Villages in Kyaikmayaw Township forced to contribute money towards castor bean mill

October 20, 2009

HURFOM, Kyaikmayaw: According to a HURFOM field reporter, the Kyaikmayaw Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) has commanded that 9 villages in Kyaikmayaw Township, Mon State, each contribute 500,000 kyat towards the purchase of a castor bean grinder and the construction of a castor bean mill, to be set up in the area as the next step in the Burmese government’s nascent biodiesel production project.

In 2005, the military junta forced residents throughout Mon State to incorporate castor bean plants into their rice farms, rubber plantations, and even into their private gardens and front fences; at the time, the Burmese government announced that the castor oil collected from the beans would be used to create biodiesel, but the bean harvests have never been collected from the residents of Mon State. The recent announcement of the construction of a castor bean mill is the first instance of government interest in the biodiesel project to be shown for 4 years.

HURFOM’s field reporter claims that On October 15th, the Kyaikmayaw TPDC commanded the 9 villages’ headmen to commence collecting the funds necessary for building a castor bean mill in the area. The official TPDC-issued letter ordered each of the villages listed to contribute a minimum of 500,000 kyat towards the mill’s creation. The villages ordered to contribute funds are: Kawpalaing, Kawthat, Thangalaung, Taranar, Thamathat, Kyungone, Kawkhanane, Annhlar and Kawswe.

A Kawpalaing villager named Nai Minn Aung said, “The local General Administration Department [GAD], which is still under the control of the TPDC, commanded the Village Peace and Development Council [VPDC]’s chairman to collect 500,000 from our village. The GAD clamed that the money they’re collecting is just for buying the castor bean powdering machine and other stuff that they need to buy for the project. In our village, the village headman has already collected 100,000 kyat, it is that estimated every household has paid 2,000 to 3,000 kyat.”

HURFOM’s reporter documented the amount of money that each village has already contributed to the project: Kawpalaing 100,000 kyat, Kawthat 200,000 kyat, Thangalaung 100,000 kyat, Taranar 300,000 kyat, Kyungone 50,000 kyat, Kawkhanane 20,000 kyat, Annhlar 30,000 kyat, Kawswe 50,000 kyat, and Thamathat 150,000 kyat.

A source close to the Kyaikmayaw TPDC claimed that the castor bean mill will be set up in Tarana village.

An area resident who also works closely with the Kyaikmayaw TPDC said, “The extortion money will be used in the setup of the castor bean grinder machine in the area. As I heard it, they will build it in Taranar village.

Taranar is quite a big village in the area, and has a huge amount of acres of castor beans that the government forced the village to plant. The Township General Administration Department’s General Secretary directly commanded the 9 villages’ chairmen to collect the money. The statement set up the due date on November 10, for the money. If a village can’t afford the money, they [the TPDC] said they would make trouble.”

According to HURFOM’s reporter, village headmen have already started collecting funds from their villages, even though the punishment for refusing to contribute to the mill’s construction has not been explicitly stated.

Nai Khun Nai, a 35-year- old resident of Kawpalaing village said, “Our village have about 150 households, and each household has paid 2,000 to 3,000 kyat minimum. Most of villagers are jobless. They have to rely on their sons or daughters who are working in Thailand. They also have to consider the local taxes to be paid every month.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News