Women and elders forced to guard gas pipeline

May 28, 2007

HURFOM

Women and people over 50 years of age are being forced to guard the gas pipeline running past villages in Mon State, despite the commitment given by the Burmese military junta to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

One person from each household in Kalawthut, Kawn-ka-bue, Doe-mar, and Set-thawe villages has to undertake patrol duty every month from evening to midnight.

Women and elders are pressed into guard duty more than able bodied men to safeguard the gas pipeline.

“Women do guard duty because villagers are worried about threats to male members of the villages by Burmese troops,” said a Kalawthut villager.

Burmese soldiers stopped guarding the pipeline about two months ago in these villages.

But some villages like Hnee-padaw, Young-doung, and Kwan-hlar do not have to do patrol duty but have to pay the salary for the guards every month.

One household pays Kyat 2,500 per month, a youth from Young-doung village said.

“Villagers in three villages have to pay Burmese soldiers about Kyat eight million (about US $ 6,557) per month.”

Following the agreement with the ILO, Burma now has complaint centres regarding forced labour in Kyat-pyi Pyinmana. The military regime invites complaints relating to forced labour in the court office. But nobody has dared to complain from Mon State.

According to the Mon community, instances of the regime forcing villagers to work and collecting money is decreasing slowly due to pressure from the international community to put an end to forced labour in Burma.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News