A group of villagers are sitting, their
mouths red with stains from the juice of
the betel nut they enjoy chewing. The tattered, windowless, bamboo house blurs with the smoke of cheroots that these men are exhaling in the midst of candle light. Rain drops, and dogs are barking in the distance in the dark form a backdrop to a series of village elders’ tired conversation about the forced labour burden in their villages.
A village headman in his 30s, with deep breaths, complains about some of his villagers who were stubborn and didn’t want to give money when he was collecting it for the Burma Army officers. He was in a difficult position. Another man, who acts as a go-between for the SPDC and village headmen in the area, asked the village headman if he had finished collecting all the money the officers asked for the castor oil plant fees. The village headman replied no, he hadn’t finish yet. He said that he just was elected a few weeks ago. The man who asked turned his head, disappointed.
This is a group of village headmen in Paw Klo area, in the east of Tavoy, in Southern Burma. They are worried about the latest forced labour quota for Burma ruling junta, the State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC) castor oil plant (Ricinus communis) cultivation project. They are busy collecting money to pay off forced labour orders to plant castor oil trees in Myitta village.
Earlier this year the Burma Army ordered all townships and battalions to implement a ten year castor oil cultivation project. Each battalion has to plant at least 40 acres. The army generals’ explanation is that the ten year project is aimed at meeting the fuel need of the nation. However, the corrupt local authorities and battalion commanders forced villagers to carry out the work and demanded money from the local people when they refused. The top generals know it, but forced labour and extortion is common practice for the junta. As the new cultivation project is taking effect; local people especially in rural areas and villages close to the military camps are suffering. The villagers were ordered to clear the forest for the castor plantation, grow it, tend it and collect the seed.
Castor Oil Plants (aka Physic Nuts)
The junta early this year announced a national project where castor oil plants would be grown on a wide scale to produce an alternative to diesel fuel. The junta claims that crude oil from the nuts can be used to fuel vehicles and run engines. Villagers were forced to buy seeds from the military, plant them and tend to the seedlings. The junta plans to expand the physic nut plantations to 500,000 acres per State over the next three years.
No Rest from Forced Labour, The Arakan Project, May 31, 2006
Following the order, Burmese troops based in Myitta village, east of Tavoy, ordered local villagers including villagers in Paw Klo area, to plant castor oil. In Paw Klo, each village was ordered to plant at least 15 acres. The villagers negotiated with the army officers to pay in money, because their villages are far from the plantation site to travel. This was not enough, as villagers were forced to buy the castor seeds to plant in their plantation or with their rice crop as well.
A villager said “my village elders told me that the Burmese army officers asked us to go and clear land to plant castor oil. If you don’t go you have to give 2000 kyat (US $1.50) per house hold. I don’t understand what this castor oil plant is for. I just heard the elders told me that the officer said that this is for the people. But, Burmese troops do different from their words. This plantation will benefit the army and I don’t think we will benefit”.
Another villager whose village is close to the army camp said “we face more problems than before - all we have to do is forced labour. Even if you can not work you have to work, even if you can not pay you have to pay, otherwise they will take action against you. We had to plant castor oil, despite the fact that our village already gave 350,000 kyat”.
Many villagers have no information about what the castor oil cultivation is really for. They heard from the army officers that this project was for the local people themselves. The villagers were told that they could use the castor oil for light, replacing their need to use oil lamps and candles. But the villagers are confused and suspicious.
Forced labour on castor oil plantations creates more hardships for the local people. They have little time to work for themsleves (villagers here earn their living through betel nut plantation and rice farming), in addition the nonstop soaring price of goods and food plunge the villagers further into poverty.
“Its like we sit near the fire, and the fire heat up our skin” said a villager. He further explains “we have difficulties for earning our living, not having enough for the year. Many times Burmese soldiers forced us to do their work and we could not do our work. Now we have to grow castor for them. We arranged to give in money. Many families are poor and face difficulties. The situation is worsening which cause by high price. Many people get into debt, like me. My betel nut plantation was taken over by a
Burmese business women for three years because of I cannot pay my debt. Many people are like me”.
“We get 500 to 1000 kyat from working for a day. This is not even enough just for one day’s living. One viss (1.6 kilogram) of fish paste cost 1000 kyat, one pyi (1 pyi is 8 small milk-tins, weighing about 2 kg) of rice cost 600 to 800 kyat. All the money you get you have to give to the army”, he added.
Another man said “you could not work for you family so we didn’t have enough income. Some people fled to Thailand. If we can bear it no more, the only way out we have is to flee too. In my village I think 30 to 40 families fled to Thailand and to refugee camp.” This village has about 150 households.
The Burmese junta is still practicing forced labour throughout the country and it was acknowledged at the International Labour Organization (ILO) annual labour conference in Geneva in June. The ILO has taken a tougher stance on the junta. The ILO gave the Burmese junta until November to demonstrate its intention to end forced labour; establishing a credible mechanism for dealing with complaints of forced labour, or face possible action like their case being sent to International Court of Justice in The Hague.
...you could not work for your family so we didn't have enough income...
The junta has played an escape game with the ILO for a few years. The junta assured the ILO that it would take steps to eradicate forced labor after pressure in 2000 and let the agency open an office in Rangoon in 2002. The ILO withdrew its call for sanctions a year later and agreed on the plan of action with the junta. This June the junta just narrowly escaped at the last minute the ILO’s move to bring Burma forced labour case to The Hague.
The junta has played an escape game with the ILO for a few years. The junta assured the ILO that it would take steps to eradicate forced labour after pressure in 2000 and let the agency open an office in Rangoon in 2002. The ILO withdrew its call for sanctions a year later and agreed on the plan of action with the junta. This June the junta just narrowly escaped at the last minute the ILO’s move to bring Burma’s forced labour case to The Hague.
On the ground, the junta has tried a softer term for the modern-day slavery which they have practiced for decades on the civilians. In previous years the junta felt pressured by the ILO to eradicate forced labour and in some rural areas army officers are careful and do not openly force the civilians to carry military supplies to the front line, but in other places civilians are openly used as porters. At the same time the junta’s use of prisoners as porter has increase.
The local army officers use the term “Development Work” to smooth the sound for the local villagers’ ears. Increasingly villagers are ordered to build road between their villages, construct military camps, work on military cultivation projects, transport military food supplies by boat, car or elephants etc., for the sake of rural development. This ongoing practice is unreported in many places, especially in remote areas.
Local villagers in Paw Klo said if they say the word “forced labour (in Burmese Lok Ah Pay, means giving labour force)” to the Burmese army officers, the officers told them not to say such a term. The officers said to them they no longer have forced labour, but they are doing “development work”.
However, the local villagers know the truth well.
“Definitely, they (Burmese troops) are using forced labour even they said it is development. All the work they don’t do by themselves, only we people have to do it, just in a different ways, whether development or forced labour,” said a villager.
For villagers in Paw Klo area, there is no sign of easing of any form of development work or forced labour in the coming years. The junta’s castor oil cultivation projects are there and require the local labour force to implement it. Some rumors among villagers is that after the castor oil harvest, the army officers will force the villagers to buy it, and will bring some machines that will grind the castor seeds to produce oil to the villages. If the army brings the machine it means they have a long-term plan to grow castor, so the villagers will suffer for longer. The signs show a further demand for labour is needed for the junta for the years ahead.
To go to the other articles published in the August 2006 BI Newsletter click on the links below:
...you could not work for your family so we didn't have enough income...
