KAO WAO NEWS No. 31
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
No. 31,
READER’S FRONT
IMPRISONED MON
LEADER’S HEALTH WORSENS
PORTERS USED IN
OFFENSIVE AGAINST MON
STUDENT CARD HOLDER
EXTORTED BY POLICE
SNIPPERS ATTACK
BREAKAWAY LEADER
FORCED TO SELL BETEL
NUT
FARMERS ORDERED TO
SELL RICE WITH LOW PRICE
MON MONKS RESTRICTED
FROM BUDDHIST EXAM
FIFTH CONGRESS OF
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT HELD
MON STUDENTS IN SAFE
AREA
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READER’S FRONT
Dear Readers,
We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kao-Wao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kao-Wao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of
those seeking social justice in
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Regards,
Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com
Dear Kao-Wao,
Congratulations on the first anniversary of KaoWao News. It has done a great job of getting out Mon news in a timely and lively fashion. It has also made us aware of how hard life is for so many people, especially those who live in rural areas of Mon state. Hope the flame of your passion for justice for the Mon people will continue to burn strongly in the years to come. Keep up the fine work.
Eric Snider
Dear editor,
Thank you for re-posting the informative interviews by various ethnic nationalities leaders. I hope to read more.
Sincerely yours,
Sai Awn
Dear Kao Wao,
Congratulation on the first anniversary, and in many many more years to come, many happy returns!
May your days be full of momentum, qualities and values all the way...
This is also my very very best wishes sent to you today.
Kao Wao, please keep flying high and singing your songs for the peace and justice, for the Mon and for all.
Best Wishes,
Hongsa (Rah Mon Nya)
Congratulation Kao Wao!
Let the Kao Wao Fly High and cry loud for freedom of Monland!
Let the Kao Wao pursue a long trip along with the Mon Community until reaching the Mon's National goal! Let’s build the solidarity of the Mon and mutual understanding through the media.
Sincerely
Talaporn Mon
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Political prisoners
IMPRISONED MON
LEADER’S HEALTH WORSENS
(Kao-Wao,
The health of Nai Ngwe Thein, the senior leader and vice
president of the Mon National Democratic Front, held in
Spokesperson for MNDF, reported that Nai Ngwe Thein was having dental and urinary tract problems. The prison doctor suggested he be taken to a proper clinic outside the prison, the doctor said the prison has insufficient laboratory instruments to treat his condition inside the jail. But prison authorities turned the request down.
According to MNDF spoke person from Mawlamyine, his family
can visit every two weeks. “During the family visit in prison, they must speak
in Burmese only in the present of MI No. 5 (
The Mon National Democratic Front leaders Nai Tun Thein, Nai
Ngwe Thein, Dr. Min Kyi Win, and Dr. Min Soe Lin were arrested in 1998 for
urging the armed New Mon State Party (NMSP) to reconsider its position on its
cease-fire agreement with the SPDC military junta and for supporting the
Committee Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP). Nai Tun Thein, the
Chairman of MNDF was later released from the prison and put under house arrest
due to his age and poor health. The remaining three leaders were
sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labour, serving their term at
the Moulmein Prison,
Mon leaders are serving long prison terms, though some political prisoners have been released as a result of international pressure and the UN special envoy.
******************************************************
Life in
PORTERS USED IN
OFFENSIVE AGAINST MON
(Kao-wao,
The Burmese army has taken civilians for porters in the offensive
against the Mon splinter armed group in southern Ye
township,
Five villagers were taken by force and used by the local Battalion No. 343 led by Captain Linn Oo to carry ammunitions and other supplies while they were ordered to spread out in front of the column to clear land mines set up by rebel armed group led by Nai Hloin who separated from the New Mon State Party.
“They (the local military of State Peace and Development Council) took us as porters,” said an escaped villager from Harm Garm. “Last month, we were taken as porters and beaten by the troops if we were unable to carry the heavy load,” said Nai Blai, a 50 year old villager from Harm Garm who was taken by the army for over a week as a porter. “The Burmese soldiers also abducted people they saw along the way and used them as human shields,” he added.
The Mon guerrillas in this area have their hair long and carry long swords. Therefore, the local young men cannot have long hair and if the villagers do not obey the order, they will be shot on sight, he said.
The local source reported that in that operation in southern
Ye township, the Burmese Army ordered people not to
leave their villages after
Local Mon people whose lands were confiscated last September
and October joined the Mon guerillas after losing their lands, said a young Kalaw villager. “Some of my friends joined the armed
group after the SPDC seized their land”, he added. Another Khaw Zar villager who fled to
neighboring
************************************************
STUDENT CARD HOLDER
EXTORTED BY POLICE
(By Ms. Khamom Htaw, Kao-Wao,
A high school student with student card was forced to pay
bribe at a checkpoint to the police, reported a witness in Ye,
Ms Phu Phu
Winn, a grade 9 schoolgirl from Ye town, was forced to pay a bribe to the
police at Ye checkpoint on her way home to Tavoy, southern
“I have a student card, but I still must pay the bribe. I
don’t’ mind doing this when I come from
Several checkpoints are set up in many different locations
on the motor roads in
*************************************************
(Kao-Wao,
Mon Unity League has launched a petition letter campaign
calling on the international community to pressure the
In the statement, issued on
The MUL spokesperson said the Government of Myanmar
continues to confiscate thousand acres of land that is becoming a serious
threat to civilians who are facing increasing hardship. The
The statement said villagers have used this land for
generations to sustain a livelihood based on farming vegetables, fruits, rubber
and rice and will be thrown into abject poverty that will only deepen the
problems of conflict and the future of economic development in the country.
Farmers receive no compensation and do not have recourse to any complaint
mechanism or other means of redress. Villagers are forced to leave their farms
with nothing but the clothes on their back and, with no other means of
survival, no food or shelter, leave to
The Mon Unity League urges the concerned institutions,
activists, civil and political circles to extend their solidarity and not to
leave the civilians in
Amnesty International (AI) has urged the
************************************************
Mon internal conflict
SNIPPERS ATTACK
BREAKAWAY LEADER
(Kao-Wao,
Snipers at the Thai-Burma border town attacked the Hongsawatoi Restoration Party leader Colonel Pan Nyunt two weeks after the murder of New Mon State Party leader Nai Min Htut.
Unknown men opened fire on a house at Sangkhlaburi owned by the younger brother of the breakaway leader on November 11, 2002 at 19:05 local time while Nai Pan Nyunt, Nai Soe Win, Nai Aung Myint and HRP members were holding a meeting at Nai Ong Than’s house, Sangkhalaburi, Kancharnaburi Province, Thailand.
The HRP officer named the snipers as Nai Ong Hmein, its former General Secretary who later joined the
NMSP and Nai Htoo, the son of NMSP leader Nai Min Htut
who was killed on
But the NMSP denies the charge. Nai Aye Mon, the spokesperson for the NMSP external affairs, said the attack was not done by the NMSP, since the incident took place on Thai soil, the NMSP would not get involved in any conflict on Thai soil.
On
Following the sniper attack, many
The MUL held a meeting at the Thai-Burma border in mid
November, but members from Mon State including the Vice-Chairman Nai Khun Lael and Nai Lawoh Mon were
unable to join due to security reasons. Only a senior monk from
Nai Damrong Pong Bangkadee, Chairman of the Mon Unity League, said over the
phone that MUL needs strong negotiators to pressure the two parties into peace
talks and urges the
*********************************************************
FORCED TO SELL BETEL
NUT
(Kao-Wao,
Villagers in
Kywe Talin (Rot Tamah) village with (80) houses sold betel-nut (10000) to battalion No (282). According to a local source, battalion (282) is taking active duties for the security of Gas pipeline between Ale Sakhan and Klein Aung village, buying betel-nut with 2.5 kyat per seeds while the current price is 4.0 kyats.
Law sine, Alel Sakhan, Kywe Talin, Kyauck Kadin, Yabu, Kwan Tamoi, Marai, Kawt Hlaing, Mi Kyaung Laung, Krone Karn and Po Kaing villagers are also forced to sell their betel-nut without receiving any cash and being told they will get paid later on.
“We are surely cheated by the Burmese soldiers buying betel-nut from us. We had an example like this in 2000 of people getting cheated, not getting any money for the betel nut costs”, complained Mi Mya, a women from Kywe Talin villager.
The Burmese troops issued an order in the third week of last month about their intention of buying betel-nut from the villagers near the gas pipeline. It’s unusual for the villagers that paddy and rubber are being paid to the authorities for the set up quota paddy and rubber with low prices. Villagers are angry that they have to sell their betel-nut at low prices, but even more so at not even receiving any money for their products.
********************************************
FARMERS ORDERED TO
SELL RICE AT LOW PRICE
(Kao-Wao
The Burmese authorities issued orders to farmers living
along the Gyine river in
The District President of Pa-An,
Eighty percent of rice field in Sam Hlel, Khayah and Kok Yekha Mon villages of Southern Pa-An township were destroyed by flood in the during rainy season. Six hundreds acres of paddy fields in Sam Hlel and five hundreds acres in Khayah village were destroyed by flooding, according to the local administration source.
“Our village headman was warned by the township authority that farmers must fully comply with the rice quota or he will be dismissed from his position,” said a village committee member of Sam Hlel village.
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MON MONKS RESTRICTED
FROM BUDDHIST EXAM
(Based on IMNA,
The
The Supreme Buddhist Monk Association issued the order for
the Mon monks’ community to sit in the State Pha Tha-Ma
Pyan examination of Mon language only in
The BSPP government banned the
This prompted the Mon Buddhist monk community to hold a
meeting in
************************************
FIFTH CONGRESS OF
NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT HELD
(Kao-Wao,
Delegates from member organizations and observers from
Karenni and
The NDF congress elected Saw Ba Thin Sein (Karen National Union) as Chairman, Khaing Soe Naing Aung (Arakan Liberation Party) as Vice-Chairman, Zin Cun (Chin National Front) as General Secretary and Khun Okker (Pa-O People’s Liberation Organization) as Joint General Secretary to lead the armed ethnic organizations which has fought the central government in Burma for over fifty years.
The gathering issued a strongly worded statement condemning the
ongoing civil war and human rights violations carried out by the Burmese
military junta in the ethnic nationalities’ area. The NDF urges the SPDC
to expand the dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to include the ethnic
nationality forces and to welcome the UN Special Envoy, Razali Ismail to
facilitate national reconciliation and to request the UN to carry out more
effective measures to get things moving. Over forty delegates attended
the Congress near the Thailand-Burma border to review principles and policies
on the domestic and international situations. The Congress resolved to
strengthen cooperation among the ethnic nationalities for restoration of
democracy and ethnic nationality rights in
The NDF is comprised of eight ethnic groups; the Arakan
Liberation Party (ALP), Lahu Democratic Front (LDF), Palaung State Liberation
Front (PSLF), Pa-O People’s Liberation Organization (PPLO), Chin National Front
(CNF), Wa National Organization (WNO) and the Karen National Union (KNU).
Eleven ethnic armed groups founded it on
**************************************************
MON STUDENTS IN SAFE
AREA
(OMNSO/
Mon Students in the safe area of Tham Hin camp have elected new Executive Committe members.
The Overseas Mon National Students Organization (OMNSO)
issued an announcement of the 18th Central Executive Committee on
The OMNSO elected their Chairman Mehm Nyan Mon; Secretary Min Aung Win, Organizer Nai Chan Na Non and 7 other members to lead the OMNSO based at the Thailand-Burma border.
After the 1988 nation wide uprising in
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