Public fleeced for fencing army camps on Indo–Burma border

Khonunthung News: 15 November, 2006

In Burma even funds for the army’s routine expenditure needs to come out of people’s pocket. In order to renovate fences around army camps on the Indo–Burma border area, Burmese soldiers have been collecting money from villagers in Chin state, following directives from Major Kyaw Kyaw Oo of the Light Infantry Battalion No. (269) stationed in Lungler village in Thang Tlang Township, village heads of 19 villages in Thang Thang Township are busy collecting money from villagers for the fencing.

The deadline for submitting the money collected from villagers is the last week of December. And the amount of money to be collected will depend on the number of household in each village.

“Whenever a change over in battalions occurs in our village, we become the victims. We have to work for and pay them. As nobody dares to defy the orders, we keep doing whatever they ask,” said a villager from Thang Tlang Township.

For fencing the army camp, the military allegedly withdraws money from Lungler village funds. The money extorted from villagers range from Kyat 50,000 (Burma currency) to Kyat 100,000 per village.

The wood for the fencing needs to be replaced every year as soldiers often take away the wood that dry up for firewood.

What is worse is that cutting wood for fencing and repairing military camps is contributing to massive deforestation in Chin state.

The villagers who paid for the fencing of army camps are Zangtlang, Lungler, Fungkah, Sih Hmuh, Bung Khua, Rua Khua, Rua Buk, Thau, Bung Tlang, Tlanglo, Tlangpi, Lung Ding, Far Rawn, Vang Zang, So Pum, Dawn, Ral pel, Tah Tlang and Tlang Khua villages in Thang Tlang Township.

The fund collected from villagers will seemingly be spent for hiring workers to be paid on a daily basis.