KAO WAO NEWS
NO. 76
An electronic newsletter for social
justice and freedom in
September
READERS' FRONT
SPDC: CEASE-FIRE WILL BE MAINTAINED
FORCED LABOUR AND ABUSES IN YE RURAL AREA
BUY CALENDAR OR SUPPORT THATCH FOR THE ARMY
USDA MEMBERSHIP ON THE INCREASE
MON TEACHER WARNED BY MILLITARY INTELLIGENCE
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN HONOR FOR DR. SU-ED
FBC URGES LEADER FOR ENDING 14 YEARS OF DEADLOCK
Dear Readers,
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____________________________
On the
MNC’s Statement on Killing of Mon People by KNU Army
Dear friends,
It is extremely sad to read this
kind of statement. With all respect, a question came to my mind that why they
didn’t manage to solve the problem in such a critical time even though the
leaders of Mon and Karen were ready to sit down and talk to arch enemy
SPDC.
Sincerely,
Aung Tin,
(Via internet)
_____________________________________________
Regarding the incident happened to Hongsawatoi Restoration Army (HRA) Camp on October 18th of
2004, I believe that the following steps need to be followed:
1. Conduct Investigation Committee with NDF
2. Need to investigate what
cause such kinds of attack
3. Who were involved and why
that happened?
4. How to prevent such kind of
incidents not to happen in the future
As far as I can understand, KNU
never adopted such policy of killing innocent people or treating
its alliances in such violence act since it still taking leading role in
NDF. It will take reasonable amount of time to discover the
misunderstanding and problems between both armed units in local
area.
I believe that KNU will try its best
to prevent such kind of violence not to happen again in the
future. It will take time to investigate since there was three
parties (HRA, KNU and ABMU) got involved in the incident. All parties need
to be patient one another since most of problems were caused by the
interests of local level military units. Such kind of statement issued by
MNC or over reacting will not resolve the real problems, but create more
conflicts and tension among the ethnic groups. Be aware of that this is a
kind of conflict that the SPDC like to see between MON and KAREN
people or among all Democratic opposition groups.
With regards,
Mahn Kyaw Swe
(Via internet)
spdc: CEASE-FIRE WILL BE MAINTAINED
(Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi:
The source from NMSP reported ceasefire
will be maintained and National Convention will go ahead despite power struggle
within the military regime.
According to Nai
Aye Mon, Liaison Officer of New Mon State Party, Mon leaders led by General Htow Mon and Colonel Layeh Gakao met with the Southeast Military Command Commander Thura Myint Aung in
Another source from Thailand-Burma border
based Mon youth organization said today that the Military Intelligence faces
crackdown by local SPDC in Mon State and Three Pagodas Pass border area,
“Guns and some documents from the MI’s
offices in
“The MI office was raided over the last
two days by
The ruling SPDC government announced
Tuesday that
Burma Army uses various forms of abuses in southern Burma
FORCED
LABOUR AND ABUSES IN YE RURAL AREA
(Kao Wao:
Local witness reported Burma Army asked
every household to bring materials to build police station in Kwan Tamoi Taotak village in southern
Ye,
The source reported, to build two militia
police stations in Yong Reah and Kwan Tamoi Taotak villages, the LIB
No. 568 led by Captain Ngwe Soe
ordered every household to collect logs and bamboo in the forest since August
on a daily basis.
The village is divided into four tracks
and one track must build the station every day.
Union Solidarity and Development
Association or USDA opened a football match in Kaloin
Ong area of Ye Byu Township
last month and collected 100,000 Kyat each from every village. The village
headmen collected between 150 to 5,000 Kyat from their
households in the villages. Some village did not join in the match
because it was too costly. They said it would cost about 300,000 including
extra expense for the BA and USDA members.
Torture and extortion
Nay Ri, age 27
from Chak Toa village, Mudone
township, Mon state was beaten by a Burmese Army soldier while on his way back
to his village from fishing outside at about 8 p.m. He was accused of grabbing
the soldier’s gun and asked for 20,000 Kyat to drop the charges by the
BA. His parents immediately paid to Htun Aung,
the drunken soldier to avoid further threats and charges by the BA.
Ms Mi Kye Kye Mon, age 2 from Kwan Hlar
village,
Last month every household in
Ye -- In northern Yebyu
Township of Tenasserim Division, local people have
been barred to go their farms and gardens.
The curfew of Burma Army came out after
the Mon armed group Hongsawatoi Restoration Party
seized six arms with 400 bullets from the SPDC militia force in Kyauk Ka Din village. The purpose claimed by the
In eastern and southern Ye township, the
SPDC has been barring the town people and the local villagers not to travel to
their farms and gardens for fear of security since last month.
According to the source close to New Mon
State Party (NMSP), HRP soldiers actively patrol around the area. The SPDC also
suspects that the NMSP cooperates with the HRP, after two HRP members
surrendered to the NMSP last month.
In Kyar-in
BUY
CALENDAR OR SUPPORT THATCH FOR THE ARMY
(Kao Wao:
Civilians in the
Nai Lun, a businessman from the capital said his household was
forced to buy various tickets and calendars issued by the government
organizations. “Civil servants go door to door making everyone buy their
calendars. If we don’t buy them, they assume we do not support them and
are for the other side (opposition),” he said.
In Kyar-in
The source close to the NMSP in southern
Mon state reported local people are forced to pay taxes, forced to work for
motor road repairing, forced to collect logs to build police station and
farmers are prohibited to go to their farms and gardens.
USDA
MEMBERSHIP ON THE INCREASE
(Taramon and Cham Toik:
Members of Union Solidarity and
Development Association or USDA have increased in
According to a Mon community leader in
Independent Mon News Agency, on
According to a speech from the USDA
township leader in Kyaikmayaw, Mon state, the USDA
plans to become a nationwide political organization, forming the backbone of
the SPDC in the coming election.
Members are given special status by the
military junta and have gained popularity as a reliable organization in the
country. They can travel freely throughout the country with their membership
cards, at times however they are stopped by the authorities even after showing
their cards.
Under the USDA banner, the former NLD members
have now more of a chance to get involved in political activities having
already launched health care programs by helping local people. So far they are
not pressured or threatened as NLD members like they have been in the past.
“Not only former NLD members, but many Mon
youths are joining the USDA seeking opportunity and diving into union
affairs. We even encourage them to join in so they can get to know and
learn about action plans and to gain experience from the USDA,” a Mon community
leader happily said while talking to Kao Wao’s
reporter. Hundreds of youth who keep low profile were normally accepted
as USDA members so as to fill the government quota organization without
properly checking their background.
A Mon businessman trading along the Thai-Burma
reported that some Muslims in Mon state relied on the USDA membership cards to
get around the country and for other purposes because they do not have Burmese
citizenship identity cards. “I saw a Muslim woman being stopped by the
army on her way from Mon state to Myawaddy at a
checkpoint, after she showed her USDA card she was not allowed to pass,” he
witnessed.
In many cases, USDA members interfere in
the community and disturb the general public even though they were human
right’s victims in the past and were forced to hand over various taxes imposed
by the military junta.
Recently, the USDA members from Ye came
down to Duya village, cooperated with Nai Than Maung of the local Peace and Development Council,
and threatened community leaders for not informing them about a
congratulation’s event that encouraged Mon youths for further study.
“They insulted and threatened Nai Tin Shein and Nai Yu because these people organized the congratulation’s
party without informing the USDA and giving bribes to the headmen for this
event. Our villagers get upset, because the congratulation’s party is
only for educational purposes, it doesn’t involve politics,” Nai Jeh from Duya
said.
A USDA leader from Moulmein
who spoke under anonymity said over ten Mon nationals who are members of the
USDA and Labour Union from Mon and Karen states were selected to attend the
National Convention near Rangoon, but most of them did not like the government
sponsored NC.
The USDA aggressively gets involved in
various activities and often interrupts the authorities including within the
justice and legal affairs. Since many members try hiding behind the
banner of USDA, civil servants are disappointed and criticize its role in the
community.
“Some civil servants complain that the USDA
is challenging their power,” a Mon politician who has a good relationship with
senior officers of
Even though the USDA is not well respected
by the public, people normally ignore them to avoid hassles and danger.
Only civil society such as Mon youth organizations and Buddhist monks sometimes
speak out about their wrongdoings. Many activists and patriotic youths
are quite familiar with the tactics of the SPDC so avoid becoming to friendly
with USDA members and often walk away from them.
“My friend told his relative, the
secretary of USDA in the village, not to come over and visit his house,” Nai Lavi from a Mon village in Pha-an
“As well, the Mon people living in the
rural areas also join the USDA because of poverty and, because there are no
other choices for survival; if they could they would go to other countries to
work and many youths who can not leave finally end up joining the USDA.
They are normally seen as genuine opportunists and civilians believe it will
one day collapse under all its weight when the huge democracy storm finally
hits,” a Mon politician from Ye said.
MON TEACHERS
WARNED BY MILLITARY INTELLIGENCE
(By Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi:
Military Intelligence threatened Mon
national school teachers in Lamine not to teach Mon
language after the village was promoted as a town.
The MI in Ye Township warned the Mon
teachers that the Mon language should not be taught in town and that the
national school should not be built in town, said a woman leader from Lamine, Ye.
“The MI in the town regularly comes to the
school every two or three days and tells the teachers to stop teaching Mon,”
she said. The teachers, most of them women, are afraid of the MI who threatens
them. They also threaten villagers who provide accommodation for the
teachers and not to allow the teachers to stay in their houses. However,
Buddhist monks in the town encourage the teachers to continue their works.
The villagers built the school since NMSP
and SPDC reached a ceasefire agreement in 1995. The agreement allowed the
Mon workers in
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“I’m really happy to see
BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION IN HONOR FOR DR. SU-ED AT BANGKADEE
The
Both the
Mon and Thai Mon communities in the thousands gathered inside the
17 Rai (about 10 acres) association campus. The area
was bustling with activity as people queued up and down along the perimeter of the
campus flanked by Thai security police patrolling the area. Long lines of
taxis, motorbikes and mostly old and new Toyota vehicles inched along while
those on foot entered the main gate with two statues of the Golden Sheldrake,
the Mon guardian bird set atop each column, looking over the procession,
reminiscent of past celebrations when teams of bullock carts was the customary
mode of transportation during the biggest traditional gatherings like the “Takok Khamaing Buddhist
Festivals” held annually after Songkran in Monland.
Today though the Mon have modernized, their communication amplified
within a modern world of technology and rituals, people talking on their cell
phones trying to locate their missing friends, others with digital and video
cameras circulating among the various activities. The area was vibrant with
color, mostly dominated with red and white, like the portable canvas tents of
Coca Cola set up to provide shade for cooking, washing and a meeting area,
including group photos—the soft drink white lettering of the Coca Cola logo
with a red background, matched or color coordinated it seems with the Mon
traditional red sarong and white shirts worn by the men. The grounds in turn
were decorated with carnival, tube light structures set high above the
audience, which were shaped like the Buddha nimbus, blinking blue, orange, and
white in intervals, several surrounding the grounds. A
stage for dancing and speech making was decorated with portraits of Dr. Su-ed
and flanked by two Golden Sheldrakes, beside a red
gravel road that led from the main gate to the hall.
Three hundred and fifty tables were arranged with blue and red
chairs in two groups, with ten persons per table. “Before, we arranged only
three hundred tables, and three hundred tickets, but they were gone after a
three day announcement,” said Nai Saha,
the convening committee who worked hard bringing everything together for the
occasion. Many people without tickets were happy to stand during the
festivities in the hall beside the stage. Advanced table tickets were not
enough since many
To mark the beginning, two Thai-Mon ladies announced the agenda in
the honoring the event in Thai and Mon. About (50) performers opened the
ceremony with “Krak Jalon”
song, followed by the opening ceremony in which Dr. Su-ed was carefully brought
onto the stage in a wheelchair and who cheerfully welcomed the people. He
commented on everyone’s enthusiasm in honoring him and was moved in seeing such
a show of strength and unity among the
More than half the audience, mostly made up of teens and migrant
workers, stood up and shouted praise when popular vocalist Hong Chan took to
the stage. Not far away from their motherland, they enjoy such entertainment
venues, taking a break from their long days at work to spend some free time in
When Hong Chan sang “Chan Mon Chan Nai”,
his most popular song, the people lined in front of the stage to sing along
him. Ong Marn, the
announcer for the show, frequently had to request the people not to shove each
other or get too excited, which may cause problems and shut down the show. The
people calmed down when Ong Marn
announced no jumping on the chairs and tables.
Ramarn, another popular singer kept the beat
going, singing romantic songs full of harmony, he also entertained people with
pleasing melody song. Nai Sunthorn,
secretary of Mon Unity League commented that, “it’s the biggest ceremony of
Thai-Mon I have ever seen.”
Even though the entertainment was to close down after
Mon Youth Community in
On the second day, October 17, the ceremony was held in the
community hall accompanied with religious donations. Long lines of people were
waiting their turn to donate honey and sticky rice. There were about (15) food
booths with many kinds of traditional Mon foods. As well, others donated desks,
a small temporary clinic for administrating first aid, a Mon table for selling
dresses and a publications’ distribution desk, as well as a place for selling honey,
which was abuzz with people wanting to buy it. A book on the historical
background of the Thai-Ramarn Association and a brief
biography of Dr. Su-ed was also distributed. The book outlined a brief history
of the Mon Association and the ancestral line of Dr. Su-ed, which was
translated into the Mon language by Nai Sunthorn.
The
The place in which Dr. Su-ed sat to accept visitors paying their
respect was decorated with a variety of flowers and two big golden Sheldrakes, Dr. Su-ed himself wearing a garland of yellow
flowers around his neck. In the community hall, others donated lunch alms
donation for about 140 monks with an abundance of food. Beside the hall, Mon
traditional music was played, the musicians were from Ayudhaya,
labeling their residents “Kwan Prasat”.
When Dr. Su-ed accepted the pouring of water for traditional protection,
the people eagerly queued up in a long line. Others paid their respects pouring
water on Dr. Su-ed, while others were happily talking to his younger brother Supher Gajaseni, the former
supreme commander of
(Darren Schuettler, Reuters News:
Lieutenant General Soe
Win, who shot to notoriety in 1988 when he helped crush a democracy uprising,
replaced Khin Nyunt who was sacked as premier this week, dashing faint hopes
for reform in the military-ruled country.
The
"We see no indication that the
leadership change will have any tangible impact on relations between the junta
and the democratic opposition," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher
said in
"We note that the new prime minister
was reportedly directly involved in the decision to carry out the brutal attack
on Aung San Suu Kyi and her convoy on
The
Rights activists say the attack was
orchestrated by the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), a
political arm of the junta in which Soe Win is a
senior figure. He was also regional commander of the area where the incident occurred.
"The only slight chance
"A FRIENDLY GUY"
Southeast Asian leaders, who have seen
little gain from their policy of constructive engagement with
Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart
Sathirathai said he was confident Soe
Win would carry on with the roadmap, a seven-step plan to civilian rule
denounced as a sham by some Western critics because it has so far excluded Suu
Kyi.
"He's quite a nice guy, friendly. We
have known each other for quite some time. He is not a typical stern army type
of guy. He is not authoritarian. He has an international view," Surakiart told Thai radio on Thursday.
But Soe Win has
shown little inclination to negotiate with Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD), which won elections in 1990 but was barred
by the military from taking power.
In a profile of Soe
Win, the Thailand-based
Born in 1949, Soe
Win entered the
When resentment against military rule
boiled over into pro-democracy protests in 1988, he commanded an infantry
division that helped crush the uprising in the capital
Soe Win joined
the ruling military council in 1997.
When Khin Nyunt was appointed prime
minister by Than Shwe in August 2003 - a demotion according to some analysts - Soe Win replaced him in the powerful position of Secretary
One.
Soe Win shadowed
Khin Nyunt on several key committees and sometimes accompanied the premier on
foreign visits. His last trip was at the head of a military delegation to
Some saw it as the beginning of Than Shwe's bid to consolidate his power in the government and
armed forces which resulted in this week's purge of his rival, Khin Nyunt.
"Soe Win is
a Than Shwe loyalist," said retired World Bank economist and
Free
BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 15 (AScribe Newswire) -- In a 100-page report released today
leaders of the Free Burma Coalition (FBC), which successfully led pro-sanctions
campaigns from 1995-2003, warn their fellow Burmese that their country is fast
becoming "the Cuba of the East." The new FBC report concludes that
The report's principal authors, Dr. Zarni and May Oo, are leading dissidents with 16 years of
involvement in the Free Burma movement. The FBC Executive Working Group has
endorsed unanimously the report as reflecting the official view of the
coalition.
The FBC report entitled "Common
Problems, Shared Responsibilities: Citizens' Quest for National Reconciliation
in Burma/Myanmar" is based on the thousands of conversations which the
authors have had with Burmese citizens both within and outside of Burma's armed
conflict zones, as well as with politicians, diplomats and policy analysts in Asia,
Europe and North America. It also draws on the insight from the authors' direct
communications and meetings with representatives of the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military junta, over the past 2 years.
The report takes a comprehensive look at
the political developments in
It argues that the 14 years of political
deadlock between the election-legitimized National League for Democracy (NLD)
and the SPDC, is causing a profoundly negative impact on the society and is
arresting prospects for democratization and economic development.
"Daily realities of the ordinary
Burmese people continue to be ignored while the key players in the country's
politics keep repeating their policy prescriptions. In writing this report, we
hope to move the
While acknowledging the imbalance of power
between the military leaders and the civilian democratic forces as a major
impediment to democratic change, it argues that the deeply felt sense of siege
mentality on all sides poses a greater obstacle toward reconciliation and
rebuilding of the country.
The report is critical of the
The report is also scathing when it comes
to the subject of vocal Burmese exiles who "clamor for 'democracy back
home' while closing their mind to that fundamental principle of democracy:
diversity of ideas and approaches." It observes that a small but vocal
group of exiles is putting more fuel into
The report calls for all parties in the
current deadlock to try moving away from looking at
Tel: + 66 7 169
0971
(
Tel: + 1- 403 - 248
2027 (
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
Online
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