Development Project Employed 140 villagers in Forced Labor

February 13, 2007

HURFOM

140 local Mon Villagers from Ye township were ordered by local army officers to build two bridges for the development project in the area.

The army officers of LIB (31) forced civilians from two villages, Yin-ye and Toe Thet Ywar Thit, Khaw-zar sub-Township to construct two bridges in southern and northern Toe Thet Ywar Thit village. The construction started on February 2, 2007.

The Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Myint, Southeast Command, based in Mawlamyine, called a meeting for the two villages, Yin-ye and Toe Thet Ywar Thit to discuss the building of the bridges in the last week of January.

?The local military unit gave us only 20 cement bags per bridge. They ordered us to construct two bridges in southern and northern Toe Thet Ywar Thit village,? said a Yin-ye villager who has been forced into bridge construction work for the third time.

The local military administration demanded money from villagers working on the bridge constructions. Each house was forced to pay 15,000 kyat in Yin-ye village. In Thet Ywar Thit, villagers were forced to pay between 2000 and 8000 kyat. Toe Thet Ywar Thit has over 200 households and Yin-ye about 400.

People have to bring to bring their own food and any tools they need for building the bridges. Furthermore, the workers contribute labour without getting pay from the military?s Southeast Command, the villager added.

There are four quarters in Ye-yin village. Three villages were forced to build three pillars of the bridges and another was forced to collect materials to mix with cement, such as sand, stones, rock, and concrete.

People who refuse to contribute their labour to the bridge construction, were forced to pay for the cement to be used on the bridge as punishment.

The military government implemented their project in local villages in Southern Ye, using forced labor. People were forced to work for three weeks in a month. Some people don?t have enough food to support their family because they have to go the government development project, depriving them of the time that they would normally work their own farms and orchards. Many people from the areas escaped to Thai-Burma border areas, living in IDP (Internal Displaced Persons) camps.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News