KAO WAO NEWS No. 42

 

An electronic newsletter for social justice and freedom in Burma

No. 42, April 11- 22, 2003

 

READER’S FRONT

MON PRISONER SUFFERS STROKE

CIVILIANS KILLED AT PRO REGIME CONCERT

DKBA EXPANDS INTO MON STATE

SEX AND DRINK IN CITY

GAS PIPELINES DESTROYED BY KAREN REBELS

DRUGS AND GAMBLING AT THE CAMPUS

RESTRICTION ON MON LANGUAGE PUBLICATION

SHOW ME THE MONEY

CHECK-POINTS ALONG THE RAILWAY OF DEATH LINE

MON NEW YEAR IN NORTH AMERICA

 

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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 Burma and Thailand. And we hope that it will become an important forum for discussion and debate and help readers to keep abreast of issues and news. Above all, we hope the newsletter will be used as a vehicle for those who want to share their views and experiences.  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.

 

For a Peaceful Sangrant New Year!

 

Editor

kaowao@hotmail.com

http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0

 

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Political Prisoners

 

MON PRISONER SUFFERS STROKE

(Kao-Wao: April 15, 2003)

 

An 80-year-old Mon leader suffered a severe stroke during the fourth year of seven year sentence in Moulmein prison. Up till now he has been without proper medical treatment.

 

Nai Ngwe Thein, Vice-President of the Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF), was admitted to public hospital in Moulmein on April 5 after suffering a stroke on his  right side.  He remains under strict control by prison guards and military intelligence.

 

A member of the MNDF said that his family and outsiders were not allowed to look after him during his medical treatment in the hospital.  “It’s really difficult for guests and outsiders to visit, since MI 5 (Military Intelligence) officers are guarding him all the time".

 

According to the source, the ageing Mon political prisoner was allowed only one hour a day outside his small cell in a tiny dark room of an old brick building in the jail during his detention.   He could take a short shower between 2-3 PM but was required to return to his cell at 3.00 every day. 

Nai Ngwe Thein also suffers from toothaches and has a urinary problem.

 

Some members of a Mon political party were given permission by Burmese authorities to visit him briefly at the hospital in the presence of prison guards and intelligence officers.

 

Last month, the Burmese military government released 45 prisoners from various facilities around the country but the three Mon leaders remain in the Moulmein prison.

 

They are Nai Ngwe Thein, Dr. Kyi Win, and Dr. Min Soe Lin, all of whom were arrested in 1998 for urging the New Mon State Party to reconsider its position on the cease-fire agreement with the junta and for supporting Committee Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP).  They were sentenced to seven years imprisonment with hard labour and are serving their terms at the Moulmein Prison, Mon State.

 

Nai Ngwe Thein is a co-founder of the MNDF and presidium member of the United Nationalities League for Democracy (UNLD).

 

The Australia-based Mon National Council and the Thailand-Burma border-based Human Rights Foundation of Monland have called on the UN and international communities to push for the release of the Mon leaders and fair treatment for them.

 

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Civil war and conflict

 

CIVILIANS KILLED AT PRO-REGIME CONCERT

(Kao Wao: April 11, 2003)

 

Tavoy -- Six dancers were killed and seventy members of the audience were injured when a bomb exploded at a concert performed by Pwint Sann Aung Thabin in Tavoy, southern Burma.

 

The Commander of Military Operation Command No. 8 of the Burmese Army based in Tavoy issued an order that each household in the area has to purchase two tickets for the next drama show which was scheduled to take place between April 15 and the end of the month, a local resident said.

 

The order from the local Burmese Army notified six members of Pwint Sann Aung Drama Group were killed and over seventy audiences were injured in the bomb attack at Tavoy Township after the group played a counter insurgent drama in the last week of march, the source from Tavoy said.

 

The military regime accused that the attack was masterminded by the Karen National Union (KNU).  However, the KNU was not available for comment on the accusation by the regime.

 

The drama was intended to serve as propaganda by the Burmese military and, in the show, insulted anti-government groups.  The play contained references to an anti-government army group referred to as the KNU.

 

Despite the fact that local people are afraid of facing further attacks by the armed group which caused the explosion, the Burmese army is forcing civilians to purchase tickets for the next drama show, a local resident from Tavoy said.

 

The Burmese army has used dramatic entertainment as a propaganda tool to influence public opinion in non-Burman territories for many years.  A majority of Karen, Mon and Tavoyan people live in the rural area of Tavoy where the ethnic armed forces conduct operations.

 

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DKBA EXPANDS INTO MON STATE

(Kao-Wao: April 6, 2003)

 

Ye -- Over a hundred soldiers of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a pro-Rangoon armed group, have arrived in  northern Ye Township, according to a report from the  Independent Mon News Agency at the Thailand-Burma border.

 

The DKBA troop, known as “Myaing Kyi Ngu”, has built a Buddhist temple and a tower near Say Taung Pagoda.   They claim that their purpose is only to promote religion, a local source from Ye said. The troop has also requested voluntary labor from the local community that includes both Mon and Karen people.

 

Local residents said that the real reason for the DKBA’s incursion into Ye township was to obtain logging rights in the area.

 

A businessman from Ye said, it would create a potential conflict of interest between the DKBA troops and Mon fighters who operate close to the same area.  It could lead to violent armed clashes between the two groups, he added.

 

According to a local source, the Burmese Army has taken no action but is watching developments on a daily basis. “ The tactic of the Burmese army is to divide and create clashes between the Karen and Mon” complained a local political observer who asked not to be named.

 

The DKBA troop is operated by Karen guerrillas who split from the Karen National Union (KNU) in early 90s.  It is infamous for human rights violations including attacking refugee camps inside Thailand and involvement in the drug trade.

 

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Life in Mon State

 

SEX AND DRINK IN THE CITY

(IMNA: Tavoy, April 7, 2003)

 

The people in this city of southern Burma can easily buy alcohol and sex at a cost of five dollars (5,000 Kyats).

 

A transportation worker from the southern coastal city said a brothel is openly operated in co-operation with local authorities and the Burmese Army.  “It’s just the same as in Thailand or other countries since they opened this brothel.  Two bars (beer shops) near the hostel where the sex workers stay are crowded every day.  Local men can enjoy drink and sex without travelling to Rangoon and Thailand,” he said.

 

The nightspot is located near the Launglone transportation terminal. According to a source close to the sex workers, local authorities and Military Unit No 19 of the Burmese military have closed their eyes to the operation after being offered a bribe of Kyat 500,000 per month by the owner of the business.

 

The “Imperial Beer Shop” has employed about eighteen girls from Rangoon and other cities to serve as waitresses. Most of the girls are between 18-20 years.

 

Customers who order drinks in the shop have taken opportunities of touching the girls while being served.  The girls earn Kyat 5,000  for one service at a table and they can be taken outside after negotiation, said a young man from Tavoy.

 

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Environment disaster

 

GAS PIPELINES DESTROYED BY KAREN REBELS

(Kao-Wao, April 19, 2003)

 

The Karen National Union has damaged two gas pipelines in recent weeks according to AFP news from Yangon, the capital city of Burma.

 

The junta’s statement said a gas pipeline near Hnitkayin village, about 105 kilometres (65 miles) south of the Mon State capital of Mawlamyine, was partly damaged by explosives on Tuesday and those responsible left behind the flag of the New Mon State Party, which has reached a cease-fire with the junta. The other section sabotaged is in Warbotaw village, 21 kilometres (13 miles) northwest of Karen state capital, Pa-an.  Further investigations revealed that the sabotage was carried out by the KNU’s Sixth Brigade, it is learnt.

 

The Supreme Headquarters of the KNU issued a statement on April 19 claiming that their troops blew up sections of the gas pipelines on February 1, March 29 and April 15.  The actions were taken to inform the Total Company and the international community that the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has been buying fighter planes, tanks and other military hardware with revenue from the gas pipelines to continue killing and oppressing Karen and other nationalities, the KNU statement claimed.

 

SPDC troops have been burning down villages, harvests and food stocks, and committing rape against women, abuses such as forced relocation, forced labor and extortion of money daily.  The action was to show that the Karen people would fight back against injustices, as necessary.  The statement said the action had been planned in order to highlight, domestically as well as internationally, the fact that the responsibility for non-emergence of meaningful dialogue in Burma lies squarely with the SPDC.

 

The KNU is fighting against the military government for their rights to self-determination and forming a Federal Union in Burma. The junta estimates there are 7,000 rebels in the group.

 

“People living near the gas pipeline are really concerned for their safety, we are the victims of the conflict between the rebels and the junta”, said Nai Chan Tow from Ye in southern Mon State.

 

The SPDC built the 150 mile-long Kanbauk-Myaingkalay pipeline in early 2001. It runs across Mon State from northern Tenasserim Division to Karen State from the on-shore gas station to supply a cement factory in Pa-an Township, Karen State.

 

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Students Consume Amphetamines in Moulmein University

 

DRUGS AND GAMBLING AT THE CAMPUS

(Htana Htaw in Moulmein, April 2003)

 

Many students from Moulmein University use amphetamine tablets at their private hostel, a local student said.

 

Instead of attending classes they spend their time at their hostels playing cards and using drugs.    “Its cost Kyat 1,800 per pill and we can buy it easily and play cards in our apartment,” said Chan Lun, a university student.  Students rent private apartment outside campus near the university area. The hostel, named “May Shan”, is a place where they could buy the pill, he added.

 

According to a local source, soldiers from Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), often visit the hostel.  It is believed that they bring the pills and sell them there.

 

Despite the fact that local authorities ban drug trafficking in town, the students still have place for consuming.

 

According to a student who arrived in the border area, the hostel that sells the drug is linked with Rev U Thu Za Na, a leader of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army.  Local police know about the network but have ignored the operation.

 

The students involved rarely attend lectures on campus and use private tutors to prepare for examinations.

 

Some girls from the university are also providing sex services inside the campus, a former student said.  There are three rooms that are used for prostitution around the campus, It is  because the girls lack financial assistance to support their studies, he added.

 

These girls used to sell the underground lottery (Chea) in previous years and could earn over ten thousand a month which they used to cover their living costs.  But after local authorities cracked down on the lottery operation last year, the girls work to offer sex services, the source said.

 

Moulmein University, the only one in Mon State, is located at Taung Wine near the city.  It is an education centre for many young leaders including anti-government forces.

 

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Culture and literature

 

RESTRICTIONS ON MON LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS

(By Banya Hong Sar / Monland)

 

Publication of Mon books are strongly restricted by the Burmese regime, a member of Mon Language Committee from the capital city of Mon State said.

 

While books published in the Burmese language are widely available, the government-appointed Scrutiny Board keeps a tight watch over the publication of books in the Mon language. The Mon Language Committee which has translated articles from Burmese for publication in the Mon language has faced a publication ban, the committee said.  “It is a form of discrimination against the Mon” complained a Mon language publisher.

 

Mon literature can only be published if it is first translated into Burmese language, but the Mon Language Committee faces frequent delays and refusals when it seeks permission from the Scrutiny Board for permission to publish magazines and journals. The Scrutiny Board has only granted permission for religious books and magazines, a Mon publisher in Moulmein said. According to the publisher, the current military regime is worse than the previous regime in  discriminating against the Mon language.

 

Mon scholars have attempted to publish magazines, journals and books without political content in the Mon language but the Board has refused them to grant permission. Only a few Mon language publication can be found in Mon State and these books are published without the permission of the Board.

 

“It takes over a year to get permission but we can publish only a few books even though the demand by local people is high,” a Mon publisher said. A few books that contain no political content have been published in the last two years after the Scrutiny Board delayed the application.

 

Under the sponsorship of the New Mon State Party, a few Mon VCD music tapes have also been produced without permission.  Mon music producers have no alternative but to make a deal with the cease-fire Party for production. 

The majority of the Mon population now play Mon music  on their recorders rather than listening to songs in other languages.

 

The current Burmese regime began restrictions on print and non-print productions in languages other than Burmese after 1999.  The Mon annual magazines, “La Gam Arjar Noi”, “U-Dyam Hongsar”, Anar-Got Mon” and “Ramsine Bop” were prevented from lodging an application permission to publish.  The publishers waited for six months to get permission last year but now the regime has totally banned new applications, the source said.

 

Since publishers now face arrest if they print a book without obtaining permission, only a few books are now available in Mon State.

 

The Mon language publisher said, “It is an act of discrimination against us and it blocks us from freedom of expression”.

 

The Mon language Committee in Moulmein has been struggling for many years to preserve the Mon language in the capital city of Mon State but the Burmese authority only allows the teaching of the Mon language at Buddhist monasteries.  State schools in Moulmein are not permitted to teach the Mon language.

 

The Mon language is an ancient language and is commonly used in Rahmonyadeca (Monland) in Burma and Thailand. It has been in use in writing since the sixth century of the common era.  The Burmese language  was adopted from the Mon script later that century. Currently, it is estimated that over three million people speak the Mon both in Burma and Thailand.

 

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Feature: Illegal Gambling License by Burmese Army

 

SHOW ME THE MONEY

(By Kun Bop Htaw, / Monland, April)

 

Burmese police and the Fire Brigade Unit of Ye Township seized over Kyat three millions at  Bor village in March at the funeral service of a local Buddhist monk.  This is not the first time such an event happened in Mon State over the years. It is a tactic used by the Burmese army to destroy the spirit of local civilians who support anti-government armed forces in the region. Local people are not interested in the politics toward democracy and form civilian government in Burma.  After they are being strategically destroyed by the Burmese in gambling, visiting sex workers, they only are interested  in dealing business with local military officials and intelligence groups.

 

“A man from Kaw Tar village comes to play here on a motorcycle but returns with empty hands” a local gambler said.

 

A similar incident took place in Mudon township in March when Burmese soldiers from IB 31 based in Thanphyu Zayat Town came upon a group of villagers while they are playing cards. The Burmese soldiers seized kyat 80,000 from the group and went away to their camp.

 

A businessman in Mon state said gambling is going on everywhere since Burmese troops have been deployed in almost every corner of the city and towns in Mon State.  He observed that crime rate has increased in the community because people have run out of ideas about what to do after their land was confiscated. Many people have turned to this new way of making money by gambling in the villages.

 

The funeral for a Buddhist Monk has traditionally been regarded as a religious event in the Mon community, but nowadays; local authorities find it easy to take in extra personal cash by  granting licenses to gamblers or contractors to operate at such events. Burma is losing moral ground  as a Buddhist society because people are being driven to gamble in order to survive.

 

The gambling groups comprised of local businessmen and authorities gained permission after dealing with local police, militia and military personnel. 

They share the easy money collected from gamblers to the local authorities to gain a gambling permit.

 

In Burma, seasonal festivals are celebrated during dry season. April is a month of celebration for the Burmese community such as the water festival and New Year which comes at this summer time.  Every village has its own festival such as pagoda festival, new year festival and sometimes an ordination event. Gambling contractors make a deal with the local authority and run a mobile gambling business in the field. Local headman also benefits from receiving illegal cash from the contractors.

 

A man from Ye, lost all his cash and had to sell his bike. Another man from Dammasa village approached a girl for engagement but after he lost his savings on gambling he had to wheedle the money out of his parents for his engagement party, a local source said.

 

A few women also sit at the gambling place (in the opened ground of the festival site) and they offer loans to the gamblers with personal contract at a interest rate of a hundred kyat for each thousand (10%) that they lend.

 

“If they won right now we will get the interest rate here” a money-lender said.

 

It seems most local people enjoy freedom of gambling than freedom of political movement in the country. The Burmese military authority turns a blind eye to low crime activities in the community unless a sense of anti-government activity takes place.

 

Local headmen who do not earn a salary from the State (government) always find ways of earning cash in the village. They seem to be little more than slaves of the military personnel because they must serve for food and drink when the top officials visit their villages.  The local community is fed up with this system of administration. If the local headman can collect more cash from illegal gambling villagers felt comfortable.  Otherwise, they will collect from the villagers.  It is a looming place for ordinary people who only work at farm and garden for living.

 

“I didn’t see any big winner except the contractors (gambling permit holders)” said a 70-year old man from Ye.

 

Contractors collect the service fee for every fifteen minutes as Kyat 500 per person in the game. Most games are begged up to 10000 per person for one game. Kyat 10000 is more than a monthly salary of local teachers, nurses and office staff in Burma.

 

Children beg money for food and drink during the festival but most of them are surrounding in the game until the run out pocket money, local source said. Many conservative parents have concerned to the faith of their children who enjoy freedom of gambling in the community. This dilemma is that many children are sleeping on the lap of their mum during the night while parents are playing cards. Gamblers eat and sleep on the field over night with electricity run by a local generator. Food stalls are set up for the whole event at least over seven days in a place.

 

“A man lost his saving cash for building new home in the game” an community worker said. He is now facing a shame in the community for his madness. His old home is deteriorating.

The Burmese military authority has tactically uses a new political strategy to push local people in their camp, a camp of corruption and selfishness. The nature of Burmese politics has gone on its own way.

 

The State Peace and Development Council has implemented its ‘Four Social Objectives” as it reads; the second article, “Uplift of national prestige and integrity and preservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage and national character”.

 

As Burmese soldiers run illegal business with a deal of sex workers and gamblers via contractors in the community, its social objective is not more than a propaganda tool. The Burmese military authority declared it opens a “New Page” last year for Burmese politic but an “Old Page” still reading in the military handbook.

 

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CHECK-POINTS ALONG THE RAILWAY OF DEATH LINE

(By Kun Yekha, April, 2003)

 

Passenger trucks have been running between Three Pagodas Pass and Thanphyu Zayat, the main route passing through Southern Burma to the Thai border since the dry season started three months ago.

 

At the same time, several check points (gates) have appeared along the route where fees are charged for every passengers travelling on vehicles or on foot.   The gates are named from A to Z, such as Thanbyu Zayat multi-organizations gate, Three Pagodas Pass multi-organizations gate.  SPDC soldiers maintain these checkpoints and collect the fees from everybody who passes along  the route.  Other armed groups such as the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karen Hanthayaw cease-fire group, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Association (DKBA) and the New Mon State Party also mount check points sporadically along the road.

 

A woman, who lives at Three Pagodas Pass, the Thai- Burma border town, said, “There are 13 regular check points and about 10 irregular check points on the way to the Three Pagodas Pass border town.  The Three Pagodas Pass - Thanbyu Zayat road stretches along a 111 km (about 70 miles) route. 

Passengers and car owners have been charged or extorted for passing through at Thanbyu Zayat multi gate (multi gate comprised of several agents of SPDC), Three Pagoda Pass multi-orgs gate, Burmese Army LIB (550)' Taung Soon gate, LIB (550) Tactic Section No (2)' Anann Kwin gate, Thanbyuzayat based LIB (31)' Yetagun gate. The “multi-organization” checkpoints are comprised of the Red Cross group, Police, Immigration, local officials and Kyant Phook (USDA).

 

The DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army) group operated at Three Pagodas Pass, Chaung Zon and Anann Kwin areas and they have check points in three places and collecting passing fees.  Hanthayaw, another Karen cease-fire group, is waiting at Yetagun gate and it never has missed a single passenger and car owner to pass through without charging the so-called tax. A trader said that NMSP also collects fees at Tadane gate.  The Karen National Union (KNU) operates at least two mobile gates in addition to several other check points.

 

The checkpoints fee for a passenger is between three to six thousands kyats (Burmese currency).   With addition for a bus fare, a traveler has to spend ten thousand kyats for a trip from Thanbyuzayat to Three Pagodas Pass.  The truck drivers collect the money and transfer it to the concerned check points on behalf of passengers which means half for the bus fare and half for check point fees. When an unexpected irregular gates is reached, the passengers have to spend extra money.  Otherwise, his or her journey is unsafe and nobody is forgiven to pass.

 

Passengers who do not have an identity card or a letter of recommendation from the NMSP are charged 1,500 Kyats at the DKBA check point located at Chaung Zon village and about 5,00 kyats at the other gates. Furthermore, passengers entering Thailand are charged Kyat 15,000 (Thai baht 600) by immigration officials if they do not present an Identity Card.

 

A truck owner from the border town explained that they have to spend between 65,000 and 100,000 kyats per trip for the fees charged at the various gates. Depending on the cargo and passengers being carryied, they have to pay a slightly different amount. The persons in charge of the check points (gates) estimate the worth of loads (materials) on the truck and decide the rate how much they charge for a trip. They charge 10,000- 20,000 Kyat per motorcycle on the truck and the deal can be negotiated up on discussion and communication between the car owners and the gate officers.

 

The Thanbyu Zayat- Three Pagodas Pass route is used only in the dry season. 

In the rainy season, Kya-inn Seikkyi - Krong Htaw waterway route is the only way, to access the border. These two routes leading to Thailand offer significant transportation both for migrant workers and traders who serve the Thai- Burma border market.  But there are also foot paths and passes used for cattle smuggling to Thailand.

 

Since there is a move from the top in both countries to build up the Thai-Burma border trade, the Burmese chairman of Myanmar-Thailand Culture and Economy Association, Gen. Kyaw Than, opened a branch office at Sangkhlaburi, Thailand on November 29 last year.  Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, the Prime minister of Thailand, has also showed an interest in developing the old railway of death and Three Pagodas Pass for tourist attraction.

 

The Thanbyu Zayat- Three Pagodas Pass motor road is bumpy, rough and broken.  The trucks cannot run easily since it has not been repaired and maintained in spite of all the check- points along the road.

 

Mi Khamom Rot, the Thai- Burma border residence, said that monks, local villagers, bus drivers and passengers had to repair the road by themselves on the 1st of March.  Since they have to pay several gate fees along the road, passengers and bus drivers bitterly complained, “What is the meaning of collecting these gate fees, we have to repair the road by ourselves.

 

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MON NEW YEAR IN NORTH AMERICA

(Kao-Wao, April 13, 2003)

 

The Mon communities in North America joyfully celebrated their traditional New Year and Water Festival in their new homes in Canada and the USA.

 

In the USA, the New Year and Water Festival was celebrated in Fort Wayne on Sunday, March 13, 2003.  The abbot of the Mon Buddhist Temple said the celebration took place at the temple and several Mon families from Ohio, and Indiana joined the gathering which lasted from 10.30 AM to 6 PM.

 

The celebration included not only Mon people, but about three hundreds participants from the ethnic Karen, Tavoyan, Burman, Thai, Laotian, Sri Lankan and even American communities.  The daylong celebration included New Year Dhamma chanting, offering of alms to the Buddhist monks and visitors. 

Mon youths also entertained the guests with traditional dancing and singing.

 

In Calgary, Canada, the Mon Cultural Society celebrated a Songran New Year on April 13.  Men and women, children and adults gathered to share food and New Year greetings with one another.  They also enjoyed sprinkling water and white powder with singing and dancing.  The aims of the MCS are to promote and preserve the culture, literature, and social life of the Mon and to assist the Mon in the homeland and in exile.

 

The leader of the Mon community in the US said that back home; Mon people annually celebrate New Year and Water Festival for three days in Monland. During this  period, the older people stay in the Buddhist temples. Monks also preach sermons of the Buddha to lay devotees and  guide them in the practice of interior meditation for three days intensively.

 

In Monland, before noon, young people offer alms to monks and their parents who are staying (observing the precepts) at the Temple.  In the afternoon, Mon young people who did not stay at the temple, play watersports with each other.  This pouring water significantly shows  to excuse each other they have done wrong by physical, verbal and mental action in the past year. When the evening comes, they devotedly go to temples and pagodas to pay their homage by lighting incense and candle to pray for their future hope.

 

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KAO WAO NEWS GROUP

 

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