Villagers forced to work on paddy fields in Tamu Township

Kan Min
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)

July 23, 2003: Since June, Tamu Township authorities have forced villagers from Thinzin Village bloc, Kanan Village bloc, Kyuan Thaw Ye Sin village bloc, Swan lay village bloc, Min Tha Mi village bloc and Auttuang village bloc on the Indo-Burma border to work on paddy fields. Eight to ten acres are allotted to each bloc.

According to the authorities the scheme was aimed at easing public servants' hard life through raising funds for them and supplying them with better assistance. Local farmers complain of the forcible deployment by the authorities, which mean that they have to abandon work on their own paddy fields during the monsoon season.

"Imagine, at this time, when we have to rush to our fields! Even our cattle is exhausted, and they are still forcing us. As for our bloc, they have been extracting forced labour from us since 1996", said a sour farmer from Thinzin village bloc.

The village chairmen were commissioned with cultivating of the 'Public Servants paddy fields'. The villagers, meanwhile, were called upon as "voluntary labour", with those unwilling to work being fined 500 kyats per day by the village chairman.

The fines are channeled to the village chairman and elders, claimed it for village funds or religious funds by the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC). Aung Mang andRam Sei, members of Thinzin bloc council, were accused of pocketing fines by an educated farmer.

In addition to cultivating paddy fields the villagers are made to harvest and transport the harvest to the villages' government paddy-purchasing depot (Sabadain). It is reported that in 2000-2001 the village blocs were forced to transport their harvests to their respective "Sabadains" without being given any transportation charges for their labour.

In 2000, the lower Tamu township village blocs were forced to contribute to "voluntary labour" in the Thinzin paddy fields and had to bring their cattle to work, delaying them in cultivating their own paddy fields.

Likely in previous years, farmers were asked to contribute two extra bushels of paddy in addition to submitting the full amount of paddy harvested on the 'Public Servants paddy fields', under a fund raising programme for the Township Peace and Development Council, the Township security forces and the maternity care units.

On 23 April, Gen. Soe Win, Secy. (2), State Peace and Development Council, announced that farmers were allowed to sell and purchase their farm products freely and the government was to stop purchasing from the farmers. In reality, the authorities remain much in control of the farmers and their farm products.