Extracts on forced relocation and confiscation of land from the report of the Commission of Inquiry
appointed under article 26 of the Constitution of the
International Labour Organization to examine the
observance by Myanmar of the
Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). Though its main focus was forced labour, the Commission of Inquiry also reported other violations of human rights. This
series of customised versions of the report takes a number of these themes. The present document highlights references to

This report aims to provide a picture of the current situation in central Shan State, where the military junta ruling Burma has forcibly uprooted and destroyed over 1,400 villages and displaced over 300,000 people since 1996. This campaign against civilians is still continuing, and the number of villages destroyed is increasing each month. In this report, some of the villagers who have fled in 1997 and 1998 describe their experiences.

Confusion arose when the Thai Labor Ministry requested Cabinet approval to relax the repatriation of illegal immigrants. Earlier, the Ministry had announced that the labourers would be forced out by May 1.

The last two years have seen a profound deterioration in the human rights situation throughout the central Shan State in Myanmar. Hundreds of Shan civilians caught in the midst of counter-insurgency activities have been killed or tortured by the Burmese army. These abuses, occurring in a country which is closed to independent monitors, are largely unknown to the outside world. Denial of access for human rights monitors and journalists means that the full scale of the tragedy can not be accurately calculated. Therefore the information presented below represents only a part of the story.

A report on forced relocation and extrajudicial killings in Shan State, Burma. Since the publication of "Uprooting the Shan," the report by the SHRF detailing the forced relocation program carried out by the SLORC in Shan State during 1996, the SLORC military regime (recently renamed the State Peace and Development Council or SPDC) has been continuing to uproot more villages throughout 1997 and early 1998. Many of the relocation sites that were the results of 1996 relocations have been forced to move again.

1. The Karen and Kawthoolei: The Karen; Kawthoolei; The Kawthoolei districts ||
2. Displacement and counter-insurgency in Burma:
Population displacement in Burma;
Protracted ethnic conflict in Burma;
Counter-insurgency: the four-cuts ||
3. The war in Kawthoolei:
Seasonal offensives: the moving front line and refugee flows, 1974-92;
Cease-fires (1992-94) and the renewal of offensives (1995-97) ||
4. Internal displacement in Kawthoolei:
Counter-insurgency and displacement in Kawthoolei;
Displacement in Kawthoolei;

Deport first and discuss later," declared Gen Chettha Thanajaro. Thailand's Army. Army Commander-in-Chief was voicing his support for a plan to repatriate nearly 1million foreign laborers, most of whom are Burmese.

Situation to end 1997

This report focuses . . . human rights violations against members of ethnic minority groups. These abuses, including extrajudicial executions; ill-treatment in the context of forced portering and labour; and intimidation during forcible relocations occur both in the context of counter-insurgency operations, and in areas where cease-fires hold. The State Law and Order Restoration Council SLORC, Myanmar's military government) continues to commit human rights violations in ethnic minority areas with complete impunity.

...This report, "Migrating With Hope: Burmese Women Working In Thailand and
The Sex Industry" attempts to present and highlight the needs, interests, and
realities of undocumented migrant women from Burma working as sex-workers
in Thailand. We look at the lives of women in Burma, the migration processes,
processes of entry into the sex-industry, and factors which govern women's wellbeing
or suffering during the time of migration in Thailand. The authors hope
that the documentation presented will provide useful information to prospective

As many illegal immigrants wish to live in Thailand permanently, another serious problem arises - the growing number of stateless children. Between 1993 and 1996, the Mae Sot Hospital near the Thailand-Burma border delivered 2,202, 2,026, 2,031 and 2,077 stateless babies respectively.

Recently, outspoken Thai Democrat MP Abhist Vejajiva, expressed his concern over the illegal population in Thailand, saying the problem of illegal workers would become "more severe" in the coming years and could lead to social turmoil if the government does not quickly intervene by producing a viable and widely accepted national strategy.