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Tax increase at SPDC checkpoint on Zami River, financial burden for travelers and merchants

Kawkareik District: Passengers and merchants traveling along the Zami River have told HURFOM’s field reporter that soldiers from Burmese army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 403, are arbitrarily increasing travel taxes at their checkpoint along the eastern bank of the Zami river at Phaya Ngote Toe village, Three Pagoda Pass (TPP). Travelers report the additional tax is damaging financial burden, as travel along the river requires 70% of the travel cost to be spend on checkpoint taxes.

LIB No. 403 operates under Military Operations Management Command (MOMC) or “SaKaKha” No.8, as a support battalion away from the State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC) front line conflicts. Its checkpoint at Phaya Gnote Toe can be reached directly by riverboat from TPP, which continues on to Kyarinnseikyi Township, Karen State. Read more

Fleeing Prying Eyes; A Mothers Search for Safety

WCRP: Mi Cho*, a 40-year-old Mon woman, was born, married and gave birth to her six children in Alaesakhan village, Yebu Township, Tenasserim Division, southern Burma, however, because of increased instability throughout Mon state, she was forced to migrate to an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) area near the border of Thailand. Read more

USDA election party membership fee causes frustration amongst members

Mon State: Township Union Solidarity and Development Associations (USDA) in Mon State have begun charging members a membership fee for raising party funds now that the USDA has reformed as a political party and can no longer officially receive state funding. Read more

Unusual government financial support prompts suspicions amongst residents of effort to buy pro-government vote

Mon State: Community members reported to HURFOM that on May 29th and June 1st poor parents who have problems enrolling their children in the local school for this academic year can inform local authorities in Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) town and seek support. Additionally the Burmese authorities arranged to hold an enrollment ceremony that was led by the Township and Burmese military high-ranking officials on June 1st.  Read more

Gas Pipeline ruptures near Kwan Hlar: residents fear consequences

Mudon: On May 30th, a rupture occurred in the Kanbauk to Myingkalay Gas pipeline late in the evening. Residents, who reported that the ruptured pipe continued to spew gas, making a loud noise, said that people suffering from the smell of the gas. Read more

2010 Elections with Non-Politicians Candidates

Burma’s long-standing problems can be traced to its genuine political clashes  between the country’s military rulers and its democratic opposition parties, and these same military rulers and the country’s ethnic minority .  However, the military regime, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) does not want to solve Burma’s political problems, but instead wishes to continue maintaining its power in the upcoming 2010 elections. Read more

Like water poured in the sand: Southeastern Burma in a post-ceasefire world

Introduction:

On April 22^nd, 2010 the New Mon State Party publicly announced its final refusal of the State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC) Border Guard Force (BGF) proposal.  The refusal was issued despite widespread reports that Southeast Command Major General Ye Myint had informed the party at an April 7^th meeting that such a move would lead to a return of the NMSP’s “pre-ceasefire relationship” with the SPDC[1]. Read more

Women’s Rights Study on Mon Women’s Day

Introduction

On February 24th, 2010, Mon nationals from various areas in Thailand and southern Burma celebrated the 6^th anniversary of Mon Women’s Day (MWD). Celebrations took place in Baleh-Donephai, an Internally Displaced Person’s (IDP) resettlement site in southern Burma. During the celebration WCRP conducted a cross-sectional qualitative survey about: domestic violence, economic despair, livelihoods and the role of women in the family. Read more

Forced portering rumors spread fear and stymie economies in southern Mon State

HURFOM,Southern Mon State: Young men between the ages of 18 and 40 from southern Mon state have informed HURFOM’s field reporters that they have significantly curtailed their movements within the area, in response to rumors that young men from the region are being arrested and forced into portering services by locally-based military battalions. Supposedly, porters are being arrested as part of a new Burmese government-spearheaded launch of military offensive against ethnic ceasefire groups. Read more

SPDC township authorities arrest and extort fees from residents not included in family lists

Moulmein: According to HURFOM field researcher, since May 5^th, 2010, joint forces of State Peace and Develop Council (SPDC) included members of Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC), Police forces, People’ militia, Immigration and Military Intelligence have been cracking down on residents and family members whose names have not been listed on their families’ lists in Moulmein Township, Mon State. Residents claimed that some family members have been arrested and had fines extorted as punishment for failing to present their names on the families’ list. Read more

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