Sep 30, 2003

Anti-democracy death squads


The military has stepped up anti-democracy activities toward the leaders of the National League for Democracy and other democratic political parties
Democracy is a new concept for the younger generation in Burma. Even though it is popular, democracy and freedom is not permitted in the country by the State, which sponsors anti-democracy gangs and death squads in Burma, a country ruled by a dictatorship for over forty years.

The majority of people in Burma have fought for “democracy and human rights” in the country, while the minority carries out anti-democracy activities. The State Peace and Development Council led by Senior Gen Than Shwe, has formed paramilitary forces, state sponsored violence, which includes “pyi-thu-sit (People’s Army)”, “Village Peace and Development Council (ya-ah-pha)”, tha-sa-ka-pha (Counter Insurgent Force), “pyi-khaing-phyo” (Union Solidarity and Development Association) and “tha-baik-hlan-a-hpweh” (Anti-Strike Group)”. State-sponsored organizations act as local para-militia forces that carry out anti-democracy activities and horrific human rights violations including systematic torture and murder. Senior Gen Than Shwe heads the operation for anti-democracy activities along with his fellow cronies from the Rangoon War Office implemented within the Ministry of Defense.

Senior Gen Than Shwe and his fellow military-men have stepped up anti-democracy activities toward the leaders of the National League for Democracy and other non-Burma democratic political parties. He routinely jails political activists, student leaders, Members of Parliamentary, and journalists, including women activists and their children. However, without the cooperation of the Military Intelligence Services (MIS) led by Intelligence Chief Gen. Khin Nyunt, such an operation for anti-democracy activities will not be able to take place. Unless the SPDC releases political activists and agree to an “Unconditional Peace Plan” in Burma, pro-democracy activities remain under persistent threat from various state sponsored persecutions in the country.

Anti-democracy gangs are actively involved in forming local pyi-thu-sit, (literally “People’s Army”) established during the former Gen Ne Win regime as a paramilitary force working in the rural areas, especially in the Black and Grey areas to counter insurgency groups in the country. Pyi-thu-sit earns no salary or receive assistance by the government, but have authority to impose extortion in the local community. The ‘People’s Army’ are ordered to stay on alert for “intelligence gathering” and report to the local military commanders if anything looks suspicious. They operate like this in Mon and Karen States where active insurgent forces operate in the remote areas. They have no choice but to participate with the “order of high ranking Burmese military officials” (known in Burmese as “A-htat-ka- a-meik”). They not only are trained to counter an insurgent force, which means targeting civilians, but are also ordered to seek out and crush democracy activities in the community.

Local Burmese military commanders exploit poor, uneducated men, who are given arms to exploit others for personal profit. Many become rich and build new houses, which they otherwise would never have dreamed of in their lifetime. Almost all villages in southern Burma have at least two or three “pyi-thu-sit” forces assigned by the BA.

A militiaman from a village in Kyeikma Yaw Township of Mon State used to be a poor man selling “palm juice” to feed his family. After the 1988 pro-democracy campaign, the Burmese military junta decided to appoint poorly educated men for “Pyi-thu-sit’. A poor man from Kyeikma Yaw Township became rich and built a new house through extortion, collecting illegal tax-collections from local farmers. There are thousands like him who act as para-militia men in southern Burma. They become wealthy and live in better conditions than local farmers, dirty money derived from bribery and illegal traditional gambling businesses. Overall, “pyi-thu-sit” forces also form an element of the anti-democracy gangs in Burma.

Another anti-democracy gang, called “Ya-ah-pha” which literally means “Village Peace and Development Council”, is composed of a group of men who work on the “Local Council” with no formal administrative skills and no proper education. The “ya-ah-pha” also works under the instruction of “ma-ah-pha” (Township Peace and Development Council) in an area of over 500 villages in southern Burma. Ya-ah-pha is responsible for providing food and other supplies to local Burmese soldiers. They do not earn a fixed salary from the military government but have authority to impose illegal annual revenue from the local community.

While a few are elected by local communities without the approval of local BA officials, such community electing activities are uncounted for by the local Burmese commanders. Ya-ah-pha work under instruction of “Township Peace and Development Council” as a tool for the SPDC to maintain its iron grip over the country, they closely cooperate with the local Burmese Military Commanders, retired soldiers and policemen.

The third is the notorious anti-democracy death squad referred to as, “pyi-khaing-phyo” now nation-wide anti-democratic forces in the country, which operate much like the death squads (were/are) in Argentina, Columbia, and other dictatorships around the world. Pyi-khaing-phyo is short for “Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA)”, headed by Senior Gen Than Shwe and also is a State sponsored (terrorist) organization which has a horrific record.

The USDA was instrumental in the planned assassination attack against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the National League for Democracy. A report from Mon State say the USDA claims to have over 400,000 members, including children under the age of 16, whose sole purpose is to ‘attack civilians.’ USDA has access to government services and work under the instruction of Military Commanders, whose leaders are former with retired army personnel and policemen. The report adds that Min Lwin Aung, Secretary of USDA in Kyeik Mayaw Township urged members to cooperate with ya-ah-pha (Village Peace and Development Council). USDA members can ask for any assistance, he said in the annual monthly meeting in Mon State.

The other group is the insidious “tha-sa-ka-pha” (Counter-insurgency Organization) in southern Burma, especially in Ye and Ye Phyu areas where over 600 men were trained by local police forces. They are assigned to counter attack insurgent forces and unarmed civilians for presumed support, but the group has limited arms and military supplies. Military Operation Command No 19 (MOC-19) based in Ye Town closely supervises activities of the “tha-sa-ka-pha” in the Black Areas. “Tha-sa-ka-pha” receives little assistance from the BA, while relying on cash taken from the “Check Point” fees from the local commuters. Senior Gen Than Shwe has given them full power to ‘protect their own people and their own historic lands’, in other words ‘state sanctioned terrorism’ against the people.

Since the Depeyin Massacre (Black Friday) in May 30, which killed an unknown number of pro-democracy supporters and then detained the leader of National League for Democracy, the ruling regime has increased the numbers of young members to work with the Red Cross of Myanmar and Fire Brigade Unit in each town in the Mon State and elsewhere for “Anti-Strike Training”. The regime named the force as “tha-baik-hlan-a-hpweh (Anti-Strike Organization). The BA strategically places paramilitary forces along with the anti-strike force in all major cities. According to a Mon politician from Moulmein, the authority doesn’t use its troops to block a potential “national strike” in the country; instead para-militia and anti-strike forces are called in to do the dirty work for the so-called ‘protective services’. A source from a Mon political party in Moulmein said, the military authority selects its permanent members of USDA for anti-strike training sessions.

Burma is a totalitarian state with a military dictatorship that has shut up over a thousand political activists in prisons nation-wide and has subjected them to homegrown torture methods. To date, it is unknown how many people have been killed and tortured by these state sponsored death squads. International actors should be aware that the military junta only is paying lip service for democratic change to the United Nations and other foreign donors.

The BA totally controls the para-military force, the Counter-Insurgent Force, USDA and Anti-Strike Force in the country with strict military orders to further crush democratic movements in the country. At present, crimes have increased in southern Burma, such as robbery, rape, murder, and the looting of properties. The BA has always linked anti-government armed forces with criminal activities, while the army is unable to identify such criminals. Local sources from a Ye Town community say, “the Burmese soldiers are quick change artists, changing into civilian clothes to uniforms after committing robbery and looting activities. There is hard evidence from rape cases and the killing of civilians in rural areas being committed by Burmese soldiers”.