A/HRC/4/14 page 14 51. The authorities have continued to impose severe restrictions on freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of assembly. The Special Rapporteur has received several reports alleging the Government’s involvement in crackdowns on several initiatives by people to organize themselves even for non-political purposes, such as fighting HIV/AIDS. 52. The Special Rapporteur has also received reports of allegations concerning the prosecution of individuals who have communicated information that should belong in the public domain to organizations and individuals inside and outside the country. 53. The Special Rapporteur is also very much concerned about the strict restrictions on freedom of movement that prevail in general in the country, and in particular about those imposed on specific groups, such as the Muslim minority. C. Military operations in ethnic areas 54. Since 1948, millions of people have been uprooted and thousands have died every year, mostly from preventable diseases, in the country’s conflict areas. The situation has become critical. The Army has approximately doubled the number of battalions deployed across eastern Myanmar since 1995. The attacks on villages in ethnic areas have led to extensive forced displacements. This is true for Kayin State but also other ethnic states in eastern Myanmar (Mon, Shan and Kaya) and in northern Rakhine State. Reliable and independent sources estimate that between 1996 and 2006, 3,077 separate incidents of destruction, relocation or abandonment of villages have been documented in eastern Myanmar. Over a million people are understood to have been displaced from their homes during this time. As of November 2006, the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been forced or obliged to leave their homes and have not been able to return or resettle and reintegrate into society is estimated to be at least 500,000. The Government does not recognize the existence of IDPs within its borders and severely restricts access to them by United Nations agencies and other humanitarian actors. 55. Widespread violence continued to spiral upwards during the last year in mountain areas outside of military control in the Toungoo, Nyaunglebin and Papun Districts of Kayin State and in eastern Bago Division. For many independent and reliable observers, this is the worst humanitarian situation since the 1996-1997 military campaign. 56. Among the most appalling features of the military campaign in ethnic areas is the disproportionate effect on civilian populations. In addition to the heightened risks posed by the widespread availability of small arms and light weapons and anti-personnel mines, the killing, terrorizing or displacement of civilians is often part of a deliberate strategy to separate ethnic armed groups from their civilian populations. It has been considered by various observers to be a concerted policy aimed at denying people their livelihoods and food or forcing them to risk their lives when they attempt to return to their villages after having been forcibly evicted. 57. The Special Rapporteur has received reports from reliable and independent sources alleging that the militarization of refugee camps at the border has put the safety of civilians at