FBR REPORT: Burma
Army Abuses During Current Offensive in Toungoo District
Toungoo District, Northwestern Karen
State.
13 Nov. 2006
Report Summary:
The Burma Army is continuing to attack Karen
villagers in Toungoo District, northwestern Karen State. Burma Army
troops are murdering villagers and porters, burning down houses and
farms, looting and destroying property, and using forced labor. These
actions are part of a Burma Army offensive against the people of the
three northern districts of Karen State (Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, and
Mutraw) that has already displaced more than 20,000 people. The following
report documents some of the actions that the Burma Army has recently
taken in their offensive against the people in Northern Karen State.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
10 villages are now on the run from Burma
Army attacks
Villager burned alive by Burma Army soldiers
Over 50 reported killed by Burma Army
Burma Army lays landmines to terrorize civilians
Burma Army destroys and steals villagers' property
Forced Labor/Portering
Village Ordered to Relocate
IDPs from Po Mu Der village
IDPs from Ka Ser Do village
(All of the incidents reported occurred in 2006)
10 villages are now on the run
from Burma Army attacks.
As of this report the villages of Tha Aye Ki, Ha Toe
Per, Klay Hta, Thay Ku Der, Hsaw Wa Der, Hee Daw Kaw, Kgo Ki, Sho Ser, Wa So,
and Klay Ki have been forced to flee into the jungle in the face of Burma Army
attacks. The villagers from Ha Toe Per, Hsaw Wa Der, and Thay Ku Der are especially
at risk now as their hiding places are not far from Burma Army positions.
Villager burned alive by Burma Army soldiers
1 November 2006
Saw They Shur was burned alive by Burma Army soldiers
in his home at Play Hta Village, near Hoki. He was 47 years old and married
with 6 children. His wife and children are hiding with the other people who
escaped the village after it was burned to the ground. He was seriously ill
and unable to run and was burned alive in his house at 5:30 p.m. Villagers later
saw his dead body in the burned house.
Over 50 reported killed by Burma Army
22 Aug. 2006
Troops from LIB 567, under Myint Thin, shot and killed
3 villagers and wounded one in Klaw Mu Der (Ye Ta Kon) village. These villagers
had come back to the village to collect their belongings.
30 Aug. 2006,
Burma Army soldiers killed one Ymeberko villager.
5 Sept. 2006
Burma Army soldiers killed Saw Htoo Bur and his son
Saw Baw Bawh in their camp in Shazibo. Burma Army IB 73, camped in Shazibo Village,
went to Ze Phu Go village and its surrounding area and looted the villagers'
houses as they went. They found and captured Saw Htoo Bur along with his wife,
son, daughter and his brother Saw Hser Mu Eh. They then returned to their camp
in Shazibo. They called in two village leaders from Ze Phu Go and Taw Go. They
then released Saw Htoo Bur's wife and brother Saw Hser Mu Eh that evening. Saw
Htoo Bur and his son were not released, and it villagers reported that they
were killed.
Burma Army Southern Command sent 500 prisoners from
Pa La Wah to Kaw Thay Der. Troops from LIB 10 killed 5 of those prisoners. LIB
10 is under Division 66.
Burma Army MOC 16, LIB 55 killed two prisoners in the
Noe Soe area.
Burma Army MOC 16, TOC 3, IB 567 and LIB 240 went to
Saw Thay Der, Saw Wah Der and Ymeberko villages.
5 Oct. 2006
Burma Army LIB 80 and IB 108 under Division 66 and
IB 551 and 35 under MOC 15 began operations along the Kler La--Busakee road.
IB 551 and 35 killed over 40 prisoners.
10 Oct. 2006
600 prisoners were moved by the Burma Army from Toungoo
to Kler La (Bawgalygyi) to Busakee. These prisoners will be used as porters
to support the current offensive against the surrounding Karen villages
1 Nov. 2006
Burma Army troops shot and killed Saw Eh Htoo of Lay
Thi village. Saw Eh Htoo was killed at 2:00 am in a home in Kaw They Der village,
where he had come for work.
3 Nov. 2006
Troops from IB 35, under battalion commander Soe Htoe,
shot two villagers of either Klay Hta or Ha Toe Per village. The shooting occurred
between Klay Hta and Ha Toe Per. Villagers from both villages are now in hiding.
Burma Army lays landmines to terrorize civilians
10 Oct. 2006
Four columns from Burma Army MOC 16, TOC 3, IB 240
and LIB 567 entered the Saw Thay Der area and laid landmines. The KNLA Army
removed 16 landmines from this area that were laid by the Burma Army.
Burma Army destroys and steals villagers' property
4 Oct. 2006
Burma Army MOC 16, LIB 567, came into Zaw Mu Der village
and stole 660,300 Kyat worth of belongings Saw Mya Say.
1 Oct. 2006
Burma Army MOC 16, LIB 567 and IB 240 destroyed three
Saw Thay Der rice paddy fields.
Two columns from LIB 567 looted the belongings of Saw
Nay Htoo (60 years old); 3 rings, 1 necklace, 1 pig (20 vises), 200,000 Kyat,
1 Guitar, and 2 boxes of cloth.
They also stole from Saw Pha Gay (35 years old); 1
pot, 2 plates, 20 spoons, 1 pen, and Saw Hta Kay Nay; 20 baskets of rice.
30 Aug. 2006,
Burma Army MOC 16, LIB 567 entered Po Mu Der village and destroyed 20 baskets
of the villagers' rice.
On 4 August 2006,
Burma Army LIB 4, under Division 66, attacked the Maung Thay Der area and destroyed
the villagers' belongings. The following is a list of the villagers and the
total value of their destroyed belongings.
Saw Hei Klay 100,500 Kyat
Saw Pu Dei Lu 45,000 Kyat
Naw Mu Muhh 150,000 Kyat
Saw Hser Lemer 50,000 Kyat
Saw Asoe Gay 30,000 Kyat
Saw Der Day Kywa 150,000 Kyat
These soldiers also destroyed a church and destroyed
the villagers' food stores of rice paddy.
FORCED LABOR/PORTERING
23 Oct. 2006
Burma Army soldiers forced five villagers from Kaw
Law Ka, nine villagers from K'Ba Law Kee, five villagers from Htee Tha Bu and
three villagers from Ler Gih Ko Der Ka (22 total) to carry food supplies from
Thandaung to Kuh Thay Der camp. This was ordered by Burma Army Division 66,
TOC 662, IB 105 Major Kyaw So.
21 Oct. 2006
Burma Army Division 66, TOC 662, IB 11, under commander
Aung Min forced 12 Beh Kaw Der villagers to carry supplies from Kler La to Maung
Ko Der cam. Commander Maung Maung Aye, based in Kler La camp, forced villagers
to carry food from Kler La to Busakee. Villagers were forced to carry Burma
Army supplies every day.
7 Oct. 2006
Southern Command, LIB 439 commander Kyaw Tun Win forced
8 Shazibo villagers to carry rice to Hti Lo Camp.
2 Oct. 2006
Burma Army Division 66, IB 1 commander Aung Min based
in Maung Ko Der camp forced 35 villagers to carry their food rations for them.
1 Oct. 2006
MOC 16 TOC 3 commander Than Tun Oo forced villagers
to cut 100 bamboo poles and 100 beams of wood for Play Hsa Lo camp.
29 Sept. 2006
MOC 16 LIB 240 and LIB 567 patrolled through the Saw
Thay Der area. MOC 15 LIB 551 patrolled the Tha Htay Kee area, LIB 352 patrolled
the Busakee area.
28 Sept. 2006.
Division 66 TOC 662 Operation Commander Pai Soe Thay,
based in Kler La (Bawgalygyi) forced 50 villagers from the Thandaung area to
move to Kler La.
30 Aug. 2006 Naw Pay Pay and her husband from Zee Pyu
Gong village, were captured by LIB 439 for selling diesel fuel. They were forced
to go with the Burma Army to Shazibo village. They sent Naw Pay Pay and her
husband to Nut Ywa and then to Toungoo Prison.
19 Aug. 2006 Burma Army Southern Command LIB 439 commanded
by Kyaw Htun Win from Shazibo Camp forced 16 villagers to carry food to Hti
Lo Camp.
Division (66) Commander Maung Maung Aye from Kler La
(Bawgalygyi) camp, ordered 12 villages to cut 150 bamboo poles per village to
build up the army camp.
15 Aug. 2006
Burma Army Division 66, LIB 10 at Kaw Thay Der (Ye Tho Gyi) forced 10 villagers
to carry food from Kaw Thay Der (Ye Tho Gyi) to Noe Soe (Mong Di Gyi) camp.
6 Aug. 2006.
MOC 16, TOC 2, IB 241 and Ta Ba Ka Southern Command attempted to capture 700
villagers in Tha Bin Nyut to carry food for the Burma Army soldiers from Play
Hsa Lo camp.
VILLAGE ORDERED TO RELOCATE
3 Aug. 2006 Burma
Army MOC 16, LIB 567 entered Pai Taw Dai village. The villagers fled to their
farms when the Burma Army came. Burma Army troops then demanded that all villagers
move and gave an order that no one was allowed to stay in the village. Many
had to leave their belongings behind when they fled and have been too afraid
to return home for fear of being shot by the Burma Army. The villagers' future
is uncertain, with no security and hardly any resources.
ENDS
The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and
love to internally displaced people inside Burma, regardless of ethnicity
or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human
rights abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under
the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR provides medical, spiritual and educational
resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese military
attacks.