KAO WAO NEWS No. 7
January 5-15
READERS' FRONT
MON COMMUNITY URGES MUL TO LOBBY BETWEEN ARMED GROUPS
REFUGEES ASK UNHCR TO ENTER NEW CAMP
MON NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT FORMS IN
STATE PARANOID ON MIGRANT LABOUR
WARRANT FOR REGISTERED WORKERS
GENERALS ENJOY THE OPENING CEREMONY
8TH CONFERENCE OF MRC (
THE SPIRIT OF MON CULTURE IN
READERS' FRONT
Dear readers,
Kao Wao welcomes you all into the
New Year 2002. We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kao Wao newsletter. 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 Editor,
Regarding your stories about the split among the Mon armed
forces, who should be [the ones blamed} for? Not the New Mon State Party nor
Col. Pan Nyunt, but the military [Burmese] junta. We have to understand the New
Mon State Party has remained politically active in supporting democratic
movement and federal union in
Dear Kao Wao News,
I am expecting to read more about Mon culture and literacy movement whenever it is possible. Would you please focus on culture?
Wyman
MON COMMUNITY URGES MUL TO LOBBY BETWEEN ARMED GROUPS
(Kao Wao,
A gathering of activists, Mon workers, members of Mon Unity
League and MNDF (Liberated Area) urged the umbrella organization of the Mon to continue
in its lobbying mission between the New Mon State Party and the newly formed Hongsawatoi Restoration Party led by Col. Pan Nyunt. The
public meeting was chaired by Nai Sunthorn
Sripanngern, Secretary General of MUL and its
International Representative, Nai Cham
Toik in the liberated area. The agenda evaluated
ideas and opinions from the public concerning controversial issues among the
The meeting advised the negotiating mission to keep the
public informed on a non-partisan basis and to provide an unbiased, accurate
report on either side of the conflict. The MUL formed a negotiation mission,
comprised of five members, to lobby between the two parties on
Meanwhile, fighting broke out between a combination force of
Karen and Mon guerrillas led by Col. Pan Nyunt against the Burmese army at Kwan Tamoi and Mae Kasah, near 3
A liaison officer of Hongsawatoi Restoration Party, formed by Col. Pan Nyunt, said before the incident, the new party had no intention to engage armed conflict with the NMSP, but has vowed to continue the fight against the Burmese junta. The source from the NMSP informed Kao Wao that in spite of Col. Pan Nyunt's movement, the policy of NMSP would not change its position or its principles.
REFUGEES ASK UNHCR TO ENTER NEW CAMP
(Kao Wao
About 30 Mon refugees formally made an appeal to the United
Nations High Commission for Refugees Office in
Since the Thai-Burma Joint Committee meeting being held in Phuket on January 7-9, the possibility of repatriation has
feared the applicants. The Burmese Foreign Minister Win Aung and Lt-Gen Kyaw
Than, Chairman of the Burmese-Thai Culture and Economic Executive Committee,
led a Burmese delegation for the sixth meeting with Thai counterparts. The
meeting had reached some progress on fishery agreements and repatriation of
illegal migrants, but there was some concern on how to define “displaced” by the Burmese in reference to
Last month on December 27, Thai authorities forcibly shut down the Maneeloy Burmese student center in Ratchaburi, 150 kilometers west of Bangkok, and sent the students to a new camp, Tham Hin, about 10 km from the Burma border. The new Tham Hin camp, provided by the Thai government and the UNHCR office is situated in the same Ratchaburi province but communication and transportation are difficult and facilities such as electricity and water supply are not up to standard as they were back in the old camp.
MON NATIONAL
DEMOCRATIC FRONT FORMS IN
(
A special meeting was organized at a liberated area with
participants electing the new Executive Committee of the Mon National
Democratic Front (Liberated Area-
The Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) was founded in
STATE PARANOID ON MIGRANT LABOURS
(Based on Independent Mon News Agency,
The Mon State Peace and Development Council of Burma issued
a statement forbidding people to seek employment in neighboring countries due
to concerns over the continual flow of people who have opted to leave
In the statement reported by IMNA, Mon State PDC warned “If someone goes to a foreign country illegally, it is [understood as an action] that is breaking the existing law and the person must face punishment while the traffickers must face severe penalty.” It further added that migrants will face penalties on their arrival back in accordance with the Burma immigration law and must learn to feel encouraged to work within the country to support development and pay gratitude for the country of origin.
Since October and November 2001, the junta has called public
meetings in different villages in
Meanwhile, living costs are very high and the income is too
low in
MIGRANT WATCH
WARRANT FOR REGISTERED WORKERS
(Kao Wao Reporter,
(11) Workers were issued warrants after they were arrested
and deported to
The demonstrators demanded their work permit cards. All migrants’ belongings were kept by police after being arrested and were subjected to inquires by immigration officers at Mahachai. After they were arrested at Mahachai (3) days, they were sent to Immigration Detention Center (IDC) at Bangkok (2) days and then deported to Burma through Mae Sot, Thai- Burma border, said Nyan Mon a deported Mon worker.
The migrants’ photos were then plastered over walls of
working sites along with the issued warrants, including their names and
information committing them in a criminal case. Now they have returned from
The employer of the company, Thailand Day Foods Sea Cool
Storage Co. Ltd. has now accused them of murder calling the police to
arrest. There are (9) Mon workers from HtomSa, KreNa, Kyaik Paran, Htaw
Plarn, Khayah, Aproah, Tong Parank, Khao Jel villages of Mon State
and (2) Burman from Kawkareik, Karen State. The (11) workers were the suspected leaders
of the protest demanding they keep their cards at the fish processing factory
at Na Rommit near the Talart
Phong Thit, Maharchai and were deported to Burma last month. Many
owners keep the cards of alien workers, who are not permitted to hold cards
under any circumstances, even to visit the clinic or to show them for rent.
Workers were later granted their cards on
GENERALS ENJOY THE OPENING CEREMONY
(Based on TV Myanmar and Kao Wao, January 1)
The Burmese generals were busy at work attending the opening
ceremonies of schools and hospitals in
However, in one case, a local community of Durae, Ye Township,
8TH CONFERENCE OF
MONLAND RESTORATION COUNCIL (
(MRC,
The Monland Restoration Council,
based in
MRC-USA was founded in 1994 by a small group of Mon and was
formerly known as IMCOB (Indigenous Mon Council of Burma). It was the first
overseas Mon group to promote and preserve the literature and culture of the
Mon, to end civil war, and to establish a federal union in
THE SPIRIT OF MON
CULTURE IN
(By Lita Davidson in
In a jovial atmosphere, Thais of ethnic Mon origin and Mon people from Burma celebrated together Mon National Day at Samakkhiyaram Temple in Pathum Thani’;s Sam Khok district in Thailand on January 7, 2002. There was a spirit of generous welcome offered throughout the day to guests and participants, who enjoyed delicious food, an array of drinks and desserts and were entertained with traditional singing and dancing, Mon style. People laughed and were happy to see friends and family they haven’t seen in years, elderly women danced and cajoled with one another out on the open plaza, and young girls, wearing their Thai school uniforms, wore cute yellow and red Sheldrake hats made of paper. While monks chanted in the temple, Mon female dancers, looking like works of art dressed in bright silk blouses and hand woven textile sarongs, danced in perfect unison to the music of a Mon traditional orchestra, which included intricately carved wooden drums, cymbals, gongs and a xylophone.
There was a strong sense of one-of-us that even included
foreigners, guests walked and talked freely with one another, many were curious
and were pleased to learn of each other’s heritage, others sang songs and
danced merrily. Several
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