The Burma Army has displaced 4,781 Karen people in the Shwygn/Hsaw Htee are of Naunglybin District, Karen State. 19,425 baskets of paddy rice have been burned. The Burma Army is continuing its attacks in this area and there are now 6 Burma Army battalions in this operation.

LIB20 Commanded by Kyaw Kyaw, is located at  N 18 03 00  E 097 01 00 and is continuing its burning of farms, homes and barns.
LIB 264 Commanded by Tin Maung Shwey is located at  N 18 00 03  E 097  01 01 and is patrolling the area searching for any remaining rice or homes to destroy. IB 57 is located at   N 18 02 10   E 097 02 7.2 and is in support of the two main attacking battalions.
LIB 350 is also in a supporting position for these attacks (in the immediate area, but exact location unknown). LIB 28 is moving supplies for the attacking battalions and LIB 589 is the reserve battalion for this operation.

4,781 Karen IDPs are still in hiding in the jungle in this area and cannot move during the daytime. Their homes, barns, crops and 19,425 baskets of paddy rice have been destroyed.

Paddy Rice Destroyed:

*19,425 baskets is 388,000 kilos of paddy rice or 853,600 pounds of paddy rice. Each basket of paddy rice is 20 kilos, equal to two tins of paddy rice, each tin holding 10 kilos of paddy rice. (Note: 1 tin of Paddy rice can be between 8-11 kilos. 10 kilos is used for this report. 10 kilos x 2 = 20 kilos per basket).

The rice that was burned was paddy rice. Paddy rice is rice that has been cut, harvested, winnowed and gathered in the rice fields or into barns. It is still in its husk. It is then put into baskets and carried to a barn to be pounded in order to separate the rice grain from the husk. Paddy rice is pounded and the grain separated from the husk by a hand pounder, foot pounder, or taken to a mill and milled by machine. In the area attacked, the rice is be milled by each family, by hand and by foot pounder. (Milled rice is 16.6 kilos to a tin and thus 33.2 kilos or 70 lbs to a basket. There are three tins of milled rice per sack. A sack of milled rice is 50 kilos or about 100 lbs. When converted from paddy rice to milled rice, the amount burned would be between 144,000 kilos and 200,000 kilos of milled rice, or between 2880 and 4,000 sacks (each in 50 kilo sacks).

The immediate needs of the IDPs are: security, rice, blankets, cooking pots and medicine.

Burning rice barn

Burned home

IDPs in hiding after attacks

ENDS