Government forces have been harvesting fruit and other crops from farms owned by displaced Kachin families, some of the angry farmers told the Kachin News Group.
During the past few weeks the Light Infantry Division 33 have been seen harvesting the produce from farms close to bases along the Myitkyina to Kambaiti road in Kachin state. The area was formerly controlled by the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA) Battalion 3.
The farms are owned by displaced Kachin families living in the Shing Chyai camp in Waingmaw Township; controlled by the government's border guard force (BGF). The displaced camp is home to 1,000 people from villages located around the Lahpai military base. Much of the fruit harvested from the abandoned farms is being sold in Myitkyina, the farmers told the KNG.
Government troops have also been seen raiding abandoned houses stealing household items, including doors, according to an unidentified displaced villager from Shing Chyai IDP camp that briefly returned to his area.
"Burmese soldiers also bring their family members to their base in order to assist in looting items from the displaced villages. They take jewelry and other valuable stuff from the houses," the man said.
Although fighting in Kambaiti has stopped, government troops continue blocking displaced civilians from returning to their homes, one affected villager in Shing Chyai camp told the Kachin New Group. Some who have secretly returned to their homes have found them either destroyed or looted.
The Burma army has been widely criticized by international human rights groups for committing human rights violations like rape and the burning of Kachin villages and churches within combat areas. Despite documented reports published by Human Rights Watch and other groups that accused military forces of using rape and performing summary executions of civilians, Burma's nominally civilian government continues to deny it.
Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/09/09/burma-army-plunder-abandoned-kachin-farms/
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