KAO WAO NEWS No. 13
An electronic
newsletter for social justice and freedom in
READERS' FRONT
HRP, KAREN GUERRILLAS AMBUSH
ARMY DEVELOPMENT ON THE RAILWAY OF DEATH
TAXATION AND FIGHTING OVER THE RAILWAY OF DEATH
INTERVIEW: AN EVENING WITH DR EMMANUEL GUILLON
KANBAWZA WIN: WILL THE JUNTA LIVE UP TO ITS RHETORIC?
REGISTERED WORKERS ARRESTED
CHINESE BOSS,
UNITED STATES LINKS WA CARTEL TO TERRORISTS
____________________________________________________________________
READERS’ FRONT
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Editor [email protected]
Dear Kaowao,
I want to get more news from your group. I hope that you will continue with more
interesting and investigating news.
Your sincerely,
Saing Non
Dear Editor,
Some sensitive situation is coming for a political change in
Banya Ong
OMNSO
HRP, KAREN GUERRILLAS
AMBUSH
(Kao-Wao,
Fighting broke out between the Burmese Army Column 550 and
the newly formed Hongsawatoi Restoration Party on
According to a local source, the Burma Army suffered one
dead while HRP sacrificed one and lost a weapon during the confrontation. The battle prevented trucks, migrant workers,
and merchants from traveling into the area.
The column of Burmese Infantry Battalion No.550 led by Col.
Maw Hlaing was also ambushed by Karen guerrillas in
the morning at
On
Krein Htow
is located on the Three Pagodas Pass-Thanbyuzayat
motor road, the main transportation route to
Armed fighting occurred between the NMSP and HRP in early
March, but tension has eased up since then between the groups. However, landmines were being used to protect
each group’s position, recently, HRP combatants, while on patrol duty, suffered
three minor injuries from stepping on landmines on
In talking to Kao-Wao, on March
15, from the liberated area, General Secretary of Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party, Major Ong Hmoin,
said HRP welcomes a negotiation team initiated by the Mon Unity League and is
prepared to stop fighting with NMSP but will continue on with its military
campaign against the
ARMY DEVELOPMENT ON THE RAILWAY OF DEATH
(Kao-Wao /
A Singaporean business team visited Thanbyuzayat,
Thanbyuzayat attracts tourists
from
A merchant from Ye in
The road is mainly under the control of the Burma Army, who
gained it after the fall of New Mon State Party in 1990. Along the way
passengers and motorists have to stop several times for inspection and pay the
corrupt Burma army at various check points namely, Taung
Zun, Wae Ganaing (Anan Kwin), Ye-Tagun, Zubbu Entrance Gate. As well, taxes are levied by other
armies, the KNU break away group led by Saw ThaMuhe,
the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) and the cease-fire NMSP. As reported by one trader “If go by way of
the
INTERVIEW: AN EVENING
WITH DR EMMANUEL GUILLON
Kao-Wao conducted an interview
with Dr. Emmanuel GUILLON who teaches Mon history and culture at the
Kao-Wao: What books have you published?
Dr. EG: Apart from philosophy books (western and Buddhist),
and books on
KW : Your last published book on Mon?
Dr. EG: In this last book, I described at length the long
and brilliant history of Mon in
KW : Do you plan to publish other books?
Dr. EG: Since years I work on several other books on Mon.
But I intend to finish soon: “Let’s speak Mon”.
KW : What motivated you to write this book?
Dr. EG: In writing this book I wanted to show to the
cultured peoples who are interested in the cultures of Southeast Asia that the
Mon was and is a very important civilization, both in Thailand and in Burma,
that we should know and study.
KW: What is your
idea about the future of
Dr. EG: What a difficult question! One only can tell what we
hope: end of the military regime, and a new conference of Panglong to build a
multi-ethnic democracy. It will be difficult, with alternate crisis, progress,
regressions, and again progress, but there is no other way, I believe. A huge
work!
KW: What do you think
about a future federal union in
Dr. EG: There are other countries that have built a modern
nation on a federal union way (
KW: What do you think
about the future of the Mon in
Dr. EG: I think that
the Mon in
KW: What do you
think about the future of the Mon in
Dr. EG: In a Federal Union of Burma there will be a place
for a
KW: What do you
think about the Mon literature and culture?
Dr. EG: The Mon
literature and culture is almost unknown, even from the Mon and foreigners specialists.
It is an enormous treasure. The proof is the glimpses done those last years on
the palm-leave manuscripts in the monasteries of central
KW: What do you think of the future of the Mon?
Dr. EG: I am sure that there is a future for the Mon. Those
who affirm that the Mon culture is no more (in
KW
What is your idea on the controversial issue if the Mon is an
endangered (or even dead) language ?
Dr. EG: Ten years
ago, I was afraid that the Mon language will disappear soon. I do not believe
it now. There are now many indications of a rebirth of the Mon language and
culture. Like the new publications of the "Loit Pewoh Mon". But it depends of you, Mon people, to
defend your beautiful and rich language. To speak, to write,
to sing... I think that you need Mon linguists and grammarians, at
academic level, to work on the language, to make new modern technical and
politic vocabulary (through a comitte And also to work on your "language cousins" of
Mon-Khmer language (Wa, Palaung, etc.). No the Mon
language is not an endangered language. It is a living language...if you want !
KW: What do you want to say to Mon people?
Dr. EG: I shall say to Mon people to start to build now a
strong democracy -that is to say to remain united, beyond the differences of
opinions or of conceptions, to remain united within these differences. Disunity
is the weapon of our enemies. And I shall say also to be open to the world and
at the same time to be loyal to the Mon cause.
Perspective
WILL THE JUNTA LIVE
UP TO ITS RHETORIC?
BY KANBAWZA WIN
The sensational news that the entire first family of
The second reaction is perhaps they are just trying to
imitate
On March 9th the Burmese Military Intelligence men arrested
Gen Ne Win’s son-in-law Aye Zaw Win and three of his sons were arrested on
charges of planning to overthrow the military government and splitting the
armed forces. Aye Zaw Win, a businessman in his early 50s is the husband of Sandar Win, U Ne Win’s daughter. Together with their three
sons, all in their 20s and 30s, were all apprehended.
Aye Zaw Win and Sandar Win run a hotel, a jewelry
business and a mobile phone business. The three sons: Aye Ne Win, Zwe Ne Win and Kyaw Ne Win, the last being the leader of
the notorious Scorpion gang which was cracked down on recently by the Junta’s
authorities in Rangoon. Recently, the two universities were closed down because
of the fighting involving Ne Win’s grandson. The authorities seem to have in
mind that U Ne Win himself in his student days had endeavoured
to burn down the school because he could not keep up with the lessons.
Aye Ne Win is an ambitious young man interested in politics
so much so that he studied at the
The Deputy Intelligence Chief Kyaw Win (he was nicknamed
Pegu Kyaw Win not
only because he was from Pegu Hall during his student days but is also from
Pegu town now known as Bago) denied that ex-president
Ne Win and his daughter were placed under house arrest, even though security
around the residence of U Ne Win has been tightened since the arrests. The raison
d’etre is for the security and protection of the
first family, the same conditions apply to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who is kept in
her Kandawgyi lakeside house. There could be a
struggle within the army as one of the three musketeers (Than Shwe, Khin Nyunt
and Maung Aye) will come out as a victor or also it could be the work of the
Young Turks in lieu with the young Ne Wins. If Sandar
Win can move about freely, then it is a hoax.
U Ne Win's grandsons, true to their serpentine ancestry,
were unhappy with the cease-fire agreements between the military and ethnic
groups, as well as the political dialogue between the generals and the National
League for Democracy (NLD). But more so because their
long-standing privileges which had allowed them to build a business empire were
revoked with the sacking of Lt. General Win Myint,
the fourth ranking member in the Junta. Besides Aye Ne Win may have been
inclined to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps by coup d’etat
In the proceeding days if some army and high ranking
officials who were involved are arrested and if the accusation is true as Pegu
Kyaw Win has said, “on charges of planning to overthrow the military government
and split the armed forces" then it will be a serious crime. No doubt they
should be treated as Captain Ohn Kyaw Myint was in the 70s where he was sent to the gallows for
planning to overthrow U Ne Win and his gang.
Will the old man see his beloved daughter Sandar Win become a widow and his beloved grandchildren
hanged, ending his dynasty? This is still to be seen. But more importantly,
will the Burmese Junta live up to its rhetoric that they have nothing to do
with the old man? The world will judge them not by their words but by their
actions. Or will they (Junta) hold on to their logic and “lie the very concept
of truth” as they have been saying to ILO that there is no forced labour and
afraid to have the ILO office in Burma, and release the young Ne Wins after
giving light sentences? The episode of U Ne Win’s family is one of the greatest
test for the Junta. Let us watch closely.
REGISTERED WORKERS
ARRESTED
(Kao-Wao / Samutsakhon,
Four registered workers were arrested and are set to be
deported to
According to an anonymous source to those arrested, the
workers may be deported regardless of being registered and sent back to
Bangkok Post reported earlier that
Officially, Thai authorities will be deporting
non-registered migrant workers, mostly from
CHINESE BOSS,
(
The border town of Tachileik,
Burma, is well on the way to becoming a thriving community, a switch from this
time last year when the checkpoint was closed due to strained relations between
the Burmese and Thai governments. Recently, however, the promotion of business
dealings by the newly elected Thai Rak Thai party and
the
The checkpoint appears like any other, people begging and
selling their goods to tourists who have come to renew their Thai visa. Once
across the 100 ft border checkpoint everything changes, opposite to the Thai
side and in many ways even refreshing. The language, architecture, condition of
the roads, and how people dress are the more obvious changes,
a more notable one is that English is clearly spoken by most, minus the sale’s
hype so prevalent on the Thai side. Also, there is no begging and smiling
guides await tourists to show them around the city.
Today a large wedding party of decorated
cars were weaving along the pot-holed main street. My guide said it was
the Chinese boss having a wedding. I ask ‘Chinese
boss?’ ‘Yes
yes, Chinese boss live here, the Chinese boss is everywhere. They are the drug
traffickers who own businesses here.’ They deal in methamphetamines,
bringing it into
I ask, ‘Do the Wa
(Chinese ethnic group) live here?’ Almost falling off over with laughter the
guide says, ‘The Wa live here? No no no of
course not, they wouldn't be here, this area is too poor, the Wa are very
wealthy drug traffickers.' The guide points out that
The guide continues, ‘And see behind the city to
the north, the hills there, that is where the opium fields used to flourish
back in the olden days, they are now government initiated agricultural
projects.’ This being the dry season I see what looks like a clear-cut desolate
wasteland of hills overlooking Tachileik, they look
more like huge sand dunes, nothing there, no trees anyway. Soil erosion comes to my mind. Good Luck to
this! The guide turns to me and says ‘If you want, you can make a lot
of money here, you can teach English to the drug traffickers’ children, they
need English teachers and you’re a native speaker.’ What an opportunity for
someone, having a wealthy Chinese drug trafficker for a boss, add a little
variety to the resume, I thought.
Related News
UNITED STATES LINKS WA CARTEL TO TERRORISTS
(Based on news, Bangkok Post, March 18, 20, 21, 2002)
The US FBI director, Robert S Mueller, met with Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
on the weekend to discuss
From different regions,
He states that the
However, commentators argue (Forum-Asia, Somchai
Homloor) that intervention will do very little to win
the war on drug trafficking but will only threaten the territorial integrity of
many countries including
Francis Taylor joint testimony created a stir in Burma that
the Wa were termed a 'terrorist group', which prompted Priscilla Clapp, the US
charge d'affaires in Burma to clear up the
controversy by issuing a statement saying that the UWSA has not been classified
as a terrorist group but has been listed with terrorists groups Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda and the Tamil Tiger rebels who have connections to
drug traffickers.
KAO WAO NEWS GROUP