Following are the direct translations of some typical SLORC written orders received by Mon villages in southern Burma's Tenasserim Division, along the route of the Ye-Tavoy railway line which is currently being built with forced civilian and convict labour, and in the area where the SLORC / Total / Unocal gas pipeline from the Martaban Gulf is to come ashore en route to Thailand. All of the orders were signed by SLORC officers or officials, and in most cases were stamped with the military unit or local LORC stamp. Photocopies of the order documents themselves may be enclosed with this report, and if not they are available on request. Most of these orders concern forced labour, money and materials being extorted for construction of the railway, forced labour building a naval base which is most likely intended to protect the gas pipeline, extortion of labour and money to build houses for Mon soldiers who surrender to SLORC, general routine demands for money and labour, and summonses to 'meetings'. While many of the orders repeat each other, they are included to give an idea of the endless series of SLORC demands and threats faced by Mon villagers who are already struggling to survive. For each order included here, there are hundreds more which have been issued. Many are lost or destroyed, while others are impossible to obtain. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those who helped us obtain copies of these documents.
Most of the orders for Ye-Tavoy railway construction are from the period just before the main 1994/95 dry season construction work began in Nov. 94, so the numbers of people demanded were small. As soon as the dry season started, 11,850 people were demanded from Ye Township alone (see "SLORC Orders to Villages: Set 95-A", KHRG #95-01), and such large numbers are still being conscripted now on a rotating basis. SLORC claims to pay these people, but at the labour camps they tell people that their 'pay' has been put toward 'community development projects' instead. The 'meetings' to which village leaders are summoned are usually to discuss forced labour assignments and extortion demands. The recurring phrase 'if you fail it will be your responsibility' is well understood by village elders to mean 'you will be arrested and tortured or we will come to burn your village'. In the orders, SLORC uses the expression 'servants' or 'government servants' to refer to forcibly conscripted civilian labourers. Money which is demanded to 'pay' these people or buy materials is almost never used that way - the money is pocketed by the authorities, while labour goes unpaid and materials are extorted from villagers and small businessmen.
While SLORC stands for State Law & Order Restoration Council, it administers through State, District, Township and Village level Law & Order Restoration Councils or LORCs, an abbreviation used throughout this report. Most orders are addressed to the 'chairman' or 'secretary' of the village - these are village elders appointed (usually against their will) by SLORC to be its local contact people. When orders are not obeyed they are the first to be tortured. LIB stands for Light Infantry Battalion, while IB is Infantry Battalion. Where necessary, names of people and places have been blanked out and denoted by 'xxxx' or 'yyyy' to protect them. All numeric dates in the orders are in dd-mm-yy format.
TOPIC SUMMARY
Railway labour (#2,4,5,8-12,29,33), Navy base labour (#4,6-8), gas pipeline (#4), political prisoners on the railway (#1), forced labour building for surrendered Mon soldiers (#39), threats against elders (#2,3,27,38), extortion of money & materials for railway (#12-19,29), extortion by bandit group (#20), non-railway labour (#28,30,31,39), non-railway extortion (#20-24,27,39).
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Letter #1
[In January/February 1995, an opposition member managed to conceal the following note at one of the worksites on the Ye-Tavoy railway line. At this particular worksite, prison convicts are being held in a labour camp and being forced to work on the railway.]
Dear Brother,
We have heard about your troubles. We want to help you. We are thinking how we can do this and we want to communicate. If you have a chance to escape, you can. We have already asked the civilians of the surrounding villages, and they will help you too. Always we are thinking of what we can do and how we can help you.
A Revolutionary
(Tomorrow evening, please leave your reply letter here)
[A couple of days later the following note, written on the back of the first, was retrieved from the same place:]
There is full security and we cannot escape.
If they catch us, they will kill us. One person has escaped - did you meet him? He didn't
come back.
The food is scare-food, we never get enough and we have to work the whole day. We have
been beaten many times. There are so many sick people. Help us out of this trouble.
[Signed Y---]
8 years (17-1)
Ko-Mile Prisoner Camp
[Notes: No one had encountered the man who escaped - he may have been caught. "Scare-food" is a Burmese idiom which basically means "although the food comes from them, still we are terrified of them". The man signed "8 years (17-1)", meaning he is serving an 8-year prison sentence under Article 17-1. Article 17-1 decrees imprisonment for anyone "associating with illegal or opposition organizations" such as democratic political parties and ethnic opposition organizations. In other words, THIS MAN IS A POLITICAL PRISONER. Using political prisoners for forced labour violates all international norms, but this letter makes it clear that SLORC is using political prisoners for labour on the Ye-Tavoy railway. The number of political prisoners being used remains to be known, but it is important that SLORC be condemned internationally in the strongest possible terms and that this be stopped.]
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Order #2
Stamp:
Frontline #406 Light Infantry Battalion
Frontline #406 LIB
Nat Gyi Zin Camp
Column 1 HQ
Ref. No. 406 / 1001 / Sa Ka 1
Date: 1994 November 4
To: Chairman
Village Law & Order Restoration Council
xxxx village
Subject: Call for labour to the head of the village
1) Regarding the above subject, we already called many times for the headman of xxxx village and 25 villagers for railway labour to come to Nat Gyi Zin camp.
2) Therefore, as soon as you receive this letter the headman and 25 people, along with rations and needed equipment [tools, etc.], must come without fail.
3) Along with this letter, we are sending some presents for the chairman and secretary [of the village]. If you get these presents, come here. If you fail to come, we will give the next present to the headman of the village. Wait and see what kind of present.
[Sd.]
(for) Column Commander
Nat Gyi Zin Camp
[Note: the "presents" enclosed with this order were 2 bullets.]
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Order #3
Stamp:
94 November 09 - 0900
Frontline #406 LIB
(9-11-94)
Column 1 HQ
To: Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village)
For railway construction, we have to have a discussion with the [village] chairman and secretary. Therefore, come yourselves to Nat Gyi Zin camp. We give you your last chance to come on 15-11-94 without fail to come. If you really work on behalf of the village people, you (chairman and secretary) must come without fail. If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
If you don't come because you are afraid of Mon rebels, we Army must show you that we are worse than Mon rebels. That's all.
[Sd.]
(for) Column Commander
Nat Gyi Zin camp
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Order #4
Stamp:
Date: 1994 November 20
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village)
Subject: 1) Regarding free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
2) Regarding gas pipeline, Bote Island
3) Regarding operations servants [porters]
Regarding the above subjects, we have to have a discussion. You yourself must come to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office on 22-11-94. For the Ye-Tavoy railway construction, we have already hired people. So bring along the charge for this labour, according to your share.
[Sd., 20/11/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
[Note: Bote Island is just offshore in the Hein Zeh Basin area, where the SLORC/Total Oil/Unocal gas pipeline is to come onshore from the Martaban Gulf en route to Thailand. SLORC has also recently built a naval base on this island with forced labour (see related orders in this report). It is unlikely that any labour for the Ye-Tavoy railway has been "hired" - the money demanded is simply extortion.]
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Order #5
Township Law & Order Restoration Council group
Ye Pyu Town
Ref. No. 1496 / 4-8 / TLORC (YP)
Date: 1994 August 30
To: Chairman
xxxx Quarter / Village LORC group
Ye Pyu township
Subject: To send free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
1) To guard and repair the Ye-Tavoy railway construction labour camp and to take good care of the camp, we will start work from 1-9-94 until 15-9-94. So send labour from your village without fail (without fail), we inform you.
| Three Pagodas Camp | ||
| Kyauk Kanyah [village must
send:] Nat Twin Kyauk Taung Nyin Htway Baleh Ku |
10 people\ 10 people| 10 people| 10 people| 10 people/ |
31-8-94 at 5 p.m. must arrive at Township LORC office |
| Nat Gyi Zin Camp | ||
| Wun Phot Oke Tha Yun Taline Yah Kalein Aung Kyauk Shat |
10 people\ |
31-8-94 at 5 p.m. must arrive at Township LORC office 31-8-94 at 5 p.m. must arrive at Kanbauk vlg. LORC office Must give a list to Township LORC office |
| ----- [start of
page 2 of the original order] ----- -2- |
||
| ---- camp ---- [those marked '----' are not ---- legible on the order] ---- Thet Chaung Kywe Thone Nyi Ma |
10 people\ 10 people| 10 people| 10 people| 10 people/ |
On 1-9-94 Must be arranged by Kanbauk region construction committee chairman & send list to township LORC office |
2) At the labour camp, the people will be paid with money from Myanmar Railway Corporation, so choose people who are really able to do the work. The village LORC group has to arrange to control these workers. 3 milk tins of rice per person per day will be sold at 20 Kyats for 1 pyi by the group for welfare of the labourers [1 pyi = 8 milk tins, or about 1.5 kg. Current market price for 1 pyi is about 50 Kyat, depending on the grade of rice].
[Sd.]
(for) Chairman
(U Myint Soe, secretary)
Copies to: - Tenasserim Division LORC group, Tavoy Town
- District LORC group, Tavoy Town
- No. 410 LIB Kalein Aung, Ye Pyu Town
- responsible person, #410 LIB, Nat Gyi Zin labour camp, Ye Pyu township
- Township supply and group for labourer welfare, Ye Pyu Town
- Township railway labour transportation group, Ye Pyu Town
- office copy
[Notes: This is a duplicated order sent to all villages, so some of the names are illegible. The labour demanded is to do post-rainy season work to prepare the labour camps for the dry season forced labour on the Ye-Tavoy railway, which started in earnest on Nov. 7, 1994 (see Order #1 in "SLORC Orders to Villages: Set 95-A", KHRG #95-01, Jan. 5, 1995, which called 11,850 villagers from the area for forced labour). Despite the claim that workers will be paid, no one is paid on the Ye-Tavoy railway; instead, when it comes time to pay them the local LORC says their pay has been put towards "community development projects which they all want". No such projects ever materialize.]
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Order #6
Township Law & Order Restoration Council group
Ye Pyu Township
Ref. No. 1272 / 3-16 / TLORC Ya Pa
Date: 1994 July 24
To: Chairman
xxxx village LORC group
Ye Pyu township
Subject: To send servants to build Hein Zeh and Bote Island camp
In order to build the Navy camp at Hein Zeh / Bote Island in Ye Pyu township, send 3 people from xxxx village group. Chairman of the village LORC group, collect the people and send them without fail according to the following:
a) Date to come:
26-7-94
b) Time to come: 4 p.m.
c) Location:
Kanbauk village LORC office
d) Number of servants: 3 people
[Sd., 24/7/94]
(for) Chairman
(U Myint Soe, secretary)
Copies to: - No. 1 Strategic Command, Southeastern Command, Tavoy Town
- Division LORC group, Tenasserim Division, Tavoy Town
- District LORC group, Tavoy District, Tavoy Town
- No. 408 LIB, Kalein Aung village, Ye Pyu township
- Working committee of Kanbauk region - Kanbauk village
- Office copy
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Order #7
Stamp:
To:
Village LORC
Chairman / Secretary
Kanbauk village group
xxxx village group
Ye Pyu Township
Date: 25-7-94
Subject: Calling for labour to build Bote Island Navy Camp
According to the decisions of the meeting between Township LORC (Ye Pyu township) Chairman, members and the Department Head held in Kanbauk village LORC office about Bote Island Navy Camp construction, your village group has to give 3 people for labour, to be sent to the Kanbauk LORC office on 27-7-94 at 4 p.m. without fail.
[Sd.]
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kanbauk village group, Ye Pyu Township
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Order #8
Stamp:
Date: 1994
October 10
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: Free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding these subjects:
1) Labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
2) Free labour for Hein Zeh / Bote Island
3) Toddy-leaf roofing shingles
For this free labour, your village has to send one person to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office on 15-10-94 without fail.
Note: If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
[Sd., 10/10/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #9
Stamp:
Date: 1994 November 13
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: Free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding the above subject, the quota per month is 50 people from the Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group, so we have to discuss this. As soon as you get this letter, you the village chairman yourself must come to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office without fail, we hereby inform you.
[Sd., 13/11/94]
U Than Yee
Chaman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #10
Stamp:
Date: 1994 September 24
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: To send free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding the above subject, according to the order of Ye Pyu Township, Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group must provide 50 people for Ye-Tavoy railway construction. According to your share, your village must send 5 people. Therefore, we have to have an important discussion about this. Come to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office on 25-9-94 without fail, we hereby inform you.
[Sd., 24/9/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #11
Stamp:
Date: 1994 December 6
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village)
Subject: Free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding the above subject, your village has the duty to dig 20 holes and level the ground. For one hole it costs 380 Kyats. For the 12th month [December], come and pay the money for this month to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office without fail.
Note: If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
[Sd.]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #12
Stamp:
Date: 1994 September 30
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village notification)
Subject: Free labour and toddy-leaf roofing shingles for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding the above subject, according to the order of Ye Pyu Township, your village has to give 5 people or money for 5 people for free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction. Another thing, your village also has the duty to give 1,000 toddy-leaf roofing shingles for the free labour camp. Regarding these two things, send them to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office on 2-10-94. If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
[Sd., 30/9/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #13
Stamp:
Date: 1994 August 29
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: As soon as you receive this letter, come and give 2,000 Kyats (two thousand Kyats) for free labour from your village to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office without fail. If you fail, it will be your responsibility, we inform you.
[Sd., 29/8/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
[Note: this is extortion money to avoid increased demands for forced labour.]
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Order #14
Stamp:
Date: 1994 October 10
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: Free labour for Ye-Tavoy railway construction
Regarding the above subject, your village has the following responsibilities:
1) Toddy-leaf roof shingles (1,000) ... already given.
Labour fees for 15 days ... already given.
For the next 15 days, payment must be given on 20-10-94 according to the population list. Come to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village LORC office without fail.
Note: If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
[Sd., 10/10/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #15
Stamp:
Date: 1994 September 22
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village)
Subject: To demand roofing shingles for the second time to repair the prisoner [convict labour] camp
Regarding the above subject, to repair the convict [labour] camp for LIB #410 we have to give 13,000 toddy-leaf roofing shingles from Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group. So your village has the duty to give 1,000 toddy-leaf roofing shingles. On 30-9-94, send these roofing shingles to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village. If you fail, it will be your responsibility.
[Sd., 22/9/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #16
[This is a receipt for extortion money paid to avoid sending 5 people for 15 days' forced labour each]
Stamp:
Date: 1994 October 3
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
For Ye-Tavoy railway construction, from xxxx village, for 5 people @ 15 days -
5,000 Kyats
In words: Five thousand Kyats - Paid.
2,500 Kyats remaining [to pay].
Send toddy-leaf roof shingles to Kywe Thone Nyi Ma boat station on 9-10-94.
For free labour for the Ye-Tavoy railway construction, we have already hired people for 1,500 Kyats each in Kywe Thone Nyi Ma.
[Sd., 3/10/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
[Note: it is doubtful that they "hired" any labourers for 1,500 Kyat, as SLORC just takes labourers by force for the Ye-Tavoy railway.]
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Order #17
Stamp:
Date: 1994 October 7
Village LORC group
To: Village LORC
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman / Secretary
(xxxx village) notification
Subject: Send toddy-leaf roofing shingles
Regarding the above subject, your village has the duty to give 5,500 toddy-leaf roofing shingles for the Ye-Tavoy railway labour camp. You must collect and bring these roofing shingles to the boat station ready to load. If you fail it will be your responsibility, we hereby inform you.
[The following paragraph was written in by a different hand:]
Village chairman Mr. xxxx from xxxx will come with one boat. Send 5,500
roofing shingles on this boat. We will discuss the cost of these shingles later [i.e.
nothing will be paid]. Also bring one gallon of diesel for the boat. If you finish
doing these things, reply to me.
Aung Htwin
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma Secretary
[Sd., 7/10/94]
U Than Yee
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
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Order #18
To: Chairman 8-10-94
Village LORC
xxxx village
Subject: To send toddy-leaf roofing shingles
1) Regarding the above subject, on 7-10-94 we sent 2 boats from Nat Gyi Zin village to carry the five thousand five hundred (5,500) toddy-leaf roofing shingles which were collected from xxxx village for use at Nat Gyi Zin railway construction site. (Kept in xxxx boat station).
2) For these 2 boats (to go and return), I have already arranged for the diesel with xxxx
village LORC secretary Mr. xxxx.
- Make sure to load the 2 boats with the leaves.
[Sd., 8/10]
Lt. Win Aung
Intelligence Officer
LIB #406
Nat Gyi Zin Camp
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Order #19
[This is written by villagers to the area LORC group, verifying that they have done as ordered. The area LORC group stamped it upon receipt.]
Stamp:
8-10-94
Village LORC group
xxxx village
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village
Chairman
Village LORC group
Kywe Thone Nyi Ma village group
We have given 2 gallons of diesel for 2 boats from Nat Gyi Zin village to carry the roofing leaves. We hereby notify Mr. xxxx that the boat driver signed a receipt for the diesel.
[Sd.]
[Sd.]
Mr. yyyy Mr. zzzz
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Order #20
[This order is apparently from either a SLORC unit acting under an alias or a local bandit group. Several such groups exist in the area, usually claiming to be independent "rebel" groups even though several of them are supported and given freedom to operate by SLORC (because they tend to undermine the legitimate opposition groups). The stamp on this order consists of a childishly crude drawing of a skull and dagger, surrounded by the illegible initials of some kind of group.]
3-1-94
Stamp:
xxxx [village] chairman
[mostly illegible, contains
the initials Ka Gka Dta Ka Nya
and a crudely drawn skull & dagger]
Message:
Give us 10 bulls because we don't have anything to eat. We don't need female cows, send
only big bulls. We will not come and collect these bulls. We are just asking. The price of
these 10 bulls doesn't concern the villagers, it concerns only the [village] chairman. If
you don't send them, don't any of you stay there. That's all.
[Sd.]
Regional commander
Southern Ye Township
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Order #21
Township Law & Order Restoration Council group
Ye Township - Ye Town
Ref. No. 200 / 3-5 / TLORC (Ye)
Date: 1994 October 18
To: Chairman
[Town] Quarter or Village LORC group
xxxx village - Ye township
Subject: To pay into the fund [donation]
Attention: Ye Township LORC letter dated 22-9-94, Reference No. 200 / 3-5 /TLORC (Ye)
1) According to the above reference, in order to implement the development of Ye Township on schedule, collect 250 Kyat per producing acre from rubber plantation owners in each quarter and village group. We have realized that you have not paid it yet, so come give it no later than 6-10-1994.
2) Therefore, in order to implement development in Ye Township on time, your quarter and village LORC groups have to pay for 20 acres at 250 Kyat each, totalling 5,000 Kyat (five thousand Kyat exactly). Come pay it to Ye Township LORC office no later than 24-10-94. This is a first reminder.
[Sd.]
Chairman
(U Soe Win, PA/2141)
Copies to: Office Copy
[Notes: This is a form letter sent to all villages, with the amounts demanded written into the blanks. The fact that it refers to a letter with the same reference number is SLORC's mistake, not ours. It is very unlikely that the money collected will be used for anything most people would call "development".]
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Order #22
To: Chairman
xxxx village
1-1-95
Your village has to give servants' fees for November and December of 4,000 Kyats (four thousand Kyats). Come yourself and pay on 2-1-95 at 0700 in the morning at Ko-Mile [9-Mile] village. You the village chairman yourself must come.
* If you don't come, it will be the responsibility of the Chairman.
[Sd.]
Company Commander
No. 1 Company
No. 343 LIB
Lt. Min Zaw
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Order #23
Stamp:
94 November 10, 10:00
No. 343 LIB
To: xxxx village (Village LORC)
Company #3
Come and pay the servants' fees to the Army column at Ko-Mile [9-Mile] village not later than November 20 (without fail).
[Sd.]
Company Commander
No. 3 Company
No. 343 LIB
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Order #24
13/12/94
To: Chairman / Secretary
As soon as you receive this letter, send one big boat (pa nga type) from xxxx boat station. If there is no big boat available, send 6 fishing boats. Reply by letter regarding whether you have sold the fishing nets that the Major gave you to sell. If you already sold them, send the money with one [village committee] member. As for the boat, send it at 5 p.m. this evening.
With friendly regards,
[Sd.]
&