GRAPE VINE
Means of SPDC Military transportation is Forced Portering
Source : BurmaNet
An interview with an escaped porter from Burma army's troops.
Interview date: 25.06.00Note:
There are at least 25 battalions of SPDC's troop assigned for the frontline areas in Tenasserim River region in Tenasserim Division. During and after the SPDC's troop occupied this area in 1997, the only military transportation was forced local villagers for their transportation needs. Villagers were regularly forced to carry military food and other supplies to those frontlime camps. In addition, they were forced as porter for military operations. Being a porter for military operation is danger than being military regular porter. There are three major military camps, where the villagers were forced to transport the military supplies. Those are Htee Hta camp, Katawnni camp and Aungthawara camp.
Name: Ko Than Shwe
Sex: Male
Age: 30 Yr.
Father's name: U Chit Tin, Daw Ohn Shwe
Ethnicity: Burmese
Religion: Buddhist
Occupation: Farmer
Address: Chaung Wa Byin village, Thayetchaung township, Tavoy District, Tenasserim Division
I and three other villagers from my village have started to serve as in term (regular) porter on May 3, 2000. We along with other villagers from neighboring villages were sent to the Light Infantry Battalion 404 base in Thechaung Gyi village. There, more than two hundreds porters already arrived at that military camp. On May 4, we more than two hundred porters were forced to carry military food supplies from Thecahung Gyi to the east of Thayetchaung township to Katawnni village where the Operation Commending HQ No.9 based.
Only the porters are on the travel and no soldiers guarding us. When we left, the SPDC authorities have given us the list of the supplies we have to carry. When we arrived to the destination camp, the SPDC soldiers inspect the load and the list. If the list do not fix with the load the porters will be facing action. The SPDC soldiers punished them by kicking, beating, and punching. In addition, when they arrived back to their village they have to pay for compensation in double for the lost.
Therefore, there is no easy ways being a porter. We have to carry our own food while serving as porter. Some villagers have their own food to carry with but some who earn their living in difficulties could not. They were not allowed to take any bit of the military food they are carrying. Therefore, some poor villagers who could not carried their own food; have taken a small amount of military food to eat on the way. Those who done this did faced the SPDC's official punishment. Sometimes it happened often that the SPDC patrolling troops took away some food they want from the porter or the KNU troops confiscated or destroyed the food the porter are transporting. If it happened like that the village tract, the porter came from have to take responsible by returning double price for the lost supplies to the military.
Serve as in term porter you were allowed to go back to your village after you have served your term. Nevertheless, often during your term, the SPDC soldiers could conscript you for the front line porter anytime. I and U Aung Than, 47 yr. were conscripted as the frontline porters after arrived to the Katawnni village.
On May 10, we left from Katawnni village with 50 porters followed a military column of Light Infantry Battalion 376 to Htee Hta village to the east in Tenasserim Riverside. One porter has to carry 24 Kilograms of rice, three milk-can, three meat-can, two bottle of fuel (One and half Litre. 2 kilo. weigh included bottle). From Katawnni to Htee Hta it took four days walk by foot. Some porters who walk slow and did not catch up military column were beaten, kicked, and punched. For those who got sick, have no chance to rest.
After we arrived to Htee Hta we were not allowed to return instead we were further used as military field porters. Those who got sick did not receive any treatment from the military instead we have to buy from the soldiers one Paracitamol tablet cost 5 kyat. For those who have no money have no chance to get any medicine. In this camp, malaria and sickness are severe and people died almost every day. My fellow U Aung Than has died at Htee Htan camp because of malaria and has not received any treatment.
I stayed at Htee Hta camp for more than ten days. Every day we were forced to work for the soldiers clear the bushes around the camps. On May 31, the troops from Operation Commanding HQ No.8 has arrived to this camp and we the porters along with the troops of Operation Commanding HQ No.9 left for Myitta village. On June 4, we arrived to Myitta village. On that day, I ran away because I fear that they may force me again to serve as porter. After I have ran away I decided not to return to my village because I have not received a recommendation sheet from the military that I have done my porter duty. When you return without this paper the village SPDC authority used to blame that you ran away from porter duty and they will arrest you and forced you to serve as porter again. Therefore, I decided to coming to Thailand and looking to earn my living for a while.