Shans fleeing from annual rice purchase

Shans fleeing from annual rice purchase

Forced Labor 6 August 2001Shans who recently arrived in Thailand told S.H.A.N. continuing to stay in their homeland would amount to being foolish when they had to toil at the land only to see its produce taken by Burmese authorities. 

Tiya, 36, from a village in Mongkerng township, 108 miles northeast of Taunggyi, said a meeting was held at the LIB 514 battalion post on 1 June, when Lt.-Col. Myint Maung, Commander, LIB 515 from Laikha addressed the village and tract headmen. He informed the meeting that in accordance with orders from his superiors tax would be levied on the following domestic livestock: 

K.300 for each buffalo, per year
K.200 for each cow, per year
K.100 for each goat, per year
K.50 for each pig, per month

He also informed them that starting from the year 2002, rice growers must sell 24 baskets of unhulled Khao-zao rice per acre to the government at K. 300 per basket rate. As a result, hundreds had decided to leave their homeland and came to Thailand because, as Tiya said, "the market price of unhulled Khao-zao is K. 3,500-3,000 per lang and those of us who are poor will never be able to afford it." 

N.B. 1 lang equals 4 baskets