SPDC Orders to Villages: Set 99-A, Papun District

The orders below come from northern Papun District, where close to 200 small villages in the hills have been shelled, burned and destroyed by SPDC troops since early 1997. Unable to round up the villagers for forced relocation because they always fled into the forests before troops could arrive, the SPDC decided to simply wipe out the villages. An estimated 30,000 or more people are still living in hiding in the forested hills in small groups of 2-5 families, trying to grow small crops and sometimes being hunted out by SPDC troops to be shot on sight. As a result there are few written orders issued to villagers in this area, though more are issued in central and southern Papun District both by the SPDC and the DKBA.

Order #PP1

                                                                                                         23-11-98
To:   Chairperson
        xxxx village

You are informed to come to the Column as soon as you receive this letter.

                                                                                             [Sd.]
                                                                                         Col. Cmdr.
                                                                         A[dvance] #xxx [Infantry Battalion]

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Order #PP2*

Stamp: Date: 31-10-98
D.K.B.A.

The Progressive Buddhist Ayin [sic] National Army

Subject - To make a fence for the Camp

Regarding the above-mentioned subject, you, the villagers, are respectfully informed to come to help us in making the fence for the Camp on 1-11-98.

                                                                                               Lt. xxxx
                                                                                            Company #x
                                                                                      Ka Saw Wah Battalion
                                                                                              xxxx Camp
                                                                                               D.K.B.A.

[The ‘Camp’ is the local DKBA military camp. The DKBA members themselves usually refer to themselves as ‘DKBA’ in English or its equivalent in Karen, though this order is written in Burmese; ‘Progressive Buddhist Ayin National Army’ is the direct translation of what the officer has written on this order. Intending to write ‘Kayin’ (Burmese for ‘Karen’) he has mistakenly written ‘Ayin’, which is meaningless in this context (it is an adverb meaning ‘firstly’). In the stamp, ‘D.K.B.A.’ is written in English letters, and under the signature it is written in Burmese characters which spell ‘Dee Kay Bee Ay’.]