Hpa-an Situation Update: Paingkyon Township, March 2014

Situation Update | Paingkyon Township, Hpa-an District, (March 2014)

The following Situation Update was received by KHRG in April 2014. It was written by a community member in Hpa-an District 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 along with other information from Hpa-an District, including six other situation updates, 1,080 photographs and two video clips.[2]

I would like to report about B--- village, Kah Teh Koh village tract, Ta Kreh [Paingkyon] Township, Hpa-an District.[3] Tatmadaw Infantry Battalion (IB)[4] #28 used to have a base in B--- village in the past. General Saw Bo Mya of the KNLA [Karen National Liberation Army] used to have a base there before Tatmadaw IB #28 [established] a base there. Then General Saw Bo Mya left the place after battles [with the Tatmadaw]. After, Tatmadaw IB #28 came in [to B--- village] and then the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army [DKBA][5] emerged [in 1994]. [Later] General Htay Maung, [leader of the KNU/KNLA Peace Council[6] moved to the area] and took control of C--- camp in B--- village. The commander who lives in that camp [now] is named [KNU/KNLA-PC Commander] Saw Kyaw Oo and he is the camp commander. The highest-ranking officer of the camp is [Operation Commander] Saw Htaw Lay, the adjutant. The soldiers of the Peace Council [KNU/KNLA-PC] also [among other armed groups] confiscated the land of villagers [in 2013]. The villagers whose lands were confiscated are:

  1. C---
  2. W---
  3. U D---
  4. U E---
  5. F---
  6. U G---
  7. U H---
  8. U I---
  9. U J---
  10. U K---
  11. U L---
  12. U M---
  13. U Ee---
  14. U N---
  15. U O---
  16. U P---
  17. Daw Q---
  18. U R---
  19. Mg S---
  20. Daw T---
  21. Daw U---
  22. U V---
  23. U Dd---
  24. U X---
  25. Daw Y---

They [KNU/KNLA-PC] confiscated the yards of the villagers. The villagers were not willing to talk because they were threatened. Some of them were not willing to follow me when I went to take photos. I have seen that the villagers are very frightened.