KAO WAO NEWS No. 56
An electronic newsletter for social justice and freedom in
READER’S FRONT
LAND OWNERS PROMISED COMPENSATION
KANBAUK MYAINGKALAY GAS PIPELINE
BURMESE MIGRANTS: A THORN IN THE THAI SIDE
CONFISCATED LAND CANNOT CHANGE THE SOUL OF A NATION
STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY AND A
DISPLACEMENT OF MINORITIES IGNORED
MONKS UNDER CURFEW
SUU KYI REFUSES TO ACCEPT FREEDOM
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READER’S FRONT
2nd Anniversary of Kao Wao Newsgroup
Dear Readers,
On November 13 in 2001, the first
issue of Kao-Wao was released to inform the international community about the
situation and life in
Believing the media plays a vital
role in creating a democratic society, we are committed to promote a sense of
civic culture of positive social interchanges among the ethnic nationalities to
counter violence, deception, suspicion, and force. The premise of our news coverage is based on
a belief in the value of creating a new standard for cultivating self-aware
citizens in order to foster long-term co-operation, security, stability and
peace in
With your help, we hope that
Kao-Wao News will continue to grow to better serve better the needs of those
seeking social justice. And we hope that
it will become an important forum for discussion and debate and help our
readers to keep abreast of issues and news.
Regards,
Editor
[email protected], [email protected]
www.kaowao.org
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Life in
SAME OLD LINE: LAND OWNERS PROMISED COMPENSATION
(Kao Wao:
The Burmese Army promised they
would compensate farmers for confiscated lands at a meeting held in Ye,
southern
The Military Operational
Management Command (MOMC) No. 19 called a meeting with landowners who lost
their lands to military deployment, the commander said they would compensate the
farmers with some small amount of money.
The Thailand-Burma border based
Independent Mon News Agency reported that the landowners were very upset when
informed that the compensation from the junta is only Kyat 250 for one rubber
tree (which of the current value is at 10,000 Kyat per tree).
After attending the meeting in Morkanin
The BA confiscated thousands of
acres of lands in Mon area from 1988 to 2003 for both military deployment and
to build profit for the army battalions.
The BA paid only a small pittance to local farmers in 2002 when they
confiscated lands to clear the way for the construction of the Kanbauk-Myaingkalay gas pipeline.
Human Rights Foundation of Monland reported about 7780 acres of lands were confiscated
and civilians lost about $1.5 million US worth of properties and real estate
for military purpose in the Mon areas.
*************************************************
Environmental destruction and human rights violation
KANBAUK MYAINGKALAY GAS PIPELINE
(By Banya
Hongsar)
Currently, the Myanmar Oil and
Gas Enterprise (MOGE), a business body of Ministry of Energy, built its own
natural gas production project from Kanbauk
Human Rights Foundation of Monland reported that people who have fruit trees, rubber
plantations, and farmlands in east part of Moulmein-Tavoy
motor road in Ye Township,
According to the report, the SPDC
plans to bring gas from the Yadana gas field through Kanbauk’s onshore pipeline in Yebyu
Township of Tenasserim Division to provide energy for
a cement factory in
The "Mon Forum", a
monthly report of Human Rights Foundation of Monland,
covered a second report related to human rights violations on the gas pipeline
construction. According to the paper, on
According to the Mon Forum, on
In
Mon Human rights workers and
defenders working inside
In February 2003, Burmese Army’s
IB No. 62 based in
Violence against women is among
the worst reported HR cases in
Human Rights Foundation of Monland has followed the development of Kanbauk-Myaingkalay
gas production for over three years.
The Tatmadaw
Oo Pine Ltd of Burma Army deals with a Japanese
company, drug lord U Khun Sa
and Zakabar Company to invest in the operation of the
Myaingkalay cement factory which raises serious human
rights and environmental concerns in Mon and
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Migrant Watch
BURMESE MIGRANTS A THORN IN THE THAI SIDE
(By Bop Htaw)
A news report, written in the
Thailand language titled: "The Plight of Undocumented Burmese Migrant
Workers in Thailand", launched by the Thai Action Committee for Democracy
in Burma and Mr. Suluk Sivaruk,
a citizen of Thailand on his opening address, urged the Thai community to
understand the circumstances of Burmese people who flee or escape from their
home country, adding that the Thai should support the people of Burma who are
trying to free the hand of military rule.
The plight of undocumented
Burmese migrant workers is a misery for the people, as regularly reported,
Burmese migrants are threatened, experience unfair labour
practices, are forced into human trafficking and repatriation, and corruption,
said a member of the Panel.
Ms. Sunee
Chaiyarose, Commissioner, National Human Rights
Commission of
The Royal Thai Government and
Government of Union of Myanmar reached a common ground to tackle the problems
of illegal migrant workers in June this year after a meeting was held in Chiang
Mai city. Representatives of both governments issued a "Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU)" for further cooperation on returning illegal Burmese
migrant workers to original country.
According to the Memo, Burmese
workers need to hold valid passport and work visa to gain employment in
Ms. Arunee
Sitho, Representative of Thai Labor Organization said
the current Thai government is not seriously focusing on the labor sector
despite the Ministry of Labor attempt in solving the problem. There is no
sufficient budget allocation to the labor department by the government, she
said.
Recently, Refugees International
and the Open Society Institute released several internal reports to concerned
organizations with a title of "Pushing Past the Definitions: Migration
from
New illegal migrant workers who
hold no Work Permit Card face a range of human rights violation in the
workforce. In July 2002, a
"National Tripartite Seminar on Future of Migration Policy Management in
New arrivals from
**************************************************
Political view: a youth’s perspective
CONFISCATED LAND CANNOT CHANGE THE SOUL OF A NATION
(By Lawi
Weng)
Recently a friend of mine sent me
a report titled “No Land to Farm” from the Human Rights Foundation of Monland. When I read the report it made me very sad to see
photos of the Mon farmers without a place to live, no food, no home or
community, their land and life confiscated by the Burmese military.
The Mon farmers cannot live
without their farms, their lives are in total harmony with the land, it’s a labour of love; they love to see the huts and the paddy on
the farms and to see the rubber plants growing day by day. They believe their
farms to be the center of the universe, like heaven, because they get income
from their farms every day. They rely on their farms to feed their family and
contribute to the surrounding community. Why does the military regime
confiscate their land without paying them any compensation or give them
justification for doing so? I am confused about the military regime’s motives.
Why is the military regime confiscating the land of the Mon people?
The military regime has arrested Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi and put her under house arrest many times in
order to hide her from the outside world and the political arena. They arrest
thousands of political prisoners and shut them up in prison because they fear
those who will undermine their power. They kill torture and intimidate the
people who are pro-democratic as an example to all to shut up.
But our Mon people are not
members of NLD (National League for Democracy) and don’t resist the military
regime either. So, why does the military confiscate their land and treat them
so badly? I believe the political prisoners' lives are better off than the Mon
peoples' lives because they have a place to live and food to eat.
I wept when I read the land
confiscation news, because I know their suffering. Despite the fact that they
are human beings, their right to own property has been stolen from them. I pity
them a lot. I think their passion and feelings are very strong to avenge the
military regime, maybe even consider producing suicide bombs to sacrifice their
lives to protect the Mon people against the military regime.
The lives of the Palestinian
people are growing desperate daily, they have no place to live, no place to
farm, and no place to struggle for their revolution. They may believe that
instead of getting back their lands, which seems impossible, using suicide
bombs is the best way to solve the conflicts. Thus, the conflicts in the
How about our Mon Farmers? At the
moment, they can’t react with any kind of violence because they are living
under the strict control of the military. Even though we are passionate about
our land and freedom, I hope it never comes to suicide attacks, another tactic
of the military to force people into despair.
Recently, John Miller, the
brother of James Miller a cameraman shot by the Israeli army said:
"Sincerity isn't a word I would use in conjunction with the Israeli
military; I have absolutely no confidence in what they tell me. I think the
Israelis operate a war of attrition that just grinds you down in the hope
you'll give up."
The regime is using the same
tactics in order to tire Aung San Suu
Kyi from the political table. However, she still has
great energy and is in good spirits.
Furthermore, the regime is using
the method of confiscating the land from the Mon farmers in order to create
problems between the Mon people and New Mon State Party.
After the NMSP signed a ceasefire
agreement with the regime, many of the Mon peoples' land was confiscated.
Before the ceasefire, land was confiscated as much as today. The regime
obviously used the ceasefire agreement to their advantage and uses any
opportunity to stir up conflicts between the Mon people and NMSP. This was also
the policy of Hitler. He made the Jews in
The regime is trying to force the
Mon people to make a scapegoat of the NMSP. If the Mon people and NMSP fight
with each other, the NMSP will be forced to step down from the political arena.
The NMSP is very sad to hear that the Mons are losing
their land, some of the Mon farmers urge the NMSP to demand their land back
from the military regime, but the NMSP is powerless.
Unity and stability between
Confiscating lands and repressing
the Mon people cannot change the soul of a nation. As Czech Republic Vaclav Havel says, “It may dampen it and disguise the reality
outwardly, but history has repeatedly taught us that change often arrives
unexpectedly.”
We can see change in
If the military regime fuels
clash between the Mon people and the NMSP, the Mon people will have to work for
unity and strength. They have lost some opportunities, but they have gained
some, too, as they say, ‘No Pay, No Gain. The NMSP has a chance to work with
their people in politics, they can promote education in the Mon state and in
the rural areas, their political ideas have reached
the politicians and the patriotic monks who live inside Monland
and overseas. So confiscating lands and repressing the Mon people cannot change
the soul of a nation. The Mon Spirit is
very much alive in the form of the diasporas in many
countries, such as
******************************************
Perspective
STRONG CIVIL SOCIETY AND A
Role of Civil Society in
(By Banya
Hongsar / Kaowao Newsgroup)
There are at least three
categories to be examined in the field of civil society in
There is no doubt that the role
of senior Buddhist monks in Mon society has had a strong influence in the
community. For example, Rev Palita, senior monk of Kamawet Dhatdaw Monastery, the
author of over thirty books, Rev Ketu Matee, author of Mon, Burmese, Pali
and English books, senior monk of Khareik-some
monastery in Ye have led the community for social and cultural harmony for over
fifty years.
The Mon Language and Cultural
Committees both in
When the Burmese Socialist
Government banned State Buddhist Examination in Mon language for the Pahtamapyan monk students in 1985-90, the Mon monk
community was divided into two camps. Mahayin Nikaya accepted the proposal of the government while Sudhamma nikaya rejected this
kind of discriminatory policy, which disallowed them to use their language.
Soon after, the Mon monk community split into two camps. Mon people and their
culture were threatened by the military but Mon students from
Department of Sasana
(Religious) Affairs based in
The Mon monk community serves
fellow Buddhist people while promoting the role of civil society in
Mon Youth Monk’s
Language and Cultural groups are
the second force in the role of civil society. Currently, the Mon youth
community based in
Although, the Mon literature
lovers have very limited financial resources in the country, they use their own
pocket money to publish books and magazines without making a huge profit. From
1974, after the creation of
There are insufficient libraries
in a Mon village so local Mon youths have organized reading groups and opened a
home library in
New generation and local youth
groups have challenged the notion of the old vision in the Mon territory. After
the 90s, the production of Mon music and other related entertainment venues
have increased in the community. Despite local musicians having a lack of both
financial and human resources they have managed to produce their own music
series with community funding. A few work in
The Mon Unity League formed a
‘Committee for Public Relations and Civil Society Affairs" in 2001. The
Committee has done two workshops in the border camps in promoting the role of
young people in community development. The Committee has published a handbook
in the Mon language for the workshops. The initiative was very much supported
by everyone as a sign of progress in the community after two workshops were
conducted in 2002.
"The importance of civil
society is the capacity to act or advocate, autonomous of the state, for the
common good," said David I. Steinberg, Director of Asian Studies at
The Mon community remembers well
from history that Burman troops cut the fingers of Rev Uttamarumbha
(Kyeikjanoh Ajoh -in Mon
text) for writing the Mon history after Burman king invaded the latest Mon
Kingdom Pegu in late 1757. He had written over fifty books both in Mon
and Pali text that current Buddhist Mon fellows use
to learn about Mon history and Buddhism. The Mon community can take pride
knowing of the powerful role of civil society where Mon authors can write in
their own mother language without restrictions in
*********************************************************************
DISPLACEMENT OF MINORITIES IGNORED
(Reuters)
International community ignores large-scale displacement of minorities
by
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) -
The regime has forcibly displaced
between 600,000 and one million people in its campaign to fight rebel groups
operating along
There are numerous reports of
arbitrary executions, torture, and other human rights abuses committed by the
military. Women are particularly at risk, as rape is increasingly used by the
army as a tool to create fear and punish civilians in the conflict areas. “The
counter-insurgency operations have created a human rights situation […] that is
considered one of the worst in the world”, the report says.
Most of the victims of internal
displacement have been forced into relocation camps or are hiding in the
forests and mountains of eastern
The report calls on the
international community to pay more attention to the humanitarian emergency in
minority areas, and properly reflect the regime’s ongoing human rights
violations, including forced displacement, in the international response to the
crisis in
The Geneva-based Global IDP
Project, established by the Norwegian Refugee Council at the request of the
United Nations, is the leading international body monitoring internal
displacement worldwide.
************************************
MONKS UNDER CURFEW
(AFP:
Muslims left a dozen dead,
including a pregnant woman.
The unrest broke out in Kyaukse on Oct 19 during festivals to mark the Buddhist
Lent, including competitions and festivities centered on Buddhist monasteries,
and spread to the city of Mandalay and then here, unnerving the ruling military.
Eyewitness reports obtained by
AFP said after a minor dispute over one of the competitions a stone was thrown
into a monastery compound, sparking anger among the monks who wrongly believed
the occupants of a nearby mosque were responsible.
Several Muslims were injured in
the ensuing rampage. Others were taken into the homes of their Buddhist neighbours for protection.
Despite the resolution of that
conflict, exaggerated rumours spread to politically
active monks in
********************************************************
SUU KYI REFUSES TO ACCEPT FREEDOM
(Reuters,
''She will not accept any
privilege or access to freedom of movement until everyone detained since May 30
has been released,'' Pinheiro told a news conference.
The U.N. human rights envoy said
the ruling generals had told him during talks in Yangon this week that Suu Kyi, detained after a bloody
clash between her followers and government supporters, was no longer under
house arrest.
Pinheiro,
who talked with Suu Kyi for
two hours on Thursday, said she demanded the release of 35 of here colleagues
in the National League for Democracy before she would even consider herself
free.
She also demanded an inquiry into
the May 30 violence, where each side blames the other, and for those
responsible to be held accountable, she said.
''She wants justice, not
revenge,'' the Brazilian academic added.
He quoted her as saying: ''Let's
move forward. Let's work so it doesn't happen again.”
However, Pinheiro
said, the generals who have ruled
She has made similar
pronouncements before during the long periods she has spent confined to her
lakeside house in
Diplomatic sources said Suu Kyi emerged then because she
was confident U.N. efforts to get the so-called national reconciliation talks
restarted were going to be successful.
Instead, she was detained at a
secret location after the violence -- for her own safety, according to the
government -- from which she was allowed to go to hospital for surgery, then to
house arrest in September.
Pinheiro
made his own calls on the government to clear the way for talks with the NLD on
moving towards democracy by freeing all political prisoners and re-opening
political party offices.
He said the government should
give ''credible indications'' on how and when the reforms it has long promised
would be implemented.
*****************************************
(By Lee Kim Chew / The Straits Times:
Instead, the junta is working
overtime to endure the sanctions by canvassing for more aid from its neighbours.
From
These lessen the difficulties of
the cash-strapped junta, which will lose US$356 million (S$624 million) in
exports this year because of a US ban on
Some 40,000 garment workers,
mostly women, have lost their jobs in
To overcome its predicament, the junta
has appealed for more aid and investments from Asean
countries.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plans to
finance a new road costing 122.9 million baht (S$5.43 million) from
This will help
Thai press reports say Mr Thaksin will also offer 1.78
billion baht as a soft loan when he meets his Myanmar counterpart, General Khin Nyunt, in Bagan on Monday.
To promote cross-border trade,
the Thais are seeking joint ventures with
Other measures to promote tourism
are in the works.
From
The Indian Express newspaper
reports that
This week's visit of Mr Shekhawat, the first Indian
Vice-President to get a red-carpet welcome in
In an apparent move to counter
The Indian Express said
It said
To woo
Last January,
The
But the warning has fallen on
deaf ears. British American Tobacco, the world's second biggest cigarette
maker, yesterday announced its withdrawal from
Clearly,
Moreover, the junta has proved to
be adroit in deflecting pressures from Asean
countries. Its recent proposal for constitutional change has got it off the
hook.
Its road map has no timetable for
fresh elections. Nor is there any role envisaged for Ms Suu
Kyi and her National League for Democracy.
All this is depressing news for
the pro-democracy movement. As one
*********************************
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