This report contains the full transcript of an interview conducted during April 2011 in Tantabin Township, Toungoo District by a community member trained by KHRG to monitor human rights conditions. The community member interviewed a 37 year-old township secretary, Saw H---, who described abuses committed by several Tatmadaw battalions, including forced relocation, land confiscation, forced labour, restrictions on freedom of movement, denial of humanitarian access, targeting civilians, and arbitrary taxes and demands.

Executive Summary: "Instability that started in June 2011 across Kachin
and northern Shan states has resulted in displace‐
ment, damage of infrastructure and loss of lives and
livelihoods. Despite ongoing peace negotiations be‐
tween parties to the conflict, incidents continue to
be reported.   
The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
has been steadily increasing since the beginning of
the conflict to an estimated 65,000 IDPs in July
2012. These people sought refuge in camps, in pub‐

SLORC has seriously stepped up its campaign to clear the entire rural population out of Papun District and make the entire area a free-fire zone. Since December 1995, orders have been issued to every rural village under SLORC control from Kyauk Nyat in the north to Ka Dtaing Dtee in the south, from the Salween River (the Thai border) in the east to at least 10 km. west of Papun - an area 50-60 km. north to south and 30 km. east to west. This area is rugged hills dotted with small villages, averaging 10-50 households (population 50-300) per village.

A Search engine. UNHCR Documentation Centre's website. Lots of refugee and other documents.

Much of what is happening in the conflict zones of
eastern Burma is difficult to capture with photos, video
and reports. It is a slow and insidious strangulation of the
population rather than an all-out effort to crush them...

...the customary rights of communities and
Indigenous Peoples to forests, rangelands, and wetlands are often not
written down or shown on government maps, but they are a fundamental
reality. They cover more than 50 percent of the world’s land surface, yet
new research by RRI in 2015 showed that just 10 percent of the world’s
land is legally recognized as community-owned.2
This means that governments formally recognize communities’
ownership rights to less than 20 percent of the land they have
historically owned.

Situation to end 1998

This Interview with Saw A--- describes an arbitrary arrest that occurred in Htantabin Township, Toungoo District, in January 2016. Saw A--- describes how he was arrested and sued because of a demonstration, which he and other people held against Kaung Myanmar Aung Company on January 12th 2016 after the company confiscated villagers’ lands. Saw A--- faces criminal charges for using a loudspeaker, as it broke the law against the disturbance of public peace. Chief of Police, Aye Zaw from No. 2 Police Station, Toungoo District, submitted the charge against him as a complainant.

In some countries, the internally displaced are beyond the reach of international humanitarian organizations.

The SPDC is continuing its attacks on Karen hill villages throughout northern Karen State, trying to entirely depopulate the northern hills. SPDC columns have regrouped and resupplied and are now launching attacks into hill regions not previously reached by the offensive.

Urban and rural displacement in Myanmar

Situation to end 2001