KAOWAO NEWS NO. 95
Newsletter for social justice and freedom in
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READERS' FRONT
VILLAGERS BEATEN AND FINED FOR NOT SPEAKING BURMESE
SPDC'S
MON POLITICAL PRISONER AT RISK OF LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
PADDY FARMS DESTROYED DUE TO FLOODING
MON AND THAI LANGUAGES CLASS OPEN AT THE BORDER
CATTLE FROM
20 PERSONS CONTRACT GOAT DISEASE
BURMESE JUNTA CUTS SUPPORT FOR NMSP
CHINS IN THE
DOWN THE RAT HOLE: ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND ON
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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
Regards,
Editor
[email protected],
www.kaowao.org
___________________________________________________________
On "Global Warming Hits
Great
article.
Zaw Zaw
(
__________________________
Thank you for posting a great
essay. It is about time we look beyond
our borders and start seeing ourselves as part of the planet.
Zarni
____________________________________________
Hmm! I wonder what would happen to the
ES (
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Human Rights
VILLAGERS BEATEN AND FINED FOR NOT SPEAKING BURMESE
(Kaowao:
Villagers who cannot speak
Burmese were beaten and fined, a source from Ye township, Mon state said.
"Three villagers from
Bop Htaw village were beaten and fined 3 Viss (about 5 kilograms) of chicken each," a Mon
community worker who recently fled to Thai-Burma border said. The newly arrived refugee explained that his
villagers were beaten by Burma Army after being demanded to speak Burmese to
them.
Mon villagers Nai Chit Tin
43, Nai Oung Tin 41, and Nai Hline
29 were beaten and kicked several times and then fined three Vises of chicken
last July.
The SPDC Light Infantry
Battalion No. 299 is in charge of the southern Ye area
where majority of the local population cannot speak Burmese.
A village headman of Pauk Pin
Kwin from Ye Byu Township,
told Kao Wao that most of the villagers in southern Ye
area cannot speak Burmese and assimilation policy is used by the SPDC soldiers
while staying in the villages.
Civilian in this area rarely
has any citizenship cards or ID cards since the immigration officers cannot go
into this area. Many villages in southern Ye and Ye Byu area is defined by the SPDC as a Black Area (free-fire
zone) and they also lost the chance to vote in
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SPDC'S
(Kaowao:
Ye -- Burma Army confiscated
thousands of plantations and ordered the local people to build a new village
for BA's family members.
The local sources reported
they were ordered to cut down trees and clear the area to build the houses for
the construction of army village near Khao Jear sub-town, southern
The plantations around the
area were seized for the military families, forcing the Mon owners out of their
homes and off their land, thereby displacing them.
Over 30 tons of timber in
southern Ye was also collected from local villages to
build SPDC schools, a Mon political activist from the area said.
"Over ten villages,
namely Bop Htaw, Krone Kanyear, Weng Ta Moh, Mi Htaw Hlar
Dut, Mi Htaw Hlar Janoh, Ma Herh, Wear Kwao, Mang Glon and Khao
Jear, provided timber to build government controlled
schools in KhawZar (sub town)," said the
activist under condition of anonymity.
"Villagers were ordered
to work as unpaid laborers on a daily basis to build the schools for the
elementary, secondary and high schools. Each village was ordered by the Burma
Army to send four laborers on daily basis.
All villages including Kao Jear sub-town were
forced to pay 1000 Kyat per month for the project run by the army, there are
about 20 villages," he further explained.
Last year, over three hundred
acres of plantations in the eastern part of the sub-town, where the new
military village is located, were seized.
"The whole part of the
eastern sub-town is owned by the SPDC.
The local Mon people owned the plantations for generations but they
(Burmese government) now owns the land," he quoted the soldiers as saying
to the villagers. "No one can go to
the new military village, once they are built," he added.
According to a Mon human
rights activist from the Nationalities Youth Forum Program, the local SPDC
battalions work with the logging companies from the northern Ye township, both
are cutting down rubber and other species of trees from land the Burmese Army
confiscated over five years ago.
Forced off from their land,
the Mon farmers and their families have split up and migrated to
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MON POLITICAL PRISONER AT RISK OF LOW BLOOD PRESSURE
(Kaowao:
The health of NMSP member Nai
Yekkha (Ne Win), who was
charged with attempting a state assassination plot against the SPDC, worsens,
reported his family.
"He is suffering from
low blood pressure and he is collapsing all the time, he's too weak and cannot
eat well," his family said.
"His health condition is
getting worse day by day," a source from his party said. "He may die from low blood pressure and
he is not coping well from the poor diet they give him," his family said.
"His family is not able
to provide the extra food for him, who themselves are unable to make ends meet
being a poor family," the party said.
The State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) arrested 12 suspects including two NMSP members Nai Yekkha and Nai Chem Gakow and Mon National Democratic Front leader Nai Min Kyi
on
Nai Yekkha
was a popular student leader from
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PADDY FARMS DESTROYED DUE TO FLOODING
(Kaowao:
Paddy plantations in southern
part of Pa-an
About 5,000 acres already
planted with paddy at Zar Ta Pyin
field were lost in the flood. It lasted
for a month and all of the rice fields were under water for 21 days, according
Nai Ting, a local farmer. There are six Mon villages in the area, namely; Zar Ta Pyin, Kyone
Peh, Khayar Atwin, Khayar Apyin,
Kaw La Muu, Than Hleh, Kaw Tin, he added.
A Mon widow farmer said that
she had lost about 100,000 kyats in growing paddy on her five-acre farm and she
is concerned how she will be able to pay back the money that she borrowed.
Many paddy fields along the
rivers in Kawkareik township
in Karen state and Kyaikmayaw township in Mon state
are also affected by flood, according to local sources. But they were unable t confirm how many acres
had been destroyed during the flood.
Most of the motor roads and
trails in the townships were under water for a long time and local Mon and
Karen people had to use small boats to get around. The primary and middle schools in southern
Pa-an township were closed because of concern for the
safety of the students.
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Culture and literature
MON AND THAI LANGUAGES CLASS OPEN AT THE BORDER
(Kaowao:
Three
"We will teach Mon and
Thai languages voluntarily starting between
The classes, which are
arranged by the township Mon Culture and Literature Committee and the youth
organization, are separated into four sections. 'We received permission from
the township authority and the local commander to open them,' the teacher said.
Most of the students are
teenagers who are interested in learning both their own language and
The organizers are also
planning to include English language classes, as well, the teachers said. The New Mon State Party liaison officer also
attended the opening class and delivered a speech.
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Business
CATTLE FROM
(Kaowao:
Three
There are over 200 cows and
buffalos on the Burmese side waiting for transport to
The cattle business in the
area is slow due to high taxation by SPDC and government control organizations,
another source said.
"The cattle business at
the border town is going downhill because the various check points under the
control of the SPDC and ceasefire groups are charging too much," said a
The cows and buffalos are
brought from Mon state and Tenasserim Division by a long trek through
mountainous terrain that is heavily forested. It takes about a week to reach to
Three Pagodas Pass. Some cattle die during
the journey water is scarce at the high highest elevation from which it almost
a half day's journey into the valley. As a result, owners have to sell the
cattle at a much lower price amounting to about 30 bahts
per kilo, Nai Darm from a Mon village in the area
said.
The cattle traders usually
bring only fat cows and buffalos, since the ones cannot make the trip through
the dense forest, the source said.
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Related story
20 persons contract 'goat disease'; smuggled animals
slaughtered in brucellosis outbreak
(
Nearly 1,400 goats smuggled
from neighbouring
Agriculture and Cooperatives
Minister Khun Ying Sudarat Keyaraphan said on Tuesday that the Maboonkrong
Dairy Goat Farm had been declared an outbreak area and 1,363 goats smuggled
from "a neighbouring country" were culled after being infected with
the bacteria. In an attempt to allay fears about a re-emerging infectious
disease, brucellosis, which two years ago returned for the first time in 30
years, the Public Health Ministry assured the public that the disease could not
be transmitted from human to human, nor cause miscarriages.
Dr. Kumnuan
Ungchusak, Bureau of Epidemiology Director, said
there had been 20 people reported infected so far, with all but one are workers
in the farm, who had direct contact with the infected goats and other products
from the animals, such as meat and raw milk. The other infected persons was an
extension official from the provincial animal husbandry center, according to
Dr. Kumnuan. He said the disease had previously been
a problem until the mid-1970s, but was not indicated in medical records from
then until 2003 when the disease re-emerged in four patients found in the
central
However, Dr. Kumnuan assured the public that there had been no case of
human-to-human transmission. "There is also no evidence that it can cause
miscarriage," Dr. Kumnuan said. "Those who
are at high risk are persons who have direct contact with the animal or animal
products that are contaminated with the bacteria." The epidemiology
director said that the bacteria could be destroyed at temperatures of 60
degrees Celsius; therefore, eating cooked goat meat or drinking pasturised milk is safe.
Brucellosis is an infectious
disease caused by the bacteria of the genus Brucella.
These bacteria are primarily passed among animals, and they cause disease in
domesticated animals such as sheep, goats, cattle, swine, and dogs. Wild animals, too, can be infected and can be
carriers. In humans brucellosis can cause a range of symptoms similar to
influenza and may include fever, sweats, headaches, back pains, and physical
weakness. Severe infections of the
central nervous systems or lining of the heart may occur. Khun
Ying Sudarat vowed to punish any officials who
allowed illegal smuggling of the animals.
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BURMESE JUNTA CUTS SUPPORT FOR NMSP
(Louis Reh,
The New Mon State Party's
economic support from
The SPDC has traditionally
supplied the NMSP with four million kyat (nearly US $3,500) in economic aid
each month for the political body to function in
"There is no clear
reason why they (SPDC) have cut the support," said NMSP spokesperson Kwe Hong Mon, adding that "the SPDC has also placed
restrictions on the party's business interests."
Kwe Hong Mon suggested that the party's participation in
the National Convention-set to resume in December-may have something to do with
the suspension of funding.
"I think the reason for
the cuts is that the NMSP has been blacklisted because of its participation in
the National Convention and the party's insistence on a free referendum and a
genuine federal democracy in
The SPDC has also tightened
restrictions on the party's business interests, particularly the logging
industry. The NMSP had previously been allowed limited logging rights and
permission to export to
The NMSP has never before
experienced delays in payments received from SPDC's Southeast Command or
restrictions on business activities.
Other ethnic ceasefire groups
claim to be facing similar difficulties with the SPDC. The Karenni
Nationalities People's Liberation Front reached a ceasefire agreement with the
SPDC in 1994.
"The KNPLF now has to
provide for itself because the SPDC no longer gives us any assistance,"
said a member of KNPLF. He added that the group must rely on profits from
limited logging rights and control of the Maw Chin mine in
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CHINS IN THE
(Reported by Hre Mang)
Coming together from across
the
The Chin Community of Burma,
USA, Inc. organized the celebration successfully. The Chin New Year Festival
has been celebrated in the
The celebration has
tremendous impact on the lives of the Chin immigrants, refugees, visitors, and
political asylees in the United, drawing old/new
friends, relative's together from across the nation. The celebration not only
generated enormous social capital toward promoting and preserving the Chin
traditional and social cultural values in their exiled lives, but it also
promotes the social and psychological health, relieving their stress and
loneliness in a strange land.
It is expected more Chins and
friends will gather together during the next Chin New Year Festival in 2006
which will take place in Maryland/Washington D.C.
At the end part of the
celebration, Pu William Ngun
Lian sang his farewell cultural folk song, "Stay
with me one moment darling, one moment darling, because I may ever see you
again, again again, never never
see you, one moment darling, 'cause I may never see you again."
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Book Review
The story of Edith Mirante
travels among the indigenous peoples of
DOWN THE RAT HOLE: ADVENTURES UNDERGROUND ON
ASIAN NON-FICTION
Teri Fitsell
Edith Mirante
has been aptly described by her publisher as "a dedicated writer with the
soul of a poet and the passion of a revolutionary". She describes herself
simply as a gatherer of information on
Mirante's first book, Burmese Looking Glass, was about her
clandestine journeys into
Mirante's new book is as interesting as the first. Starting in
1991, it describes her journeys through
The book is so named after
the words of an Arakan ruler who described "the
futility of an army pursuing hill tribe raiders as an
elephant trying to 'enter the hole of a rat'". However, Mirante says that, "in modern
The book details not only
human rights abuses but also the destruction of the Burmese environment under
SLORC (the State Law and Order Restoration Committee, now known as the SPDC),
"the junta ruling Burma following its suppression of the 1988 democracy
uprising". She describes unregulated logging, strategic deforestation, gas
and oil exploration and gold mining, the use of dangerous pesticides such as paraquat and increases in pollution.
The list of environmental
crimes is almost as long as the list of different factions of rebels struggling
in these remote areas. There are the Chins, the Was, Kachins,
Karens, Rakhines,
It's the author's no-frills
passion for her subject, as well as her wit and humour
that make the book so readable. Her journeys comprise arduous days of hiking
over hills, wading through streams and hiding from the authorities. Her aim is
to reach the people who live in the midst of the struggle and destruction and
tell their stories to the world. She rarely focuses on herself or how (or why)
she endures the dangers, rigours and hardships that
go with her task. Nor does she indulge in polemic or cries of outrage. She
tells it as she sees it -quietly, without fuss, simply gathering information
with which to confront the authorities later.
In Burmese Looking Glass, Mirante traveled among opium drug lords and troops of women
soldiers. In Rat Hole, she enters the worlds of guerilla warfare and heroin and
jade trading, and realizes the full extent of the AIDs
pandemic in the region.
The book covers one of the
worst natural disasters of the 20th century - the typhoon and tsunami that
engulfed
Among the hardship and
tragedy, there's humour and irony. At one stage Mirante narrowly avoids being caught at a dangerous
checkpoint because a truck in front of hers nearly swerves off the road, and by
the time it's salvaged the guard agrees there's no time for security. She
spends much time in cockroach-infested hotel bathrooms repeatedly dying her
blonde hair black so as to blend in.
In the end though, Mirante's message is a simple one, just the two words that
close the book: "Free
_____________________________________________
"DOWN THE RAT HOLE:
Adventures Underground on
<http://d30021575.purehost.com/indiv_titles.html#rathole>
In Asia, order online from:
<http:www.asiabooks.co.thbrowsebookinfo.asp?ProdID=9789745240506>
"Down the Rat Hole" is available at Powells.com:
<http://www.powells.com/s?kw=down+the+rat+hole>
It can also be requested from your local bookshop or
ordered at:
<www.amazon.com>
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Online
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