New Mon insurgent group—Rahmonnya—threatens Brigade No. 3 village near Three Pagodas Town

June 11, 2009

HURFOM: On June 3rd, two elderly headmen from Brigade No.3 village were kidnapped. The new Mon insurgent group Rahmonnya claimed responsibility for the act.

Rahmonnya asked for 100,000 baht before releasing the headmen, villagers reported. The headmen gave 50,000, but the rest is being extracted from the villagers themselves.

Sources told HURFOM that most local villagers already live hand-to-mouth, relying on the forest to collect and sell materials for brooms in the hot season and foraging for vegetables, bamboo, or other forest products during the rainy season.

Some villagers grow vegetables in gardens or plantations, most of which are on the outskirts of the village or at the base of a nearby mountain, where they are scared to go. Some have already cleared the land for rice, rubber and vegetable cultivation, but will have to leave it.

“I am a day worker, now I have to stop working on bamboo, because no one dares to go outside of the village,” said a male villager, 35. “If the situation continues like this, I will move to another place to find work.”

Brigade No.3 village was founded by the New Mon State Party (NMSP) in 2006 and has about 50 households; most of the villagers moved from Khalocknee, a Mon resettlement camp, and other parts of Mon and Karen State. It is under the joint control of the NMSP and the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

According to one villager, the NMSP has increased patrols in the area in response to recent insurgent activities, but it doesn’t help the villagers themselves. “Rebel, NMSP and SPDC are the same boat. We don’t know which group we can rely on. The NMSP wants to show their power but the rebel groups also show their power. We villagers are in a dangerous situation.”

The headmen of the village have also begun to help the Rehmonnya in taxing each household 2,000 baht annually, recounts a villager who attended the latest headmen meeting. There the headmen quoted the insurgent group’s statement to the attendees: “Villagers who don’t want to give the annual payment, write down their name and give it to us. We will come and we will collect it ourselves.”

Villagers told HURFOM that those who cannot afford the increased taxation have had to borrow money from relatives or take out high-interest loans.

Other residents of Brigade Village No. 3 have decided to relocate to the Three Pagodas Town where they believe it is safer, though some have no place to go yet. Some are still trying to sell their homes, gardens and plantations.

“I was afraid of this kind of activity in my home town,” said a female villager, 60. “I had to leave everything in my home town and moved to find peace. But it still happens in this area. I have no idea where I should go and live now.”

Added a male villager, 30, “I am so afraid of the rebel group. If they kidnap me they will demand money. Where can I get the money, because my income is not enough…better to leave the village.”

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News