Local residents were forced to provide timber to army brick factory

March 7, 2007

HURFOM

Since the first week of January 2007, Local inhabitants from Khaw-za Sub Township, Mon state, southern Burma are being forced by the Burmese Army to provide timber/woods for a local military?s brick factory.

The commander, Major Kyaw Zay Ya who was locally known as Bo Ba Lay of Infantry Battalion No. 31 directed township people to arrange for timber for the brick factory at the end of last year.

Now local people are collecting wood for the factory which makes bricks as part of the many business ventures that the army runs.

?We know that this brick factory is owned by Bo Ba Lay, the commander of IB 31. He and his troops ordered all villagers to collect woods to use as fuel in his brick factory. We have no chance to work our own works. All villagers have to go to the forest nearby and cut the small trees to complete their duty. He warned that if someone failed to do their duty, he or she would punish in the battalion? reported by Nai Yaung, 38 years old farmer, who have to collect woods from Khaw-Zar Sub town, Southern Part of Ye township.

According to Mi San Yin from Yin-Yae village, the former village headmen U Sein Yin was involved in making business with the Army and he ordered to the villagers of Yin-Yae village that each four households must provide four feet square length of wood in the whole village. The timber or woods has to be placed beside the main road of the area for easy transportation, said a source.

?Army officers are now carrying the wood to the factory in Khaw Zar town. The factory has already produced 10,000 bricks,? said an anonymous village administrative staff.

The deputy commander, Major Kyaw Zay Ya has ordered four villages in the area to collect the same amount of wood for his personal brick factory in Yin-Yae village. The villages are, Yin-Yae, Singu, Toe Thet Ywa Thit and Tae Khun (Sai Khun). The villages have a total of 1,000 households.

Major Kyaw Zay Ya seized a 1.5 acre farmland from Nai Tun Gyi and Mi Mae to operate his factory and is forcing 15 villagers to work in his factory every day, said a Yin-Yae villager.

There are more battalions in Ye township Mon State who operate brick factories as part of the army?s business. The current price of a brick is Kyat 50 Kyat.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News