A report by the Karen Human Rights Group accuses the Burma Army of extorting, forced labour and bribes from villagers in the Toungoo district.
The report placed civilians into two categories. Those that lived in areas under Burma Army control, and those that didn’t. According to statistics released by the KHRG, civilians in the former category were much more likely to face abuse than the latter category.
The villagers living in territory near Burma Army camps often faced being used as forced labour. Villagers from these areas, in interviews with the KHRG, accused the Burma Army of forcing them to perform hard labour, such as cutting bamboo, clearing vegetation from roads to free-up for military convoys, and to carry food and other supplies for Burma Army units.