KAO WAO NEWS No. 33
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
No. 33,
READER’S FRONT
MAN STABBED FOR NOT
SPEAKING BURMESE
ETHNIC NATIONALITIES
MEET IN
US CHARGES
SECOND CONGRESS OF
WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF
MILITARY
SILENCING THE VOICES
OF TRUTH
INTERVIEW WITH
COLONEL YAWD SERK
PEACE FOR
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READER’S FRONT
Dear Readers,
We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kao-Wao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kao-Wao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of
those seeking social justice in
We reserve the right to edit and reject articles without prior notification. You can use a pseudonym but we encourage you to include your full name and address.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND SEE YOU ALL IN THE NEW YEAR 2003
Regards,
Editor
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Dear Editors,
I very much appreciate your excellent news. I believe you should contact the international media for further achievement. They would help on human rights violations in our homeland. We must move forward through diplomacy and discuss with the Mon worldwide community. We will not give priority for the Mon to fight between them. We must all work together for peace.
I wish you the best forever,
Nai Hong Mon
Dear Editors,
Thank you all for your news and info. I, as a young Mon living overseas, needs to learn about our hidden history and information from older people (like Nai Hongsawatoi) and I depend on KaoWao and the Independence Mon News Agency.
Rotmon H
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MAN STABBED BY ARMY
FOR NOT SPEAKING BURMESE
(Based on IMNA and Kao-Wao,
In southern Ye Township, Burmese Army of the Light Infantry Battalion No. 273 led by Major Myint Oo violently stabbed a villager with a knife, reported a source from the New Mon State Party.
The Burmese soldier stabbed Nai Tun Ney,
a Mon farmer, at Yan Reh
village with the knife and brutally cut his knee because he could not speak in
Burmese while the Army officer questioned him about the Mon armed group. The
victim was brought to Ye Hospital, southern
To cover this brutal torture, an official from the No (5) Military Intelligence Service spread the news that Nai Tun Ney attempted to take the gun away from the Burmese soldier and was attacked in defense. The official pressured the victim to confess that he had tried to take the gun away from the soldier, which resulted in the officer inflicting this serious wound.
An officer from The New Mon State Party, which has a cease-fire deal with the Burmese regime, visited the patient at Ye hospital to inquiry about the incident and took photographs of the victim. A dispute occurred after between the hospital staff and the NMSP members for taking photographs without permission, said Nai Nyein, a patient who saw the argument.
According to local sources, the Burmese Army launched an offensive against the Mon armed group led by Nai Hloin in the Southern Ye area since after the end of the rainy season.
The Light Infantry Battalion No. 273 led by Major Myint Oo
opened fire on Mi Tow Hlar and Khaw Zar villages on
Local sources also reported that after the Mon armed group attacked the Burmese Army near Khaw Zar village, Southern Ye Township, the Burmese marine troops from the Navy opened fire on villagers spotted along the seacoast.
The Burmese Army LIB No. 273, 282, 299, 343, 267, 280, 31 and 62 have launched a major offensive to wipe out opposition-armed groups in the area in the last three months. The standard operating procedure of the Burmese army is to make civilians targets in their war against the opposition groups and gun down indiscriminately villagers who happen to be working out in the open.
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Kao-Wao, 3 Pagodas Pass,
According to local sources, the Thai Army Regiment No. 9 and officers checked and took photographs of dissident offices and ordered all groups to leave from the Thai soil.
Nai Ong, a Mon youth leader reported since after the warning, members of Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO) have relocated to Plaing Japan, near Three Pagodas Pass border town inside Burma. Mon youths were at the Japanese Well village and he was also concerned of their fate because the village is inside Burmese territory and the Burmese army can charge them for their political activities.
According to Kao-Wao local reporter, most of the democratic offices - All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), Democratic Party for New Society (DPNS), National League for Democracy - Liberated Area (NLD-LA), Myeik Dawei United Front (MDUF), Mon Youth Progressive Organization (MYPO) and People’s Defence Force (PDF) were given two days to close their offices and move out from the Thai soil by the Thai military.
In August, the local Thai authorities raided the Burmese opposition offices and a Christian church.
On
Many ethnic and democratic offices working at Sanghalaburi, the Thai-Burma border town have closed in fear of the Thai government's alleged decision to crack down on the activities of their organizations.
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Setting the Stage for
Self-Governance: Ethnic Nationalities Meet in
ETHNIC NATIONALITIES
MEET IN
(By Mon Unity League)
November 25-
The Friedrich-Ebert Foundation was founded in 1925 as part of
the political legacy of
The delegates aim to promote more of a focused debate on
self-governance and ways to enhance the participation of the private and public
sectors in
Ms Anke Fuchs, Vice President of FES presided over the conference’s concluding remarks and a panel discussion on "Burma: Ways to democracy" was discussed along with the German audience concern’s about human rights violations and humanitarian aid for Burma, which raised a number of questions.
The delegates had the opportunity to visit the German
Parliament meeting accompanied by Dr. Uwe Stehr, Working Group for Foreign Affairs of the Social
Democratic Party and were given a guided tour by Mrs Knoke in the Parliament. The Berlin Burmese community
hosted a dinner in the evening and served up Burmese food followed by an
informal discussion on general issues in
The delegates also visited the City Council of Krefeld, as a model of local governance and local autonomy
in
The delegation wrapped up the tour spending three days in
Nai Sunthorn from the Mon Unity League who attended the conference commented that, “Self-governance is not an altogether easy straightforward solution to Burma’s problems, all sectors of society must have the knowledge on how to manage their resources to meet the challenges of today’s world, for local autonomy to be carried out comprehensively and diligently in Burma.
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Rape as a weapon of
war
US CHARGES
(Cited from AFP,
During this period of the internationally recognized 16 days of activism for no violence against women and children, (November 25 to 10 December) the United States on Wednesday charged Myanmar's military with new counts of "horrific" gang rape and torture, resuscitating a controversy over allegations repeatedly denied by the junta in Yangon.
The State Department said the
During a short preliminary investigation, State Department officials found many victims whose stories were similar to those documented in reports by non-governmental organizations.
"Of the 12 rape victims interviewed, all stated that they had been gang-raped by Burmese soldiers sometime over the past five years," the department said in a fact sheet. "Most also reported knowing several other women or girls who had been raped and/or killed. The most recent incident was reported by a 13-year-old girl who said that she was raped in June 2002," the fact sheet said.
The report said that all the women were forcibly relocated
by the
"The older women sobbed violently as they recalled
horrific incidents of their own rapes as well as brutal rapes, torture, and
execution of family members."
It said in the report that it was waiting for an analysis by the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Paulo Pinheiro, who raised the possibility of a probe into the allegations in October 2002.
"We continue to urge the Burmese regime to cooperate with an independent investigation and take concrete steps to investigate and punish those who may have acted in violation of domestic law, international humanitarian law, or the laws of land warfare," the department said.
"Furthermore, we call on the Burmese regime to hold its military accountable for any lapses and to exercise command and control over their troops."
A Thai study, released in May, documented 625 sex attacks on
Shan women and girls by
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At the border
SECOND CONGRESS OF
WOMEN’S LEAGUE OF
WLB,
Representatives from member organizations, working team of the first Congress term and observers from member groups, altogether 32 women, attended the congress. The WLB's Secretariat submitted an overall report and the Congress reviewed the report.
The WLB has declared that it is a political organization and
believes that it is essential for women to be involved in peace-building and
development in society and the Congress made a decision to draw up and
implement a series of work plans toward peace in
According to a WLB statement, member organizations named their Presidium Board members who will make policies and decisions, and selected three secretaries to oversee the programs for the 2002-2004 term. The Congress identified priority areas as: peace building towards national reconciliation, promotion of gender equality and increased participation of women in the political leadership.
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MILITARY
(Kao-Wao,
According to sources from the Thailand-Burma border, the
fourth annual Conference of the 5 Military Alliance was held in a liberated
area in remote
Ethnic leaders from the Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), Chin National Front (CNF), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) were all present and discussed the past activities and drew plans for the future.
A delegate said all participants expressed and shared their
views in a friendly and open manner. Participants decided to change the name
from (5 Military
A retired leader of the New Mon State Party said the Military Alliance is the strongest opposition of ethnic political armed forces after some ethnic forces reached a cease-fire deal with the military junta.
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SILENCING THE VOICES OF TRUTH
(Reported by a Special Reporter,
The International Crisis Group had its sweet revenge on the Burmese rascal, Professor Kanbawza Win, of the European Institute of Asian Studies, for daring to criticize the International Crisis Group, published on the 25th November.
The Institute’s director Willem Van der
Geest in an attempt to silence the voice of Professor
Win responded by ordering a freeze to the 2nd installment of research funds
allotted by the Euro-Burma Office to Dr Win. It amounted to Euro 5,000 and left
Dr Win penniless without being able to pay his hostel fees or to make both end
meet in
Robert Templer, the ICG Director labeled Prof. Win as racist
who used abusive language in describing the famous ICG. He said that he was
very sad that a staff member of a European Institution criticized another
European Institute, which are both based in
Background information: Professor Win had criticized a paper
produced and published by the ICG titled: “The Future of the Burmese Army” in
that it eulogizes the achievement of the Burmese army. Professor Win’s
criticisms refused to shortchange Burmese history and questioned why the ICG
did not mention the motives behind the Burmese army’s expansion to nearly half
a million without any external threat. He expressed the truth as he saw it, so
plainly and painfully by boldly asking the simple question, “Is it for the
suppression of pro-democratic and autonomy seeking forces?” What ICG fails to
see is that the Burmese military has perfected the art of betraying and
oppressing their own people. This hit the nail on the
head, because the ICG intention, along with its overt agenda of securing
development interests, is tantamount to legitimizing the Burmese army, while
claiming to support humanitarian efforts. Their paper deals nothing with the
causes of desperation of millions of people living under a dictatorship and
marginalizes the voices of those who can. In this whole milieu there has been
no cohesive voice recognizing the causes and effects of the civil war in
Professor Kanbawza Win did not mince words and whether he used abusive language or not is left to the reader’s judgment. Perhaps, the ex-colonials cannot see beyond their illusions when he said that, all in all, the ICG paper is a fair one but Dr. Win happens to mention a Burmese proverb and explained it in English of Hin Lay Oo Gyi Hte Hma Ma Sin Da Zun Kya Thwa Dae.
In fact the ICG paper criticized several Burmese native scholars such as Dr Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, Aung Zaw of the Irrawaddy Magazine and Canadian activist Aaron James but it was Prof. Win who hit it right on the bull’s eyes. It is no wonder that the former Foreign Minister of Australia, Gerard Evans who advocated normalizing relations with the Burmese junta and whose government is pouring million of dollars into that country just to teach human rights to the commanders of the Burmese army, being head of the ICG, this kind of action is expected. Perhaps the acronym ICG stands not only for International Crisis Group but also I Can Gruff.
Dr.Win is no stranger to such wrath and has paid for it dearly. When he was in Burma serving as a Foreign Affairs Secretary to the Prime Minister of the then Socialist Republic of Burma he refused to sign a statement saying that nobody was killed during the U Thant Crisis (when the body of the Secretary General of the UN was brought home for burial that resulted in a riot with 67 persons being shot to death in the 1970s). For this he not only lost his job but also was carted off to Insein detention centre.
Finding himself amongst thousands fleeing from a country
undergoing a 1988 pro democracy uprising, he eked out his living at
Dr. Win commenting on the matter had this to say: “I love academic freedom and would not change it for anything else. Holding back the funds is nothing new to me as I left Burma with nothing but the clothes on my back, writing to get money, from any Institution is not my idea of a way of life, but I want the world to know the truth about Burma,” he added.
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INTERVIEW WITH
COLONEL YAWD SERK
(Cited from S.H.A.N)
Colonel Yawd Serk
talked with foreign reporters in a remote camp in
Q: We have met with many people from various organizations along the border, including members of KNU and KNPP. They said the situation this year is the worst, what is the view of the Shan and SSA?
A: In our opinion, we found that it's getting better than before, because we have contacts and better understanding with various Shan groups. We now have close ties and believed that the situation has improved.
Concerning the Burmese regime, we need to be more cautious in dealing with them. With the situation of KNU and KNPP, there seems to be no big changes. The Burmese still could not push for a decisive victory on them and this will never happen. But they need more understanding among themselves. The misunderstanding among their ranks could lead to their own destruction.
With Aung San Suu Kyi, she has come to visit
Q: What will the relationship be with Aung San Suu Kyi if she were to be given the reign of power by the regime?
A: If she is going to be fair and just to us, I think there
should be no problem. But without solving the problems with the ethnic
nationalities, there can be no peace. Once she is in power, three major
problems are in store for her to solve. They are, (1) Internal problems of the
The Burmese alone did not found the Union of Burma. The
ethnic nationalities states joined the
Q: Several people abroad are talking about forming a federation. What is your opinion on this issue? Is it acceptable to you?
A: If the federation is genuine, with equal rights for every state, like those countries practicing in US and European countries, it is acceptable. But first, the Burmese must be patience and prove their sincerity. They must withdraw their troops from every non-Burmese state to prove their sincerity, so that every state can establish their own administration, economy and own defense. Finally, the eight states (namely Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Mon, Shan, Arakan and Burmese) should come together and discuss ways to form a genuine federal structure. This would be a kind of federation that is acceptable to all the ethnic nationalities.
Q: What is the relationship with other nationality groups? How long has it been? And what are their plans for the future?
A: We formed the five military alliances three years ago,
with the Karen National Union (KNU), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP),
Chin National Front (CNF) and Arakan Liberation Party (ALP). We are still
trying to include the remaining two ethnic nationalities (the Kachins and
Q: What is your policy on underage child soldiers? Could you clarify?
A: We have a clear and defined policy that every able body,
from age 18 to 45 years old must serve in the army for 5 years. In
These children are not forced by our troops to join us. They are forced to flee from their homes by the Burmese troops and we send them to our schools. The Burmese army on the other hand actively conscripts school children to join their forces. So, our policy on child soldiers is completely the opposite of the Burmese regime’s.
Q: What is the relationship of SSA with United Wa State Army, say Pao Yo Chang or Wei Xiao Kang groups?
A: We have no connection with them because of three reasons.
First, they are too close to the Burmese military junta and we do not trust
them. Second, they are notorious for their involvement in drugs. Third, we have
a clear policy that we are waging war on drugs. Because of all these, we have
no connections with them. But, Was are honest and
simple hill people. So, drug lords use them as their instrument. We will do our
best to build understanding between our two peoples. In
Q: It seems that the Burmese regime has close ties with
China (PRC), what will be their future relationship once
A: Since the end of the 2nd World War, we have had a clear
defined state boundary and after independence we could be good neighbors, with
mutual respect. There are a few Burmese living in
Q: What will be the system of administration for your future state? Democracy or another political system?
A: We have a clear and defined policy. According to our tradition, we will walk the fair and just middle path. So, it will be the "Parliamentary Democracy System".
Q: Would you like to pass some message to the international community?
A: Yes, I do. I would like you to pass these three messages to the international community.
(1) To solve the disputes in the so called Union of Burma, we wish to remind the international bodies that, "Do not forget and bypass the 7 ethnic states, namely Kachin, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Mon, Arakan and Shan". The disputes between ethnic nationalities and the Burmese (both the ruling regime and the opposition) is not an internal affairs as they said, "it is an inter-states disputes". The conflicts are the consequences of the invading and occupation of the non-Burman states by the Burmese army. Although we would like to solve these disputes by peaceful means, the junta is bent on military solution alone. So, we have no choice, but to fight back.
(2) Concerning the drug issue, the international bodies have given aid to the military regime for several decades in millions of dollars. Far from eradicating the narcotic drugs, they have increased in quantities and varieties. We should reconsider this issue. If we were to earnestly wage the war on drugs, then war with the Burmese army would become unavoidable.
(3) We wish to invite international observers and reporters
to visit the
Thus, we urge the international community to press harder the junta to open their doors and let the international observers investigate. The disputes will be solved only when the true situation is found out.
We wish to appeal to international organizations let us send
a delegation to tell the truth or are invited to observe the true situation in
the
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International
awareness
PEACE FOR
(Kao-Wao,
Activists and supporters gathered in a wintry night in
The Peace for Burma Concert held on December 14 at Marine
Club,
Performers included several local bands, Pink Parlour, Class 88, Jim Sands, Donald Morin, Miller Eastman
Band and Ms. Skeep from Empowering Women of Burma,
Kevin Hudson from AI (Amnesty International),
Meanwhile, Burma Media Association (
According to BMA (Canada), the visiting journalists, U Win Khet and Dr. Tin Maung Than, will also meet with Mr. David Kilgour, the Canadian Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific), and will attend a reception hosted by Canadian philosopher and novelist John Ralston Saul, the spouse of Canadian Governor General Adrienne Clarkson.
The Burma Media Association (
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