Hpa-an Incident Report: Land confiscation in Paingkyon Township, May 2015

The above photos were taken on May 1st 2015 in A--- village, Yay Pu village tract, Paingkyon Township, Hpa-an District. The photo on the left shows the villagers’ land that was confiscated by BGF Cantonment Area Supervisor U Kyaw Hein, led by Cantonment Area #2 Commander Kya Aye. The land was subsequently resold to the Steel Stone Group. The photo on the right shows the road construction carried out by the Steel Stone Group on the villagers’ land. [Photos: KHRG]

Incident Report | Paingkyon Township, Hpa-an District (May 2015)

The following Incident Report 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 in June 2015 along with other information from Hpa-an District, including three other incident reports, and 179 photographs.[2]

Part 1 – Incident Details

Type of Incident	Type of Incident
Land confiscation	Land confiscation

Type of Incident	Date of Incident(s)
Land confiscation	May 1st 2015

Type of Incident

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

Land confiscation

A--- [village], Yay Pu [village tract], Ta Kreh [Paingkyon] Township, Hpa-an District

Type of Incident

Land confiscation

Date of Incident(s)

May 1st 2015

Incident Location

(Village, Township and District)

A--- [village], Yay Pu [village tract], Ta Kreh [Paingkyon] Township, Hpa-an District

Victim Information

Victim Information	Name
	U B---
	U C---
	U D---

Victim Information	Age
	55
	60
	56

Victim Information	Sex
	Male
	Male
	Male

Victim Information	Nationality
	Muslim
	Muslim
	Muslim[3]

Victim Information	Family
	Married
	Married
	Married

Victim Information	Occupation
	Farmer
	Farmer
	Farmer

Victim Information	Religion
	Islam
	Islam
	Islam

Victim Information	Position
	Villager
	Villager
	Villager

Victim Information	Village
	E---
	E---
	E---

Victim Information
Name	U B---	U C---	U D---
Age	55	60	56
Sex	Male	Male	Male
Nationality	Muslim	Muslim	Muslim[3]
Family	Married	Married	Married
Occupation	Farmer	Farmer	Farmer
Religion	Islam	Islam	Islam
Position	Villager	Villager	Villager
Village	E---	E---	E---

Perpetrator Information

Perpetrator Information	Name(s)
	Rank
	Unit
	Base
	Commander’s Name

Perpetrator Information	U Kyaw Hein [also called] Dee Ter Ler
	Supervisor
	Cantonment Area
	Paw Yay Poo [Yay Pu]/Ya Tah
	Kya Aye Cantonment Area #2 Commander

Perpetrator Information
Name(s)	Rank	Unit	Base	Commander’s Name
U Kyaw Hein [also called] Dee Ter Ler	Supervisor	Cantonment Area	Paw Yay Poo [Yay Pu]/Ya Tah	Kya Aye Cantonment Area #2 Commander

Part 2 - Information Quality

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

I heard that the company came to construct the road [and that] the BGF’s [Border Guard Force][4] troops confiscated the villagers’ land and sold it to the company. So I went to A--- village and E--- village to talk to the villagers about these issues. The victims told me that the BGF’s troops had confiscated their lands.

1. Explain in detail how you collected this information.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

The information was given by U F---. He is a representative of the villagers and he knew detailed incident information. After the BGF confiscated the land, they [BGF] divided it into separate plots, sold it to other people and companies, and dug out the soil to fill the roads.

2. Explain how the source verified this information.

Part 3 – Complete Description of the Incident

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.

The incident reported is about the road construction in Yay Pu village tract, Ta Kreh [Paingkyon] Township, Hpa-an District, by the Steel Stone Group.[5] They ploughed the road and dug out the soil on May 1st 2015, in E--- and A--- [villages]. The name of the company is Steel Stone [Group] and the manager’s name is Tha Laing Aung.

They [the company] abused the villagers’ rights, as the BGF confiscated and sold the villagers’ lands [to the company]. The [Cantonment Area #2] Commander Kya Aye[6] and soldier [Cantonment Area Supervisor] Kyaw Hein, [also called] Dee Ter Ler, are the people who committed the biggest human rights abuses. The villagers deliberated many different ways to restrict the power of these two people [prevent them from committing human rights abuses]. The villagers submitted a letter to the KNU [Karen National Union] and Burma government about the above information in order to gain support in reclaiming their land.[7] The villagers have confidence and capacity [to respond to the incidents]. The villagers want people [KNU and Burma/Myanmar government] to restrict the power and end the activities [withdraw the position] of the BGF and other armed actors [commanders and soldiers] who do not use their power in an appropriate way.

The villagers tried their best to report the incident and they [KNU and Burma/Myanmar government] also have to deliberate as to how best to stop the oppressors and the people who committed human rights abuses on the villagers as soon as possible. This is honest information. The names of the victims are mentioned above. I took photos where the incident took place on May 1st 2015

Part 4 - Permission for Using the Details

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

The victims allowed KHRG to use this information and report it to the Burma government, the companies, and the BGF and arrange [publish] it as soon as possible to help the villagers to gain compensation for their lands.

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