KAOWAO NEWS NO. 92

Newsletter for social justice and freedom in Burma

July 7-22, 2005

READERS FRONT

DETAINEES INTERROGATED AFTER RANGOON EXPLOSION

MON NATIONAL SCHOOL MOVED BY SPDC

Soldier GETS 7 years for rape

Remaining unlicensed vehicles documented

ISLAND DWELLERS TO BE AFFECTED BY SALWEEN DAM PROJECT

Trade drops in Myawadi: food PRICES RISE

THREE PAGODAS PASS BORDER TEMPORARILY OPENED

DVB TV gains attention among mon community

U.S Mon blend into MELTING POT

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READERS’ FRONT

Dear Readers,

We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kaowao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kaowao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of those seeking social justice in Burma. And we hope that it will become an important forum for discussion and debate and help readers to keep abreast of issues and news.  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.

Regards,

Editor

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On Kanbawza Win’s “Even Though My Head is Bloodied, Yet I am Unbowed”

Professor Win might be a little more convincing in his article about being bloodied and unbowed if he had mentioned China, India and Russia somewhere in his diatribe. But he ignores these vitally important countries completely. China and India especially are the economic power-houses of the Asian-Pacific region in the 21st Century, and it is they, along with the rest of ASEAN, which keep the Burmese economy afloat and which have made it abundantly and repeatedly clear that they are not going to sign up to Western economic sanctions.  Professor Win must be aware of the importance of China to Burma's survival, so by deliberately ignoring China (and India, Russia, Korea and the rest) his case is fatally flawed and he reveals himself in his true colours as a  propagandist obliged to ignore fundamentally important facts when, inconveniently, they do not support his theses.

Professor Win mentions Cuba. Frankly, if it wasn't for American sanctions, Castro's dictatorship would have come tumbling down like a pack of cards decades ago. The point is - Castro is still there, and the Cuban people are still in chains, and the responsibility for this lies primarily with the United States and their sanctions.

EU policy on Burma nowadays is much subtler and shrewder. The EU has endorsed humanitarian aid to Burma, has opened up the prospect of development aid and has mended its fences with ASEAN after the pointless spat over Burma's admission to ASEM, which China, Japan, Korea and ASEAN won, and the EU lost. The EU has learnt its lesson. Nowadays EU-ASEAN cooperation on Burma has resumed and effective political pressures are being applied on Burma. In general, I can now support EU policy towards Burma which is balanced, calibrated and engaged.

I suppose I am the "jobless diplomat" to whom Professor Win refers "whose travel agency is anxious to go inside Burma to do business".  I am neither jobless, nor (for the past 15 years) a diplomat, nor do I have, or have ever had any interest in any travel agency. Travel agencies need to advertise for business in order to survive, so if I have a travel agency, perhaps Professor Win would be good enough to provide its name, address and contact details. As for being jobless, I am currently inter alia a Director of a Luxembourg-based hotel development company (of which my wife owns 25% of the shares), a BVI-based investment and consulting company (of which my wife owns 47.5% of the shares) and a UK-based multi-sport project company with interests in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Pattaya. In short, I am scarcely unemployed.  

I asked my wife over lunch what she thought Professor Win meant by his attack on "some hooked nose farang theoretician". She said that it was not clear whether Professor Win had anyone particular in mind, or whether it was a generic assault on theoreticians who might be farang and hook-nosed. At all events, it is insulting, because most Westerners are not hook-nosed (and why use a Thai word?) and to describe anyone in the Western world as hook-nosed is quite likely to be taken as an anti-Semitic, racist comment which could give rise to legal action. But I give Professor Win the benefit of the doubt and would say that he probably did not intend his remarks to be interpreted as an attack on Jewish intellectuals.

Finally, I see from another article that Professor Win is overwhelmed by the meeting of the All-Party Group on Democracy in Burma last month. He should be underwelmed. He should know that there are literally scores of these All-Party Groups and they meet from time to time in a Committee room of Parliament. The meeting on Burma was poorly attended by parliamentarians - only three elected MPs and one member of the House of Lords, a bare quorum for the meeting - two Labour and two Lib-Dem representatives.  No member of the Conservative Opposition was present. The proceedings were described to me as rather tedious, if not boring, enlivened only by Dr Zar Ni's spirited interventions, without which the meeting would have been a typical APG non-event. It is as well not to exaggerate the importance of these interest group gatherings.

Derek Tonkin

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DETAINEES INTERROGATED AFTER RANGOON EXPLOSION

(Kaowao, July 22, 05)

Mon members accused of state assassination plot two years ago are being interrogated after the bomb explosion in Rangoon recently, says a Mon political source from Rangoon.

“Some were taken away by authorities to be investigated by the (SPDC) who suspected them of being linked to the bomb blast in Rangoon,” the political activist from the capital said. Among the 12 people who were charged of national betrayal on July 17, 2003, some were released but some members are to remain in Insein prison.

“I doubt some of them will be released soon after SPDC continues with the investigation,” he added. Mon activist Nai Shwe Marn or Chan Hong Sar was released last April. However, NMSP member Nai Yekha or Ne Win is still in the prison. Nai Gain, another NMSP soldier arrested two years ago was convicted to serve a 19-year prison term in Moulmein for his alleged connection with Nai Yekha.

Chairman of Township Mon Literature and Culture Committee Nai Sein Aye was arrested by the No.4 Military Training School’s commander based in Wae-kali village, Thanbyu Zayat on July 8. Nai Sein Aye also was a senior leader of Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) and is active for social activities in the local community.

His Township Mon Literature and Culture Committee was rejected for registration by Thanbyu Zayat Township authorities and committee members were forced to sign a document promising that they will not conduct any political activities.

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MON NATIONAL SCHOOL MOVED BY SPDC

(Kaowao, July 20, 2005)

Self-funded Mon National School in Lamine, southern Mon State will be forcefully moved and given a small compensation.

A community leader of Lamine sub-town in Ye reported the SPDC will force the Mon National School Committee to move it to an outside site. The committee built the school by donation from the town residents and migrant workers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other foreign countries.

A senior monk from the school committee said the committee spent 20 million Kyat to construct the school but the authorities agreed to compensate only 15 hundreds thousands Kyat.

Last year, the authorities had wanted the committee to move the school, but the committee instead challenged the authorities. ‘A small compensation was offered, and the committee accepted it,’ a local woman said.

The self-funded private school is not under the administration of NMSP. However, the local Mon community built it after the SPDC, at that time called SLORC, led by Khin Nyunt pledged to NMSP to allow the teaching of the Mon language in private schools. ‘You can build your own school to teach the Mon language,’ the monk quoted Khin Nyunt as saying.

‘Many Mon National schools in Mon State have been built since then. However, some were threatened and closed down by the Military Intelligence (MI) after two or three years,’ he added. Hneh Padow village school (Mon National High School) in Mudone Township was ordered to stop teaching after a revered monk respected by the SPDC passed away, the monk explained.

Most of Mon National Schools, which were built after the ceasefire between the two sides, are organized by senior Buddhist monks who have a strong influence in the community. The monk said that they manage the school themselves, not with the cooperation of the NMSP, observing that there could be a problem in the future with the ceasefire agreement. However, they rely on a curriculum designed by the NMSP.

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Soldier GETS 7 years for rape

(Kaowao, July 10, 2005)

A SPDC soldier who raped a young Mon student last month was sentenced to 7 years in jail, said a Mon woman rights activist from inside Burma.

A SPDC school teacher assisted the girl in getting the soldier prosecuted even after she was threatened by SPDC authorities,” the rights activist said.

The woman teacher sympathized with her fourth grade student and openly brought her to senior commanders head township office to open the case against the soldier based in Ye township, Mon State who sentenced the soldier to jail.

The village headman, under pressure by the authorities, she explained, was not happy with the teacher interfering and said, “The victim herself did not want to open the case.” However, the Buddhist monks and villagers supported the teacher wanting the soldier convicted of the crime. The sources reported that the local people were satisfied with the conviction.

The local commander, after the rape case was settled, called a meeting with the villagers saying he will not take responsibility over his soldiers’ behavior in raping women and that parents of the women are responsible for looking after their daughters, said some women from the area who arrived last month to the border area temporarily to enter into Thailand.

On June 7, 2005, a 14-year-old girl from Hamgam village was raped by Private Yan Naing of Light Infantry No. 587, Burma Army division while she was staying at her Tai (hut) on the farm that belongs to her family near Chang Gu village.

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Remaining unlicensed vehicles documented

(Kaowao, July 9, 2005)

SPDC authorities in Three Pagodas Pass border town have documented the remaining unlicensed vehicles, a source close to the smuggling business on the border said.

“We worry that they will confiscate and seize the remaining vehicles (unlicensed cars),” said a Mon businessman based in TPP.

There are many hidden vehicles in Mon State and Karen State which have yet to be documented by the SPDC, said NMSP members in Mon and Karen state in charge of the party office.

Some smuggled vehicles with car owners living in neighboring Thailand remain hidden in Mon and Karen States, the owners hold Thai ID cards, the source from the border said.

Thai authorities had seized some of their unlicensed vehicles hidden on the Thai side of the border, the source said.

Monks in southern Burma stopped buying these vehicles, a steal at a low price where cars in Burma cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. Being monks, they thought their cars wouldn’t be seized; however, their unlicensed were all seized.

“We were buying the (unlicensed) vehicles in Burma and not smuggling them from Thailand illegally,” said a Mon monk in Mon State.

After the crackdown, they ceased buying the low priced vehicles, which remain hidden in the jungle and cease-fire controlled areas.

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Environment

ISLAND DWELLERS TO BE AFFECTED BY SALWEEN DAM PROJECT

(Kaowao: July 12, 2005)

Mon farmers living on small islands along the coast will be affected by the construction of the Salween dam, says an environmental activist team after doing research on the outcome of the proposed construction.

“There are over 20 small islands near the capital of Mon Sate, Moulmein,” the activist team leader said. “We are able to make a living on this farm land and we don’t have to go to neighboring country Thailand,” he quoted one Mon farmer as saying.

“These islands are in Moulmein and Paung townships, Mon State,” he explained. There are over 2000 households on the islands and each island is home to approximately 100 households. The majority of the island dwellers are Mon.

“They are not aware that the dam construction will totally affect their traditional way of life which depends on the area’s resources. They have no other skills with which to subsist on other than farming, their way of life will be destroyed by the construction,” he added.

Geographically, these islands are located near to the mouth of the Salween River. The Salween flows from north to south through Karen and Mon State where many Mon, Karen, and other ethnic people live in southern Pha Ann Township, such as Thong Ang (Htone Ai in Burmese) and the capital of Karen State, all of which will be affected by the building of the dam.

“We will surely be affected by the dam construction,” said a Mon community leader from Thong Ang to Kaowao. Thong Ang, located along the Salween River, has 3000 households with over 90% Mon; the other groups are Burman and Karen.

“We can only grow food on about two and a half or three acres in which we earn roughly two hundred thousand Kyats per year. Then depending on market forces bring home about one hundred thousand Kyats in total,” a Mon farmer said.

According to the Mon environment activist and community leaders, the water level will be low if the dam is constructed, the irrigation system managed by the local people will be disrupted and the farmers will face difficulty in their plantations. In particular, several Mon villages in Karen state situated along the river will be displaced after the construction, the watershed area will be severely affected and the farmers will receive no compensation for the loss of traditional resources.

Mon farmers have lived on the islands for years as subsistence farmers living on vegetables and fruit.

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Trade drops in Myawadi: food PRICES RISE

(IMNA: July 11, 2005)

The beloved cooking oil used in preparing most Burmese dishes and Thai goods’ trades have decreased in Myawadi, Thai-Burma border town, after the Burmese government seized cans of illegal imported oil from Thailand on its way to Rangoon, say traders.

“All unpaid duty custom oil was not allowed to go to Rangoon. In recent weeks, some buses carrying oil were seized. Currently, the military checkpoint in Mupalin, on the main road (from Mon State) to Rangoon, have seized Thai goods,” said a women trader, who opened a shop in Myawadi.

“You must pay for the duty, the authorities have limited it. If you pay the custom duty, you can get it, but you make little profit. For the small investor there is no benefit,” Nai Shwe, a Mon trader said.

For years until just a few weeks ago, Myawadi town had set up a black market distribution center for cooking oil and Thai goods. Traders bargaining with the go ahead of the SPDC local authorities were importing Thai goods from Myawadi to Hpa-an (Capital of Karen State) by paying custom duties. Their goods were moved frequently to Rangoon.

“A businessman who invests 10 million Kyat per shipment makes 30, 000 Kyat. With a mini car, they make 3, 000 Kyat each time, not a whole lot,” Nai Shwe, a Mon trader said.

“Myaing-kyi-nguu Trading, the biggest oil trading concession belonging to the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) have decreased the amount of oil being shipped by trucks. In the past, the DKBA imported oil and Thai goods with 15 trucks per shipment to inside Burma. But now only seven or three trucks are running each time,” according to a trader close to the DKBA said.

Small traders with less invested money have stopped trading and some long time traders remain on the border doing business, say traders.

Accordingly to traders, they import Thai goods only to Hpa-an and risk some goods to be sent on to Rangoon. They have to pay 600 Kyat per oilcan to cover for transport costs from the border to Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State.

Oil trading is the region’s main business in Myawadi because of its location opposite to Thailand’s Mae Sot. Most of the cooking oil is then transported to Rangoon and Southern Burma for civilian consumption.

Currently a 16 litre can of oil in Myawadi is between 16, 000 (16 US) and 17, 000 Kyat (17 US) and it is about 18, 000 Kyat – 20, 000 Kyat in the rest of Burma.

Restriction on trade and the ongoing border closure limit border trade on the eastern border of Burma as well; the civilians in the country face shortage of goods and the prices of basic foods have risen.

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THREE PAGODAS PASS BORDER TEMPORARILY OPENED

(Kaowao: July 22, 2005)

Three Pagodas Pass Thai Burma border temporarily opened today, a Thai official told Kaowao this evening.

The border will temporarily open four day starting from today,” the border checkpoint official quoted as Burmese immigration saying.

The Three pagodas pass town residents had a chance to cross border since this morning, a town resident told to Kaowao by phone. The official said that the border has yet permanently opened and it is up to Burmese authority if they agree to open in the future.

A Mon national in Thai side said that the SPDC wants Thai people to cross Burma border to buy Burmese goods during four days of Thai government office closure.

“Three Pagodas Pass residents are not allowed to cross the border checkpoint to enter Thai soil,” he said. He, however, said that some of them crossed to the Thai side.

When the Thai government banned furniture from Burma ; the Burmese, in return, prevented all Thai goods from being exported across the border.  The border closure cost several million baht in trade revenue lost for both sides through unemployment in Burma ’s furniture factories. The local business community complained that the closure affected about one thousand workers from over seventy furniture factories, a major industry at the border town.

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DVB TV gains attention among mon community

(KaoWao, July 21, 2005)

Mon community in Mon state and Rangoon watch the Democratic Voice of Burma TV through a satellite programme, sources say.

‘Mon villages in the middle of Mon state watch the opposition DVB TV,’ a young Mon politician from Thanbyu Zayat or Zopbu Township reported.

‘Some Mon villages in the area consisting of about 3000 households own over 30 satellite dishes,’ he said. Adding that, ‘some owners, not the whole community, openly watch the TV programme. The area has enough electricity due to the SPDC’s salt production project that operates near by.’

A young Mon university student from Rangoon who recently arrived at the Thai-Burma border to do business told a KaoWao reporter that the Mon community in Rangoon regularly watch the DVB TV satellite programme.

The politician said that the main reason why villagers own a satellite dish is for gambling, especially football match.

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U.S Mon blend into MELTING POT

(Kaowao: July 10, 2005)

The Mon community in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joined in the three rivers festival parade along with thousands of Indianans yesterday.

The 37^th annual parade boasted almost 150 parade floats with mayor Richard Graham’s walking the mile long route waving at spectators. The festival is held every year in which the whole community of Fort Wayne participates.

There were several bands and accompanying groups wearing different color dresses and uniforms.  About (50) Mon people participated wearing their full traditional red sarong, waving their national flag and followed by a group of King Rajadhirat’ soldiers dressed in full uniform. People enjoyed watching the parade from the sidewalk, others were marching on foot.

“Many thanks to the people of Fort Wayne for welcoming us to their community. We worked hard to be able to contribute something back to this community,” declared Mi Non Htaw. It is the first time the Mon community joined in the festival.

“We gave something back to the people of Fort Wayne, it was our chance to celebrate our Mon national identity with them,” said Mahar Marn, a leading organizer of the Mon community in Fort Wayne.

The Three Rivers Festival began in 1969 with the aim to promote business and industry in the area and to celebrate Fort Wayne's historical heritage.

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Kaowao Newsgroup is committed to social justice, peace, and democracy in Burma. We hope to be able to provide more of an in-depth analysis that will help to promote lasting peace and change within Burma.

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