News
Internal Displacement in Eastern Burma
August 2006 Update
Over 5,000 civilians from 22 villages targeted as combatants by SPDC military operations in Papun Township, Karen State.
Further to last month’s KORD report, the Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People reports that a further 22 villages were targeted by SPDC military operations in Papun township of Karen state between April and June 2006. (KNU recognize this area as Hsaw Mu Plaw, Naw Yo Hta, Ler Mu Plaw and Kay Pu village tracts in Lu Thaw township of Mu Traw District). Over 5,000 civilians are spread between these villages, which are located north of the Kyaukgyi-Saw Hta car road, beside Yunzalin river and east of the Pegu Division. Villagers in this area usually hide in surrounding forests when SPDC patrols approach.
 After previous SPDC operations in this area between 1996 and 2002, people in lower elevations integrated to Naw Yo Hta and Kay Pu. However, as SPDC troops had not patrolled this area for a few years, some villagers had repopulated their former villages by the beginning of 2006. Most villagers are cultivating upland plots for swidden rice-farming while a few people own lowland, irrigated paddy fields.
However, under the coordination of SPDC Operational Command Headquarters (OCH) #10, Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 361, 362, 363 and 364 were deployed to patrol these village tracts starting from 17 April until 15 June. The apparent intention was to clear the area of civilians, and hence cut the armed political opposition off from their constituency.
More than 100 houses were burnt and livestock left in the villages such as buffalos, goats, chickens, ducks and pigs were confiscated. Over 400 paddy barns storing approximately 34,000 baskets of paddy were abandoned by villagers fleeing these patrols. 8 lowland and 178 upland paddy fields which can produce 35,000 baskets were subsequently destroyed. This is equivalent to the loss of rice supplies for these civilians for over seven months.
Conflict-Induced Displacement of 360 civilians in 4 hiding sites of Bokpyin township, Tenasserim Division.
The Committee for Internally Displaced Karen People reports that civilians from 4 hiding sites in Bokpyin township who were attacked by SPDC troops in April and May have begun arriving at the Thailand border near Chumphun province. (KNU refers to the area where the villagers were previously hiding as Narkapraw Special Region).
These villagers had been hiding near the KNLA’s Special Battalion 203 headquarters for the past few years. Although the civilians stayed in separate locations from KNLA, the proximity has resulted in SPDC patrols regularly conducting search and destroy operations during the past few years. Specifically, 4 villagers have been summarily killed and civilian housing and food supplies burnt during SPDC patrols conducted in September 2004, March 2005, June 2005 and November 2005.
Most recently in April and May 2006, at the time for preparing hillside plots for swidden cultivation, SPDC’s Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 555, 560, 559, and 342 deployed patrols into the area meaning villagers did not dare to work on their paddy fields. Some villagers could cut and burn their plots but not plant paddy seeds. Others were able to sow their seeds, only for crops to be damaged by wild animals during their time in hiding.
Over 1,000 landmines have reportedly been laid by SPDC troops near farming plots during the recent patrols. This is apparently to frighten villagers away from returning to salvage their crops. Indeed, a farmer who attempted to continue working on his fields was killed by a landmine on April 10.
Plague of rats destroys rice crops for 7 internally displaced hiding sites in Hlaing Bwe township of Karen State.
The Karen Office of Relief and Development reports that this year’s rice crop for over 1,700 people spread across 7 villages in Paan township have been destroyed by a plague of rats. These villages are located at the northern end of the Dawna Range within a few hours walk of the Thailand border adjacent to Tak province. KNU has administrative control in this area, and these villages have not been targeted by SPDC or DKBA operations for 2 years.
From the beginning of May until the middle of July, a plague of rats destroyed newly cultivated paddy crops in this area. 192 paddy fields were completely destroyed, while the remaining 49 paddy fields in these 7 villages were partly eaten but not completely. After losing their first crop, some villagers replanted another crops of seeds only to see that crop lost as well. An undocumented number of rice stores were also reportedly destroyed.
Rats also damaged rice harvests during 2004 and 2005, but not to the extent of this year. It is speculated that this may be due to increased population density, and hence a greater concentration of rice fields, in these relatively secure areas under KNU administration. The local KNU authorities distributed rat poison in June 2006, but the amount was not sufficient to significantly halt the destruction.
The villagers lack of food security has been exacerbated by a smaller than usual dog fruit crop. Villagers have had to depend more on the collection and sale of bamboo shoots and charcoal to Thai traders in order to buy rice.
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