BURMA: SHAN VILLAGES BURNED, FORCIBLY RELOCATED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHIANG MAI 000125 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, IO AND DRL PACOM FOR FPA NSC FOR WALTON GENEVA FOR RMA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREF PREL MOPS BM TH SUBJECT: BURMA: SHAN VILLAGES BURNED, FORCIBLY RELOCATED CHIANG MAI 00000125 001.2 OF 002 Sensitive but unclassified; please handle accordingly. -------------- Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (SBU)Burmese troops operating in Shan State burned 10 villages and forcibly relocated an additional 30 in late July, according to Shan contacts in Thailand and Burma. Shan groups also accuse the troops of other grave human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrest, torture, gang rape, and arbitrary execution, but have so far been unable to document those charges. Up to 10,600 people may be affected by this latest wave of violence. Contacts tell us that some plan to cross into Thailand, but Thai authorities confirm that as of August 19, none have done so. ¶2. (SBU) Comment: What sparked this violence remains a mystery. Thai military and intelligence contacts speculate that the regime's actions are retaliation for skirmishes between the Burma Army (BA) and Shan armed groups two or three months ago, which reportedly resulted in 12 BA fatalities, including that of a Major. They note that families with links to the anti-regime Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) are being treated particularly harshly. A journalist, who has covered border affairs for many years, chalked the repression up to the fact that the SSA-S recently conducted an aggressive campaign opposing the 2010 elections in the same area. Whatever the cause, and regardless of the exact number of individuals affected, the potential for IDPs to cross into northern Thailand remains high -- an eventuality for which Thai authorities tell us they are not prepared. End Summary and Comment. -------------- -------------- Villages Burned and Forcibly Relocated -------------- -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to Shan contacts in northern Thailand and Burma, BA troops burned 10 villages in central Shan State for three days straight beginning on July 27. Thai-based contacts estimate that 500 houses were burned, affecting between 2,000 and 2,500 individuals. On July 31, Burmese troops also ordered an additional 30 villages in the same area to relocate. All the affected villages are in the townships of Lai Hka, Mong Kung and Ke Hsi -- east of the more well-known towns of Taunggyi and Pang Long. Thai intelligence and military contacts in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son Provinces told us they had received similar information, as did a trusted media contact. ¶4. (SBU) According to our Shan contacts, they have obtained the information about these latest abuses from victims via trusted intermediaries. In some cases, victims used cell phones to take and send pictures, hard copies of some of which our contacts provided us with on August 18. An August 13 press release issued by several Thai-based Shan groups alleged that victims could overhear soldiers contacting their headquarters by radio to update superiors on their operations, and to ask if they needed to continue burning. The release also states that over 100 villagers have been arrested, tortured, gang-raped and arbitrarily executed since the assault on these villages. -------------- Where are the IDPs? -------------- ¶5. (SBU) According to Thai-based Shan contacts, a total of 10,600 people have been displaced by the burning and forced relocation. Though Burma-based interlocutors cannot confirm this figure, they agree that the number of affected villages is approximately 40. According to the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF),some of the IDPs are attempting to cross into Thailand (likely through Chiang Mai Province),but none have arrived to date. SHRF alleges that BA troops are intentionally blocking egress for these individuals in an effort to prevent news of the human rights abuses from getting out, though military contacts CHIANG MAI 00000125 002.2 OF 002 told us SSA soldiers have reportedly escorted some to the Thai border. The IDPs are currently housed in a variety of accommodations, ranging from tents in rice fields to monasteries, according to SHRF. SHRF also reported that BA troops were hindering the efforts of monks and others trying to provide assistance, such as the Shan Literature Organization. ¶6. (SBU) SHRF also told us that villagers in the same area were forcibly relocated in 1996-97, and that some returned only four or five years ago. Some of those returnees built homes using remittances from relatives in Thailand, they added. According to Thai military and intelligence contacts, villagers who are believed to support the anti-regime SSA are being singled out for the harshest treatment -- killing, rape or torture. They cited a July 28 incident in which three villages the Thai consider to be part of the SSA's civilian support base north of Mong Pan Township on the west bank of the Salween river were burned. More information and pictures are available at http://www.shanwomen.org. ¶7. (U) There are four Shan IDP camps, established since the 1996-97 displacement, which receive assistance from USAID through the Thai-Burma Border Consortium. The camps, with a current total population of about 6-7,000, are located just across the Thai-Burma border adjacent to Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai Provinces. In addition, the Royal Thai Government (RTG) has tolerated a small (population 600) refugee camp in Chiang Mai Province, although it has formally determined the Shan are not eligible for review by the Provincial Admissions Boards, the Thai asylum mechanism. (Note: Other Burmese ethnic minority refugees, such as the Karen and Karenni, are eligible for such consideration.) These five camps will likely bear the brunt of any new influx of Shan leaving central Shan State. ¶8. (U) This cable was coordinated with Embassies Bangkok and Rangoon. MORROW