KAO WAO NEWS No. 2

November 15-22, 2001

Market Slows at Three Pagodas Pass

(3 Pagodas Pass, Sanghalaburi, November 21, 2001)

From the 18 to 20 of November, 2001, Burmese troops conscripted porters for army transfer from the Three Pagodas Pass to their Battalion inside Burma. The troops conscripted local villagers to carry their ammunition and food at Chaung Zone (Krein Htow) village which is located west from Three Pagodas Pass border town, opposite Sanghalaburi, Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand on their route to main Battalion.

The local village was in turmoil with people fleeing in panic, because the army forces people to be conscripted into portering. When the villagers flee and hide away from the village, the village headmen is forced at gunpoint to find 15 villagers to serve the army. As Krein Htow village is on the route to the border trading town, the business at 3 Pagodas Pass has been quiet. Due to an ambush attack by the splinter group led by Col. Pan Nyunt of the former NMSP, another border trading route Halarn- Halockhanee which connect to Mon State and Sangkhalaburi is now reported to be unsafe to travel.

According to Independent Mon News Agency, more than 1,000 Karen refugees from Htee-Wah Doe fled to Halockhani Refugee Camp on November 20, about 30 kilometer from Sanghklabrui in fear of Burmese army. About 60 of IB No. 62 from ThanPyu Zayat in Mon State led by Co. Wae Tun entered the area following news of Mon group led by Col. Pan Nyunt and Karen guerrilla were jointly active in the areas. A local trader complained that now at this time, the motor road is reopened from the beginning of the dry season, only few people take this way compared to last year, and the business is very slow.

Mon Youth Gathered at the Border

(Sangkhalaburi, November 18, 2001)

The Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO) was formed after a gathering of Mon youth and student at Sangkhalaburi border town, Karnchanaburi Province of Thailand. Some Mon youth from inside Burma and the border area held this meeting to coordinate activities among the different youth groups and the new Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO) was formed as a result.

Youth leaders from different regions selected 17 central committee members including seven women. From the 17, top seven Executive Committee members selected were:

1.Banya Mon Chairperson 2.Hong Kun Vice-chairperson 3.Ms. Layeh Ponya Mon Vice-chairperson 4.Nai BeeJeh General Secretary 5.Nai Samanee EC member 6.Ms. Layaing Mon 7.Nai Zwe Lawee

Asked to express their views on their organization and its purpose, the newly elected EC members agree that MYPO will not only be working at forging solidarity among the Mons but to reach out in cooperation to network with other ethnic youths, democratic forces and the international community as well.

New Guerrilla Group Attracts Mon Community

Bangkok, 17 November 2001

According to a local civilian, a skirmish occurred between the New Mon State Party's military wing, Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the splinter group led by Col. Pan Nyunt last week. The minor fighting took place near Baye Klaw (Taung Zun) village, 12 miles of north eastern part of Ye, Mon State while the troops were patrolling the area; and the causalities of both sides are unknown. To compound matters further, another report of ambush attacks by the same group and the Burma army also took place in Ye township area.

Emotion has surfaced in Thailand, with thousands of Mons curiously following the news from their native home. After learning about the new developments and listening to statements from the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and the splinter group led by Col. Pan Nyunt, a number of Mon migrant workers in Bangkok, Thailand expressed their willingness to join with Col. Pan Nyunt's group that have declared to resume fighting against the SPDC. Their reasons being that the Burma military junta continues to confiscate thousands acres of farmlands and continues to flagrantly impose human rights abuses back home. These migrant workers were mostly veterans from NMSP, and when the party first entered into a cease fire agreement with Burmese military regime back in 1995, many eventually resigned from their post and fled into Thailand to seek jobs as undocumented workers.

In interviews with Kao Wao News Group, most of them expressed their dissatisfaction with the cease-fire agreement between the NMSP and SLORC (SPDC), and feel that their views are shared with the majority of Mon both inside and outside of Burma. They believe that the arrest of Mon MPs and political leaders such as Dr. Min Soe Lin, Dr. Min Kyi Win and Nai Ngwe Thein were related to the NMSP's cease-fire arrangement because NMSP was prevented from offering protection to the national activities of the Mon. Some veterans of MNLA see the cease-fire agreement as of bringing no benefit for either the Mon or to improve political progress in Burma, and many claim it was only a scam to prolong the Burma’s military hold over power in the country.

Perspective

Some analysis on the 1995 cease-fire agreement between the NMSP and SLORC (SPDC)

The following points were made in the cease fire agreement between NMSP and SLORC on June 29, 1995: 1/ "The NMSP denounced “the armed struggle and returned into the legal fold,” was the official title used in the ceremony of the cease-fire agreement. 2/ Nai Htin, Vice President of NMSP, the head of Mon delegation for the cease fire, admitted in front of the audience, that NMSP denounced the armed struggle and will return into legal fold, after realizing that the noble desire and sincere attitude of the State Law and Order Restoration Council. 3/ As a symbol of surrender, Lt.-Gen. Aung Nai, Deputy chief of staff, Mon National Liberation Army, military wing of NMSP presented the full list of Mon military forces and their ammunitions to Lt.-Gen. Ket Sein, the commander of southeast command at the ceremony. 4/ NMSP had to retreat from its front line posts and remained at 12 places enumerated by the SLORC. 5/ Among 15 points accepted by the two sides as a gentleman agreements, there are some restrictions placed on NMSP which must be followed . For example; NMSP could not recruit new soldiers, could not give any military training, could not collect any tax and revenue, could not parade in strength, could not contact with other revolutionary forces, could not make any contact with foreign communities. 6/ After the cease fire agreement come into effect, NMSP was not allowed to discuss nor even present political issues to the SLORC. Instead NMSP was allowed for some business opportunities and border development projects only. In this way, the SLORC hoped to turn the attention of Mon people away from political issues to business issues. 7/ There is no limitation date for the period of cease fire. 8/ In the agreement, there were no inclusion for social and political rights of the Mon people such as self determination, or even equality rights. Nor did the agreement point toward a future constitution of Burma for federalism. 9/ The process of this cease fire is directly out of the international principles, practiced by the world leaders in making cease fire agreement. 10/ It is clear that the NMSP was forced or persuaded by the third group in many ways and by the then prevailing circumstances, the NMSP had to bow down its head to the pressure in making the cease fire agreement, rather than through honest consultation among its members who could have made better decision under its own free will.

Migrant Watch

Workers Beaten to Death

(Samutsakhorn, November 14, 2001)

For no apparent reason, a Thai owner of fishing factory Wat Jed (7) savagely beat his two Mon migrant workers, now missing and believed to be dead, at Maharchai fishing community of western Bangkok, Thailand. The two workers who came from BiLu Kyun (Chaung Zone) Township, Mon State of Burma worked at the fishing factory of Wat Jed (7), Maharchai (Samutsakhorn) Province. The incident took place on November 10, 2001 around 8 A.M. The two Mon migrant workers of Burma, a man, named Nai Myo Win, age 37, and a woman named Mi Tin Shwe, age 46, were tortured and beaten directly in front of their coworkers in the prawn processing factory. At that time, the two were working at the factory with about 100 other workers at Maharchai town.

The cause of these murders is not clear, but unbelievably, witnesses report the couple were accused of the petty crime of stealing prawns from the factory; the coworkers complained however that they saw no evidence of such a accusation. An anonymous worker promptly called Kao Wao to report this terrible incident, a blatant act of violation of the workers, but many fear punishment and their lives if they complain to Thai authorities. The factory workers said the two were hard working people and the minor accident of splashing the water into the dried prawns was the major reason why the Thai owner flew into a rage. After the two were beaten to unconsciousness they were taken and dumped into a truck. Afterwards, the coworkers asked the owner where the couple was taken, the owner replied that they were taken to the police station.

With even the fact being that they were registered as migrant workers, leaves little hope there will be justice done for these people, they are as invisible as the revenge taken by the Thai owner. To confirm the whereabouts of two workers, someone was sent to the police lock up in the area, but no news was available at this time. It is believed that the two were beaten further to death and the bodies thrown into the ocean or discarded somewhere, and not to be found.

Preserving Old Palm Leaves

(Bangkok 16 November 2001}

A discussion on how to preserve the old Mon palm leaves in the Thai Mon monasteries was held today by leaders of Thai Raman Association, Mon Youth Community (Bangkok), Mon Unity League and Mon National Democratic Front (LA). Thousands of bundles of Mon palm leaves were found when the Thai Education Ministry launched a survey last year at two monasteries in Thailand.

Ms. Bussba Prapasapong from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction Development, who led the survey team last year, said the Mon traditional herbal medicine and practice is of much interest to the Thai intellectuals, though the problem is how to translate the script into the Thai language as most of Thai Mon are unable to read their mother language.

Related Background

The Mon language belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family. Its closest living relative is Nyah Kur or Chao-bon, a language spoken by a few thousand people in central and northeastern Thailand. The Nyah Kur language structure has remnants of the old Mon language used in the nation of Dvaravati, which flourished in central Thailand between the 4th and 10th centuries. Today Mon is widely spoken in southern Burma, approximately from the Sittaung River all the way down to Mergui (Beik) and Kawthaung opposite the Thai town of Ranong.

Centuries of oppression by the Burmese reduced the number of Mon speakers considerably, especially in urban areas such as Moulmein, the official capital of Mon State, Hongsawatoi (Pegu), the capital of old Monland where Burmese is normally used . The Mon script originates in a southern Indian language alphabet that was brought to South East Asia between the 3rd - 4th centuries A.D. . The Mon adapted this script to their own language, and flourished in lower Burma known as Monland or Golden land by western historians. After the annexation of Monland by King Anawyathar in 1057, and in a complete reversal of what a normal conquest is all about when the conqueror usually imposes their own language on the conquered, the Burmese took over the writing system from the Mon. The earliest stone inscription of Burma in Pagan was completely written in Mon script. Sadly to say that only a few items of old Mon scriptures were left in Burma today. In 1939 while Burma was under the British rule, some items of old Mon palm leaves were made copies and kept in National Library in Rangoon. Apart from the Buddhism, there are 339 items of Mon scripture left at the National Library today. With the funding from The Tokyo Club, Dr. Nai Pan Hla had photographically reproduced The Eleven Mon Dhammasat Texts (Mon Traditional Law) in 1992. The origin of the most famous story of Burma "Yazadirit Ayedawbong" (War between Mon and Burma, A.D. 1385 - 1423)) in Mon version is also collected and made photocopies by Nai Maung Toe in 2000 while he was working at the National Library in Burma.

[KAO WAO NEWS GROUP]