Army targets villagers for not speaking Burmese

(Kaowao, February 1, 2004)

Sangkhalaburi -- According to refugees who recently fled from Wear Kwao of northern Ye Byu Township, villagers were forced to work as laborers and tortured simply for not speaking Burmese.

Nai Hla Aung from Wear Kwao explained what happens to the village when the Burmese troops arrive over the past 9 years: 

‘About 24 villagers in two groups are put on standby and are called upon to porter when the troops take the offensive. When not on the offensive, villagers are forced to get water from the stream and collect wood and vegetables for cooking. Other villagers are ordered to guard the railway road against rebel attacks, such as bombs being thrown at soldiers at night.

‘Children age 10 were forced to work as laborers for the troops, but were replaced by adults when the troops needed them to carry ammunition to launch an offensive’ Aung explained.

He fled the village with the others because he can speak Burmese and is able to communicate with SPDC soldiers, but worried that the Mon armed group will attack him. He added that the there was no fighting or open fire between the two sides, only the occasional ambush like the one last month in which SPDC soldiers were killed. ‘The SPDC soldiers are afraid of launching an offensive outside the village’ he added.

The village abbot age 70 wanted to leave the village, but was forced by the SPDC to stay at the village and is distressed with the situation.

‘Most villagers cannot speak Burmese and because of this four were used to pull an ox-cart as torture, and like an ox, a small piece of wood with nails was used to make the men walk’ he added. Nai Agoh, Nai Apin and two others were tortured in this manner.  ‘Many were tortured simply for not speaking Burmese because they couldn’t explain where the rebels were hiding.’

‘Mr Nai Aboh age 30 and Mr Nai Akyin age 35 each paid seven hundred Kyats to the commander to be freed and the village abbot was ordered to make sure they didn’t communicate with the rebel group’ Aung further explained.

Ms, Tin Shwe says that she has given everything and has no more money left, her husband had to flee to the border in the hope of getting work on a rubber plantation to survive.

‘We have no more money, we must work on the plantation in Thailand’ Shwe said.

There are two groups from the village who just arrived at the border on the Thai side; they say more villagers will arrive soon. 

‘Many of our villagers have moved out to other villages over the years, no one wants to live in that village anymore. But it is not easy to sneak out of the village, we can only escape gradually, we would be shot dead if caught’ she explained.