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Noh Ghaw village, Nyaunglebin District as seen on March 1st shortly after being dismantled by local residents whom SPDC personnel forcibly relocated to a military-controlled site. The SPDC orders villagers to dismantle homes and other structures prior to relocating. This may provide some crucial building supplies for new structures at relocation sites but it primarily serves to prevent villagers from attempting to return and reoccupy their homes and land.

In photos C-33 and C-34 the concrete bases are all that remain of villagers' former homes. In photo C-16 one women searches through piles of wooden planks which have been taken off of her home and collected prior to being transported to the relocation site. [Photos: KHRG]

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Children from a community of internally displaced villagers in Kyauk Gyi township, Nyaunglebin District take advantage of a rare opportunity to watch a video on a generator-powered television at a hiding site on April 2nd 2007. Displaced communities such as this one must carry all supplies, including this television, on their backs when travelling through the forest. [Photo: KHRG]

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KNLA soldiers take security along the Bpwa Ghaw to Saw Hta vehicle road, Papun District in April 2007 as displaced villagers prepare to cross while evading SPDC troops. The SPDC enforces movement restrictions backed up by a shoot-on-sight policy in areas where it lacks a consolidated control of the local civilian population. The SPDC has previously conducted ambushes against displaced civilians attempting to cross this road and KNLA soldiers thus check the area prior to quickly escorting the villagers to the forest cover on the opposite side. [Photo: KHRG]

In early 2007, SPDC authorities in Kyauk Kyi township, Nyaunglebin District embarked on a large-scale relocation programme forcibly removing residents of at least Weh Lah Dtaw, Pa Hta La, Dtaw Koh, Hee Poh Der and Htaik Bpauk villages and confining the residents at either Gkya Thay Dtaw or Soo See relocation sites. Soo See is situated in an area which the SPDC calls Htaik Htoo area but is locally referred to as Bplaw Law Bler in Karen. The site is therefore typically referred to locally as Bplaw Law Bler relocation site. A few months later, on May 29th Aung Zaw, battalion commander of SPDC LIB #350 forcibly relocated the residents of Thu K'Bee village tract, also in Kyauk Kyi township. Some were sent to Htaik Htoo and others to the Yan Myo Aung area. On June 15th, SPDC LIB #599 ordered the villagers of Hsa Leh and Bpay Dtoo villages, Kyauk Kyi township to move to Shwee Bpauk. Following these mass relocations in Kyauk Kyi township, local SPDC authorities forbade all relocated villagers from returning to their former homes and fields. These restrictions caused additional burdens on villagers' livelihoods, exacerbating poverty and malnutrition. The photos below show some of the abandoned villages and SPDC-controlled relocation sites involved in the Nyaunglebin relocation campaign during the first half of 2007.

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Photo C-58 shows a dismantled home at Weh Lah Dtaw village, Weh Lah Dtaw village tract on February 28th 2007. In photo C-59 one Weh Lah Dtaw resident balances on a roof beam in the process of removing wooden planks from his home. Local SPDC authorities ordered all Weh Lah Dtaw villagers to dismantle their homes and move to Gkya Thay Dtaw relocation site. Wood and other building supplies salvaged from their homes and other buildings had to be transported by bullock cart to the assigned relocation site. The forced dismantling of homes is one strategy which the SPDC uses to prevent villagers from returning to reclaim their land.

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Pa Hta La village, shown here [photo C-60] on March 10th 2007 lies empty; homes and other buildings having been dismantled by local residents prior to their eviction and forced relocation to Bplaw Law Bler relocation site.

Hee Poh Der village [photo C-24], Kyauk Kyi township - another community in Nyaunglebin which SPDC personnel forcibly relocated in early 2007. Almost all homes, such as those shown here on March 10th 2007, were dismantled and now lie deserted.

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An abandoned home [photo C-62] at Dtaw Koh village, Kyauk Kyi township on March 13th 2007. Following the relocation of villagers out of Dtaw Koh, local SPDC soldiers participated in destroying some of the homes that remained incompletely dismantled. This destruction has further undermined any future return of villagers to their place of origin.

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The remains of a dismantled church [photo C-63] and other buildings [photos C-64 and C-65] in Htaik Bpauk village, Kyauk Kyi township as seen on March 17th, 2007. When the SPDC forcibly relocated the village in early 2007 local residents had to dismantle buildings, such as the village church shown here, and salvage building supplies for the construction of new homes and buildings in the military-controlled relocation site.

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Photos C-66 and C-67 above show the burnt remains of a farmer's haystack at Dteh Dtoo village, Kyauk Kyi township. SPDC soldiers from LIB #599 under the command of Hsan Mya Oo set fire to this haystack, shown here on March 12th 2007, with which the farmer had been intending to feed his livestock. This arson came at a time when SPDC LIB #599 was engaged in the large-scale relocation of Kyuak Kyi villagers. The SPDC destroys crops, food stores, farm field huts and haystacks, such as the one shown here, in order to undermine villagers' abilities to maintain their livelihoods outside of SPDC control and thus support themselves while evading military relocation programmes.

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Villagers in Kyauk Kyi township travel on bullock carts loaded with wooden planks taken from their dismantled homes on March 12th 2007. This convoy represents just part of the mass relocation of villagers in Kyauk Kyi in the first half of 2007.

The entrance gate at Bplaw Law Bler relocation Site [photo C-69], Kyauk Kyi township on March 16th 2007. The white on red signboard reads:"Warm welcome to Htaik Htoo area." The SPDC forcibly relocated residents of Pa Hta La village to Bplaw Law Bler relocation site, shown here on March 9th 2007. Following the relocation Thet Naing Aung, column commander of SPDC LIB #350, informed the newly relocated community that any villagers who wished to leave the confines of the relocation site would have to purchase a permission document at a cost of 1,500 kyat which would allow them to remain outside the confines of the relocation site for a period of 15 days.

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Photo C-70 left, shows a detailed map of the Htaik Htoo area. The heading at the top of the map reads:"Htaik Htoo development area base map". The blue line winding through the map is labelled Kyauk Kyi river and the thick red line along the right side indicates the main road to Kyauk Kyi town. Both the town and the river of Kyauk Kyi are known as Ler Doh in Karen. See the KHRG map of Nyaunglebin District for the placement of Kyauk Kyi town, river and township.

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Photos C-71, C-72 and C-73 show Bplaw Law Bler relocation site, located in Htaik Htoo (Bplaw Law Bler) area. Notable in these photos, the housing plots, size of individual homes and general barren landscape contrasts with the large dismantled homes and lush environs of the abandoned villages in the photos above. Following the March relocation of Pa Hta La villagers, SPDC personnel likewise ordered the residents of Thu K'Bee village tract to relocate there in May 2007. When battalion commander Aung Zaw of SPDC LIB #350, ordered the residents of Thu K'Bee village tract to relocate to Bplaw Law Bler on May 29th he accused the residents of having contact with the KNU. Army personnel from LIB #350 then divided the 125 households in Thu K'Bee village tract, sending some of them to Bplaw Law Bler and the others to the Yan Myo Aung area. The villagers left Thu K'Bee on June 27th 2007 and arrived at Bplaw Law Bler where they joined the relocated Pa Hta La villagers. To view previous KHRG photos of Bplaw Law Bler relocation site see KHRG Photo Gallery 2006 Section 2 [Photos: KHRG]

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This woman fled her home at Ler Wah village, Nyaunglebin District along with her personal belongings in order to evade soldiers from SPDC LIB #220 on May 11th 2007. [Photos: KHRG]

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Villagers in Papun District cut bamboo during May 2007 with which to construct temporary shelters in the forest where they hide, evading the SPDC troops who hunt them down. [Photo: KHRG]

A group of internally displaced people trek through southern Toungoo District on June 7th 2007. These people fled into Karen State from Gheh Gaw Bper village in neighbouring Karenni State in order to evade continued SPDC demands and restrictions. [Photos: KHRG]

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These villagers fled their homes in Bper Day village, Than Daung township, Toungoo District on June 10th 2007 following increased threat of attack by soldiers from SPDC MOC #5, TOC#1 under the command of Sein Than. As they fled in the midst of the raining season, forest paths had all turned into thick mud; making the wearing of rubber 'flip-flop' sandals near impossible and travel through the mountains excruciatingly slow. In photo C-102 one villager - second from the back - carries his rubber 'flip-flops' and walks barefoot rather than struggle to keep them on up the muddy slope. [Photo: KHRG]

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Internally displaced villagers bypass a flooded paddy field following a heavy downpour of rain on June 11th 2007. Many of those shown here use plastic sheets to provide some cover from the rain but nevertheless go barefoot through the thick mud. These villagers fled from Thay Pay Htee village in order to escape SPDC military control and the persistent demands and restrictions of army personnel. [Photo: KHRG]

The now-displaced residents of Thay Pay Htee village continue on their journey through Toungoo District. In photo C-108 the community takes a brief rest on June 13th two days after fleeing their village. [Photo: KHRG]

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Young children carrying family belongings and infant siblings travel through southern Toungoo District while evading SPDC patrols with their families. This community fled from Muh Kha Day village in Karenni State on June 30th 2007. [Photos: KHRG]

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Displaced villagers make use of a felled tree for a makeshift bridge to ascend a muddied slope in Toungoo District during June 2007. The women and children shown here make their way barefoot loaded with personal belongings over the slippery log soaked by the heavy June rains. On top of the natural dangers of such a trip, these villagers must also be wary of encountering SPDC patrols or the many landmines strewn through the area. In photo C-123 one family takes a brief rest [Photo: KHRG]

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Trekking over the hilltops of Than Daung township, northern Toungoo District, these villagers fled their homes when troops from SPDC MOC #5 set up three new army camps at Pwee Kee, Shoh Koh and Kaw Haw. Due to the close proximity of these camps to their home village, these villagers fled on June 7th 2007. [Photos: KHRG]

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These villagers fled their homes in Saw Muh Der and Saw Dtay Dter villages, Toungoo District upon the arrival of SPDC troops from LIBs #375 and 540 of MOC #9, TOC #2 in early 2007.

When these photos were taken on June 1st 2007, the villagers had just left their homes in Toungoo District and told KHRG that they were on their way to a refugee camp in Thailand. [Photo: KHRG]

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