KAO WAO NEWS No. 6
BREAK AWAY LEADER FORMED POLITICAL PARTY
MANEELOY CAMP IS HISTORY
THAI NEW YEAR’S GALA AT MAHARCHAI
RICE MILL WORKERS EXPLOITED
55TH MON NATIONAL DAY & PUBLICATION
MON COMMUNITY OF
READER'S FRONT
BREAK AWAY LEADER
FORMED POLITICAL PARTY
(Monland,
The splinter group led by Col. Pan Nyunt issued a formal
declaration of the formation of a new political party named Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party and a vow to fight against the military junta, given in a
statement signed by Col. Pan Nyunt, the Chairman. Monks and civilians attended
the ceremony from both inside and outside of Monland.
It outlined in plain words to all monks, community leaders, and civilians how
the cease-fire deal between the New Mon State Party and the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (SLORC) on June 29, 1995, has not yet reached a political
solution for the Mon people and only a few groups were benefiting from minor
economic and development projects. It
accused the cease-fire agreement as being flawed from the beginning and for over
six years there has been no positive results.
The statement leaked a meeting between two army officers
attended by Col. Nai Saik Htow, Col. Pan Nyunt, Lt Col Htawara
of the Mon army and Burmese Brigadier Yae Win on
23/8/2001 where Mon troops were pressured to move from the western areas of
motor road to make rooms for the SPDC to expand the Tactical Command
Headquarters (SaKaKha) 19 with 10 regiments in the
area. The statement warned of the difficult situation for the Mon people
regarding forced labour, land confiscation, and human rights violations on an
ever-increasing wider scale including the destroying of Mon culture and
literature through suppression.
Under these conditions, Col. Pan Nyunt, with the support of
153 Mon troops, separated from the NMSP on
Col. Nai Pan Nyunt (a) JanahNonrot who served in the NMSP since 1970 and a member
of the Central Committee and a senior officer of the Tactical Command No (1) of
the Mon National Liberation Army was selected as the Chairman. Major Ong Seik Chai
was selected as Vice-Chairman, Major Ong Hmoin as a Secretary General, and Nai
Bin, Nai Lavi KaoNyan, Nai Non KaoMarn were appointed as battalion commanders
respectively.
Col. Pan Nyunt signed the statement No. 2/2001 issued from
the stronghold area inside Monland, on
Meanwhile, the deadline issued from the NMSP is due on
MANEELOY CAMP IS
HISTORY
(Kao Wao Reporter and AFP,
Despite demonstrations by asylum seekers against the closure
of the camp, opponents from rights groups, and the international community, the
well-known Maneeloy camp on the morning of
Interior Minister Purachai Piemsomboon told reporters earlier the final decision was
made at a joint meeting among the ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs,
the National Security Council (NSC), the U.N, and the local government of
Ratchaburi province where the refugee camp is located. He said the closure of
the camp would go smoothly for all parties concerned, including the office of
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who started preparations for the
move eight months ago. Thai officials
said it was time to shut down the shelter for good, where nearly 4,000 refugees
have been repatriated to third countries.
They agreed to the closure of Maneeloy after
confirming that 100 Burmese people had entered the center without permission
and should be treated as illegal immigrants and prosecuted.
Inside the camp, asylum seekers held a hunger strike
starting December 11 that sent some refugees to Pak Thor local hospital,
Outside the camp, hundreds of local Thais protested on
Monday to call on provincial authorities to close the camp this week. Protestors carrying banners rallied in front
of the Ratchaburi provincial hall, 100 kilometers west of
THAI NEW YEAR’S GALA
AT MAHARCHAI
(By Lita Davidson,
Thousands of Mon migrant workers gathered at
Loudspeakers around the temples’ plaza announced entertainment
featuring the traditional Thai Nikae, free movies,
and a live performance by the Thai country band Luk Thoom. Thai popular singers included LukNok
Suphaporn, Ekkaraj Suwunnaram, along with dancing girls and comedy skits. The
3-hour show was akin to the American Wild West, saloon style; with dancers
changing into frilly costumes frequently between songs (20 times) and was
accompanied by an eight-piece band. The Thai paraded their stuff on stage to a
curious audience of Mon migrant workers, who sat in groups fanned out from the
front of the stage, with hundreds standing further back. They were attentive but expressionless
throughout most of the performance and did not applaud once. At the stroke of
Migrant Watch
RICE MILL WORKERS
EXPLOITED
(Kao Wao Reporter,
At the “U Thai Product Co. Ltd”, a rice purification mill,
(99) Mon people are working in a state of insecurity and are being exploited to
pay for their work permits.
The (66) previous workers and the (33) new workers will have
to pay in full by weekly installments up to (10000) Bahts
and (12000) Bahts respectively. The average daily
wage for most workers is about 150 B per day, monthly rent ranges from 900-2500
Bahts for a room-sized apartment, then expenses on
top of that.
The Thai government policy 4 months ago required alien
workers to officially register for a work permit and most workers did. The
official charge to register per year is 3250 Baht for
the first (6) months and 1200 Baht for the rest (6)
month period.
The employer at the rice mill advanced the registration fee
of 3250 Baht on behalf of his workers, however their
salary has been cut to pay off on a weekly basis of up to (10000) Baht and (12000) Baht, which is
(3) times the original fee. The employer offered the full payment for some
workers and half payment for others. The workers know they are being exploited,
because the amount of work permit fee has been announced on the TV and in the
daily newspapers, but they are powerless to say anything about the extortion
practices of their employer, who sets up whatever amount the workers will have
to pay.
“We have not seen the work permit card since our
registration, the employer does not allow us to move out or keep our cards,” a
worker said. Last year, they over-paid (8000) and (10000) Bahts
for a work permit. Workers doing the
hard and heavy jobs, who must live in a compound, have to pay (900) Baht monthly for a rental room at the work site. (6) Worker
leaders had been dismissed from employment last year after demanding for their
rights on behalf of all workers. So many are scared to complain about the work
permit fee for this year, worrying they will lose their jobs. They know this to
be an injustice, but they have no choice and must continue to endure the daily
grind of hardship and survive the best they can under these conditions.
There are few holidays, New Years and a significant
religious day, and they are required to work overtime without payment. Mon
workers are also blatantly discriminated against regarding health insurance
compared to other workers who are not required to pay, the
If anyone is interested in finding about more, please visit
to “U Thai Product Co. Ltd.”,
55TH MON NATIONAL DAY
& PUBLICATION
(
In welcoming the New Year 2002 and the Mon National Day
celebration, a number of Mon groups based in
Mon Information Service (
In preparation and fund raising for the 55th Anniversary of
Mon National Day Celebration, the Mon National Organization of Thailand based
at Samutsakhorn Province, has distributed T-shirts
designed with colourful emblems and is available for
150 Baht. Mon
Youth Community (Bangkok) has also invited all Mons
to join its Annual General Meeting at Wat Sarmakkhe of Sam Khok, Pathum Thani on Sunday, January
6, 2002 in welcoming the 55th Anniversary of Mon National Day. The AGM will start from
MON COMMUNITY OF
(MCC,
The Mon Community of Canada published a Special Journal
issue No. 2 compiled of activity reports, statements, and protest photos. The journal was distributed for the
READERS’ FRONT
Dear readers,
Welcome all to Kao Wao in the New
Year 2002. We invite comments and
suggestions on improvements to our eNewsletter. With
your help, we hope that KaoWao News will continue to
grow to serve better the needs of those seeking social justice in
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 kaowao@hotmail.com
Dear Kao Wao News,
You have given informative stories about the splinter
group. The New Mon State Party should
encourage more opened civil societies in Monland. All
Yours sincerely,
Rehmonnya PoeyMon
(
Dear Editor,
It is very useful and precious for me. I really appreciate
your efforts and wish you and your entire colleagues well and a happy new year.
Sincerely,
Kyaw Kyaw Soe
Japan
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With regards,
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Nai (
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