Professional Documents
Culture Documents
This first instalment of KHRG's Photo Gallery 2009 presents 123 still
images and 1 short video that have been received from KHRG field researchers since the last instalment of Photo Gallery
2008 in February 2009. Many of these photos chronologically overlap with photos that were previously published in Photo
Gallery 2008. They therefore include photos taken from July 2008 up to July 2009. All photos are presented here in roughly
chronological order irrespective of subject matter and labelled with alphanumeric identification tags beginning with 'A'
followed by a number. Images in subsequent instalments of Photo Gallery 2009 will be given labels starting with 'B', 'C' and
so forth according to the order of their instalment. Some photos included here have also been presented in previous KHRG
field reports and news bulletins. All photos are included with no thematic divisions. As more photos are added to the Photo
Gallery in later instalments, all images will be incorporated within relevant thematic sections with the most recent photos
also grouped together in a 'latest additions' section.
All photos included here are by KHRG except where otherwise noted.
A-1
These students at B--- village in Thaton District are shown
here studying at the local elementary school on July 29th
2008. Education across Burma, but especially in rural areas,
is woefully underfunded and less than half of all children
complete elementary school. [Photo: KHRG]
A-2
A-3
A-4
A-5 A-6
The photograph above left shows a stack of calendars produced by the DKBA. The calendars are written in Burmese and Pwo
Karen languages (with the latter using the traditional Karen Leit-San Weit ('chicken scratch') script). DKBA authorities
ordered every household in Bilin Township to buy a calendar for 2,500 kyat (US $2.46). The money collected by the village
head of T--- village that was to be paid to the local DKBA authorities is shown in the photo above right. Both photographs
were taken in October 2008. [Photos: KHRG]
A-7
A-8 A-9
These pictures were taken on November 19th 2008 and show rubber plantations owned by SPDC General Major Maung Bo in
Thaton District. The SPDC has been colluding with the Max Myanmar Group of Companies to confiscate large swaths of
villager-owned land in Thaton District for use by the company in its business ventures. For more details on the SPDC's land
confiscation in Thaton District, see Land confiscation and the business of human rights abuse in Thaton District, KHRG, April
2009. [Photos: KHRG]
A-10
A-11
A-12
A-13
In pictures A-12 and A-13, a KNLA soldier removes a DKBA-deployed landmine in December 2008 from a road in Dta Greh
Township, Pa'an District. This road is one which local villagers frequently use. [Photos: KHRG]
A-14
A-15
A-16 A-17
In photograph A-16, taken on January 23rd 2009, a 42-year-old villager named Saw P--- carries 25 thatch shingles to be
delivered to the DKBA's Gka Hsaw Wah ('White Elephant') Battalion, based in southern Papun District. He is shown here
being followed by his son. Although Saw P--- was able to travel with a friend by boat to deliver the shingles, other villagers
have had to take the shingles by foot - a 6 to 7 hour walk. Photo A-17 was also taken on January 23rd 2009 and shows
thatch shingles which residents of M--- village stacked before delivery to DKBA camp commander Puh Tah Thoo who is based
out of Meh Mweh army camp in southern Papun District. Villagers here had to collect 1,000 thatch shingles and deliver them
to the DKBA by January 25th 2009. DKBA soldiers didn't compensate the villagers for the thatch nor for the petrol consumed
by the boats used to deliver them. [Photos: KHRG]
A-18 A-19
Villagers from the lowland area in Nyaunglebin District are shown here on January 30th 2009 after having travelled to the
mountains to trade with, and sell goods to, displaced villagers and others living in the hills. Trading at such 'jungle markets'
is a crucial means by which villagers can evade SPDC-imposed restrictions and, for those hiding in the hills, maintain their
lives outside of State control. [Photos: KHRG]
In this photo, village girls are shown caring for their younger
siblings on February 1st 2009 while their parents are out at
work on their hillside farm fields in Nyaunglebin District. With
heavy demands by miltiry forces, ongoing livelihoods
vulnerabiliy and increasing poverty, many young children in
Karen State have had to take on more household work as
well as wage labour outside the home in order to help their
families cope. [Photo: KHRG]
A-20
Photo A-21, taken on February 2nd 2009, shows the former
plantation of the 54-year-old mother of Saw T---, of M----
village in T'Nay Hsah Township of Pa'an District. Saw T---'s
mother had to sell the plantation because her 28-year-old
son, who had been recruited into the DKBA, refused to serve
as a soldier. Along with this plantation, Saw T---'s mother
also had to sell her farm field in order to collect the 900,000
kyat (approx. US $914) needed to hire someone else to take
her son's place. [Photo: KHRG]
A-21
A-22
A-23
The photo to the right, taken on February 9th 2009, shows a
close-up of a picture of Maung Chit Thoo, Operation
Commander of DKBA Brigade #999 and now one of the most
powerful figures within the DKBA, along with his wife. Maung
Chit Thoo had DKBA personnel under his command forcibly
sell this picture to individual households in T'Nay Hsah
Township of Pa'an District, at a cost of 2,000 kyat (approx.
US $2.03) each. [Photo: KHRG]
A-24
A-25
A-26
18-year-old Maung Z---, shown in photo A-27, is of mixed
South Asian and Burman ethnicity. He came from a town in
Pegu Division and spoke to KHRG on February 27th 2009.
Amongst other things, Maung Z--- explained that while he
was involved in the military training, "There were many
people under 18 years old. There were also 13-year-olds and
16-year-olds attending the military training."
A-27
A-28
A-29 A-30
Northern Karen State continues to have one of the highest
documented concentrations of Internally Dispalced Persons
(IDPs) in Burma. Lu Thaw Township of northern Papun
District is amongst those areas of northern Karen State with
large IDP populations living in hiding. Photos A-29 to A-36
show the hiding site of displaced villagers who previously fled
from their homes at Th--- village of Papun District. IDPs in
hiding have to adopt a range of strategies to support
themselves while evading the Burma Army. Photo A-31
shows a patch of onion plants now being grown by the
displaced villagers from Th--- village. [Photo: KHRG]
A-31
A-32 A-33
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A-35 A-36
A-37 A-38
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A-40 A-41
A-42 A-43
A-44
Karen villagers in Lu Thaw Township, Papun District construct
a platform as part of a traditional ceremony on March 1st
2009 to evict malevolent spirits from the area and ensure a
prosperous future on the newly sanctified land. This
ceremony is often conducted in areas that have not been
cultivated or inhabited for extended periods of time. For a
discussion of related Karen religious architecture, see Kirsten
Ewers Andersen, "Two Indigenous Karen Religious
Denominations," Folk 23, 1981. [Photo: KHRG]
A-45
A-46 A-47
IDP villagers in Lu Thaw Township of Papun District are shown here on March 4th 2009, having come to D--- IDP camp in
order to receive medical treatment from a mobile Karen medical team. Such aid, delivered by local Karen staff working with
small mobile medical teams which obtain supplies from accros the border in Thailand are crucial means by which IDP
communities are able to address their health needs. Many communities residing in SPDC-controlled areas likewise rely on
such 'cross-border' aid because of the lack of government health care provisions and restrictions on access to the area
imposed on international aid agencies based out of Rangoon. [Photos: KHRG]
A-48
A-49 A-50
This domestically-made M14 landmine was removed from the ground in Lu Thaw Township on December 14th 2008. A KHRG
field researcher subsequently took these photos on March 5th 2009. According to Landmine Monitor, these M-14 landmines
are "manufactured by Myanmar Defense Products Industries at Ngyaung Chay Dauk, in Bago division." [Photos: KHRG]
A-51
A-52 A-53
These photos show displaced villagers in Nyaunglebin District
as they work together to face the challenges of life in hiding
from Burma Army forces. In photo A-54, girls are shown
caring for their younger siblings while their parents work on
their hillside farm fields. The elderly woman in photo A-55 is
from S--- village and is responsible for both looking after her
grandchild and pounding rice while her children work in their
hill fields.
A-54
A-55
A-56 A-57
These pictures show bamboo huts located at the hiding site
of villagers from Thaw Ngeh Der village in Nyaunglebin
District. The residents of Thaw Ngeh Der fled their homes in
March 2008 and remained at this displaced hiding site until
at least March 8th 2009, when these photos were taken. At
that time, the villagers had not yet returned to their village
due to ongoing Burma Army patrols in the area. [Photos:
KHRG]
A-58
A-59 A-60
A-61 A-62
Students who have just finished their school year at an IDP camp in Papun District return to their home villages. The
students are shown here on March 20th 2009 hurriedly crossing an SPDC-controlled vehicle road while Karen National
Liberation Army (KNLA) soldiers take security. Because of insecurity and a lack of educational facilities at their home
villages, which remain outside of SPDC-controlled areas, these students must take this risky journey simply to access
schools. [Photos: KHRG]
A-63 A-64
A-65
The picture to the left shows the Burma Army camp at Bpaw
Hseh Koh in the Maw Gkyaw Koh area of Papun District in
March 2009. While Burma Army soldiers withdrew from 13
camps in Papun District between the end of 2008 and the
start of 2009, many other camps, like the one shown here,
remain occupied. [Photo: KHRG]
A-66
Many villagers in Karen State have been displaced repeatedly
over the past decades due to human rights abuse and armed
conflict. 70-year-old Naw Hs---, who is shown here in March
2009 with her husband, is now staying at Th--- village in
Papun District. Naw Hs--- has been repeatedly displaced
since she first fled from Japanese troops during World War II.
Since that time she has fled from the soldiers of successive
Burmese governments. Naw Hs--- told KHRG that she hopes
peace will come quickly to her and her husband. [Photo:
KHRG]
A-67
A-68 A-69
A-70
A-71 A-72
Those ordered to comply with the forced labour include villagers previously relocated from Ay Neh, Bpa Ta Lah, Thoo Gka
Bee, Noh Gkaw and Weh Lah Taw village tracts. Burma Army personnel ordered one person from each household to
contribute to the road repair. Women and children were amongst those engaged in the forced labour. [Photos and video:
KHRG]
A-73 A-74
[To watch the video click here.]
Photo A-75, taken on April 3rd 2009, shows the road leading
from Papun Town to Gk'Ma Maw at the point where it
connects Way Hsah and Way Moo villages. Local SPDC
authorities have surveyed the farm fields on both sides of
this road, apparently planning to confiscate this land as they
have done with other land in the area. If the SPDC does
confiscate the land, many civilians who farm fields along
both sides of the road will lose their means of livelihood.
[Photo: KHRG]
A-75
16-year-old Maung Ht---, a deserter from the Burma Army is
shown here in April 2009. Maung Ht--- told KHRG that "In
the past, when I was staying in the SPDC Association
[Burma Army] I suffered many troubles. I was exploited with
insufficient salary and rations. And furthermore, as I didn't
have a high level of education, I had to remain at a low-
rank. They [Burma Army authorities] ordered [the soldiers]
as they wanted. I had to meet all of their needs. Because I
couldn't endure this treatment, I fled when I got in contact
with the KNU... In the same way as me, I pray that the child
soldiers who remain with the SPDC Army will be quickly
released from oppression and torture." [Photo: KHRG]
A-76
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A-78
This picture, taken in April 2009, shows a family from Thaton
District that fled to Pa'an District and then to Thailand. The
family reported that they had to pay money to support the
villagers who were recruited as new DKBA soldiers. They
therefore decided to leave their village to avoid paying this
money. [Photo: KHRG]
A-79
A-80 A-81
20-year-old Saw M--- deserted from the DKBA in early 2009 and subsequently spoke to KHRG on April 14th, when these
photos were taken. Prior to deserting, Saw M--- served in the 'Brigade Security Force' of DKBA Brigade #999 under
commander Pah Nwee. Regarding child soldiers in the DKBA, Saw M--- told KHRG that "some soldiers are only 13 years
old. There were six soldiers who were 13 years old in my security detachment [the 'Brigade Security Force']." [Photos:
KHRG]
A-82
On April 28th 2009 the joint SPDC and DKBA forces defeated
the KNLA at Khaw Lay Kee. When these photos were taken
on April 30th 2009, some of the refugees from the Khaw Lay
Kee area had briefly returned to the area of the fighting to
check on their abandoned agricultural fields. [Photos: KHRG]
A-83
A-84 A-85
A-86
A-87 A-88
The photos above and below show IDPs in Lu Thaw Township in northern Papun District receiving emergency food support
in the form of rice supplies that are being given by local KNU officers. After prolonged periods of hiding in the forest,
these villagers have been unable to fully tend to their farms or maintain stores of harvested paddy. As a result, they have
faced severe food shortages. These photos were taken on April 25th 2009. [Photos: KHRG]
A-89 A-90
A-91
The photo to the right shows 34-year-old Naw M--- along
with her three sons, who now live in Mae La Oo refugee
camp in Thailand. Naw M--- told KHRG that she left her
village in Lu Thaw Township, Papun District, because of
problems created by frequent SPDC patrols. Naw M--- lost a
leg to a landmine while she was displaced in Lu Thaw
Township, and her husband was shot and killed by the Burma
Army. A fourth son and her father died from lack of access to
medical treatment. This photo was taken on May 9th 2009.
[Photo: KHRG]
A-92
A-93
Beginning in the first week of June 2009, DKBA and SPDC forces conducted joint attacks on a KNLA camp located in Dta
Greh Township of Pa'an District. The KNLA camp was located adjacent to Ler Per Her camp for internally displaced people,
which prior to the attacks had a population of over 1,200. Residents from the from the surrounding villages began leaving
for Thailand at the start of June to avoid the fighting as well as expected forced labour carrying military supplies amidst
the fighting. Subsequently, on June 5th the entire civilian population of Ler Per Her camp evacuated to Thailand to avoid
the fighting. Joint SPDC/DKBA attacks on the KNLA continued until mid June, when the KNLA withdrew its forces from the
camps and dispersed as small units into the surrounding forests. [Photos: KHRG]
Photo A-94, taken in July 2008, shows the locations (at the
time immediately preceding the attacks) of the SPDC and
DKBA camps in the background. In the foreground lies the
now empty Ler Per Her IDP camp. Between Ler Per Her and
the SPDC/DKBA camps lies the KNLA camp. Photo A-95
shows the Moei River dividing Thailand (on the left and
bottom) and Karen State (on the right). The village of Mae
Salit (to which many of the Ler Per Her refugees
subsequently fled) is visible on the Thai side of the river at
the bottom left corner of the photo. A few buildings at Ler
Per Her IDP camp are just barely visible amongst the trees
on the opposite bank of the river. Photo A-96 shows smoke
rising from the KNLA camp near Ler Per Her on June 14th
2009, after KNLA forces withdrew and the camp was taken
by the DKBA.
A-94
A-95 A-96
A-97 A-98
Photos A-97 to A-100 show displaced villagers from Ler Per Her IDP camp who wait to leave the area by boat as they flee
to Thailand on June 5th 2009 to avoid the joint SPDC/DKBA attacks.
A-99 A-100
A-101 A-102
A-103
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A-106 A-107
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A-109 A-110
A-111
A-112
Many of those injured in the fighting around Ler Per Her IDP
camp subsequently went to Thailand for medical treatment.
Photo A-113, taken on June 23rd 2009, shows a 17-year-old
DKBA child soldier named Saw P--- recovering at a hospital
in Thailand after being injured during fighting with the KNLA
near Ler Per Her camp. Saw P--- told KHRG, "In 2008, the
DKBA recruited 10 villagers in my village to join the army. I
had to draw a lottery ticket and then [due to the ticket that
he drew], I had to join the DKBA for three years...
Commander Saw Hsar Muh Say stayed behind along with the
Burmese Army and gave an order that the soldiers had to
fight at the frontline and also had to plant landmines. It's
like the DKBA commanders ordered us to die."
A-113
A-114
Likewise, the man in photo A-115 lost his leg near to the
same village at the end of 2008. As their village was located
near to Ler Per Her IDP camp, they both fled to Thailand at
the start of June 2009 (when they were photographed by
KHRG) in order to avoid the fighting between joint
SPDC/DKBA attacks against a KNLA camp in the area.
[Photos: KHRG]
A-115
A-116
A-117 A-118
When this photo was taken in June 2009, the young man shown above wearing a grey shirt was enrolled in 10th standard
at Ee Thoo Hta High School in Ee Thoo Hta IDP camp. When he was 11 years old he stepped on a KNLA-deployed
landmine near his village in Bu Tho Township in Papun District. The prosthetic leg he now wears has been provided by the
KNLA and he currently receives support from the Karen Youth Organisation to be able to continue to study. [Photos:
KHRG]
The photo to the left shows Ee Thoo Tha camp for internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in Papun District along the Salween
River bordering Thailand. The camp has steadily increased in
size since it was opened in April 2006 and now has a
population of just over 4,000 people. The residents of Ee
Thoo Hta told KHRG that due to the recent fighting between
joint SPDC and DKBA forces and the KNLA in June 2009,
they are concerned about their security and a possible attack
on the camp. [Photo: KHRG]
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