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FBR REPORT: The rebuilding of homes, school and a church - update to the burning
of Tha Dah Der village and other attacks in Karen State
Karen State, Burma
6 September, 2010
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Tha Dah Der rebuilds
Man killed in Toungoo District
Extortion and abuse in Dooplaya District
Update: Nearly 400 people, all from Tha Dah Der, are still displaced as a result of this attack. Six families have
returned to Tha Dah Der, while the others are in temporary sites nearby as they build new homes. They are
rebuilding the church at a site about 100 meters from the original one and next to their middle school. Until they
finish, they are meeting in the primary school, which was only partially damaged in the attack. Both the middle
school and the primary school are in session. All villagers from Tha Kaw To Baw and Ti Mu Der have returned to
their homes, which were not attacked.
FBR teams responded to the attack with medical care, blankets, tarps, and mosquito nets, as well as money for
food provision. They also took photographs and video as the situation developed. Below is the report sent out
earlier and pictures of the remains of Tha Dah Der, as well as the beginning of the new church.
Report sent out 27 July, 2010
Dear friends,
This week two of the villages we have been in close relation to for 14 years were burned to the ground by the
Burma Army. The school and church in the larger village were among the biggest in the Karen State and were
beautiful wooden structures set on a bamboo fringed hill. Below the hill and beyond the village stretched some of
the most productive rice fields is the area. The villages have withstood many attacks and the church and school
were not only well constructed, they were works of art. They were built by the community as places of worship
and learning and where the community gathered to celebrate and share the joys of life.
Now the villages, church and school have been destroyed and the stench of the rotting carcasses of livestock
killed by the attackers fill the air.
"We do not want to go back to rebuild, how can we?", were the words of one villager. "We had our whole lives
here in the village, the school, and church and now it is all gone. Gone too are our livestock, chickens, pigs,
goats, cows and water buffalo. We do not know what to do. "
I was told all of this by satellite phone and it was painful to hear and what was even worse was that we were not
close enough to give immediate help. We could only pray and start sending relief supplies for teams in that area
to help.
Yesterday there was a meeting between the villagers and the local leaders - the Karen resistance. Before the
meeting a leader called me and told me the villagers were very sad and did not have any energy or desire to
rebuild the villages. Many wanted to leave and never come back. We prayed together on the phone and asked
for God's help. The next morning those of us at a headquarters meeting prayed for the villagers.
Later on we received another satellite phone call. The local leader told me, "It was amazing, this morning we all
gathered together at the foot of the village and prayed together. Then the villagers all agreed to stay and rebuild
the village. And they decided the first thing they want to rebuild is the church. We start today."
I thanked God and was filled with love and hope for our Karen families.
Thank you all too, for your prayers and for your help. We are sending in help through the FBR team there and
Partners is also helping us in meeting the needs there.
I wanted to close with the letter we sent in to the people who are now rebuilding.
27 July 2010
Dear friends and family at Tha Dah Der and Tha Kaw To Baw,
We are praying for you and know God is with you. I am so sorry for what the Burma Army has done. It is evil.
"Vengeance in mine says the Lord, I will repay ". These are God's words.
We will do all we can, we have already sent out the news all over the world and I will be there to see you after we
finish the other missions.
We also are sending money for the new church, school and for some food. We are sending out the story and
hope that many people who love you will send more help.
The work of God is to build up, the work of the devil is to tear down. Don't worry, God will help you rebuild and
those who tear down will themselves be torn down. We are inspired and filled with joy and hope that you have
already started to rebuild the church and your village. We love you and thank God for your faith, perseverance,
generosity and love. We will help you rebuild.
Ta U Wa, Tha Thoo Poe, Baw Tho Po, Tha-u Wa -A Mo, all the teams and I love and pray for you and look
forward to seeing you soon. Until then, don't give up, we and others will help you and most of all God is with you.
God was willing to send Jesus into the world to save us and people took this gift and killed Jesus. But Jesus rose
again and is our salvation. God loves us that much. So God is not afraid to suffer, we do not need to be afraid
either. He will lead you and bless you and remind you that, "What man means for evil God will bring for good.
Genesis 50:19-21
Tha Dah Der students in front of their school and church before
the attack.
Toungoo District, northern Karen State: Burma Army troops shoot and kill 40-
year-old man
25 July, 2010: Burma Army soldiers shot and killed Saw Matthew, 40 years old, as he returned to his village in
the evening. They shot him as he stood under the church. Matthew was in Aye Kyaw village, in Toungoo District.
The soldiers who killed him are from Burma Army Infantry Battalion 48/73.
In another case of exploitation, on June 10, Burma Army (BA) LIB 323 demanded five sacks of rice and four new
soldier recruits from all village tracts in Ler Doh township's plains area. Additionally, from Shwe Gyin to Ler Doh
the BA has been forcing villagers to build security huts on every car road and on every bridge. While doing this,
the villagers must also set up security under the strict order of the BA that nothing is to disrupt the construction
work of these security huts.
In Hsaw Hti Township, June 27: BA units burned down village farm huts and farming materials in Kgo Kga Lo
area. A few days later on July 1 and 2 BA troops based at Ler Kyo Kgo and Saw The Ki moved forward and
shelled mortars and used machine guns against the local resistance's Hsaw Hti headquarters. The BA troops
have since pulled back, but the situation for villagers in this area remains unstable.
Dooplaya District, south-central Karen State. The Burma Army retaliates against
civilians following fighting with KNLA (the Karen resistance).
Key developments:
Following a clash with the KNLA, Burma Army's Light Infantry Battalion 401 burns down huts and shells
villagers in Dooplaya District, southern Karen State.
On June 20, the first and second column of Burma Army's light infantry battalion 401 met and fought with the
KNLA. The clash happened at the Htee Kay Klo river, between Par Pra and Noh Kwe village inside Winn Ye
Township, Dooplaya District. After the shooting had stopped, LIB 401 burned down four huts close to the site of
the fight.
The hut of Naw Kaw La Mu, 30 years old. In the fire 50 cans of rice, 10 cans of paddy seed, all other hut
materials as well as 1,000,000 kyat were lost.
The hut of Saw Tee A'Klo, 70 years old, with 100,000 kyat worth of belongings.
The hut of Saw Gay Wah. All materials in the hut went up in flames assessed to have been worth at least
100,000 kyat.
The hut of Saw La Del Kaw. Again it is estimated that the materials lost had a value of at least around
100,000 kyat.
Following the fighting and the destruction of the four village huts, LIB 401 continued on to Par Pra village. Close
to the village, LIB 401 shelled three 60mm mortars down upon Par Pra. No villagers were harmed by these
mortars.
The following day, June 21, LIB 401 demanded a villager to go and get the Noh Kwe village headman named
Zaw Wine. Upon his arrival, Zaw Wine, 40 years old, was ordered to go to Par Pra village to acquire intelligence
about the KNU. After returning back to LIB 401, second column commander Aye Aung Khin Oo forced Zaw Wine
to wear the KNLA uniform and tried to make Zaw Wine pose for pictures wearing the clothes of this insurgent
army. However, Zaw Wine knew from past experience that this was a trick played by the column commander.
Three years ago, the Burma Army IB 36 commander Minn Htite captured four villagers and forced them to wear
KNLA uniforms for photographs. After the photo session was completed, the four villagers were murdered. With
this in mind, Zaw Wine told the column commander, that he wanted to meet the LIB 401 battalion commander
first and after that he would come back to pose for photos. On his way to meet the battalion commander, Zaw
Wine managed to escape the LIB 401 soldiers. The day after on June 22, Zaw Wine made his way to the local
KNU leader and reported the story told here.
The Free Burma Ranger’s (FBR) mission is to provide hope, help and love to internally displaced people inside
Burma, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Using a network of indigenous field teams, FBR reports on human rights
abuses, casualties and the humanitarian needs of people who are under the oppression of the Burma Army. FBR
provides medical, spiritual and educational resources for IDP communities as they struggle to survive Burmese
military attacks.
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