Dooplaya District
Just south of Pa’an district is Dooplaya district, extending to the southern tip of Karen State with extensive fertile plains in the west and mountains in the east. Much of this region was controlled by the Karen National Union (KNU) until the SLORC mounted a major military offensive and overran most of it in early 1997. The KNLA continues to conduct guerrilla activities there, and the SPDC is systematically working to consolidate total control over the region. To do this they conduct sporadic forced relocations in areas of central and far southern Dooplaya whenever KNLA activity becomes frequent. Threatening orders against having any contact with the KNU (see Order #D1 below) have been issued to village elders in the area. The SPDC also imposes heavy restrictions on the Karen rice farmers who populate the region; those who live in farmfield huts or houses far from their villages have been forced to move into the centre of their villages, and no one is allowed to be outside of villages without an SPDC pass. In most places these passes only allow villagers to leave the village in the morning and return by sunset, making it extremely difficult for people whose fields are one or two hours’ walk from the village. Even with a pass to be in the fields, farmers spotted by passing SPDC patrols are frequently taken as porters.
Villages in Dooplaya also face a steady stream of demands for forced labourers at Army camps, porters on a permanently rotating basis, bullock carts and teams, rice, other foods, dry goods, and building materials. Extortion money in the form of "servants’ fees" is also levied on all villages under SPDC control in the region, and more formal rice quotas have begun to be levied against rice farmers. These quotas must be paid in addition to the ad hoc demands for rice constantly coming from local Army units.
For more information on the situation in Dooplaya District, see "Dooplaya Under the SPDC: Further Developments in the SPDC Occupation of South-Central Karen State" (KHRG #98-09, 23/11/98).
Threats to Those Supporting the Opposition
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[This is a typewritten form letter with details written into the blanks. Items shown in bold face italics are those which have been written in.]
Stamp: Subject: To sign that you understand and promise At Kya In Seik Gyi township, xxxx village
Chairperson /
[Village elder’s thumbprint] Place: Kya In Seik Gyi town
(Signature):
xxxx "Witnesses" (Signature):
[Sd.]
(Signature): [Sd.]
[In the first paragraph, ‘TPDC’ = Township Peace & Development Council, and ‘MI’ = Military Intelligence. In Item 7, the word used for ‘God’ refers to the Christian God; this may be because many of the villagers in the area are Christian. This document is a typewritten order which it appears that the elders of several villages were forced to sign, probably after being summoned to a meeting at the Township PDC in Kya In Seik Gyi. Village elders are constantly ordered to do such things as are mentioned in this document; this signing ceremony is only to intimidate them further. The references to Tatmadaw deserters are included because more and more soldiers are deserting from the SPDC Army. When they do so in areas like Kya In Seik Gyi township, they usually go to the elders of a nearby village and ask to be taken to the opposition forces to surrender. To prevent this, when soldiers desert SPDC commanders usually inflict heavy punishments on all surrounding villages, often including the arbitrary torture or execution of elders.] |
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Forced Labour
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Order #D2*
Stamp: You are informed that the Chairperson or the Secretary must bring 8 servants to xxxx village on 27-10-98 / the 8th Waxing Day, at 12 o’clock and also bring rice for 1 day for the servants. If you fail, it will be entirely your responsibility.
[Sd. / Capt.] [‘Servants’ are forced labourers, usually referring to porters or Army Camp labour if not specified otherwise. ‘The 8th Waxing Day’ refers to the equivalent lunar day on the Burmese calendar.] ============================================================ Order #D3 To: Chairperson
Stamp: You are informed that you, Chairperson, must immediately come along with the Secretary of xxxx [village] who brings this letter; the Secretary of your village must follow you after gathering four servants, and you, Chairperson and Secretary, are entirely responsible if you fail to bring the servants.
[Sd.] ============================================================ Order #D4*
Stamp: To: Chairperson Subject: Permanent rotation servants required You the headperson are informed to send 5 permanent servants with their own rice to arrive today for the use of Frontline #xxx Light Infantry Battalion, Column 2, and prepare to rotate the servants every 5 days.
[Sd.] [In SPDC written orders, porters are generally referred to as ‘servants’ (wontan). ‘Permanent servants’ means that the specified number of porters must be with the Column on a permanent basis, rotated with replacements from the village every 5 days. ] ============================================================ Order #D5
Stamp:
Date: 1-6-98 To build xxxx camp, you are informed to come with (26) voluntary labourers with one bowl of rice each, to xxxx monastery on the 2nd at 8 o’clock without fail.
[Sd. / 1-6-98] ============================================================ Order #D6
Stamp:
Date: 1-6-98 To: Village Head Subject: The voluntary labour carts must arrive Regarding the above subject, according to the order from the Township, #xxx Military Operations Command Headquarters requires cart porters urgently. Therefore, [send] 1 cart with 1 team of bullocks together with enough rations from each of your villages to arrive at the Village Peace and Development Council office together at 4 o’clock this evening without fail, you are informed. Note Today, 1-6-98, Monday, at 4 o’clock in the evening they must arrive together. If there is failure and those from the Army camp come to arrest you, it will not be our responsibility. One village must give one bullock cart. Do it by drawing lots.
[Sd.] [Each cart will have to be taken by its owner with a team of 2 bullocks, and will likely be used to haul rations or other materials for the Army.] |
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Extortion of Cash, Food and Materials
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Order #D7*
Stamp: You must make 5 baskets to be used for the servants and send them within the next three days. Come and bring some food on 22-10-98 in the afternoon. We are out of food. Send a chicken, a package of London cheroots, 30 kyats of cooking oil and a package of Ajinomoto for our Captain, without fail. Send 3 pyi of rice too. Thanks. [Sd. / 22/10/98] [The baskets demanded are for use by porters doing forced labour carrying supplies and/or ammunition; these porters are probably demanded from the same village. 30 kyats of cooking oil would be about 300-400 millilitres, and 3 pyi of rice is about 5-6 kilograms. Ajinomoto is commonly used MSG seasoning powder.] ============================================================ Order #D8 To: Chairperson
Stamp: You are informed that you, Chairperson, bringing 1½ tins of rice with you, must come and see the Column Commander at xxxx [village] as soon as possible.
[Sd.] ============================================================ Order #D9
Stamp: To: Chairman (xxxx village) Subject: Requesting assistance with the servants’ fees Regarding the above subject, according to the agreement of the xxxx village tract headmen and small village leaders, xxxx village is assessed (two thousand) for servants’ fees. Therefore, [you] are informed to come and pay this money at xxxx village.
[Sd.] ["Servants’ fees" are more commonly known by villagers as "porter fees". They are not actually used for porters, it is simply a name used to extort money for the military.] ============================================================ Order #D10
Stamp: Subject: Informing [you] to send logs [You] are informed to send (30) logs, (6) inches in diameter and (8) feet in length, for repairs to the camp, to xxxx camp before 25-1-98. If [you] fail to send [them], it will be the gentleman’s [i.e. your] responsibility alone.
[Sd. / WO II] [‘WO II’ means ‘Warrant Officer 2’.] ============================================================ Order #D11
Stamp: Subject: To repair camp buildings According to the subject mentioned as above, the gentleman’s village was informed to send wood by the 25th of the month, however no wood has been sent until now. Therefore, it is informed that the gentleman yourself should come and report to the camp commander what date you will send wood.
[Sd. / 25-10-97] |
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Crop Quotas and Money-Spinning Schemes
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Order #D12* Ministry of Commerce and Trade
Ref. No.: 04 / Paddy Purchasing Depot / 98 To: Chairperson Subject: Notification about selling paddy Regarding the above-mentioned subject, the Township Peace and Development Council has decided that xx farmers from your village/quarter must sell xx tins of paddy to the purchasing depot of Myanmar Agricultural Products Trading. However, as of 9-11-98 , only ~ farmers from your village/quarter have sold ~ tins of paddy , so this is to notify [you] that the remaining ~ farmers must sell ~ tins of paddy as soon as possible. [Written in by hand:] Sell xx tins of paddy within November.
[Sd.] [This is a typewritten order with the village name and quantities demanded and outstanding written in by hand. Rice farmers are all forced to sell quotas of rice to the SPDC at only 10-20% of market price for use in feeding the Army and exporting for SPDC profit. Villages are assessed based on their family registration lists and lists of acreage which they are forced to submit to the military. Many villages like this one are delinquent in their quota payments because the farmers cannot pay and still survive, particularly when they also have to constantly give rice, other food, and money to Army units in combination with these quota demands. However, village leaders and farmers who fail to comply face arrest and confiscation of their land, so they usually end up paying, even when this forces them to buy rice at the market to hand over to SPDC authorities.] ============================================================ Order #D13
Stamp: To: Chairman / xxxx village Lottery money should be sent to the Township soon, therefore you are informed to come and give money to xxxx VPDC [Ya Ah Pa, short for Village Peace and Development Council] on 21-12-97.
[Sd. ‘xxxx’] [This is just another way of taking money from villagers; the village elders are given a number of tickets and ordered to sell them and hand over the money, whether they can actually sell them or not.] |
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Summons to ‘Meetings’
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Order #D14 Stamp: To: Chairperson/Secretary Subject: To come and see me Regarding the above-mentioned subject, to discuss the local situation, you are informed to come and see me at xxxx village on 29-10-98 at 8 o’clock in the morning. Note: If you fail, it will be entirely your responsibility. Bring all family lists with you.
[Sd.] ============================================================ Order #D15
Stamp: To: Chairperson (xxxx) Subject: Invitation to attend a meeting Regarding the above-mentioned subject, you are informed to come to the Column Office at xxxx village on (22-11-98) at 10 o’clock to attend a meeting without fail. Note: If you fail, action will be taken against you. ============================================================ Order #D16 Stamp: To: Chairperson (xxxx village) Subject: Invitation to attend a meeting Regarding the above-mentioned subject, you are informed that you, Chairperson, must come to the Column Office at xxxx village on 22-11-98 at 10 o’clock to attend a meeting without fail. Note: If you fail, action will be taken against you. [This order was left unsigned.] |
Back to the beginning of the orders
report, Set 99-A
Pa'an District | Toungoo
District | Papun District