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Three-Year-Old Girl Abused and Threatened by Step-Mother

WCRP: Three-year-old Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyo was abused and threatened by her step-mother while living in Chaung Zone, Three Pagodas Pass. The Boarder Health Initiative (BHI) was in Chaung Zone with a mobile clinic when they brought the child to a safe house located in the New Mon State Party-controlled area of Palaing Japan on July 15th.

“I don’t want to take care of this child, but because of my husband, I have to take care [of her]. I want to give this child to other people who want to adopt [her], but her parents died of HIV virus, and no one dare to adopt her due to [worries that the] child may have HIV,” said the child’s step-mother, Daw Sout.
According to a neighbor, “the girl lived with her step-mother in Chaung Zone, Three Pagodas Pass, and she was abused and threatened by her step-mother. [The] step-mother did not provide [enough] food. [The child’s] mother died a year ago with HIV virus, and her father sold vegetables for their livelihood and took care of her. Unfortunately, six months later, her father also died with HIV virus and she [Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyp] had to live with her step-mother.”

When the child arrived at the safe house, she was severely malnourished and did not talk. According to the neighbor, the girl was too afraid of her step-mother, and does not talk.

When Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyo first arrived at the safe house, she showed clear signs of trauma.

According to a staff member from the safe house, “[Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyo] arrived [to] our safe house in the evening. She was crying too much, and did not eat food, did not speak, did not want to live with the people. It showed on her face, she was always scared [of] something. Then she stopped crying in the morning around 4am. After she [was here] three days, she start[ed] talking a bit. Before, we thought that she couldn’t speak, but she can speak both Mon and Burmese languages. We didn’t want her to feel lonely, and [played a] cartoon movie for her, but when she saw the light on the TV she felt scared and was crying. I thought that her step-mother showed something to her on the TV and scared her. But now, she is talking to the other people in the safe house and she also has [a] friend here,” said a staff member from the safe house. Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyo now joins the nursery school located near the safe house.

Three months ago the girl’s step-mother went to a hospital on the Thai-Burma border, on Thai side, to check for HIV, but was not able to have blood drawn due to malnutrition. Doctors advised the step-mother to return for testing in six months.

A child whose mother is HIV positive cannot be tested for HIV until he or she reached 9-18 months; according to staff from the safe house, they will bring Ma Ya Ta Nar Phyo to the hospital in October to receive HIV testing.

Burmese Navy’s land grabbing leaves Kywe Tone Nyi Ma’s residents in livelihood hardship

Yebyu

August 13, 2014

In October, 2008, No. 43 Maw Ra Wadi Navy which is based near Kywe Tone Nyi Ma Village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division seized 200-acre land of 30 local farmers by labeling the plantation with red and white small billboards which described the land belonged to the army, according to a local source.

A 66-year-old Kywe Tone Nyi Ma resident, Nai Kyaw Soe (aka) Nai Pyar said, “Since before 2009, in October, 2008, Senior Sergeant Myo Min Oo from No. 43 Government Navy Unit came to our plantation and labeled the land with red and white small billboard. The 200-acre land of 30 plantation owners was labeled (and seized by the Navy unit).” Read more

Corruption and Bribery Continues in Thanbyuzayat Township

Nai Nay Lin Tun, electrical power engineer from Thanbyuzayat Township, has been accused of corruption and bribery, according to the local electrical community. Although the Thanbyuzayat Township community received permission to have their own electricity in their village, Nai Nay Lin Tun allegedly banned the community from buying electrical materials, as he wanted to purchase the materials himself in order to inflate the price and sell electricity to the villagers. Read more

Unknown Karen Armed Group Repeatedly Arrest and Extort Mon Farmers

Thanbyuzayat

August 11, 2014

On August 1, 2014, an unknown Karen armed group arrested three Mon plantation owners from Wae Rat Village in Ye Ta Gon Region, Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State. The unknown group accused the Mon plantation owners of farming on Karen land, and proceeded to intimidate and extort the farmers by demanding 50,000 kyat per acre of land each farmer possesses. Read more

Plantations Destroyed by Ye-Tavoy Motor Road Reconstruction, Company and Authorities Show Little Regard

As reconstruction continues for the extension and straightening of the Ye-Tavoy motor road in Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Region, plantations lying along the motor road have been destroyed. Despite their actions, company and construction groups involved in the project refuse to accept responsibility in solving the problem, or provide compensation to affected land owners.

In 2014, an unidentified company began reconstruction of the Ye-Tavoy motor road, and in doing so destroyed plantations lying along the road. Each plantation affected on each side of the road lost about one acre of land and three lines of rubber plants. Read more

Kaw Hline Resident Abandoned by Military, Resulting in Arrest and Land Seizure

A resident of Kaw Hline Village, Yebyu Township, Tenasserim Division, was unfairly detained by the Yebyu Township Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry (MECF) on charges of illegal wood-cutting, despite the fact that the victim had been ordered to cut the wood by Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 282. LIB 282 failed to take responsibility for protecting the victim.

In March 2014, Second Commander Captain Ye Thu Aung, from Yebyu Township-based LIB No. 282, ordered Nai Ohn Lwin, 40, to cut wood for army base construction. After fulfilling his duties to the army battalion by cutting the wood, Nai Ohn Lwn was arrested on charges of illegal wood-cutting, and his property was seized by MECF. Due to this incident, Nai Ohn Lwn was forced to flee his village. Read more