KAO WAO NEWS No. 40
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
No. 40,
READER’S FRONT
CEASE-FIRE POLICY
UNCHANGED AFTER DEATH OF MON LEADER
OVERSEAS
FARMERS FORCED TO
SELL PADDY
COUNTER INSURGENCY
GROUPS DISTURB GRADUATION CEREMONY
MAFIA ROB MON
THE POOR FORCED TO
CLEAN
STUDENTS PAY FOR
REPAIRING
SPIES SNEAK SEX FROM
CHILD PROSTITUTES
************************************************
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
Regards,
Editor
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
********************************************
Mon national affairs
CEASE-FIRE POLICY
UNCHANGED AFTER DEATH OF MON LEADER
(Kao-Wao,
According to sources, New Mon State Party will not change
its cease-fire policy any time soon with the Burmese military regime despite
opposition to it after the death of its leader.
In response to rumors that NMSP was to raise concerns about
the cease-fire with the junta, a senior officer of the NMSP said the
relationship with the regime would continue as before.
Local Mon media reported that Secretary General of the NMSP,
Nai Rot Sa, will carry on
with tasks inside the country supervised by the Vice-Chairman Nai Htin and Deputy Secretary
General Nai Hongsa will
manage Mon affairs at Headquarters.
There are no indications the death of the 91-year-old
President Kyin would prompt members to reconsider
changes to the cease-fire agreement between the party and the Burmese military
regime. No forthcoming explanations on changes or if it would improve the
current situation in which the Mon is being systematically oppressed by the
junta were discussed.
Many have frustrated with the cease-fire agreement between
the NMSP and the Burmese regime in June 1995 as human rights abuses such as
forced labor, rape, torture and extra judicial killing by the State Peace and
Development Council regime continue in the Mon areas.
At the funeral service of the President, Nai
Shwe Kyin in
Only a few key members of the New Mon State Party were in
agreement with Nai Pan Tha’s
suggestion, according to Nai Sunthorn,
Secretary General of the Mon Unity League, an umbrella
organization of the Mon people.
Before he passed away, Nai Shwe Kyin, had attempted to
tackle further splintering from the party arguing that Mon unity should be
everyone’s strategic concern to achieve victory for the Mon national cause, as
expressed in his message to the Party’s fifth congress in February.
The NMSP was founded by Nai Shwe Kyin in July 1958 when the
Mon Peoples Front (MPF) surrendered to the U Nu’s
Parliamentary government claiming to the Mon supporters that it was an exchange
of arms for democracy. The Party controls some areas in Mon, Karen and Tenasserim territories. The founder and long time
President Nai Shwe Kyin passed away at the capital of
*************************************************
(Kao-Wao,
Three Mon leaders will remain in
AFP from
"The government of
Although no further descriptions were given of those released,
the language of the statement is consistent with previous announcements of
releases of political prisoners, including members of the opposition National
League for Democracy (NLD).
Three Mon National Democratic Front leaders Nai Ngwe Thein,
Dr. Kyi Win, and Dr. Min Soe
Lin were arrested in 1998 for urging the New Mon State Party to reconsider its
position on its cease-fire agreement with the junta and for supporting the
Committee Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP). They were sentenced to
seven years imprisonment with hard labour, serving
their term at the Moulmein Prison,
***********************************
One man, one flag;
President of
OVERSEAS
(Reported by Gong Ong,
Mon communities in exile gathered at Buddhist temples to pay
tribute to their national leader who recently passed away in their homeland of
In the
Over a hundred Mon came to the temple on Sunday to donate
food and chanted with blessing for Nai Shwe Kyin.
According to Nai Ponya Mon, President of MRC, the overseas Mons were impressed to have the Prime Minister of National
Coalition Government of the Union of Burma joined them. Dr. Sein Win, leader of the Burmese government in exile was
accompanied by his delegation to the commemoration.
The two leaders had met in the liberated area in
Former NCGUB minister Mr. Peter Linpin
and other Burmese community leaders also attended the ceremony.
In
The occasion presented the opportunity to reminiscence about
the Mon movement, retired NMSP Central Committee members, Nai
Pe Thein Zar and Nai Than
Tin talked about their experiences with the late President during revolutionary
period. A well-respected community leader Nai Banya Kim (son of Mon leader Nai
Chit Thaung) also shared his experience meeting with Nai Shwe Kyin.
In
“He had the right qualities as a leader: courageous, honest,
very well organized, and insightful, an intellectual man who devoted his entire
life to the Mon movement. He founded the New Mon State Party after Mon
Peoples Front surrendered to U Nu government, it was
the continuing independence movement, without his influence and steely
determination the Mon revolution may have died out,” said Nai
Khaing Waeng in his
condolence message.
Nai Cham
Toik, a former NMSP member and an officer of the late
President’s HSU (Headquarters Security Unit) recalled his days with the late
President.
“A man who revolutionized a new armed movement (surnamed
‘one man, one flag’ which epitomized Mon independence), he spoke to the hearts
of us all and even though he has died the struggle will continue for Mon
independence, the Mon have gathered to honour a great leader”.
Supporters, from the cold north in
***************************************************
(By Banya Hongsar
/ Kao-Wao)
The cremation of the New Mon State Party’s President took
place at
Dressed in bright red and white Mon national dress,
thousands lined up along the road from Myaing ThaYar, the new satellite town, to
“I wish Ajar Nhog could see this
huge crowd,” said Aye Mon, a liaison officer of the New Mon State Party.
The
A Buddhist monk from Tong PaRang,
Ye, so proud to be part of the last journey of Ajar Nhog,
said he has never seen such a huge gathering. “Seeing thousands of people
dressed in Mon national colors to see off a great leader was a beautiful site
to see, the people looked like waves rolling across the ocean”.
The NMSP leaders expected that not more than a thousand
people including party members would attend the funeral service. But,
surprisingly, roads at the capital city of Mon State were soon overflowing with
well over 30,000 Mon supporters on foot and over 1,000 vehicles, many could be
seen on motorcycles to bypass the traffic.
“We saw all the people of Monland:
Buddhists monks and laymen, young men and women, students, and all the
politicians in the country meeting in one place”, said Nai
Sunthorn, General Secretary of the Mon Unity League.
“I was so happy to see all the people, after driving such a
long way,” said Nai Wong Sa,
Chairman of Mon Relief and Development Committee, who drove to
“Local people were so impressed when they saw the Mon troops
guiding the procession along”, observed a young novice in
According to DVB radio, the streets in
***********************************************
Human Rights at Pa-Laung area
FARMERS FORCED TO
SELL PADDY
(PYNG,
Chairman of the Township Peace and Development Council
Captain Tin Win Naing forced farmers to sell their
paddy to the government in Namkham township,
Musea district,
The authorities called a meeting at the township office
attended by leaders of ward and village tracts and personnel from various
departments to discuss purchasing of paddy from farmers.
The Captain said in the meeting that the government targeted
65,000 baskets of paddy to purchase in the township in the year 2003.
Last year, they could purchase only 40,000 baskets of paddy and were given a
bad report card from the Commander. The Commander ordered him to buy 65,000
this year.
Some farmers deserted their farmlands and searched for other
jobs, 25,000 baskets of rice have been sold to the government at the set price
of 560 Kyat per basket, which is much lower than the real price at the market.
The Burmese Captain is launching an operation to fill the
government’s quota, hunting local farmers who could not sell paddy to the
government.
*********************************************************
COUNTER INSURGENCY
GROUPS DISTURB GRADUATION CEREMONY
(Based on PYNG report,
The local Counter Insurgent Group at Pangsay
area led by ethnic Ko-Kang mistreated local people
during a high-school graduation ceremony held at Loi
On village,
According to report from a Palaung
youth, on
The militias holding M-21 assault rifles with bayonets
stopped the car forcibly and ordered all 18 people to sit beside the motorway.
A witness said a member of Palaung Literacy
Organization (PLO) requested U Kyaw Myint to release them and all people were released except
two people from the group.
A truck driver who came from Namkham
said the Counter Insurgent Group led by Kyaw Myint very often treats innocent civilian like this. Local Palaung and Shan people suffer due to many forms of
extortion and human rights violations, he added.
*******************************************************
Migrant Watch
MAFIA ROBS MON
(Kao Wao /
A member of the Thai Mafia attacked a Mon girl at local Maharchai daily market on her way to shopping, a worker
said.
Miss Ei Ree
age 17 was walking toward to the market in the evening when a young men
approached her and took her gold-chain from her neck then ran away, reported a
local Mon worker.
“It happens very often and almost every week,” he added.
According to a Mon migrant worker who asked not to be
identified for security reasons, local Mafia (“Nak
Lin” in Thai) dress as policemen and attack migrant workers, some Thai also
have been targeted. They usually hide near the walkway and wait for an
unsuspecting victim; they take anything they can get, money, gold and any
valuables.
“A police watch-box is near the market but when we report an
incident of robbery they don’t do anything it”, said Nai
Sorn, a migrant and social worker for the Mon
community.
Migrant workers do not dare report after being attacked and
looted by the Mafia gang for fear of harassment because they are not Thai
citizens, another worker said.
The majority of migrant workers hold employment permits
cards issued by the Thai Labor Ministry as a valid document to find employment
in the country.
Over ten migrants in the last few years were falsely accused
and jailed for drug trafficking, the Mafia and policemen had planted drugs in
their pockets for evidence.
“Over two hundred Burmese migrants are being held in Samutsakhon prison, both criminals and innocent people
including women, they have no idea when they’ll be released”, said a released
prisoner.
Samutsakhon, also known as
********************************************
Life in
POOR TARGETED TO
CLEAN UP
(Based on IMNA,
Lt General Win Myint of the
Burmese Army LIB No (243) yesterday went around rounding up local poor people
at the Three Pagodas Pass of Thai-Burma border town to work and clean up
surrounding areas, a local Mon villager said.
Win Myint seized over sixty local
poor villagers including youngsters under the age of 16 and older men over the
age of 60 on the morning of March 13 forcing them to clean up Rose (Nhin-Si) Hall, Local Beer Shop and public gathering places
in preparation for a visit by senior officials to the town, a local source told
the Independent Mon News Agency.
Despite there are over a thousand inhabitants at the border
town, the army targets only the poor people. Traders and local businessmen are
given amnesty for their financial support to the Burmese Army, the source said.
Recently, a Karen opposition armed group killed two
policemen on March 8 near Three Three Pagodas Pass.
After the death of the policemen, the army arrested and beat some villagers at
Mea Sa Li, Ya Tah Phyu villages.
*******************************
STUDENTS PAY FOR
REPAIRING
Ye, March 1, 2003 -- Students at No (2) Ye High School are
forced to hand over Kyat 13,000 to repair a government school, local residents
say.
According to local sources, a Burmese army commander ordered
Ye Township Education Committee to collect cash from each student for the cost
of repairing the school and other services.
The SPDC government ordered the middle level (junior high)
school to develop to a high school level without government funds from the
State Budget. Funds are collected by force as usual from throughout the
community, U Thein Naing, a
resident of Aung Mingala,
Ye city, said.
According to locals, many poor families are unable to pay
the amount sought by the education committee. In order to meet the demands by
the army, they have to borrow money from others with a high interest rate to
avoid their children from being punished by the school.
“We survive on a daily basic income and we simply cannot pay
that amount of money, we feel despair when we cannot give our children the
money when asked to do so. We worry that our children may not pass the
examination when given,” said a single mother.
The Township Education Committee also intends to set up a
Media lab at the school and will charge the students for the cost of
implementing it. “There are over seven hundred students at the school, but the
actual cost of building it far exceeds what the students can pay”, complained a
community worker.
Ye is located in southern
*******************************
Article / Current
Affairs
Burmese youth vital
signs: Poor. Prognosis: More of the same.
SPIES SNEAK SEX FROM
CHILD PROSTITUTES
(By Pop Htaw in
The Burmese Military Intelligence and opportunistic
businessman are preying upon
“It’s a routine social entertainment for officers, they come
out after dusk and after the local electricity has been turned on, often you
see the Burmese Military Intelligence (MI) officers sneaking into hotels
seeking sex and entertainment. They are jittery about being seen by the
local residents and warn the hotel staff to be alert for onlookers before
heading into the hotel,” said a local senior from the Mon political community
in
Many Burmese young girls in their teens work as prostitutes
at the
“Young girls, mostly from the restaurants in
There are about thirty restaurants in
Aye Aye is a girl from Rangoon
works in Ye, south from Moulmein, who found herself
alone and unable to pay the high tuition fees at the university, she easily
found work as a prostitute to help pay for the costs. As she is young and
fairly attractive, she earns a substantial amount of money, but her boss, a
Burmese MI, takes a large share of her earnings. “Therefore, her personal
income is unable to help support her family as well, which only adds to her
personal shame of being a prostitute”, said a local Mon Newspaper reporter
investigating the story.
Girls often are reserved for the MI and top army officials
and don’t receive any pay on their first day, let alone their choice of a
client. The economy in Burma offers little work opportunities to youth from
villages, and working at a decent job requires education and experience, girls
from the poorer families are more at risk of being encouraged to sell their
bodies. “No choices for young people, no support, no guidance or asylum, so
most become prostitutes and work full time, seven days a week, like the poorer
ones who fail the 10th standard, unable to pursue their studies they work in
the sex industry to support themselves”, said a Mon social worker. Many feel
they have no choice, but survival and helping their families to buy even the
most basic of things, such as food and clothing can be a possible source of
esteem for some.
According to students from
Major Lin Oo, a popular, but
corrupt Burmese army officer just opened a restaurant in La Mine, northern Ye
Township where many young girls work. La
Most restaurants are owned or partly owned by the Burmese MI
in
The restaurants have become exclusively for military
clients, with local residents frequently being turned away if a proper
identification card is not presented upon entering, like the Ramanya Restaurant. Girls, 13 and 14 years old work solely
to support poor families at several restaurants in
Girls in Mon state receive Kyat 2,000 in the local town, but
girls in Three Pagodas Pass and border areas make as much as Baht 200-400 per
customer.
(Black currency exchange rate is Kyat between 25 per Baht 1)
For the poorer families of the population, no family or
state security is provided for the younger people, who now more than ever face
a dismal future. Many are either forced or encouraged to work as prostitutes in
Even more alarming given the recent UN estimate of the high
rate of HIV/AIDS in Burma, sex workers are not encouraged to use condoms, a
ploy to attract regular customers not wanting to use them, many thousands more
are illiterate regarding HIV/AIDS and don’t use condoms. BaYinMa (Queen) restaurant in Ye town is known as a place that
does not encourage its use, as a way to attract local customers.
After the general elections in 1990 and the denial of
democratic reform, the current military authority allowed its senior officers
to run private businesses to earn extra income especially in the non-Burman nationality areas, including the border areas that
attract international tourists. Most looked to the sex industry for a
quick profit and built hostels and restaurants without legal licenses,
and at the expense of a whole generation of youth that provided the labour needed over the years, the sex industry flourished
and fuelled the black market economy. While local border towns grew rapidly,
the past 10 years has seen the standard of living for the vast majority of the
population dropping considerably. With no choices or work options offered by
the military dictatorship and with virtually no future prospects in a shattered
economy, the many students leaving high school turn to the sex industry to make
money for survival. Culturally, Burma is a Buddhist society and has been
for over a thousand years, now it faces an unprecedented social crisis with
many young people making the second choice left to them, by packing up and
leaving to neighboring countries, the ones left, face poverty, exploitation and
isolation.
Please send comments on this article to [email protected]
***************************************
International
Campaign
(Cited from Shan Herald Agency for News,
"The peculiar thing about the Director-General of
Asia-Oceania and Minister Plenipotentiary was that she really cared about ethnic
genocide for she told us that democracy could wait but the genocide had to stop
immediately, other wise it could be too late," reported Wansai, General Secretary of the Shan Democratic Union,
referring to the two-and-a-half-hour meeting with her "to push for harder
sanctions" against Burma's military rulers.
The two Representatives of Shan and Karen also met the
ruling Pasok Party and the opposition New Democracy
Party, both of whom had assured "they have no problem to support our
appeal". The team also visited Hellenic Aid, a department under the
foreign ministry, that "is keen to help us."
Wansai and Saw Sarky, the
Karen representative, were there to brief and update on the political
developments in Burma, to seek recognition for Burma's democratization through
the Tripartite Dialogue process, to critically review Rangoon's anti-drugs
position and heighten the European Union's existing sanctions as a means to
support change in Burma, according to the report.
"The overall situation has returned to square
one," reads their appeal, as could be seen by more arrests of opposition
members, refusal to release 1,400 or so political prisoners as promised,
discrediting and personality attacks of Aung San Suu Kyi, refusal to recognize the
United Nationalities Alliance of the ethnic-based parties and rejection of the
offer of five remaining military opposition alliance to negotiate.
"We should be aware that
In such a situation, it would be more sensible and
appropriate to remove the perpetrators first and attend to the sick and wounded
later. While the desire to help the downtrodden and sick people is a
noble task, the inability to disarm or contain the murderers from harming the
already devastated victims is clearly frustrating. Insisting to cure and look
after the victims without removing the perpetrators could be like putting the
cart in front of the horse." it declares.
********************************************************
KAO WAO NEWS GROUP
Email: [email protected]
Phone + 66 -1 561- 0860, + 1- 403 - 248 2027
On line archive at http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
Online
ABOUT US
Kao-Wao Newsgroup is committed to
social justice, peace, and democracy in
SUBMIT YOUR NEWS
If you are an organization or individual who is committed to
the same principles as Kao-Wao, please use this eNewsletter as a tool to disseminate your views, articles,
and issues pertaining to social justice and political, social and cultural
freedom. We are open to all but please ensure to source your material either
through email contacts or website. To ensure that it is widely read, you can
use this email: [email protected] to tell others about this newsletter, and to
let them know about your work, events, and public debate.
TO UNSUBSCRIBE
If you wish to stop receiving this newsletter send a message
from the address you want to remove to us. Please contact editor should you
need further assistance.