2002 Reports / Latest Reports / Home Page
Back to Top of Report
General Forced Labour (continued)
Order #161 (Dooplaya) To: Chairperson Date:
1-4-2001 The Chairperson must come to yyyy with 3 bullock carts from the Chairperson’s village on 2-4-2001 to arrive at 8 o’clock in the morning, you are informed. Note: Must come without fail. Bo [officer] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #162 (Dooplaya) To: 1-4-2001 If [you] have food and vegetables, send [them] with the person who will come and report information tomorrow, asking for [your] help. Respectfully, [Going to the Army camp to ‘report information’ every day or two on all movements of villagers or resistance forces is a routine form of forced labour. On the back this order says "Paid money 13,000 Kyat on the date 3-5-2001. 906", probably serving as a receipt for some extortion money which has just been received from the village.] ______________________________________________________________________________
Stamp:
1-4-2001 [To:] xxxx Village Head Subject: The Army needs (loh ah pay) people to go and carry rice, so 2 villagers are requested to go and help them. It is ordered by (Operations Command), so please try to send [them] for sure. Anyone (female or male) can go to help them. Bring along food for 1 day. Time - Tomorrow at 5 o’clock in the evening. Come and gather at the (VPDC) Office. The village head yourself must come to send [them]. Signed, your sibling [Sd. aaaa]
[Sd.] [This order is written in Sgaw Karen with the exception of the stamps. It was sent by the village tract head to one of the local villages, passing on an Army demand.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #164 (Papun)
Stamp:
[To] xxxx [village] To build the rations godown [a small warehouse] at the Army camp hill send 5 loh ah pay people from the Head’s village to the gate of the Army camp on 3-4-2001, to arrive at 6 o’clock in the morning. Note: ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #165 (Toungoo)
Stamp: Subject: Calling for loh ah pay To build the bridge, send 5 loh ah pay people from xxxx village to the camp, and send the quota of 4 and a half sacks of rice within 2 days.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #166 (Toungoo) Stamp:
Subject: To pay servant fees and send loh ah pay The village of xxxx hasn’t yet paid the money for servant fees, so come quickly to yyyy camp to deliver the money for servant fees and 5 loh ah pay people to build the bridge. Send the quota of 4 and a half sacks of rice to the camp within 2 days.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #167 (Toungoo)
Stamp:
Date:
2-4-2001 Subject: To pay the money for servant fees The village of xxxx hasn’t yet paid the money for servant fees, so come to yyyy Camp to pay [it] as soon as this letter is received now, and come to send the quota of 4 and a half sacks of rice within 2 days. [Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #168 (Toungoo) To: 2-4-2001 Send 5 loh ah pay people from Saw aaaa’s village to yyyy [Army] Camp tomorrow on 3-4-2001 to arrive at 6 o’clock in the morning. [They are] For building the Mawchi vehicle road, to clear the bushes and trees.
[Sd.]2-4-2001 [This is the road being built with forced labour from Klay Soe Kee in central Toungoo District to Mawchi, over 50 kilometres to the east in southern Karenni (Kayah) State. For more details on this road see "Peace Villages & Hiding Villages" (KHRG #2000-05, 15/10/2000). On the back this order is addressed "To Secretary, xxxx [village]. Reply by letter that this has been received".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #169 (Dooplaya) To: 3-4-2001 servant * Estimate [the needs] for building 200 feet of fence, then summon the people and bring along the bamboo + wood at the same time. Respectfully,
[Sd.]
bbbb ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #170 (Nyaunglebin)
Stamp:
To:
U aaaa + U bbbb Subject: The matter of duty to dig pits and send bamboo spikes Regarding the above subject, duties were already allocated [to the various villages] for digging pits at the xxxx Frontline Office Army Camp, but the Elder’s village still has not done its duty digging the pits. The Column Commander has directed that [you] must go to dig tomorrow the 4th at the latest, and [you also] have the allocated duty to come, bring and hand over 1,000 bamboo spikes each 3 taung [cubits] in length, to the xxxx Column Office (without fail) by the deadline date of 7-4-2001, you are informed. If [you] fail, it will be the Elder’s responsibility. Also come and pay the Pa Tha Sa [abbreviation for ‘Pyitthu Sit’ -"People’s Militia"] support money.
[Sd.] [The bamboo spikes are used for building defences at Army camps; 3 taung is 1.5 metres/4.5 feet. The Pyitthu Sit ("People’s Militia") is a group of villagers trained as a militia by the SPDC and sometimes used as cannon fodder and local spies. In some villages people volunteer for this in order to exert power over others, while in smaller villages people are forced to join; the other villagers are then forced to pay their training costs, salaries and food.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #171 (Dooplaya) To: 3-4-2001
servant * Estimate [the needs] for building 200 feet of fence, then summon the people and bring along the bamboo + wood at the same time. Respectfully,
[Sd.] bbbb [In this order the Captain wrote ‘loh ah pay’, but then scratched it out and wrote ‘wontan’ (‘servant’) above it.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #172 (Papun)
Stamp:
3-4-2001 There are important things to discuss, so follow with this set tha [messenger] now.
[Sd.] [‘Set tha’ is forced labour as messengers and errand-runners; this order has been brought by a villager doing ‘set tha’ forced labour and the village heads are to follow him back to the Army camp.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #173 (Toungoo) [To:] [Village] Secretary 3-4-2001 [You] Must send 5 loh ah pay people. With 3 days’ food. Send them to arrive at 6 o’clock in the morning. If [they] do not come, it will be the Chairperson/Secretary’s responsibility. Reply about the situation. [Sd.] [‘Reply about the situation’ means to send a report on all activities and movements of villagers and resistance forces in the area. On the back this order is addressed "To Secretary, xxxx [village]".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #174 (Papun)
Stamp:
[To:] Head To transport the sacks of rice from the rations godown at zzzz Army camp hill send five loh ah pay people to the Army camp on 5-4-2001 to arrive at 7 o’clock in the morning, you are informed. Note: Do not fail.
[Sd.]
5-4-2001 [The village head told KHRG that five people had to go each day for this forced labour.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #175 (Nyaunglebin) Stamp:
Peace
and Development Council [To:] U
aaaa, U bbbb Subject: To carry out matters of religion Regarding the subject, to extend the zzzz hill pagoda [which is] worshipped by the villages from yyyy Village Tract, the Sayadaw [abbot] of wwww monastery has requested help to carry bricks. The villages from yyyy Village Tract are ordered to help in carrying this out, [it is] the responsibility of the religious people. From vvvv hill brick kiln, these bricks must be [brought and] placed in neat rows at the foot of zzzz hill, in the shelter on the east side. Therefore, the xxxx village Elders have to give alms-labour by sending 1,000 bricks using 5 bullock carts, 200 [bricks] in each cart, along with the people who will lead [the work] on 6-4-2001, you are informed. After transporting them, [you] must report to Tract Peace and Development Chairperson.
[Sd.] cccc [On the back this order is addressed "To U aaaa, U bbbb, Village Heads, xxxx Village".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #176 (Toungoo) Stamp:
loh ah pay
loh ah pay
[Sd.] [In the Subject and then again in the text, the officer wrote ‘wontan’ (‘servants’) but then scratched it out and wrote ‘loh ah pay’ above it. The ‘+’ in brackets is there for no apparent reason. On the back of this order the sender has written "Chairperson, xxxx village, 30 people". This order is almost identical to Order #177, but to a different village and demanding more people.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #177 (Toungoo)
Stamp:
loh ah pay To carry out the needs of Frontline #xxx Infantry Battalion, send 25 loh ah pay people and (+) a draught cow from xxxx village to yyyy camp on April 7th, year 2001, to arrive at (0700) hours, you are informed. [Sd.] [In the Subject, the officer wrote ‘wontan’ (‘servants’) but then scratched it out and wrote ‘loh ah pay’ above it. The ‘+’ in brackets is there for no apparent reason. On the back of this order the sender has written "Chairperson, xxxx Village, 25 people".] ______________________________________________________________________________ [To:] [Village] Secretary 7-4-2001 Come quickly tomorrow morning to deliver the 1 loh ah pay person that is needed. I had to detain aaaa [name of a villager]. If 1 person comes from you, I will release aaaa. Then, give also the loh ah pay fee to hire bbbb. bbbb says if [he] doesn’t get the money, [he] won’t go. Moreover, the 2 people who are staying here have been here a long time. Come to replace them. You must come yourself tomorrow. [Sd.] [The village has failed to send a forced labourer as demanded, so the Army officer has captured someone from the village and is detaining him/her until a forced labourer is sent. The ‘fee to hire bbbb’ means that the village head has told the Army camp that bbbb will go in place of another forced labourer from their village, but bbbb has told the Army that the village hasn’t paid him yet and he won’t go until they do. ‘The 2 people who are staying here’ means 2 villagers doing a rotation of forced labour at the Army camp; the village is supposed to rotate them on a regular basis, but replacements have not been sent for ‘a long time’, so the Army has continued to detain them at the camp for forced labour. On the back this order is addressed "To Secretary", and stamped "Chairperson, Village Tract Peace and Development Council, zzzz Village Tract".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #179 (Papun) To: Tomorrow at (0600) hours in the early morning gather 20 male loh ah pay people, then assemble them at the Chairperson’s house. Major
bbbb. [On the back this order is addressed "To Chairperson, xxxx [village], Important".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #180 (Papun) Stamp:
To build the godown at the Army camp hill send without fail 10 loh ah pay people from the Elder’s village on 9-4-2001 to arrive at 6 o’clock in the morning. On 8-4-200[1], 10 loh ah pay people from zzzz [village] came and did it. [The villages] have to do it by rotation of 10 people each day. Note: 10 people have to do it by rotation. Do not give less [than 10 people].
[Sd.] [This order means that the area villages must take turns sending 10 people each day for forced labour building the warehouse; today zzzz village is doing it, so tomorrow xxxx village must do it.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #181 (Papun) To: Date:
8-4-2001 Subject: The matter of cutting the road [roadside scrub] Regarding the above matter, [you] have to carry out the cutting of the road [roadside scrub] tomorrow on 9-4-2001 along the aaaa - bbbb - cccc road, from the east side to the top of yyyy village, and each village must send 500 thatch [shingles] for the use of the [Army] camp, you are informed. (U cccc) [This order is signed by the Village Tract PDC Chairman.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #182 (Nyaunglebin)
Stamp:
Subject: For the matter of the bullock cart, the Elder’s village has been assigned [to pay] 5,000 K [kyat] money for the cost of 5 sheets of zinc [roofing]. Give it to the letter porter now, you are informed. [You] Must also pay 3,200 K [kyat] for Pyitthu Sit [‘People’s Army’ SPDC militia] support. (This is an emergency) Requesting
[also] the 3,000 K [kyat] in cash
[Sd.] 10-4-01 [The matter of the bullock cart is not clarified, but may mean that the village failed to send a bullock cart for forced labour as demanded so they are being punished with a cash fine. ‘Letter porter’ is a direct translation of ‘Sah Kyaw’, meaning the villager doing ‘set tha’ forced labour who has been forced to deliver this order. The ‘Pyitthu Sit’ is SPDC militia which villagers are forced to support with food and money. On the back this order is addressed to "Ko bbbb, xxxx [village], Emergency".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #183 (Toungoo) To: 10-4-2001 Send 1 loh ah pay person to arrive on the 13th in the evening. Must go to yyyy with food for 5 days. 1
loh ah pay person must always come once every 4 days. [Sd.]
2001 [The forced labourer demanded in the first sentence is to bring along their own food for 5 days and go to yyyy. The second demand is for the village to send one person every 4 days for rotating 4-day shifts of forced labour as servants at the Army camp. On the back this order is addressed "To Village Mother Village Father, xxxx Village".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #184 (Papun)
Stamp: Date:
16-4-2001 [To:] Head, xxxx [village] Send 5 loh ah pay people and food from the Head’s village without fail to the Ya Ya Ka [VPDC] office on 17-4-2001 at 6 o’clock in the morning. Note: Weave one yin [a bamboo screen which may be for fishing or used as a sun blind] for the Byu Ha [Operations Command] office. [Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________
Stamp: From zzzz Army camp: Three people from the Elder’s village are to come, each with a machete, to the yyyy VPDC office tomorrow, 19-4-2001, to arrive at 6:30 in the morning. Note: [We] are asking you to work only a half day.
[Sd.] 18-4-2001 [The first phrase of this letter indicates that the order originates from the Army camp, though it is being sent out by the Village Tract PDC.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Stamp:
19-4-2001 Subject: The matter of the carriers [porters] who were injured Regarding the above matter, we must have an understanding and help us to pay back the costs to the people who were injured, so you must understand and help with love and unity, this [letter] is for us to let each other know. Please come to send [the money] on 21-4-2001.
Signed, xxxx [village]: (5,000) Kyat [Sd.] [This order is written in Sgaw Karen from the Village Tract Chairperson to a nearby village. It demonstrates that even when villagers are injured while portering for the SPDC Army, the only compensation they get is whatever is raised from their own and the surrounding villages.] ______________________________________________________________________________
To: Date:
19-4-2001 Subject: The matter of collecting and sending the monthly military servant fees for the month of 3/2001 and the money for the balance of the army servant fees which remain to be paid from previous months Regarding the above subject, the villages of yyyy village tract hired 46 people in total as military servants for the month of 3/2001. Collect and send [money] as allocated to each village below, and also come without fail to send the balance of money which is owed to pay for previous months to arrive at the same time on ( 22-4-01 ), you are informed. 1. aaaa [village] - 23 people (23 x 4,250 ) = 97,750 Kyat 2. bbbb [village] -
9 people
(
9 x 4,250 ) =
38,250 " 3. cccc [village]
-
4 people
( 4 x 4,250
) =
17,000 " 4. dddd [village]
-
4
people
( 4 x 4,250 ) =
17,000 " 5. eeee [village]
-
4 people
(
4 x 4,250 ) =
17,000 " 6. ffff [village]
-
2 people
(
2 x 4,250 ) =
8,500 " [Sd.] [These orders are issued monthly to the villages in this village tract; see the notes under Order #100.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #188 (Toungoo) To: 21/4/2001 To discuss and arrange the servant fees for #xxx Light Infantry Battalion and other administrative matters, come and report information on 22-4-2001 to arrive in the evening, you are informed. Also summon and bring along 2 people for set tha [messenger forced labour].
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #189 (Toungoo) Stamp:
To: Informing [you] to pay in full 10,000 K [kyat] for the third month [March] servants’ salary and 10,000 K [kyat] for the fourth month [April] to #xxx Light Infantry Battalion on 22-4-2001. If [you] fail, the responsible people will take action and will act step by step [level by level from the top down], you are informed.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #190 (Dooplaya) To: 23-4-2001 400 [shingles of] thatch and 10 people to thatch the roof, coordinate with yyyy [village] and come for loh ah pay, you are requested.
Respectfully,
______________________________________________________________________________ Order #191 (Toungoo) [To:] U aaaa 24-4-2001 I am writing a letter. There is no unusual matter. Is [your] whole family healthy? Keep the cost of 2 bottles of honey from the money I sent for the cost of things, then send the rest of the money with the loh ah pay group who will rotate next week. Write a letter about it and send it. With
friendliness, [‘The loh ah pay group who will rotate next week’ means the group that will come to replace the group presently doing forced labour; clearly the village is forced to send groups by rotation each week. On the back this order is addressed "To U aaaa, xxxx Village".] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #192 (Dooplaya) Stamp: |