The Burmese Army battalion Light Infantry Battalion (LIB)No. 289 based in Simi village, Paletwa township, western Chin state, Burma, is forcing people to construct fences and it will fine Kyat 2000 if a person fails to work.

The villagers were informed about this in April. In the first group of workers there will be 100 people and they will work for three days. People who are absent will have to pay Kyat 6000 for three days, said a person who went to work.

He added, “We had taken some wood and bamboos from a place six miles away from the army camp. The working hour was from morning 6 to 10, after breakfast and them up to 5 pm. We had requested that we be allowed to work at night as it is very hot and sunny in the afternoon, but they refused. They had asked us to bring all necessary things like food and tools for fencing the camp.”

A student of class ten waiting for his result works during school holidays to earn some money doing part time jobs. The military had called him to work. At the same time most of the workers also face many problems regarding cultivation and family livelihood.

The LIB No. 289 had been shifted to Simi village in April 2009 and they had called the villagers to construct fencing immediately. This kind of forced labour has been used before.

Similarly, military regimes based in Chin state called Chin people in order to construct fencing or walls, camps, digging pitches and cleaning camp areas every year.