JUNTA DESTROYS CORN CROPS IN MUDON

(Independent Mon News Agency: January 7, 2004)

Township Peace and Development Council and irrigation officials of Mudon Township forced villagers to uproot maize plants belonging to farmers in Mon State, southern Burma.

The local witnesses reported that farmland near Sat-Thwe village was uprooted of maize plants as the crop plantation was not following the orders of the government project plan.

On their inspection trip to Sat-Thwe village on January 3, the TPDC members and irrigation officials blamed the village headman and farmers for using water from the dam in growing the maize instead of rice.

On the same day, the village headman was ordered to gather one person from
each household and to destroy the maize plants grown by Mon farmers Nai One
and Mi Woot.

Even though farmers had traditionally planted maize before the dam was constructed, the TPDC members demanded the villagers uprooted the maize plants. After the village headman and villagers unwillingly uprooted about one acre of maize plants, they felt pity for the owners and returned home, said a villager.

According to the villager, "no body wants to continue to uproot the maize plants and we feel so sorry for Nai One and Mi Woot".

The TPDC members and officials ordered them again to destroy the plants but the villagers remain disobedient.

The source close to the TPDC member says that the reason why maize must be
uprooted is to show their senior officers that rice was grown with water from the dam during inspection.

In reality, farmers had not irrigated with water from the dam and their maize was grown with lake water instead, said the local villagers.

The government's Win Pa Non dam cannot provide sufficient water for growing
rice however the irrigation fee was collected from the farmers years ago. Also, in the recent year, farmers are forced to grow summer rice in their field, but refused to obey the order due to insufficient water.