{"id":64169,"date":"2007-12-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-06T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freeburmarangers.org\/2007\/12\/06\/burma-army-kills-three-villagers-hundreds-flee-new-attacks\/"},"modified":"2007-12-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-12-06T00:00:00","slug":"burma-army-kills-three-villagers-hundreds-flee-new-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.freeburmarangers.org\/my\/2007\/12\/06\/burma-army-kills-three-villagers-hundreds-flee-new-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Burma Army Kills Three Villagers, Hundreds Flee New Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

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FBR REPORT: Burma Army Kills Three Villagers, Hundreds Flee New Attacks<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Karen State, Burma<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6 December, 2007<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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In the last three weeks, the Burma Army has killed three people and forced hundreds more into hiding in separate attacks across northeastern Karen State. <\/p>\n

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  • Nyaunglebin District, Kyauk Kyi Township: On 15 November, 2007, Saw Ler Gay, 28, was shot and killed near his village of K\u00e2\u0080\u0099dee Mu Der. Hundreds of people fled these attacks into the jungle from more than 12 villages. <\/li>\n
  • Papun District: On 18 November, 2007, Burma Army troops shot and killed Saw Bo Wah, an 18-year old villager from Ta Baw Ko Der.<\/li>\n
  • Nyaunglebin District, Mon Township: On 1 December, 2007, Burma Army troops shot dead Saw Blu Nay Moo, 23 years old, after burning down a farm hut belonging to his father, Saw Htoo K\u00e2\u0080\u0099Bla. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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In This Report<\/a><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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The following is a detailed update from relief teams on the ground in northeastern Karen State, Burma. <\/p>\n

Nyaunglebin District:<\/a><\/h2>\n

Kyauk Kyi Township: One villager killed, villagers flee, farm huts burned, food and other belongings destroyed<\/a><\/h3>\n

On 15 November, Saw Ler Gay, 28, was shot and killed by Burma Army soldiers near his village of K\u00e2\u0080\u0099dee Mu Der. Hundreds of people fled these attacks into the jungle from more than 12 villages. The activity began on the first of November, when LIBs 218 and 219 under Div. 11 launched a series of attacks into Kwi Lah and Keh Der village tracts of Kyauk Kyi Township.<\/p>\n

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Girl from K\u00e2\u0080\u0099dee Mu Der fleeing attacks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Mother with baby and load from Tee Nya Dee Lay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
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Villagers eating while hiding in the jungle from Burma Army attacks (click on image to see higher resolution version)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

Attacking from their camp at Rokasoe, Burma Army troops followed the Shwegyin River north, moving through Keh Der village tract and searching for villagers and food stores along the way, and finally arriving at K\u00e2\u0080\u0099baw Htu camp. After re-supplying with food, the troops came back through Kwi Lah village tract on their way back toward Rokasoe. <\/p>\n

On 12 November, as part of their strategy to make life impossible for villagers in this area, the attacking troops burned down two storage barns belonging to local villagers. More than 37 sacks of paddy rice, along with salt, cardamom, clothes, medicine, pots and pans, and other valuable belongings were either stolen or destroyed by the troops. <\/p>\n

On 19 November, 2007, the Burma Army attacked Paw Ler Ko village; the villagers were forced to run away. One villager, 65-year-old Naw Ywa Htoo*, was shot at, chased into the jungle, and then was lost for two days without food. She was found by another villager, sick and malnourished, and taken to Hti Nya Li Day where she was taken care of by KNU medics. She told the team in the interview that the Burma army soldiers came very close to her and shot at her.<\/p>\n

These are the villager\u00e2\u0080\u0099s details:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name<\/td>\nNaw Ywa Htoo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Age<\/td>\n65years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Father<\/td>\nSaw Maung Thay<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Religion<\/td>\nAnimist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nation<\/td>\nKaren<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Occupation<\/td>\nfarmer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Place<\/td>\nPaw Ler Ko village<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

*We reported Naw Nya Htoo as one of two villagers shot and killed during the Burma Army\u00e2\u0080\u0099s attacks in November. Naw Nya Htoo was not killed, however two people were killed, one being Saw Ler Gay and the other being a local Karen resistance soldier.<\/i><\/p>\n

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This map shows the current Burma Army units operating in northern Karen State as of early December 2007. There are currently at least 13 division-size units active in this area. There were 9 active division-size units at the height of the offensive in 2006, when more than 25,000 villagers were displaced by Burma Army attacks. <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

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Mon Township: One villager killed in attacks, villagers flee, forced labor and extortion, new Burma Army camp<\/a><\/h3>\n

On December 1, 2007, Burma Army troops shot dead Saw Blu Nay Moo, 23 years old, after burning down a farm hut belonging to his father, Saw Htoo K\u00e2\u0080\u0099Bla. <\/p>\n

LIB 377, with 180 men, began their attack from Kwee Di Kaw camp at 7:30 a.m., attacking Baw Gaw Kwee in Kwee Di Kaw village tract. They mortared several villages in the area and occupied Mawlu and Parbiso. From these positions there are daily clashes with the KNLA and the villages in the area have had to go into hiding and close their schools. These villages are Kyauk Pya, Tanata, Nyamuki, and Lawday. <\/p>\n

Also on December 1, BA LIB 450, with 200 men, left Hti La Baw camp for Lodaw. They mortared the villages in the area and villagers from Thay Kay Lu, Nwa Hta, and Kaw Bi Lay Ko were forced into hiding, where they are suffering from a food shortage and health problems.<\/p>\n

On 11 November, 2007, LIB 599 demanded 500,000 kyats per village from Nyaung Bin Tha, Mon, and Aw Law Si villages. These funds are being extorted in order to raise additional funds for Burma Army military operations. Villagers close to the Burma Army camp at Aw Law Si are also being forced to provide the Burma Army with animals for food twice a day (or to find the Burma Army\u00e2\u0080\u0099s animals, and feed them for the Burma Army). <\/p>\n

LIB 599 commander Tin Bo Aung also regularly demands food for his troops and animals. The extorted goods are often worth more than 21,000 Kyats each time they are demanded.<\/p>\n

Aung Neing, a sergeant in LIB 599, is now forcing villagers to pay for the treatment of a landmine injury he sustained five years ago. <\/p>\n

On 13 Nov. 2007, LIB 439 demanded that villagers from Ta Kaw Pwa and Ko Mi villages who grow crops during the winter must pay them 5,000 kyats per person. Troops from this same battalion demanded an additional 3,500 kyats per person while patrolling at a later time. Villagers from this area are also now being forced to provide labor twice a week to build the Burma Army\u00e2\u0080\u0099s camp at Maw Lay.<\/p>\n

The Burma Army has begun the construction of a new camp at Hti Day Mu Kwi and Lay Saw. There are now 200 soldiers at the site of the new camp. Construction of the camp began on 23 November.<\/p>\n

On the same day LIB 276 from MOC 21 replaced the battalion from MOC 9 stationed at Ma La Daw camp. The next day, troops from LIB 379 returned to their camp at Tha Pyi Nyut.<\/p>\n

Shwegyin Township<\/a><\/h3>\n

On 21 November, 2007, Division 77 arrived at Shwegyin. They are expected to replace Division 11. Along with them came 250 porters, 18 horses, 50 goats, 2 bulldozers and a 105 mm gun.<\/p>\n

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Papun District: Villager killed, child blinded, farm hut burned and paddy destroyed, while other farms are abandoned<\/a><\/h2>\n

On November 18, 2007, Burma Army troops shot and killed Saw Bo Wah, an 18-year old villager from Ta Baw Ko Der. Three days later, on 21 November, the same troops burned down the paddy barn of villager Saw Wah Der, including 45 sacks of paddy. The troops had begun their attack in this area on November 17, at Pae Le Lo. Saw Wah Der is from Hti Moo Ki village. <\/p>\n

On 28 November, MOC 16 from Wa Klay Tu arrived at Paw Ta Ka Day, forcing villagers to abandon 36 mountain paddy farms: 17 from Hti Baw Ki, 12 from Kyaw Gaw Lu, 3 from Htoo Pu Lu, and 4 from Hti Moo La. <\/p>\n

On 19 November, 13-year-old Saw K\u00e2\u0080\u0099Tray Soe stepped on a landmine while gathering bamboo soot leaves to make a roof for his family\u00e2\u0080\u0099s house; the mine blew up in his face, destroying his eyes and injuring him in the throat. He is from Lay Kee village. The mine was laid by the SPDC two months ago during their activity in Ta Ler Ker Ko and Kaw Daw Ko areas. <\/p>\n

Burma Army units stationed in northern Papun District, Karen State, Eastern Burma. <\/p>\n