BURMA – Over 1,500 displaced as Burmese Army shoots villagers
17 November 2009 9:16 pm

The Burma Army is currently conducting attacks in Mone Township, Nyaunglebin
District, Karen State. The operation began on 7 October as Burma Army Light
Infantry Battalion (LIB) 599, Infantry Battalion (IB) 73 and IB 39 left Kwee
Di Kaw and Maladaw camps and separated into at least two columns moving east.
As of 9 October almost 1500 villagers had been displaced by the attacks.
(Source: Free Burma Rangers, 30 October 2009)
The Burma Army is currently conducting attacks in Mone Township, Nyaunglebin
District, Karen State. The operation began on 7 October as Burma Army Light
Infantry Battalion (LIB) 599, Infantry Battalion (IB) 73 and IB 39 left Kwee
Di Kaw and Maladaw camps and separated into at least two columns moving east.
As of 9 October almost 1500 villagers had been displaced by the attacks.

On 7 October the Burma Army entered Nya Mu Ki village and shot Pastor Baw Pae,
who was able to escape. On the same day, a different column shot and wounded
Saw Hsaw Oh U, 35, from Kyauk Pya village. On 8 October, the Burma Army attacked
Tanata village, burning down houses, including the house of Saw Poe Thaut Kya
and all his belongings. On 9 and 10 October troops fired mortars on multiple
villages in the Nwa Lay Ko, Giblayta and Saw Poe Ta areas. As the columns have
proceeded thousands of villagers from Kyauk Pya, Nar Hti Ko, Nya Mu Ki, Taw
Poe Hta, Thay Kay Lu, Hti Taw Ki, Nwa Hta, Nwa Lay Ko, Tanata and other villages
have run under threat of attack and are hiding in the jungle. Schools in these
areas have been closed. Food and medicine are scarce and many people, especially
children, are sick. FBR teams also reported on 15 October that many villagers'
farms were being destroyed by wild animals because the villagers are hiding
rather than tending their farms. The Burma Army has also been destroying rice
fields in order to erect temporary huts for shelter.

People living in this area have faced other problems in the preceding months.
On 6 September, LIB 563 forced Saw Tha Blar and Saw Pi Ti from Maladaw village
to go to Htee Mu Hta camp to work without pay. Maladaw villagers were later
forced on 10 September to build three security hits near the village. LIB 501
entered Kwee Di Kaw village and shot villager Saw Maung Pler, age 21, on 23
September. In addition, the Burma Army has been requiring each family in some
villages to send someone to join "Peace Group" militias, or else pay more than
150,000 Kyat. This has been compounded by natural disasters. FBR teams reported
on 3 October that in the Ler Klah, Saw Ka Der and Hti Ler Baw Ta areas of Mone
Township, up to half of the paddy farms in the area were destroyed by rats,
creating a food shortage. Flooding on August 8 also contributed to a food shortage.

To read the complete report, please click here (Free Burma Rangers website).