Motor road underconstruction which has used forced labour

INDEPENDENT MON NEWS AGENCY [IMNA]
WEEKLY UPDATE – 23-31 JANUARY 2003 – MONLAND

NEWS:
1) BURMESE COMMANDER IN CHIEF APPOLIGED TO NEW MON STATE PARTY

2) LOCAL SECURITY FORCE STEAL LIVESTOCK

3) KAUNG MON PRINTING SHOP BANNED

4 MON VCD KARAOKE IN HIGHER PRODUCTION

5) HALOCKHANEE-YE ROAD REOPEN

Editorial:
New Image in Mon Politics:

ARTICLES:
Burmese Spy Taste Sex To Child Prostitute

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Burmese Commander in Chief apologizes to New Mon State Party
January 28, Moulmein

Burmese commander of East-Southern Division has apologized to President Shwe Kyin, leader of New Mon State Party regards with an accusation of party’s corruption, a reliable source said.

“I made a mistake as I was in hot temper" General Myint Aung said to leader and member of NMSP on the second week of January at A Naing village.

Gen Mying Aung accused members of New Mon State Party with a corruption of Rammawatoi road construction project and also the party denied to compensate a victim family in car accident who death in the event by the party’s member. However, Burmese military intelligence officers from No [5] confirmed that the accusations were wrong and favored the integrity of position of NMSP.

According to a reliable source from the inside circle, Intelligent in Chief Khin Kyunt urgently assigned to Gen- Maung Bo for mediation between NMSP and East-southern commander Gen- Mying Aung.

The tension between the party and Gen -Aung, chief army of the East-southern commander is not about only an accusation but also a prohibition of teaching Mon language in Mon villages. Gen- Aung banned in teaching Mon language at Ka Doe, Kaw Pok and Kaw Tom villages. President Kyin reported the story to Intelligent Officer San Pwint.

President Kyin, chief of the NMSP expressed and gave pressure to San Pwint by reporting to Chief Intelligent Khin Nyunt if the banning of teaching Mon language did not cease in Mon villages.


Local Security Force Steal Livestock
Ye / January 29

Burmese army LIB No [106] and local militia forces steal nine cows for meal in recent weeks, local source said.

Burmese soldiers cut off good meat in major part of the cow in their local camp and left the useless part of meat on the ground, the source added.

Local police in La Maing village arrested a motorcycle with a pack of beat but failed to catch a man who drive motorbike. Local residents doubted that police and military Intelligent Officers have arrested the goods but missed to arrest the man who escaped away.

According Police officer Htein Win, he was assigned to watch out the situation of thieves in the village. Five cows were missing before he arrived in the village and now another four cows were missing again.

He said that he ought to find out the violators until he found them, otherwise he will not be called to return main police station.

Local residents still doubt whether this was an act of Burmese soldiers and local militia force but they could not say it publicly.

Local villagers said they have found many marks of cow’s footsteps toward the Burmese army camp while they were searching many missing cows but they did not dare to enter getting close into the compound.

Local militia force personals are mostly Burman and it is to be believed that they jointed with soldiers and killed the local cows for meat, local residents expressed.


Kaung Mon Printing Shop Banned
December 02, Rangoon

Kaung Mon Printing, a biggest Mon printing shop in Rangoon was closed down on December first week after printed poetry- newsletter for a student group from Rangoon without a permission from Military Government Censorship Department.

Because of printing the newsletter, Kaung Mon Manager and also holds a position of Secretary of Mon Nation Culture and Literature Organisation in Rangoon, Nai Soe Aung and a staff were arrested and all of equipment were seized.

" It was happen after the student who printed the newsletter was arrested. And Nai Soe Aung didn't know it was printed in his shop because of his arrested staff did not told him" but he was arrested because of he is the manager." a source close to him said.

According the source Nai Soe Aung will take to the court and included his staff.

But the printing machine and equipment have returned after the owner Nai Thet Lwin, a former candidate of 1990 election in Mawlamyine took responsibility that they are not going to print documents like this newsletter again.

Kaung Mon Printing Shop is located in Kyeik Ta Dar township, Rangoon and the shop is where Mon people and monks rely on for printing. Kaung Mon also makes a good design for publication.


MON VCD KARAOKE IN HIGER PRODUCTION
January 27, 2003

Mon VCD karaoke vedio and tape production are getting increase for production and now two VCD karaoke vedio are going to produce soon, a central member of Mon National Musician Organization in Mon state said.

Since last two years Mon VCD karaoke only produced seven CD and at the beginning of this year we produced one, Nai Rong Dain added.

"We stated produced them since 2000 and the first one is called "Chan Mon Chan Nai" and the Mon community liked it. The selling rate was jumped high. In the next year we produced six VCD and our community faithfully accept them and we can bar our Mon community by singing other languages on VCD karaoke.

He added that this year " we also trying to produce more of Mon VCD karaoke as much as we can" Nai Rong Dain, in charge of VCD and tape selling said.

In Mon community Mon singers have ever produced Mon songs and tape before year 2000. At the first time they started to produce one VCD karaoke in that year and one CD song.

In Mon VCD karaoke, singers and producers put some song that played by Mon traditional instrument and some with modern music context.

The modern style songs and music have put in context more than Mon traditional songs despite the Mon people in Burma owned earlier traditional instrument in the past.

Mostly of Mon modern singers sing the song that adopted from Burmese, Thai and English musical contexts but some are their own properties.

Before they produce them, they need to obtain for permission from the Military Government Censorship Department.

The Mon New Agency learned that the Censorship Department will not allowed Mon singers to produce songs if their tape's cover and song title are not translated in Burmese text and print them on hard paper.


HLOCKHANI-YE ROAD REOPEN
Halockhanee / January

More than one year closed down the Halockhani-Ye motor road in Southern part of Burma and New Mon State Party (NMSP) controlled area because of fighting between NMSP and splinter group reopened on the second week of January.

NMSP repaired and reopened the road after some member from splinter group, called Hongsarwatio Restoration Party (HRP) returned to mother- party, the NMSP.

After the area is no more fighting between Mon soldiers, NMSP repaired the road in more than 15 days that has more than 40 miles Hlockhani to Ye.

Majority Mon traders rely on this route for transportation and only pay small taxes to revolution armed groups. Many traders may use this route instead of Thanpyuzayat-Three Pagoda Road.

But in year 2002, HRP soldiers treated small number of cars that traveled in the summer. They laid land mine on the road to protect from operation of Military government troop.

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Editorial
New Image in Mon Politics:

Renovation of Mon politics is a key element that has debated at the 5th New Mon State Party’s Congress in recent weeks. New imgage in politics is emerging in a sense of reforming the party and the Mon nationalist movement as a whole.

A fresh released book by Ashley South, “Mon Nationalsim and Civil War in Burma: Golden Sheldrake” sensitively encourages current party’s leaders and members to reshape a new look of the organization. A potential new leading team is sounding for a new challange under a controversial ceasefire process.

New image of politics does not define old and young power players in the party but it means an image that is able to tackle current exisiting crisis of unity and strategies planning of the party. The strength of the party indeed depends on organizational management, leadership coorperation and understanding of political changes. Talk is cheap but action is expensive. None of single Mon including party’s members can escape away from facing the reality; a perception of distrust among Mon people and different organizations.

A common goal in politics is defined unconditionally in the Mon political community. However, the notion of ‘unity in diversity’ is lacking among the people of Monland. Time has run out for over two centuries while the Mon are searching a solution of unity but falied to prove it. After five decades of resisntance to Rangoon military government, the Mon National Liberation Army now also turns a new image that the army is not for party alone but for the whole people in Monland. The role of the MNLA is demanding to become a professional defense force in further Monland. The history will judge itself when its failure proved in the future.

New image is infact not about the people but about the policy and development of organizational l management.

Nationalsim movement of people of Monland was under pressured by the Burmese military regime for half-century. The author of the book notes “Mon nationalism is in transition; debate is rigorious and sometimes, involves criticism of the errors of the past”.

This editorial welcomed such noble statement and overall its where the new image of Mon politics emerge in the new century.





Opinion and Analysis
Burmese Spy Taste Sex To Child Prostitute
Kun Pop Htaw / January 2003 / Bangkok


Child prostitute is a new social crisis in Burmese Buddhist society but power hungers, a Burmese military corrupted officers blindly denied any of accusations by the local, national and international community.

When it is getting dark after the local electricity had turn off, Burmese Military Intelligence [MI] arrived. They are afraid of seeing by local residents and called to staff before heading to the hotel, said by local senior man from Mon political community in Moulmein. There are prostitutes in Japan and Than Lwin hotels in Moulmein, the capital city of Mon State. It is not know how much is cost for ordinary guests but two special rooms are reserved [arranged] by the staff without fee for Burmese top corrupted military officers. The hotel staff is obliged to arrange beautiful girls as well as diner for them.

Girls almost from all restaurants in Moulmein are available for sex, local Moulmein University's student said. Three are about thirty restaurants in Moulmein and it is not only restaurant that could not charge for service to the Burmese MI but also Massage Rooms.

Ei Ei is a girl from Rangoon who works as a prostitute in Ye, southern of Moulmein because her family could not support for higher education. As she is young and fairly beauty, she earns quite good money for serving sex but her boss, Burmese MI and Burmese army officers are benefited from her body. Therefore, her personal income does not make much for saving to support her family.

Most prostitutes in Ye Town are forced to give free sex to Burmese MI and top Burmese army officials for the first place before they received ordinary customers. As current consuming rate is high with low income in town, girls do not have much choice for survival but sold their body. Most girls are directly forced to become prostitutes when they failed 10th standard, as they could not afford for further education. They are not chosen to work as prostitute but it is only one way for poor families to earn money for survival.

According to student from Moulmein university, three are a bout thirty girls in ‘Kyaw Restaurant” alone in Moulmein. Some girls are only age of fifteen in the restaurant.

Girls at top restaurants often change with young age especially in Ramanya restaurant where older girls are in less number who work on the tables.

Major Lin Oo, a popular soldier on corruption also opens a restaurant in La Mine village, northern of Ye where many young girls work in the restaurant. Girls wear sexy dresses in late evening and walking around in the village in order to attract local customers. This restaurant is popular as ‘London’s Bread” because girls are offering London Cigarette from their breads to customer with charge them Kyat 200.00 per cigarette.

Most restaurants are owned by Burmese Intelligence Officers in Mon State but local ordinary businessmen have to make a deal with them for opening restaurant. For example, a restaurant named as ‘Ka Pya Ser Yeik Myone’ owned by local Township Peace and Development Council in near Rail Way Station in Ye Town. It also applied the same deal in Moulmein for local businessmen.

Ordinary citizens are banned to visit and enjoy food in Ramonya restaurant and they are requested to prove ID cards to the staff for visiting.

Girls between 13-14 of age are working at restaurants in Rangoon, Capital City of Burma to support poor family. A few beautiful girls make deal with hotel staff for sex service in out door with on call arrangement in town. Ngwe Moe hotel both in Rangoon and Moulmein run out door prostitution in town under arrangement with hotel staff. In the last ten years, out-door prostitute is know as “ A May Doh Ywow – Mother’s village’ in Mon State.

Girls in Mon State only receive Kyat 2000.00 in local town but girls in Three Pagoda Pass and border areas receive Baht 200-400.00 per customer. [ A black currency exchange rate is Kyat 23.00 per Baht 1.00]

Burmese top corrupted officials and a few cease-fire groups' top officials have easy money in town and they are valued customers for brothel houses. Cease-fire groups have more opportunity to do business than ordinary so they find easy money to spend for sex while their loyal wives are minding children at home with respect.

Despite a few girls in Burma are young they are keenly to give sex for money because of poor family circumstance. However, most Burmese girls in Thailand are sold for sex service without their own consent.

Some girls are forced to work as sex labor in Mon State while some women are raped by Burmese soldiers in their own places. Economy hardship indirectly forces girls to sell their body for survival while human rights abuse is forced them into rape without any security at home.

A few young girls give sex without condom to their regular customer and they did not aware of HIV /AIDS for having sex. Ba Yin Ma restaurant in Ye town is known a place that did not use condom to appreciate loyal customers.