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Forced Labour Supplying Materials
Orders demanding materials from villagers indirectly call for forced labour due to the intensive labour required to produce and deliver the materials. Examples of these materials include hundreds of thatch roofing shingles, quantities of firewood and bamboo and tons of logs which require villagers to perform hard labour cutting, gathering, preparing and then delivering the materials to Army camps. Demands for rice, chickens, money and other goods are not included in this section because they are not as labour intensive.
Most of the following orders are for building materials such as timber which must be cut in the forest, sawn into posts or planks and hauled to Army camps by villagers. Orders often specify the type and diameters of bamboo which must be found and cut in the forest. Thatch shingles require the villagers to gather the leaves, cut bamboo and split it into sticks, make metre-long frames, and then tie the leaves onto the frames using bamboo ties. A demand for 500 thatch shingles or 300 wooden fenceposts can take a whole village several days of labour to produce. They must then haul it to the Army camp on bullock carts, boats or on their shoulders. Orders demanding wooden planks force the villagers to incur a monetary expense by paying sawmill owners to mill the wood. If the SPDC forces the sawmill owners directly, no money is generally paid to the owners.
Some of the orders demanding materials have been included in the section ‘General Forced Labour’ section above because they also include demands for direct forced labour. These orders include those demanding that villagers carry planks which have been cut at a sawmill to an Army camp. Orders for materials often require that villagers then build things with the materials at the Army camps, such as fences, huts and godowns. Order #157 demands 150 thatch shingles to repair the roofs of buildings at an Army camp. Although not specified in the order, a KHRG researcher was told by villagers that they had to send 10 people to go and repair the buildings.
Most of the materials demanded by Army units are for construction at the Army camps, but some of it is for sale for the profit of the officers. Officers often demand two or three times the materials they need for the camp and sell the surplus. SPDC soldiers who have deserted the Army have often told KHRG about these practices.
Only in rare cases are villagers paid for the materials which they provide the Army. Some orders promise to pay, but these often turn out to be empty promises when the materials are delivered to the camp (see Order #156). Villagers interviewed by KHRG regularly state that they are never paid for these materials. Although the Army does not pay and gives deadlines which are almost impossible to meet, villages that fail to deliver the materials on time or meet the exact specifications face threatening letters and the possibility of severe punishment which may include the relocation of the village or the detention and torture of the village head.
Order #151 (Dooplaya)From xxxx, yyyy, xxxx Village Tracts, Small bamboo 500 pieces Send [them] to xxxx Camp.
[Sd.]20/1/02 [This order has been sent to the village tract leaders who will then decide how much each village in their tract will have to contribute to meet the demand.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #152 (Thaton)
Stamp:
25-1-2002 Please
send quickly the bamboo, thatch and posts that were ordered.
[Sd.] [On the back this order is addressed “To: Daw aaaa, xxxx village.” Stamp: Burma Police Troop, Pa’an Township, xxxx Police Sentry Post.” This same order was sent to several other villages in the area.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #153 (Toungoo)
Stamp:
To: Subject: The matter of cutting posts and bamboo sections Elder, [we] need to
discuss with you regarding the above subject, so Chairperson and Secretary
come to this office (Bawgali Gyi VPDC office), you are informed.
[Sd.] 30-1-2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #154 (Toungoo)
Stamp:
To: Subject: The matter of wood posts and
bamboo sections
[Sd.] 31-1-2002 [This order is to attend the same meeting as in Order #153, but to a different village.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #155 (Pa’an) Stamp:
#203 Light Infantry Battalion To: Subject: Invitation to attend the thatch matter meeting Regarding the above subject, [we] have to coordinate and discuss. [The meeting] Will be held at the Battalion Adjutant’s office room on 9-2-2002 Saturday at 08:00 o’clock in the morning, so the [village] elders from the villages should attend without fail, you are invited.
[Sd.] Copy to: Office receipt/File letter
______________________________________________________________________________ To: Letting [you] know, as soon as this letter is received, the sawmills at the Elder’s village are to divide the present combined wood order equally and saw it surely. As soon as it is finished, send [it] to xxxx Camp. [We] will measure [it] on arrival and pay the money.
Pyin K’Doe [a kind of iron wood tree] Teak Over 10’ - one ton.
[Sd.]
U aaaa, 15/2/2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ To: With respect, [I] am
informing [you] of the matter.
[Sd.] [In addition to the thatch the village head had to provide 10 people to go and repair buildings at the Army camp.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #158 (Thaton) To: In accordance with the order of the Army, send 12 poles of 12 taung [cubits; 552 cms. / 18 feet] in length, 3 twa [handspans; 69 cms. / 27 inches] in circumference to xxxx Camp on 19-1-2002 [sic. 19/2/02], you are informed.
[Sd.]
U aaaa, 16/2/2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #159 (Papun) To: One person
from the sawmill near the teaching school and one person from the village
are to help carry timber and send (2) timber planks. [Sd.] 8-3-2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #160 (Toungoo)
To:
Stamp:
Date: 25-3-2002 Subject: Gather and send split bamboo. Regarding the above subject, at xxxx village split 50 pieces of 10 feet long wa bo [species of giant bamboo] bamboo for making floors. Send them to arrive at the Sa Ba Ha [Strategic Operations Command] on the 26th of March, you are informed. [Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #161 (Pa’an)
To:
Date: 3-4-2002 That is all
[Sd.] [On the back this order is addressed “To: Chairperson- U aaaa, xxxx [village].”] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #162 (Papun)
Stamp:
Writing and informing [you] by letter. The big TPDC chairperson ordered [me] to call U aaaa. The subject is a “bamboo” matter. If [I] come, U aaaa will fail [his] work. Anyway, ask everyone who comes for shopping to cut bamboo. [We] need a total of 300 pieces of bamboo. If [they] don’t cut it, [we] want Chairperson yourself to come. If Chairperson doesn’t want to come, ask [the villagers] to cut it. That is all.
[Sd.]
12-4-02, (for)
[This order tells the village head to ask his villagers to cut bamboo and bring it along whenever they go shopping in Papun town. Although this appears to be written by one village chairperson to another, the wording, especially the clear threat, is more in keeping with an Army order.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #163 (Thaton) Stamp:
To: 13-4-02 Subject: Asking for da ni [nipa palm] thatch. Regarding the above subject, the K’Dtaing Dee #x Strategic Operations Commander is demanding da ni thatch for the roof of the camp godown [warehouse]. Therefore, from the elder’s village send 1,000 [shingles] of da ni thatch to the Army camp to arrive at the latest on 20-4-02, letting [you] know and you are informed.
[Sd.]13-4-02 ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #164 (Toungoo)
To:
Stamp:
Subject: The matter of sending bamboo. Regarding the above subject, come without fail to send 100 pieces of 12 taung [cubits; 552 cms. / 18 feet] long bamboo from xxxx village to arrive at the Army camp on April 17th, 2002, you are informed. [Sd.] [This order was handwritten and carbon copied with the name of the village and the size of the bamboo written in by hand. It was sent to several other villages in the area.] _____________________________________________________________________________ Order #165 (Toungoo)
To:
Stamp:
Date: 15-4-2002 Subject: The matter of sending myaw posts Regarding the above subject, send without fail 100 myaw posts 10 inches in circumference, 10 taung [cubits; 460 cms. / 15 feet] in length from xxxx village. It must arrive at the Army Camp on April 17th, 2002, you are informed. [Sd.] [‘Myaw’ are bamboo roof support poles, which hold up the thatch roofing shingles.] ___________________________________________________________________________ Order #166 (Papun)
Stamp:
Date: 22-4-2002 Subject: The matter of thatch for xxxx Mountain. When the
400 four hundred thatch [shingles] ordered by Saya bbbb
arrives at the foot of xxxx
Mountain on the coming Friday, 26-4-2002, xxxx Camp Commander
himself orders U aaaa to call over to the Camp to confer.
[Sd.], (for)
[‘Saya’ is an honorific usually meaning teacher, however in the military it is used for ‘corporal’.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #167 (Papun) To: Subject: Send the logging workers [We] Have already coordinated the cutting of the trees with the elders who are included in the address, so gather and send the logging workers on 8/5/2002 to arrive at 07:00 hours at xxxx Camp, you are informed.
[Sd.] [On the back this order is addressed: “To: Head, xxxx village.” The village head went with six tree cutters and cut down four tons of logs in one day. The names of the elders were not included with the order letter received by KHRG.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #168 (Papun) To: Subject: Send the logging workers. On 8/5/2002 [we] will start cutting the trees that were already coordinated with the elder, so gather and send logging workers on 8/5/2002 to arrive at 07:00 hours at xxxx Camp, you are informed. (For) Column Commander [On the back this order is addressed: “To: Head, xxxx village.” This order calls for the same work as in Order #167, although worded slightly differently.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #169 (Papun) To: Subject: Send the logging workers [The villagers] from the other villages are starting to cut the trees that [we] already coordinated with the elders, so gather the logging workers who are included in the address, and as soon as [you] receive this letter, come to send information to xxxx [Army] Camp, you are informed.
[Sd.] [The villagers had to cut more than two tons of logs for the Army. This order demands more villagers to continue the work ordered in Orders #167 and 168.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #170 (Papun)
Stamp:
Date: 15-5-2002 Subject: The matter of asking for bamboo Township
Chairperson ordered bamboo from U aaaa. [We] are asking
everyone from the mountains who come shopping at Papun to bring one 12
taung [cubits; 552 cms. / 18 feet] length of bamboo.
[Sd.]
15-5-2002(for) [On the back this order is addressed to: “Chairperson’ U aaaa, xxxx village.” The villagers had to carry one bamboo pole each when they go shopping in Papun. This order is similar to Order #162 to the same village the previous month.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #171 (Pa’an) To: Battalion commander orders 10 pieces of big wa bo [species of giant bamboo] bamboo from your village. Send [them] to arrive on 23-5-2002.
[Sd.] [On the back this order is addressed “To: Chairperson, xxxx village.”] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #172 (Papun)
Stamp:
To: xxxx village must send 250 shingles of hill toddy-palm [thatch] to the Army Camp on 12-6-02 Wednesday, you are informed.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #173 (Papun)
Stamp:
To: [We] want xxxx village to send 100 pieces of bamboo to xxxx Army Camp to arrive on 29-6-02.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #174 (Nyaunglebin)
Stamp:
Township Peace and Development Council
To: Subject: The matter of sending wood and posts To use for building by the Kyauk Kyi Township Peace and Development Council, the elder’s village tract has to send posts / timber as shown below to arrive on 15-7-2002. (a) Posts
- 10’ (15) pieces (top [is a] whole handspan / hardwood)
[Sd.] Copy to: [This order is a typewritten carbon copy which was sent out to several villages.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #175 (Toungoo)
To:
18-7-02 Subject:
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #176 (Papun)
[To:]
28-7-2002 Send 50 [shingles of] thatch to the camp on Tuesday.
[Sd.]28-7-2002,
Sun[day] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #177 (Thaton)
To:
Date:
30-7-2002 Subject: Sending hill toddy-palm thatch. Bring 500 [shingles] hill toddy-palm thatch from xxxx village at the same time as when the village head attends the meeting on 4-8-2002, the 11th of the waning moon of Wa Soe, Sunday, you are informed.
Stamp:
[Sd.] [The thatch was demanded by the Army to roof its huts and food store at the camp. This order was issued to several villages in the area.] ______________________________________________________________________________
Stamp:
To:
Date: 19-8-2002 When this letter is received now, come without fail to send 500 [shingles] of da ni [nipa palm] thatch for roofing the camp’s godown [warehouse] at yyyy #x Strategic Operations Command, to arrive on 28-8-2002, you are informed.
[Sd.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #179 (Thaton)
Stamp:
To:
Date: 19-8-2002 When [you] receive this letter, send without fail 700 [shingles] of da ni [Nipa Palm] thatch for the roof of the rice godown [warehouse] at yyyy #x Strategic Operations Command, you are informed.
[Sd.] [This order is for the same godown as in Order #178, but sent to a different village.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #180 (Toungoo)
Stamp: To: Subject: Demanding help for firewood/myaw Regarding the above subject, xxxx Army Camp needs emergency firewood/myaw [poles], so help with a truckload from the Elder’s village for the truck sent now, you are informed.
[Sd.] [‘Myaw’ are bamboo roof support poles, which hold up the thatch roofing shingles.] ______________________________________________________________________________
[Sd.]
To:
18-9-2002 Subject: Must coordinate and send myaw posts. [The villagers] from yyyy village have to cut 80 pieces of myaw posts 8 feet in length and 3 handspans in circumference. There was a problem sending [them] to the camp by bullock cart, so xxxx village has to coordinate with yyyy village and then must send the myaw posts to the camp before the 5th day of La Soke [25th of September], you are informed.
[Sd.] [‘Myaw’ are bamboo roof support poles, which hold up the thatch roofing shingles.] ______________________________________________________________________________ Order #182 (Papun)
To:
21st Sep 2002 Subject: Calling a meeting. &nb |