BURMA: Family given paltry compensation for death of porter in army service

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION - URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-018-2008
ISSUES: Death in custody, Labour rights, Military, Police violence,

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has been informed that the family of a man who was taken to serve as a porter for the Burma army was paid less than six US dollars as compensation for his death. The victim died in 2006 after he was taken from the central prison. Up to now the family has not received any more compensation, although his wife has requested it, nor have they received proof of death.

CASE DETAILS:

According to the information we have received so far, 31-year-old Htun Htun Naing was arrested on a gambling charge and jailed at Insein Prison, from where he was taken on 21 June 2006.

Htun Htun Naing was forced to serve as a porter for the army in one of the eastern border areas, where on August 17 he died.

However, his family was not notified of his death until November 9, when an army officer came to their house to inform them that he had died of malaria, and collect documents. He only told them verbally of the death and did not show any death certificate or doctor’s report to confirm that it was due to malaria and not some other cause, or that the victim is really deceased. He told Htun Htun Naing’s wife that she should also go to the army battalion office, but because of its distant location and as the family is living in poverty she could not go.

The family was shocked to be notified in a document from the defence ministry of 30 January 2007 that it was decided to award 7200 Kyat compensation for Htun Htun Naing’s death. On the current exchange rate, this amount is less than six US dollars.

Although the family has requested that the case be reviewed and additional compensation be given, to date they are not known to have received anything further.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The military government of Burma acknowledges uses convicts on farming projects, open cut mines and in other labour projects; criminal sentences typically are for rigorous imprisonment. However, it denies using them as porters for the army in remote areas of the country where there are no roads to transport supplies to outposts.

Nonetheless, rights groups have widely documented the use of convict porters, and some allege that it is increasing as the army has been pressed to use fewer civilians from local areas. See for instance: “Less than human” (KHRG) and “From prison to frontline” (Burma Issues).

In 2007 the AHRC issued an appeal on a man who was allegedly abducted and forced to serve as an army porter (UA-226-2007). His case is being followed by the International Labour Organisation’s office in Burma. However, no further information is available on his whereabouts.

For further general information on Burma see also the 2007 AHRC Human Rights Reportchapter on Burma, the recent special report, “Burma, political psychosis and legal dementia“, and visit the AHRC Burma homepage: http://burma.ahrchk.net. 

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SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write to the prime minister and home affairs minister to call for an investigation of this case and adequate compensation for the family. Please note that for the purpose of the letter, the country should be referred to by its official title of Myanmar, rather than Burma. The AHRC is writing a separate letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar calling for his intervention in this case.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear ___________,

MYANMAR: Paltry compensation for death of prisoner serving military operation

Details of victim: Htun Htun Naing, 31 (at time of death), Service ID No. C/1312, son of U Myint Shwe, married with three children, a textile worker from Mingalardon Township, Yangon; died in Myanmar Armed Forces custody on 17 August 2006
Serving with: Infantry Battalion 250, stationed at Loikaw, Kayah State, from 21 June 2006
Payment to family: 7200 Kyat (approx. USD 5.75) in order of 30 January 2007

I am shocked to learn that the family of a man who died after he was allegedly taken illegally to serve as a worker in an operation for the Myanmar Armed Forces has been compensated with an amount equivalent to less than six US dollars.

According to the details that I have received, after Htun Htun Naing was jailed on a gambling offence he was on 21 June 2006 taken from Insein Prison and sent to serve as a worker on a military operation under IB 250, based in Loikaw.

On 9 November 2006, Deputy Warrant Officer Aung Kyaw Htun visited Htun Htun Naing’s family and notified them that he had died of malaria on August 17. The officer did not give any documents to prove that he was dead or cause of death, such as a death certificate and medical report. However, he took the house register, victim’s national identity card and proof of residency document from the ward council office in order to process the case, and advised the family to go to the army battalion. But because of the battalion’s distant location and the poverty of the family, they could not go.

Thereafter, the family was shocked when notified in a document from the Ministry of Defence of 30 January 2007 that it had decided to award the family with 7200 Kyat compensation for Htun Htun Naing’s death. On the current exchange rate, this amount is less than six US dollars.

Although the family has since requested that the case be reviewed and additional compensation be given, to date they are not known to have received anything further. Nor have they received documents to prove the death and circumstances of death.

I am aware that although the Government of Myanmar denies that convicts are used for the purposes of military operations, such practices have been widely documented and collaborated. And in this case, without regard to the circumstances under which Htun Htun Naing was brought to serve in the army operation, there can be no excuse for the appallingly low amount of compensation paid to his family or the fact that the family has also not been given written documentation to prove the circumstances of his death, which raises serious questions about what actually happened to him.

Accordingly, I urge you to conduct an investigation of this case to establish what happened to Htun Htun Naing–how he was brought to serve in a military operation far from his residence, how he died and what happened to his remains–and to review the amount of compensation paid to the family. In the event that it is also found that he was illegally forced to serve in the military operation in violation of Order 1/99 and the Supplementary Order on forced labour, I urge that criminal action be taken against those officers responsible.

Yours sincerely

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Maj-Gen. Maung Oo
Minister for Home Affairs
Ministry of Home Affairs
Office No. 10
Naypyitaw
MYANMAR
Tel: +951 250 315 / 374 789
Fax: +951 549 663 / 549 208

2. Lt-Gen. Thein Sein
Prime Minister
c/o Ministry of Defence
Naypyitaw
MYANMAR
Tel: + 95 1 372 681
Fax: + 95 1 652 624

3. Mr. Steve Marshall
Liaison Officer (Myanmar)
International Labour Organization (ILO)
4, route des Morillons
CH-1211 Geneva 22
SWITZERLAND
Fax: +41 22 798 8685
E-mail: marshall@ilo.org

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme 
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)

Document Type : Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID : AHRC-UAC-018-2008
Countries : Burma (Myanmar),
Issues : Death in custody, Labour rights, Military, Police violence,