KAO WAO NEWS No. 29
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
READER’S FRONT
LICENSE TO RAPE BY ARMY CONTINUES
INTERVIEW: AN EVENING WITH NAI YEN NI
ETHNIC LEADERS JOIN IN CRPP
MERIT-MAKERS BLOWN TO DEATH IN
REFUGEE RELIEF GROUP FORMED IN
MON NATIONAL DAY COMMITTEE IN
UN ENVOY MEETS UNITED NATIONALITIES
MIGRANTS PAY A HIGH PRICE FOR ASIAN VALUES
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READER’S FRONT
Dear Readers,
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Regards,
Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com
Dear all,
So sad to read this news (Mon Leader Shot Dead
By Splinter Group, Kao-Wao
Regards
Eddie (
Dear Banya Hongsa,
As a member of the
After reading your article, I have many questions to argue about. Your view is too negative in saying that: “Members of the NMSP have done well at cash (tax collection) for social events but at the expense of the NMSP’s Mon National Day celebration have focused more on traditional events rather than on political issues? I think you understand that every organization expresses their views or political stands though a media and statements including in the form of a celebration. Like other organizations, the NMSP raises their political agenda through the Mon National Day celebration, but it could be strong or weak position on the current political situation, Mon people will give the answer.
Secondly, you said, "Leaders of the NMSP and the MNDF
are too patient at maintaining a peaceful solution rather than battlefield
approach". I don’t want to give a comment on that point, but as a freedom
fighter, I would like you to know how difficult it is to be one. It is easy to
say “fight” but behind the fight there are too many things to sacrifice
including life and our families survival and
children’s education. It is easy for people who live in exile or
Sincerely,
Banya Mon (via Monnet)
Dear Kao Wao,
Thank you so much for your weekly news. I appreciate it. I
was born in
Kind regards,
Nyan Winn Aung (
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Rape as a weapon of
war
LICENSE TO RAPE BY
ARMY CONTINUES
(By Sem
Ong/ Kao-Wao,
Amid the junta’s denial that the Burmese army uses rape as a weapon of war against the ethnic peoples, the army continues to rape indiscriminately, including young girls in the remote regions of Mon State, Burma.
Mi Khaing, a 12 years old girl
from Khawza village, Southern Ye township, Mon State
was raped by a soldier while she was picking vegetables. Myint Kyi, a
soldier from the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 343 which patrols the area
raped the young girl at
According to a local witness, the troop was led by Captain Aye Thein and no action has been taken against the soldier who committed the rape. The young girl is the daughter of Mon farmers, Nai Nyo and Mi Kyi from Khaw Zar village. After the victim was raped and severely injured her parents and uncle complained to army officers about the case, but nothing came of if and the young girl received no compensation. She was seriously injured and sent to the local medic for treatment.
This year on July 22, four soldiers from Burmese Army, Infantry Battalion No. 62 shot and killed five Mon villagers in Thanbyuzayat Township of Mon State, after raping a young girl.
During the third week of October 2002, the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Situation in
Mr Pinheiro was invited by the
Burmese authorities to investigate a July report released by Shan women and
human rights groups, which claimed the military use rape as a weapon of war. An
official schedule listed a three-day visit to Shan state beginning on Tuesday.
But Pinheiro, who was given an official report on
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Literature, culture
and ethnic identity
INTERVIEW: AN EVENING
WITH NAI YEN NI
Kao-Wao conducted an interview with Nai Yen Ni (P. Nop), author of “Tangay: the Setting Sun of Ramanya” and a founder of the Mon Culture and Literature Survival Project (MCL). P. Nop (aka)Nai Yen Ni is living with the Mon community at Thailand-Burma border and working on his Ph.D thesis about the Mon people.
KW:
PN:
KW:
PN:
The basic aim of the MCL is to make the Mon people known to the world. We want to promote research in Mon culture in all its aspects, and wherever possible to coordinate cooperation with Western institutions. The final goal of the MCL can be said to be the preservation of Mon culture not only as an interesting historical subject of study, but also as a living culture, lived by Mon people and appreciated by foreigners.
This we hope to achieve by publishing articles on the Mon in English and Mon, by translating Mon literature into English (which has not been done since Halliday almost a hundred years ago), and by teaching Mon children and adults cultural skills, such as reading and writing in Mon and practising traditional music, as well as English and computer classes. Our library in Sangkhlaburi houses an extensive collection of books on Mon and Southeast Asian culture and history in English, Thai, Mon, and Burmese.
KW:
PN:
I am happy to hear children speaking Mon with each other
when playing (though mixed with a good portion of Thai vocabulary) and
observing Mon traditions to quite an extent in their everyday lives.
Sangkhlaburi has all the potential to act as a center
for the Mon people, hopefully, more in cultural than in the political
realm. The community enjoys the relative freedom of living and operating in
KW:
PN:
Other publications are more technical, such as a paper on the Burmese classifier system and a longer article on the verbal aspect system of Thai, articles on bilingualism and English usage in Southeast Asia, etc., besides a book on complementary medicine (as co-editor).
KW:
PN:
KW:
PN:
KW:
NP:
I would like to see Mon culture being practiced freely, Mon
language used at schools and in the media. I am not eager to see a Mon
bureaucracy arise. Remember that Mon culture has survived for almost two
thousand years of recorded history, whereas Mon politics was much less
successful. That Mon (and other minorities’) language use has been suppressed
in
KW:
NP:
Colorful celebrations of Songkran
(New Year) festival in Mon communities in
I am convinced that the Mon as a distinct ethnic people will
survive for many years to come, keeping their traditions and language alive.
Many traditions of course have been assimilated to Burmese culture, but as the
Burmese culture is largely based on Mon, it is difficult to tell who
assimilated to whom. After six years I re-visited
I also visited Mon schools in villages south of
I definitely got the impression that Mon language use has been increasing over the last six years, and the same is true for literacy in Mon. There is some influence from Burmese in Mon (the same is true the other way round, too, by the way), but as long as the influence is only on the vocabulary level, I don’t see a threat to the language as such. More dangerous are influences in the sentence structure, because they go much deeper than vocabulary loans. Fortunately there are very few such structural Burmanisms in the spoken language. On the other hand, these influences can be seen quite often in newer written texts, including textbooks and newspapers. This development is rather alarming!
KW:
NP:
Unfortunately, not many people seem to be either interested or able to read classical Mon literature. If read thoroughly and carefully, these texts can be a rich source for any textbook and dictionary of the Mon language. But a book can only be of any use if there are people reading it. At present, the number of people reading “serious” Mon literature is deplorably small. What is needed for Mon literature to survive is an intellectual elite that is truly interested in reading and passing on their love for books to other people, if necessary by writing “books based on books”, using simpler language than the original texts. There is probably no society in the world where classical literature forms part of everyday life, but every literature needs an elite of people to keep it alive. This is done partly at schools and universities. Mon literature is not taught at any university, which means that even more effort has to be put in the task by the people concerned with Mon culture and literature.
There is commendable work being done in collecting and registering Mon palm leaves, but this is only a start. It is up to the Mon people to start reading and enjoying the literature their people have created over the centuries. And it does not take much to see the beauty of Mon literature. Just take a glimpse at old inscriptions or the works by Aca Acwo’ (also spelt Hwo, Ajwo, Fo, etc.).
Bringing Mon literature to the attention of the global community is another thing, of course, and has to depend on translations. As mentioned above, the MCL is working on this task. What I have said about literature is, mutatis mutandis, also true for other aspects of Mon culture. Only by actively practicing can culture be preserved. This again is up the Mon people, of course.
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Politics
ETHNIC LEADERS JOIN
IN CRPP
(Kao-Wao,
The Committee Representing the People’s Parliament (CRPP) has added new members from the Mon, Shan and Zomi ethnic nationality parties.
NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the CRPP met with the chairmen of the Mon National Democratic Front, Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, and the Zomi National Congress during October in Rangoon and issued its first official for 2002 afterwards..
The declaration stated that the CRPP had expanded its membership to include Nai Tun Thein (chairman of the MNDF) Khun Tun Oo (chairman of Shan Nationalities League for Democracy - SNLD) and Pu Cin Shing Thang (chairman of the Zomi National Congress) as representative of their ethnic nationalities parties in the team.
Dr. Saw Mra Aung (chairman of Arakan League for Democracy ) was re-elected as the designated Speaker of the Parliament in the CRPP.
In an interview with the Democratic Voice of Burma based in
“We need to find a way out, resolve the problem through political and peaceful means,” he added.
According to Aye Tha Aung, Secretary of the CRPP which was founded in 1998, the Committee is functioning in place of the Parliament, while continuing to work for the Parliament to be convened.
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MERIT-MAKERS BLOWN TO DEATH IN
(Cited from SHAN,
Sources coming from across Chiang Mai said two Burmese
shells killed seventy people observing Buddhist Lent in the southern town of
The shells, believed by the sources to be fired from the Light Infantry Battalion No. 518 command post at 23:00 on the night of 14 October, coinciding with the 8th Waxing Moon of the 11th Lunar Month, a traditional day of religious observance, also destroyed part of the Sala Kao-hawng (9 room-pavilion) at Pawmong Quarter, Mongnai's northernmost suburb and wounded 21 others.
The dead included 6 men and 64 women in addition to 2 men and 19 women who were injured. So far, S.H.A.N. could only obtain three names: Zarng Mawng, 62, headman; Heng Yong, 56 and Awng Pay, 36.
Sources who were in
There are two Burmese battalions in Mongnai: IB 248, located north of the town and LIB 518 down south. Regardless of the proximity to IB 248, the townspeople confirmed that the shells came from the direction of LIB 518. "They left a hole 2 cubits (1 meter) deep and 3 cubits (1 1/2 meters) wide," said one.
Mongnai is a historic town,
founded according to palace records in BC. 519 and the former
seat of one of the biggest princely states of Federal Shan States, the former
name of
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REFUGEE RELIEF GROUP FORMED IN
(Kao-Wao,
A Mon group in
After the 1988 nation wide uprising in
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MON NATIONAL DAY COMMITTEE IN
(Kao-Wao,
Mon communities in
Like Mon communities back home, the overseas Mon are preparing for the national day to be held during February 2003.
In Canada, the Calgary based Mon Cultural Society held meetings on September 28 and October 19 to form a Mon National Day committee comprised of Nai Khaing Waeng as president, Cham Toik vice- president and Jana Ong as secretary of the organizing committee as well as other sub-committees responsible for music and cultural entertainment, decoration, reception and food and beverages
In USA, the Mon Community of Fort Wayne, Indiana held a meeting at the Mon Buddhist Temple on September 22 and formed an eleven-member committee responsible for celebrating the 56th anniversary of Mon National Day. The gathering elected Nai Htaw Oo as president, Nai Kumarn as vice-president and Nai Hongsa Htaw as secretary.
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UN ENVOY MEETS UNITED
NATIONALITIES
(Based on DVB and Kao-Wao,
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
Situation in
Mr. Pinheiro met with leaders of the United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), comprised of seven organizations from ethnic based political parties. Those who attended the meeting were Khun Tun Oo from Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, Dr. Saw Mra Aung and Aye Tha Aung from the Arakan League for Democracy, Cing Shin Htang from the Zomi National Congress, Salai Lian Mung from Chin National League for Democracy, Mahn Peter Kyaw Yin from the Karen National Congress for Democracy, and representatives of the Kachin State National Congress for Democracy and the Mon National Democratic Front.
The delegates presented three main points to Mr Pinheiro who promised that he would try his best to
fulfil the requirements. But the delegates told DVB (Democratic Voice of Burma)
that Mr Pinheiro might cancel his [fact-finding] trip
to the
Pinheiro spent three days in Karen and Mon states, where he questioned administrative and judicial
officials about allegations of
villagers being tortured, relocated and arrested, said the official, speaking
on condition of anonymity. In Karen and Mon states, Pinheiro inspected a court
and a police lockup. He met aid workers and religious figures, including
a revered Buddhist monk known as Thamanya Sayadaw, in
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Migrant Watch
MIGRANTS PAY A HIGH
PRICE FOR ASIAN VALUES
(By Banya Hongsar
and Lita Davidson in
Mon migrant workers are prohibited from using public phone
booths in
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamed is the
champion advocator in promoting "Asian Values" to the western world.
The Malaysian government is proud that it is one of the most successful
development stories among the ten ASEAN Nations, bolstered by the Asian
rhetoric of homogeneity of people living in peaceful harmony with one another.
Migrants are trapped between two evils: a government bent on
militarization back home in
Despite the uncertainty, mostly unskilled young people from Poung, MuDon, Zobbu
and Ye townships, decide to leave
To reach the Thai-Malaysia Check Point in PaTong they must cover great distances on their own.
Returning home poses even a greater risk to robbery as targets for the
unscrupulous brokers and the Thai-Mafia groups. Like predatory animals waiting
in the jungle, they grab workers on their way to the checkpoint taking them to
a place called a 'Holding House" where migrants contact friends to help
them get out. It is not a political kidnap but an economic one. Friends and
family around Hadyai, SuRat
Thani,
A lawless atmosphere pervades the working conditions and
environment of migrants. Recently, the local Malaysian Mafia in
On 23 August, Nai Jamon Pakao and Nai Sitt, a man from Zobbu town who works as a broker for his local friends,
were in for a shock when they returned to
Around Butterwat area where this
type of lawlessness pervades, most Mon migrants live in fear and have no access
to local Human Rights Organizations to request protection. Migrants in
They earn Rangit 50-60.00 per day. (The black currency exchange is R 1=Baht 12.00 and they exchange via Thai Baht to Burmese Kyat with now its currency rate is about B1=K 23.00.) Indeed, for many workers, it is better than working at home where they risk being picked up or shot by the military or rebel groups, or working at a rubber plantation in HadYai and SuRat Thani provinces.
Young girls in some cases are sold to local brothels at SaPhan Plar (Thar Raue) in
Migrants, the most exploited resource in
A recent cabinet Resolution on Illegal Migrant
Malaysians and Thais share the view that no one invites
illegal migrant workers to their country. But considering
that the democratic forces and legitimate political parties of
Back in
The governments of host countries have an obligation to protect migrants and should not underestimate the insidious networks of Mafia Gangs working in the border areas. Federal and state governments in maintaining the status quo need to respond promptly and directly, in accordance with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights as well as by existing law and order of the host countries, to protect both legal and illegal migrants living and working in their countries. They must be able to voice their concerns, this may include, becoming politically active, taking on new roles in defense of their property and maintenance of their households. If not, social disorder and other aspects of breaking law and order will apply to not only migrant workers but will affect society at large.
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