work for the Border Guard and the Border Guard still abuses human rights by ordering the villagers to do things for them. |
Did the victim(s) provide permission to use this information? Explain how that permission was provided. |
After asking permission from the interviewees, they allowed us to use the information as we need. |