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Set to a Village I:

Village A, Papun District

 

All of these orders were sent by SPDC and DKBA military units to the same village in Papun District between August and October 2002.  Many of these orders are direct or indirect demands for forced labour.  Rather than mixing them in with the other orders, we have presented them here to give a chronological picture of the incessant stream of demands which a village receives over the space of a few months. Take note of the dates on the orders, and you will see that the village receives orders almost daily; yet these are only a subset of orders received by the village during this time period.

Many the orders from the DKBA deal with logging.  The DKBA in this area is heavily involved in logging, both for its own use and to sell in the towns to the south for a profit.  Although Order #194 says that the DKBA will pay for the cost, villagers rarely receive anything from the DKBA either for the labour involved or for the cost of the trees.


Order #192 (Papun)

Stamp:
Karen Buddhist Army
D.K.B.A

Progressive Karen Buddhist Army

           xxxx Village Head, writing with a few words so you will know.  When [you] receive my letter, come to me tomorrow surely.  Do not hesitate.

       When [you] receive this, obey at once.

 [On the back this order is addressed give to “xxxx Village Head, Urgent Army Matter. 12-8-2002”.  The DKBA asked the village head to find the owner of a raft for them to use.  This order was written in Karen.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #193 (Papun)

                                                                          Stamp:
                                                               Karen Buddhist Army
             To:                                                       D.K.B.A.                                     Date: 25-8-02
                   xxxx [village]
                   Village Head

                   With respect, writing so you will know the matter below. When you receive this letter, come at once.  Do not hesitate.  Also call aaaa, bbbb to come.  When [you] see the letter, come at once.

                             Place is yyyy [village]

            This is all.

                           Written by,
                                             cccc

[On the back this order is addressed “To: xxxx Village Head, Urgent Army Matter.”  The village head was ordered to have his villagers cut logs for the DKBA.   This order was written in Karen.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #194 (Papun)

                                                                           Stamp:
      xxxx Head                                   
      Karen Buddhist Army                                        26-8-02
                                                            
             D.K.B.A.

Subject:    Writing so you will know.  When you receive my letter concerning xxxx [village], you must ask for 10 tons ten tons of teak for me.  aaaa and bbbb did [it] for me.  For the whole village, I will ask you to do it. Give me 12 pla [cubits; 552 cms. / 18 feet] in length.  [I] will pay the price.  Follow and quickly send it to me at xxxx [camp].

                                                                                  From
                                                                       
                       cccc 

 [On the back this order is addressed to “xxxx Head, Army matter.”  ‘Aaaa’ and ‘bbbb’ are village heads from other villages which have already cut and sent their quota of logs.  This order was written in Karen.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #195 (Papun)

                                                                           Stamp:
          
  Date:                                             Karen Buddhist Army                                     27-8-2002
                                                       
                   D.K.B.A.
To:
            Village Head

      With respect, writing so you will know the matter below.  When you receive this letter, take responsibility and obey at once.  Call 3 people to come to me.  Ask the three of them, aaaa, bbbb and cccc, to come with you at the same time.  Do not hesitate.  Make yourself free and come at once to arrive at 9 o’clock.

                                                                            This is all                              Good morning.
                                                                                          [
Sd.]
                                                                                       D.K.B.A.

 [On the back this order is addressed “To: xxxx Village Head, send quickly.  Thanks a lot.  DKBA.”  When the village head went the DKBA ordered him to cut and bring him some teak logs.  ‘Make yourself free’ means that the village head has to drop whatever he is doing and obey this order.  This order was written in Karen.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #196 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                     4-9-2002
     Chairperson
      xxxx village

      When [you] receive this letter, come quickly to meet the column, you are informed.

                                                                                                                     [Sd.]
                                                             
                                             Intelligence Officer
                                                          
                                                          LIB#3

[The village head was ordered to find 3 porters.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #197 (Papun)

                                                                           Stamp:
                                                                Karen Buddhist Army
To:                                             
                        D.K.B.A.                                        Date: 8/9/2002
     Village Head
     xxxx village

                       With respect, writing so you will know as below.  When you receive my letter, make yourself free and come to meet me at yyyy [village] for a while.  When received, obey at once.

                                                                    From
                                                 
                                             [Sd.]
                                                 
                                         yyyy Office

[This order was written in Karen.  When the village head went to the camp the DKBA officer ordered the villagers to cut 48 house posts for him that had to be 3 handspans [69 cms. / 27 inches] in circumference and 12 cubits [552 cms. / 18 feet] in length.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #198 (Papun)

To:                                                                   Stamp:                                            Date: 8-10-2002
     U aaaa                                          
          [Illegible]
     xxxx Head

   Letting yyyy [village] know to come and send 9 bunches of bananas for the food offering today at the camp.  It is the turn for yyyy [village].  Or U aaaa find 9 bunches of banana and send them.

                                                                                         [Sd.]
                                                                           Battalion Commander

[The village head had to give the battalion commander 3 coconuts and 9 bunches of banana.  The villages in this area have to take turns providing food and other items so the battalion can make offerings for Buddhist merit.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #199 (Papun)

           Stamp:
#93 Infantry Battalion
     #x Company

To:                                                                                                                           Date: 13-10-02
     Head (U aaaa / xxxx village)
    A meeting will be held tomorrow on 14-10-2002, so come to xxxx Army camp to arrive at 10 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

Date: 14-10-2002                                                                                       [Sd.]13/10/02
Time: 10 o’clock                        
                                                     Stamp: Company Commander
Place: xxxx camp                               
                                                         #x Company
                                                                                                             #93 Infantry Battalion

[The village heads were ordered at the meeting to have their villagers cut and clear the brush from along a road.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #200 (Papun)

                   Stamp:                                                                                            Date: 23-10-2002
Frontline #98 Infantry Battalion
     To:
       Column #x Headquarters             Chairperson
                                                          xxxx village

Subject:    Invitation to a meeting.

         On 25-10-2002 Friday, a meeting will be held with the village heads, so come without fail to xxxx Army Camp to arrive at 8 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

                                                                                  [Sd.]
                                                               Stamp: Column Commander
                                                                  Column #x Headquarters
                                                             Frontline #98 Infantry Battalion

[The Battalion Commander ordered the village heads and villagers to take responsibility for the car road mentioned in Order #199.  This means that if any ambushes occur or landmines explode along the road, the villagers will be at fault.]

 


 

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Set to a Village II:

Village B, Papun District

 

All of these orders were sent to ‘Village B’ in Papun District between April 2002 and October 2002 from SPDC Army and DKBA units.  Rather than mixing them in with the other orders, we have presented them as a set to give an idea of the incessant demands which village elders have to cope with. Take note of the dates on the orders, and you will see that the village receives order documents almost daily; yet these are only a subset of the orders received by the village during this time period.

This set gives an idea of the varied orders which villages often receive.  Many of the orders are demands by the local SPDC Army camp to provide alcohol, curry and other items.  The demands for the alcohol are almost daily.  Other orders demand loh ah pay and set tha [messengers] or order the village head to come to the Army camp and report any information available on the movements of local resistance forces.


Order #201 (Papun)

To:
     Chairperson
      xxxx village

        Chairperson come without fail to xxxx Camp on 28-4-2002, at 6 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

                     Come tomorrow                                                     [Sd.]
                                                                   
                     IB#27, xxxx Camp

[The village head was ordered to make a snack made of sticky rice and give 7 bowls [11.2 kgs. / 23.8 lbs.] of rice to the camp.  The SPDC did not give any money for either the snack or the rice.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #202 (Papun)

            To:                                                                                                         Date: 4-5-2002
                 Chairperson
                 xxxx village

                            Chairperson, thanks very much to the big chairperson, and workers, people, farmers from xxxx village who helped and [did] loh ah pay for xxxx Camp.  [I] pray for [all of them] to escape from danger, be healthy and well.  [I] will ask for help later.  [I am] sending back 3 loh ah pay people.

                                                                                  [Sd.]
                                                               
                IB#27
                                                                            xxxx Camp

 [IB#27 Captain aaaa ordered the villagers to cut 2,000 pieces of bamboo.  SPDC officers do not usually say ‘thank you’ for forced labour.  Note that he does not give any money for the labour and he makes it clear that he will be calling the villagers for forced labour in the future.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #203 (Papun)

[To:] Mother Head
              I am writing [you] a letter.
     Now, Son sends 500 Kyat of money with the female set tha [messenger] who comes.  You must buy 3 bottles of alcohol.

                                                                                            Thanks,

                                                                                                 [Sd.] 11-6-02
                                                                      
                              
(Medic)
                                                                      
                            xxxx Camp

[On the back this order is addressed to “Mother head, give to xxxx village”.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #204 (Papun)

To:
     Mother Head
     I am writing [you] a letter.

               Captain is informing Mother to come tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock to xxxx Camp surely.  For this, come surely.
               Now, I am sending 400 Kyat with aaaa.  For this, buy alcohol at the shop and send with a chance messenger.  If aaaa comes back, send [it] with him. 

                                                                                     Thanks,

                                                                                           [Sd.] 14-6-02

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Mother Head, xxxx village.”  By ‘chance messenger’ he means any messenger who may come through the village.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #205 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                   Date: 26/6/2002
     Mother Head

         When [you] receive this letter, buy 5 bottles of alcohol and come to send [them] at 12 o’clock, your help is requested.
I am enclosing 1,000 Kyat.

                     [Sd.]                                       xxxx village
                xxxx
Camp                                 Mother Head

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #206 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                         19-8-2002
      xxxx (Head)
      yyyy (Head)

     When [you] receive this letter now, come to send information to xxxx camp and also bring along the messenger, you are informed.
     From the Elder’s village, sell food and fruit [to us] and buy 3 bottles of alcohol.  [We] will pay when [it] arrives at the [Army] camp.

     Come quickly to meet.
                                                                          
                                     [Sd.] W.O. II
                                                                    
                               Camp Commander / Major
                                                                   
                                          xxxx Army Camp
                                                                                                                   19/8/2002

[Although he offers to pay for the food, fruit and alcohol, the payment received by villagers is often much less than the market value of the items.  W.O. means Warrant Officer.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #207 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                              25/8-2002
     Mother Head (xxxx village)

     Mother ask for the money given to Uncle the other day for buying 3 bottles of alcohol and buy them to send with the messenger who is coming now.
     [I] Know that mother is sick.  [I] Invite [you] to come and get treatment.

With respect,
If there is curry, send it.
                                                                                        [
Sd.]
                                                                                Warrant Officer

Now, I am giving money for 2 bottles not included with the other alcohol.

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #208 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                        25-8-2002
     Chairperson (xxxx village)

Subject:        Invitation to a meeting
         Regarding the above subject, a meeting will be held at yyyy village at the monastery, so come to the monastery at yyyy village to arrive on
26-8-2002 at 10:30 daytime, you are invited.

                                                                                                             [Sd.]
                                                                                                       Company #x
                                                            
                                   #93 Infantry Battalion

[An IB #93 officer questioned the village head about seeing KNLA soldiers in the area.  He then ordered the village head to give him any information and the register of guests who had stayed in the village.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #209 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                   31-8-02
     Head
     xxxx village

     Buy 4 bottles of alcohol and send [them] with the person who comes now.  800 Kyat of money is being sent at the same time.

                                                                                                             [Sd.]
                                                      
                                                 With thanks,
                                                      
                                                  xxxx Camp

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #210 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                 5-9-02
     Mother Head (xxxx) [village]

The messenger did not arrive.  Yesterday, the messenger returned to the village for a while and didn’t come back.  [I] Gave 500 Kyat of money and asked [him] to buy alcohol.  [He] didn’t arrive back, so [I am] speaking.
     As soon as this letter is received, quickly send the messenger within half an hour.
                 Mother come also.

                                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                           Warrant Officer aaaa

[When the village head went, he ordered her to bring him alcohol.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #211 (Papun)

                                                                                                                                6-9-2002
[To:]
Mother Head

      As soon as this letter is received, [you and] yyyy [village] head please send one chicken not smaller than 50 kyat tha [816 grams / 1.8 lbs.] with the person who sends the letter now. Asking help for the latest thing, you are requested.

                                             Saw aaaa

                                                       [Sd.]

If not received, I must follow to come now at once.

[The village heads gave them 2 chicken.  One was from xxxx village and one was from yyyy village.  This letter was from a DKBA officer.  The last sentence is a threat to the village head.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #212 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                 11/9/2002
     Mother Head (xxxx) [village]

     As soon as this letter is received now, come quickly to meet.

                                                                                   [Sd.]
                                                                        Camp Commander
                                                                             xxxx [camp]

[The village head was asked about information on the movements of KNU in the area.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #213 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                     16-9-02
     Mother Head, (xxxx) [village
]

     As soon as this letter is received, send 2 set tha [messengers] from the mother’s village for a while.
     Send quickly.

                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                 Captain, xxxx
                                                                                      Camp

[On the back this order is addressed “Give to: Mother Head, xxxx village. (Emergency) 16/9/02.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #214 (Papun)

                                                                                                                                18/9/2002
      Mother Head

      Writing a letter [and sending it] with the boy who comes now.
      [The register] that [I] asked for yesterday, collect it and include yyyy village.

      [We] know that the Nga Pway came.  Mother didn’t send any information.  [You] can.  Mother tell [them].  Tell them to ask [for what they] need and do not make problems for others.  [Tell them] to go to the safe place.

     Right now, [I] ask [you] to buy alcohol.  (Arrange it).
(one thousand Kyat given).  Quickly

                                                                                         [Sd.]
                                                   
                             
Captain xxxx
                                                   
                                    Camp

[On the back this order is addressed “To:  Mother Head, xxxx, 18/9/02.  Give 7 bottles.  [I] Will pay for the rest later.  1,000 Kyat given.”  ‘Nga Pway’ is SPDC slang for the KNU/KNLA.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #215 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                  28/9/02
     Mother Head (xxxx village)

     The messenger who must come tomorrow should come early to the camp, you are informed.

                                                                                              [Sd.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #216 (Papun)

[To:]
            Mother

     Son writes a letter.  Son does not have enough pork to eat.  So I want to eat what mother cooks.  Cook pork curry for son, then send [it] in the morning with the people who came to give the letter.

                                                                                     Mother’s
                                                                                                    Son

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #217 (Papun)

To:
     Mother Head, xxxx [village]

     Buy 2 bottles of alcohol for the person who comes now.  Tell the uncle who [I] gave money to yesterday to come to the camp in the morning.
        It must be done and gotten.
Money given for
2 bottles of alcohol.                              
                                                  [Sd.]
                                                             
                                              Captain
                                                           
                                           xxxx [camp]

[The village head sent 2 bottles of alcohol with messenger.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #218 (Papun)

To:      Mother Head
           Assistant Head (xxxx village)
           Uncle U aaaa

The person who comes now was asked to buy 2 bottles of alcohol yesterday.  Send [them] with the messenger who comes now.

                                                                                    [Sd.]
                                                                       Saya Gyi [Sergeant]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #219 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                                5-10-02
         Mother Head, (xxxx village)

      I am writing a letter.  There is no other matter.  Bo aaaa (DKBA) arrived to us.  [He] asked to find one goat from xxxx village.  The price of the goat, will be given by weight.  The owner himself must bring the goat to the camp, you are informed.

The goat will be bought.                                                                  [Sd.]
                                                                                              Lieutenant bbbb
                                                                                                xxxx Camp

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #220 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                     Date: 5-10-2002
     Mother

As soon as this letter is received, come quickly.  I have to call [you] because of an emergency.  When mother comes, also call one guide to come.

                                                                                                         xxxx Camp

                                                                                            Major  [Sd.]

[On the back this order is addressed “To: xxxx Head.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #221 (Papun)

To:                                                                                                                  12-10-2002
     Mother Head, come to meet at the camp tomorrow.
     Arrive at 8 o’clock in the morning.

     Also call the yyyy Head to come.
     It is an emergency.

                                                                              [Sd.]
                                                                  Camp Commander
                                                                         xxxx Camp

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Mother Head, xxxx village.”  The camp commander ordered the village heads to give him information about the KNU.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #222 (Papun)

 [To:]  Head
            Tomorrow on 13-10-2002, come to meet with Bo aaaa at xxxx, Dee Kay Bee Ay [Army] Camp.

                                                                                                Bo aaaa.

[On the back this order is addressed to “Head, xxxx.”  This DKBA order was written in Burmese.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #223 (Papun)

To:                                                  Mother Head

     Writing a letter from xxxx Camp.  The matter is that the messenger whose turn it is today should come quickly to report to the camp at once after listening to the religious sermon.  [We] have to send [him] to yyyy village.

                                                                                                               [Sd.] 14-10-02
                                                                           
                                      xxxx Camp

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Mother Head, xxxx village.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #224 (Papun)

To:          Mother Head

     Writing a letter from xxxx Camp.  Send the messenger whose turn it is on 15-10-02 to arrive at 6 o’clock 30 [minutes] in the morning.

                                                                                                   [Sd.] 14-10-02
                                                                                                     xxxx Camp

Send surely.

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Mother Head, xxxx village.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #225 (Papun)

         Stamp:                     To:                                                                            Date: 22-10-2002
#98 Infantry Battalion              Head
    #x Company                       xxxx village

                                 Send the information to xxxx Army Camp to arrive on 24-10-2002 at 9 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

                                                                                                                  [Sd.]
                                                               
                               (For) Company Commander
                                                        
                                    Stamp: Company Commander
                                                       
                                                  #x Company
                                                    
                                              #98 Infantry Battalion

[The SPDC commander told the village head to take responsibility for the car road and to tell the KNLA soldiers to not make ambushes or lay landmines along it.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #226 (Papun)

               Stamp:
Frontline #98 Infantry Battalion
           Column #x

To:                                                                                                                Date: 23-10-2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx village

Subject:        Invitation to a meeting

       On 25-10-2002 Friday, the meeting will be held with the village heads, so come without fail to xxxx Army Camp to arrive at 8 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

                                                                                              [Sd.]
                                                                            Stamp: Column Commander
                                                                               Column #x Headquarters
                                                                          Frontline # 98 Infantry Battalion

[The village head was ordered to send information to the Army camp on time and to ask the KNLA to not attack the SPDC soldiers.]

 


 

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Set to a Village III:

Village C, Thaton District

 

All of these orders were sent to ‘Village C’ between February and August 2002 by various local SPDC authorities, the Army and the DKBA.  Most of the orders are direct or indirect demands for forced labour.  Rather than mixing them in with the other orders, we have presented them here to provide another example of the stream of demands placed on a single village.  Take note of the dates on the orders, and you will see that the village receives order documents almost daily; yet these are only a subset of the orders received by the village during this time.

Many of the demands are for wood which the villagers have to cut in the forest, haul to a sawmill, cut into planks, and then carry to the SPDC Army camp.  The SPDC unit at the Army camp then sells much of the wood for its own profit.  SPDC units sometimes offer to pay for the wood, but the price is often much lower than what the villagers could get for the wood.  In Order #229, an agitated SPDC Division Commander is asking through a local authority about his wood order, “Was too low a price given for the wood?  Or don’t [they] want to give the wood that he ordered?”  There is an implied threat in this that if the amount of wood requested is not given on time, something will happen to the village.


Order #227 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                                      Date: 25-2-2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx [village]

Letting [you] know.  How much wood have the sawmill owners from the Elder’s village gotten for the wood order since I wrote the letter?  Because [they] are asking me very often.  Gather as much 8” x 1” teak as possible, and then arrange it to be sent.  Reply by the person who brings the letter now how much has been gotten and why?  [I] can’t answer when [they] ask me.

                                  Be healthy.
                                                             U aaaa
                                                             [Unclear]
                                                                                     xxxx [village]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #228 (Thaton)

                Stamp:                   To:
#118 Light Infantry Battalion    
    Village Head
          xxxx [camp]                     xxxx village

Subject:      Sending the information to the army camp.

            [We] Have to discuss an emergency matter at xxxx Camp, so come without fail tomorrow on 7-3-2002 to arrive at 8 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.  Village head yourself must come.

                                                                                                                 [Sd.]
Place:   xxxx                                                                                Camp Commander
Date:    6-3-2002                                        
                                       xxxx Camp

[The village head was told to send information to the Army camp once a day every day whether there was information about resistance forces or not.  The SPDC said the village heads would be punished if they did not.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #229 (Thaton)

To:                                                           9-3-2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx [village]

     Letting [you] know.  Division Commander wants to know exactly if the wood ordered from the Elder’s village was received or not.  [He] asked me.  [He] told me that the mill is milling.  Was too low a price given for the wood?  Or don’t [they] want to give the wood that he ordered?  Ask the sawmill owner.  If they will pay, tell the exact date so I can answer [him] instead.  That is why, ask exactly for me instead. 
     After that, send the exact family register from the Elder’s village to yyyy [village] to arrive on 12-3-2002.

                                                               Be healthy.
                                                                                    [
Sd.] U aaaa 9/3/2002
                                                                                      Stamp: Chairperson
                                                                        Village Peace and Development Council
                                                                                  yyyy village, Bilin Township

[This wood order came from the LID 44 Commander for wood which he will probably sell on for his own profit.  Although the order claims that he is paying for the wood, it is also threatening, indicating that the wood order is being ordered under duress and probably the price he is giving is lower than the market value of the wood.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #230 (Thaton)

                                                                          Stamp:                                             14-3-2002
                                                
                Karen Buddhist Army
                                                 
                        D.K.B.A.
To:
          xxxx - Head

     Respectfully writing you a letter.

The head’s villagers who do the sawmills.Head, tell the villagers.  Ask [them] to come and get the tax pass for the sawmill for milling.  If they don’t come, [they] must know that they will get pain two times when the column comes.  [We] are waiting [for them] at yyyy.

                                                            This is all
                                                                                   Bo aaaa
                                                                          Forestry Department
                                                                        Temporary yyyy Camp
                                                                                 14-3-2002

[This order was written in Burmese.  Sawmill owners have to pay taxes in order to operate.  Those who do not pay may have their sawmill confiscated or destroyed.  Although this order was written by the DKBA, the officer is using the arrival of an SPDC Army column as a threat.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #231 (Thaton)

            To:                                                                                                         Date: 29-3-2002
                 Chairperson
                      xxxx village

Letting [you] know. In accordance with the needs and invitation of the Division Commander, chairperson and the 2 people who are the village mother and village father, the total is 3 people from the elder’s village, attend without fail a meeting at xxxx [camp] on the 6th day of the waning moon of Ta Boung [April 3rd 2002] at 11 o’clock in the morning, letting [you] know and you are reminded.
     After that, send the wood order of one ton of 8” x 1” - over 10’ and 5”x2” ordered to arrive on the 6th day of the waning moon of Ta Boung, letting [you] know and you are reminded.  60,000 K/ Kyat will be paid for the price for this wood.

3-4-2002- Meeting.
                                                     
                                   [Sd.] aaaa 29/3/2002
                                                     
                                    Stamp: Chairperson
                                                
                        Village Peace and Development Council
                                                                                   yyyy Village, Bilin Township

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #232 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                              Stamp:
     Village Head                                                   
                      #118 Light Infantry Battalion
     xxxx village    
                                                                                      Date: 7/4
                                                                            
                                  xxxx [camp]

Subject:     Come to the camp.

          [We] want to know the condition of the bridges that the Village Head’s village takes the duty for and the acres of sugarcane planted, so come without fail to the Camp on 9-4-2002, you are informed.

                                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                            Camp Commander
Date: 7-4-2002                               
                                           xxxx Camp

[On the back this order is addressed: “To: Village Head, xxxx village.  Send back the sacks/tins.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #233 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                                       Date: 10/4/2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx village

     Send the 3 sacks of rice that xxxx Camp has sent to yyyy village.

                                                                                                         [Sd.]10/4/02
                                                        
                                           Camp Commander

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #234 (Thaton)

12-4-2002                                                           Stamp:
                                       
                         (Karen Buddhist Army)
                                       
                                    D.K.B.A.

                                                 Progressive Buddhist [Karen] National Army

To:
     All the village heads, I am writing a letter to let you all from the included three villages know.

xxxx [village]
yyyy [village]
zzzz [village]
            Every village head must meet and follow my order.  Each village must do for me three tons of wood completely.  The two types of wood are ironwood and teak.  [I] Need over 12 yards [for each log].  Please, sawmill people meet each other and then obey and do it for me.  I will give the full price.  For this order, sixty-five thousand [Kyat] will be given.
     Send [it] to arrive 5 days after Thingyan [the water festival;
April 18th 2002]
                                                   I am letting you know only this.
                                                   Everybody must know.

                                              uuuu, Dee Kay Bee Ay

                                                                 In-Charge
                                                            [
Sd.]
                                             Must arrive on 18-4-2002

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #235 (Thaton)

To:
     Chairperson  + sawmill owners
             xxxx village

For the building of the new school compound, [we] need a wood order.

Pyin K’Doe [kind of ironwood tree]    3”x 2” = 11’  100 pieces (one hundred)
                                                              8”x 1” = 11’  
  30 pieces (thirty)

     Send the ordered wood shown to arrive at xxxx [camp] on 30-4-2002.

                                                                                      With respect,
                                                                                                           U aaaa
22/4/2002

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #236 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                 Stamp:
     Village Head                                     
                         #118 Light Infantry Battalion
     xxxx village                                     
                                        Date: 30/4
                                                            
                                      xxxx [camp]

Subject:    Sending the register of hillfields.

      When this letter is received now, from the Village Head’s village quickly send without fail the register of the people’s names who do hill fields, the places where [they] are working and the acres that are worked with the messenger, you are informed.

For example

       Name             Place where [they] are working                   Acres
1. U aaaa                           yyyy    
                                         2 acres

                                                                                                           [Sd.]
                                                                                               Camp Commander
Date: 30-4-2002                                                                           xxxx Camp

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #237 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                         Stamp:
     Village Head                                      
                               #118 Light Infantry Battalion
     xxxx village                                       
                                              Date: 14/5
                                                            
                                              xxxx [camp]

Subject:    Send the bulldozer

    When this letter is received, send without fail 2 bulldozers with the back parts to xxxx Camp, you are informed.  The village head yourself must come with the bulldozers.  If [you] fail, it is the responsibility of the village head.

                                                                                                          [Sd.]
                                                     
                                         Camp Commander
                                                 
                                                   xxxx Camp

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Village Head, xxxx village.”  This order was a handwritten carbon copied sent out to several villages in the area.  The ‘bulldozers with back parts’ means bulldozers with back hoes attached.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #238 (Thaton)

To:                                                                                                                                 14-6-02
     Chairperson
     xxxx village

Subject:    Calling about an emergency matter.

      Regarding the above subject, chairperson and the 5 people who are the village head mother and father, total is 6 people, go to yyyy village.  Go without fail to report to the Division Commander and arrive on the 18th at 11:00 o’clock in the morning, you are informed.

                                                                                                                     [Sd.]
                                                          
                                              Column Commander
                                                       
                                                          LIB#102  

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #239 (Thaton)

                 Stamp:                   To:                                                                           Date: 4-8-2002
 #207 Light Infantry Battalion   
    Chairperson
           Battalion Office                  xxxx village

      Let the elephant owner / elephant leader, U aaaa from xxxx village, know that U bbbb from yyyy is calling U aaaa.  Also reply on which day U aaaa will go to yyyy [village].

                                                                                         [Sd.] Captain
                                                                             Camp Commander, xxxx Camp

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #240 (Thaton)

To:                   9-8-2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx village

Mother Daw aaaa, I am writing [you] a letter.

From the 4 sacks of rice kept in Mother’s house, keep 1 sack of rice at Mother’s house, then take 1 basket of rice to repay yyyy village from the 3 sacks of rice that were sent by xxxx [camp].
Send the 5 emergency people from mother’s village and the remaining 2 and a half sacks with the 2 messengers who come now to arrive today.

                                                                                                [Sd.]
                                                                                            LIB#102
                                                                                           Column #x

[One sack of rice is 50 kgs. / 110 lbs. and one basket or rice is 25 kgs. / 55 lbs.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #241 (Thaton)

To:                                       10-8-2002
     Chairperson
     xxxx and yyyy villages

As soon as [you] receive this letter, come to zzzz village.
Chairperson from xxxx village bring 1 chicken.
Also chairperson from yyyy village bring 1 chicken.

                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                    LIB#102
                                                                                  Column #x

[When they met the SPDC officer he told the village heads, “The KNU should not shoot at us.  If they shoot at us, we are going to burn all the villages.  If they do not pity their nationality, we do not pity them.  We don’t have any of our relatives here.”]

 


 

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Set to a Village IV:

Village D, Dooplaya District

 

All of these order were sent to ‘Village D’ between February and September 2002 from local authorities, SPDC Army and the Karen Peace Army [see ‘DKBA and KPA Letters’ below].  Most of the orders are direct or indirect demands for forced labour.  Rather than mixing them in with the other orders, we have presented them as a set to give an idea of the incessant stream of demands which village elders have to deal with.  Take note of the dates on the orders, and you will see that the village receives orders on a regular basis, and these are only a subset of the orders received by the village during this time period.


Order #242 (Dooplaya)

                     Stamp:                                       To:
Village Peace and Development Council                xxxx village, Village Chairperson
                 yyyy village

For Kyaikdon Tract, because of one matter come without fail to the Tract Chairperson on 13-2-2002, you are informed.

                                                                                                  [Sd.]U aaaa
                                                                                            Stamp:  Chairperson
                                                                                     Peace and Development Council
                                                                               yyyy village, Kya In Seik Gyi Township

[The SPDC village tract chairman held a meeting with village heads from 11 villages in his tract.  He told the heads that they must come to sell ‘obligation’ paddy to him at the government price of 300 Kyat per basket [25 kgs. / 55 lbs.].]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #243 (Dooplaya)

                       Stamp:                                To:
                Karen Peace Army                           Chairperson/Secretary
                 Date: 15/3/2002                                           xxxx                 village
       Haung Thayaw Special Region

Subject:     Send the bridge wood quickly.

                 Regarding the subject shown above, to finish the Paya Taung and Kyaikdon bridges quickly, quickly send the needed bridge wood as allocated, you are informed.

Note:         Remember the final date and send [them] to arrive to come on 18/3/2002.

                  In accordance with the directive-

                                                                                    [Sd.]Major, 15/3/2002

                                                                                     Stamp: aaaa
                                                                       Army Office Base Commander
                                                                   Weapon and Peace Exchange Army
                                                              Haung Thayaw Special Region, Karen State

[This typewritten order was written in Burmese and carbon copied and sent out to several villages.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #244 (Dooplaya)

To:
     Chairperson
     Village Peace and Development Council
      xxxx [village]                                                                                                Date: 8-4-2002

Subject:     Sending bamboo

     From xxxx, yyyy, zzzz villages send 200 [pieces] of medium bamboo to xxxx Camp, you [sic. we] are asking for help.
     Also send 500 [shingles] of su thatch and
bamboo ties, you are requested.

                                                                                  With thanks,
                                                                                                    [
Sd.]
                                                                                         Camp Commander
                                                                                               xxxx Camp

[‘Su’ is a type of leaf used to make thatch.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #245 (Dooplaya)

To:
     Chairperson
     Village Peace and Development Council
     xxxx [village]                                       
                                                             4-6-2002

Subject:     Send the loh ah pay.

      From xxxx [village] tract, chairperson yourself lead 50 loh ah pay people, and bring 30 chopping hoes, 20 machetes and food for 5 days, then go to Kyaikdon to arrive on 7-6-2002 and inform the situation at yyyy [village].
      Yesterday [we] informed by letter that the 12 loh ah pay people do not need to come.

                                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                              Camp Commander
                                                 
                                                   xxxx Camp
                                                    
                                          Frontline, LIB#416

[The villagers had to work at cutting and clearing the fields for LID #88 Headquarters for five days.  The 12 people for loh ah pay were to work on a different project than the one for which the 50 people were demanded.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #246 (Dooplaya)

                     Stamp:                                                                                                          4-6-2002
Frontline #88 Light Division Headquarters
 Adjutant and Quartermaster Department

          [To:]  Chairperson
                                        The matter of sending loh ah pay.
          From the Chairperson’s tract, send without fail 50 strong people for loh ah pay with a chopping hoe each and food for 5 days to Kyaikdon Army Camp, you are informed.
     Send [them] to arrive on 7-6-2002.
                                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                                                  Major aaaa

[On the back this order is addressed “To: Chairperson, xxxx village.”  The villagers had to go to dig trenches for five days.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #247 (Dooplaya)

To:                                                                                                                    Stamp:
     Chairperson                                 
                                               #416 Light Infantry Battalion
     Village Peace and Development Council
     xxxx [village]                                          
                                                                11-6-2002

Subject:     Invitation to a meeting.

     A meeting is to be held with the village chairpersons at Kyaikdon, Division #88, so go to Kyaikdon to arrive on 29-6-2002.  Reply with the name of the chairperson who will attend the meeting at xxxx camp.

                                                                                             [Sd.]
                                                                                   Camp Commander
                                                                                        xxxx Camp
                                                                                
  Frontline, LIB#416

[The chairpersons and secretaries from Kya In and Kawkareik townships attended this meeting.  The LID #88 Commander told the village heads that if they saw SPDC soldiers stealing poultry and other things when they come to the village, to come and report it once a month at the Division Office.  This may sound reasonable, but villagers are often afraid to do this because they fear reprisals from the soldiers who are punished for the thefts.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #248 (Dooplaya)

                Stamp:                          To:                                                                         28-7-2002
Frontline #83 Infantry Battalion            Chairperson
             Column #x                             U aaaa
                                                           xxxx village

     U aaaa, as soon as this letter is received, come to arrive today with the wood given as [your] responsibility.  If [you] don’t come harsh action will be taken, you are informed.

                                                                            [Sd.] bbbb, Captain
                                                                              Camp Commander
                                                             
                   Frontline, IB#83
                                                              
                      xxxx Camp

[The three sawmills in this village had each been ordered to cut 7 pieces of wood 6 feet around and 10.5 feet long.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #249 (Dooplaya)

                          Stamp:                               To:
           
       Karen Peace Army                           xxxx village
                    Date: 2-8-2002                              Chairperson, Secretary
          Haung Thayaw Special Region

                                          Respectfully writing you this letter.
When [you] see this letter, come without fail to the Karen Peace Army Frontline Office on 4-8-2002 at 12:00 hours noon with exactly 15,000 Kyat of money, you are informed.

Note:    If [you] don’t come, harsh action will be taken.              [Sd.] 2-8-2002
                                                                                  Stamp:  (For) Company Commander
                                                                                                   Company #x
                                                                                    Weapon and Peace Exchange Army
                                                                               Haung Thayaw Special Region, Karen State

Date: 2-8-2002
Place: xxxx Camp, Haung Thayaw Special Region.

[On the back this order is addressed “Send quickly to: xxxx village, Chairperson/Secretary. Army matter.”]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #250 (Dooplaya)

               Stamp:                      To:                                                                          27-8-2002
Frontline#83 Infantry Battalion        Chairperson
             Column#1                         xxxx village

     Chairperson, chairperson yourself follow the sawmill owners from the chairperson’s village and come to meet with the battalion commander at yyyy monastery.  If [there are] no sawmill owners, call the members and come without fail to meet on 28-8-2002 to arrive at 1 o’clock, you are informed.

                                                                                        [Sd.]
                                                                      (For) Battalion Commander

[Each sawmill in the village had to send 30 planks to the Army camp to repair the Army’s rice warehouse.  No money was paid for the wood.]

______________________________________________________________________________

Order #251 (Dooplaya)

                Stamp:                                                                                                   Date: 1-9-2002
Frontline #83 Infantry Battalion        To:
              Column#x                                   Letting the chairperson from xxxx know.

                               xxxx Chairperson and Secretary come with the messenger to arrive today at xxxx Camp to send the information to xxxx Camp, you are informed.

                                                                                                   [Sd.]
                                                                                       Camp Commander
                                                                                             yyyy village

 


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