Ongoing forced labor usage on SPDC?s development projects in Southern Mon State

March 14, 2007

HURFOM,Khaw-Zar Sub Township, Southern Ye Township

Since the end of January, 2007, the local residents from Khaw-Zar Sub Township, Mon State have been forced to work as unpaid laborers on bridge constructions along the Ye-Tavoy motor road by SPDC?s Infantry Battalion No. 31 based near Khaw-Zar Sub Town. With the cooperation of the local Township?s administration groups, the commander of the local Infantry Battalion coordinated two groups of unpaid laborers and demanded each group be made up of 15 people that must include some local carpenters from the villages under the Khaw-Zar Sub Township.

Nai Dot (not real name), a 45 year old Yin-ye villager who has already been forced into the bridge construction work three times previously, reported that in the third week of January, 2007, Lieutenant Colonel Kyaw Myint and his troops from the Southeast Command based in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State called a meeting with villagers from Yin-Yae and Toe Tat Ywa Thit at Yin-Yae village hall to participate in the government development projects. Later on, the local army officer from IB 31 and Khaw Zar Sub Township?s peace and development committee?s chairman U Kyaw Moe demanded the villagers work on building bridges and roads and that they support themselves while they did so.

?It is very difficult situation for me to survive as a carpenter in this village. They (the local authorities) need me to work in their bridge construction project. But I have my private work to do for my family to survive. How can I refuse their order? So I decided to hire another man who go and work instead of me at a cost of kyat 5,000 per day. I have to pay for 15 days to complete my obligation. If people don?t participate in the bridge construction work, they have to contribute cement for the bridge. So people are afraid of such punishment,? claimed an unnamed carpenter from Yin-Yae village, Southern Ye Township, Mon State.

Hla Maung, a 35 year old Yin-Yae villager said ?They (local military unit) gave us only 20 cement bags per bridge. They ordered us to repair two bridges in southern and northern Toe Tat Ywa Thit village. The length of each bridge is about 20 yards. Both wooden bridges are very old and about to collapse?. He said the local administration collected money to the tune of about Kyat 15,000 from each house in Toe Thet Ywar Thit, and also collected between Kyat 2,000- 8,000 per house in Yin-Yae village. Toe Tat Ywa Thit has over 200 households and Yin-ye about 400.

According to the Yin-Yae villager, about 140 villagers including 80 from Yin-Yae and 60 from Toe Tat Ywa Thit village, have being forced to build a bridge in northern and southern Toe Tat Ywa Thit village since the first week of February, 2007. The local authorities also collected sand, stones, rock, and concrete for the bridge construction along Ye-Tavoy motor road.

My village has four quarters. Three quarters had to procure three huge poles for the bridge and the fourth quarter had to collect construction material such as sand, stones, cements and wood for the bridges construction,? reported one forced labor victim, Hla Maung from Yin-Yae village.

According to a source closed to the Township?s administration group, the bridge construction projects were ordered by the State?s Military Operational Management Command, based in Moulmein in order to upgrade the Ye-Tavoy military transportation routes. The bridges and roads are SPDC projects that are alleged to bring about equitable development nationwide and ensure national unity.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News