KAO WAO NEWS NO. 75
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in Burma
September 23 -
**********************************************
READERS’ FRONT
MUL URGES FULL
INVESTIGATION OF ATTACK ON CAMP
YOUTHS WARNED ABOUT
LEAKS TO NEWS MEDIA
FORCED LABOURERS
FINED FOR SHOWING UP LATE
NEW MON STATE PARTY
CLOSELY MONITORED
NMSP CHECKPOINT
RAIDED BY
SUSPICIOUS BA TARGET
ALLEDGED REBEL FAMILIES
THAI RAMAN
ASSOCIATION TO HONOUR FOUNDER
BURMESE COUPLE CAMPS
OUTSIDE UNHCR
ASIA-EUROPE FORUM
GROWS, MYANAR IRRITATES
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READERS' FRONT
Dear Readers,
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Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com, kaowao@telus.net
____________________________
Dear Editor,
Why the killing of children has happened when the armed
group attacked HRP
camp? Is there any law and
order among the opposition groups? How we can
achieve peace and reconciliation if
we leave it like this? Those who committed
the killing should be brought to
the justice.
Down with all types of violent action.
Regards,
M Soe Mon
*********************************************************
MUL URGES FULL
INVESTIGATION OF ATTACK ON CAMP
(Kao Wao:
The Mon Unity League (MUL) has urged leaders of three of
groups to conduct a thorough
investigation of the attack on the Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party (HRP) camp near the
Thailand-Burma border.
President Nai Damrong
Pungbangkadee of the MUL sent a letter to the leaders
of
the National Democratic Front
(NDF), the New
Karen National Union (KNU) asking them to begin a full
investigation of the
attack that killed five children
and two HRP members in the camp on September
18, 2004.
“The killing of innocent children and the deliberate attacks
on women and
unarmed civilians should not happen
under any circumstances. Those
responsible, including those
connected to the guilty parties, must provide a
full explanation to the Mon
community, who are shocked by this incident, both
at home and abroad. We call
upon all parties involved to bring to justice
those responsible for attack.
They must not go unpunished,” stated the letter
issued by the MUL office in
The MUL, an umbrella organization comprised of 14 member
organizations, warned
that the incident is a wake-up call
for all parties to put an end to impunity
and attacks that undermine efforts
to achieve national reconciliation. It said
the attack on the HRP group is a
blatant betrayal of the Mon people, which will
have repercussions affecting the
whole country.
According to local sources, troops of the KNU and the All
Burma Muslim Union
(ABMU) penetrated the HRP camp at dawn on September 18,
launching a fierce
attack. Five children of HRP
leader Col Pan Nyunt and two of the group’s
guerrilla fighters were killed,
while Pan Nyunt and his wife were wounded
during the assault. The
couple was able to escape.
The Mon Unity League is concerned that the attack may
escalate ethnic tensions
in the area, such as that which
occurred between the Mon and Karen communities
at Three Pagodas Pass area in 1988.
It is urging the respective parties to
arrange for compensation after
carrying out the investigation.
********************************************************
YOUTHS WARNED ABOUT
LEAKS TO NEWS MEDIA
(Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi:
Local youth organizations in Mon and Karen states have been
warned by the
Burmese military regime not to speak to foreign radio
stations about events in
their areas.
A Mon youth leader told Kao Wao News that when the BBC, VOA,
RFA and DVB
broadcast local news, youths
suspected of being informants were called and
warned. He said that only youth
organizations are now actively involved in the
community and that they challenge
the Union Solidarity and Development
Association (USDA) and National Women’s Affairs groups,
which are controlled by
the Burmese military regime.
Another Mon youth who occasionally shares information
voluntarily with a local
media group said that he was often
followed by the Military Intelligence
Service (MI).
“I cannot even pull my pen out of my pocket when I travel in
rural areas,” said
the activist. “I have to be
very careful because the MI could accuse me of
being a reporter and put me under
arrest.”
Even though the MI turns a blind eye to activities of the
local business
community after receiving bribes,
some telephone owners have been called by the
local MI to verify if their phones
are only being used for business purposes.
Satellite hand phones bought in neighboring
southern
migrant workers.
****************************************************
Life in
FORCED LABOURERS
FINED FOR SHOWING UP LATE
(Banyar Toay:
Villagers from Cin Guu and Kwan Tamoay Tao in
southern Ye township have been
forced to repair a motor road and
fined for arriving late on the job.
A source from Ye said the two villages had been divided into
four blocks and
that each block must provide forced
laborers on a rotating system for a day at
a time. Captain Than
Soe of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 343 and his
soldiers supervise the laborers
closely and if they work slowly or fail to
follow orders, they are beaten and
tortured.
On one occasion the captain opened fire when some workers
arrived late and
ordered them to pay 7,000 Kyats
(Burmese currency) for each bullet.
“I heard three gunshots coming from work site on September
21,” said the
witness. “It’s the one that belongs
to the Kwan Tamoi Tak (Ywa Thit in Burmese)
villagers.”
The work is scheduled from
Sometimes children as young as 10 years of age are sent to
work, a witness who
asked to be anonymous reported last
week.
The Ye- Khao Jaer
road, identified as a strategic military road, has been under
construction since last year in an
effort to wipe out the Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party which broke away from the New Mon State
Party.
******************************************************************
NEW MON STATE PARTY
CLOSELY MONITORED
(Banyar Toay:
The military government closely monitors cease-fired New Mon
State Party
members who travel around Mon
state.
A senior officer of the NMSP said the State Peace and
Development Council
(SPDC) authorities in Mon state have closely watched their
activities after its
hard stance and criticism on the
state sponsored National Convention.
“A backpack of our member was thoroughly checked after he
identified the
authorities that he was from the
NMSP while he traveled to the city,” said the
officer.
After eight members led by Nai Ron
Nai were arrested and sentenced to seven
years imprisonment by the regime,
the NMSP officers criticized their leaders of
playing soft in dealing with the
SPDC. Those arrested were accused of holding
arms while touring in the public
and collecting funds for the party in June 29
in Ye township.
The NMSP was strongly criticized by Mon community and
supporters for joining
the NC. A retired NMSP
leader, from the Thai Burma border, said senior members
are now divided into two groups
over the NC and relationship with the
SPDC. “The younger generation
does not want to see their men in the prison.
Some of them want to break the cease-fire agreement and
fight back,” he added.
A community leader in Ye said the NMSP, unlike the
pro-Rangoon Democratic Karen
Buddhist Army (DKBA), does not know
how to deal with the SPDC. Businessmen who
approach the DKBA gain more
opportunity than the NMSP for trade along the
border and vehicle smuggling.
The people in Ye township were disappointed because the NMSP
has no power to
defend land confiscation by the
Burma Army. Public support has gradually
declined and the NMSP was badly rated
for corruption, lack of democracy and top-
down relationship with the
public.
**********************************************************
NMSP CHECKPOINT
RAIDED BY
(By Field Reporter Ong)
Ye A checkpoint maintained by the New Mon State Party
(NMSP) in Aleh Sakhan
village in Yebyu
township has been raided by the Burma Army (BA) and its
members arrested, according to a
source in the cease-fire party.
About 30 soldiers led by Captain Nyi
Nyi Htwe of Infantry
Battalion No 408
raided the NMSP checkpoint in
second week of September.
Afterwards they arrested and tortured five of the
villagers including Nai Kun Ba, Nai Tin Sein,
Nai Halaer, Nai Dway and Nai
Naeh. Nai Naeh
is an NMSP staff officer for
are supporters. They continue
under detention of the Burma Army.
According to the report, the BA troops destroyed four houses
and the NMSP
office in Aleh
Sakhan and seized arms belonging to the ceasefire
group. The
houses were the property of Nai Kun Ba, Nai
Tin Sein, Nai Halaer and Nent; and
had been used as township offices
since the party reached a cease-fire
agreement in 1995.
Captain Nyi Nyi
Htwe accused the NMSP of cooperating with the Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party, after two HRP members surrendered to the
NMSP on September
12, the source said.
The HRP raided a militia force that supports the Burmese
regime on August 21
and seized six weapons including
two grenades, an M-16 rifle and an AK-47. One
arm was in the hand of the HRP
member who surrendered to the cease-fire group.
A local source told Kao Wao News that the HRP guerillas
often attacked Burmese
troops and that the local militia
groups formed by the BA since June 2001 are
scared of the Mon fighters.
The source added that local people have secretly
supported the HRP guerrillas led by
Nai Hloin and Nai Bin. The HRP is
reluctant to attack the militia
groups since they are Mon villagers who were
forced to take up arms.
The BA restricts local farmers and gardeners from going to
their plantations in
order to cut off support and
communication with the guerrillas.
*********************************************
SUSPICIOUS BA TARGET
ALLEDGED REBEL FAMILIES
(IMNA:
The Burma Army yesterday arrested villagers suspected of
being parents of Mon
guerrillas in southern
“Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 586 led by Colonel Ngwe Soe arrested five
parents of Mon rebels from Hongsarwatoi Restoration Party (HRP) in Kaw-hlaing
village, southern part of Ye,” said
villagers.
According to eyewitness reports, those arrested were Mr. Nai Aung Tin, Mrs. Mi
Phae, Mrs. Daw Nu, Mrs. Daw Mya Sein and Mi Oud’s husband.
“Although the sons of these parents retired from the Mon
armed group and went
to
“The BA also restricted villagers working in their
paddy-farms and orchid
plantation. The commander
warned civilians that if any villager helps the
rebels at his or her house or if
fighting occur in the village they will be
either killed or arrested, and they
(Burmese soldiers), will burn down the
whole village on the spot.
The BA commander told us during a meeting
yesterday,” other Kaw-hlaing villagers told the IMNA.
“Colonel Ngwe Soe
accused the villagers of supporting the Mon guerillas to
fight against them on
southernmost area of Ye Township.
According to the reasoning of the commander:
If the villager does not support the rebels, the rebels
wouldn’t be able to
come around the area and fight
them,” an accusation that is groundless say the
villagers.
The Mon rebels near Mi-htaw-hlar Kalay village killed 4 soldiers of the BA in
an ambush. The house where the
Burmese soldiers took shelter was burnt down and
the house owners and 13 others
including the village headman were arrested.
“It is normal that the Burmese Army treat the villagers this
way; if they lose
the fight they punish the
villagers. Their actions are the arbitrary arrest
of the villagers suspected of
belonging to rebel families who are then tortured
and detained. This revenge tactic
practiced by the BA for decades against
innocent civilians not only
violates the international human rights’
principles, but is also against the
National Laws,” said Nai Kasuah
Mon,
Director of Human Right Foundation of Monland.
At the moment, Kaw-hlaing and
other villagers nearby are ordered not to go and
work in the paddy-farm and orchid
plantations according to the
villagers. “Colonel Ngwe Soe also ordered the
villagers to take their
materials and cattle back from
their farms three days ago,” Nai Myaing
said.
The local human rights group reported, over ten villagers,
suspected of being
connected to Mon rebel-supporters,
have been killed recently. The villagers are
severely restricted in their
movements and are unable to maintain a minimum of
livelihood and are barely
surviving. As a result, thousands have also been
displaced, holed up in the jungle,
or have fled to
***********************************************
THAI RAMAN
ASSOCIATION HONOUR ITS FOUNDER
(Mon Unity League:
Bangkok-- Thai Raman Association (TRA) in
leader on his 80th birthday this
year.
According to a source from the Thai Mon community, the TRA
is organizing a
special event in October to honour Dr. Su-ed Gajaseni who
co-founded the
association.
The Thai Mon association had legally registered as a social
association at the
Interior Ministry on
later expanded to the Mon youth
community known as Gagoom Samut-Wutblain
Mon
(
The TRA turns 46 years since the founding and has changed
its president only
four times. The present
president Prof. Dr. Su-ed Gajaseni has served the
longest term from 1973 up to the
present day and he is highly respected by the
community. He spent most of
his time in the Mon affairs such as literature;
culture, tradition and he will turn
80 years old on
The dedicated nationalist donated about 5 acres of land and
Baht 1 million for
building of the TRA Hall at Bang Kadee village near
coming of Dr. Su-ed’s annual birthday, the Mon people will hold the
celebration
to honor him for his works.
****************************************************
BURMESE COUPLE CAMPS
OUTSIDE UNHCR
(By Roshan Jason/
A Burmese family has been camping outside the United
Nation’s High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) office in
country.
Siddik, his wife Nurjah and their six children have been staying there for
the
past 10 days in a makeshift tent
made of plastic sheets. The tent is only able
to shelter the children. The
parents sleep on the grass, covering themselves
with plastic sheets.
The couple is determined to provide a better future for
their children, aged
between 12 years and four months.
Except for the youngest child, who was
delivered in a local hospital, the
rest do not have local birth certificates.
“We are doing this because we are very poor refugees.
I also cannot get a job
legally because I sneaked into the
country 15 years ago. The constant threat of
arrest and deportation prevents us
from providing for our kids,”” claimed
Siddik, 41.
Refugee status
“We want UNHCR to give us refugee status and help us go to
another country
where we can get more help for
education, housing and money,” said Nurjah, 32,
as she tried to keep ants and flies
off the baby.
Relating their experience over the past 10 days, Siddik said passers-by have
been donating things to the family
including food and toys.
“Whenever it rains my wife and younger children seek shelter
at a car park in a
nearby house - whose owner is kind
enough to give us water to drink and clean
ourselves,” he said.
He dismissed the possibility of going to the office of the
Islamic Youth
Movement of
protection letters for Burmese Rohingyas.
According to Siddik, a large
number of his friends who have done this are still
being harassed or have been
arrested by the police. “They go to Abim, get a
letter, try to find a job but are
eventually arrested and deported to
he said.
Siddik and his wife stressed that
they are Muslims but not Rohingyas, a
predominantly Muslim ethnic
minority deemed stateless people in their land.
Lengthy process
UNHCR community services officer Jan Field said the agency
cannot accommodate
Siddik’s request for immediate
resettlement as this is a lengthy process.
“We have been constantly speaking to him since he set up
camp and he is adamant
on getting out of the country
immediately. He has refused to go to Abim for
processing. We prepared a temporary
protection letter and offered it to him
yesterday but he declined to accept
it,” she said.
“Furthermore, it is the decision of the third country that
matters. It is not
UNHCR but the country of destination which has the final say in accepting
refugees.”
She said numerous officials including UNHCR’s
chief Volker Turk have spoken to
Siddik but there is a “lack of
understanding on his part as he will not budge
from his decision to live with his
family outside the building until he is
resettled”.
Field said she was informed that Siddik
is a Rohingya while his wife is a
Burmese Muslim. But she also said
this does not make much of a difference in
matters of resettlement.
The agency issues two types of protection letters a ‘blue
paper’ which
recognises
a refugee under the agency’s mandate and the other, a ‘white paper’
which provides temporary protection
to asylum seekers. Siddik, who has been
offered the ‘white paper’, wants a
‘blue paper’ instead for better protection
while in
A UNHCR officer who declined to be named explained the
function of the two
separate letters in the hope that
“misconception” among refugees and local
authorities will be clarified.
“Both letters are the same in the sense that UNHCR provides
protection to its
holders - ensuring that they are
not returned to their homeland,” he said.
“Due to limited resources, the ‘blue paper’ is given to a
small number of
asylum seekers to undergo a long
process of refugee determination.”
The ‘white paper’ is generally given to Burmese Rohingyas and Acehnese as many
having been living in
to receive them.
“The idea in issuing the ‘white paper’ is for them to return
to their home
countries once the situation there
changes,” the officer added.
Siddik was issued a temporary
protection letter in1992 but this has since
expired.
http://www3.malaysiakini.com/news/30585
**********************************************************************
ASIA-EUROPE FORUM
GROWS, MYANAR IRRITATES
(By Christina Toh-Pantin, Reuters:
Thursday ahead of a summit strained by
detention of democracy icon Aung
San Suu Kyi.
Some diplomats hope differences over
Europe Meeting (ASEM) begins on Friday after a hard-won
compromise on the
military ruled country's
attendance.
But as leaders gathered in
would be tightening sanctions
against
not released Nobel peace laureate
Suu Kyi.
Earlier, at a lavish ceremony at a five-star
inducted 10 more European members
and three from
the informal grouping both regions
see as a way to promote trade and security.
"With this, ASEM emerges as a political economic entity
fully capable of
playing an important role in world
peace, security and development,"
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said in an address from a stage built over the
hotel swimming pool.
Before he spoke, flags of the new members were raised to
music from a military
band as leaders including French
President Jacques Chirac and
Wen Jiabao
looked on.
After Thursday's ceremony, ASEM comprises 39 members: 25
from
billion people and about 60 percent
of world trade. It is one of the few major
groupings that does not include the
The
ambitions, greater cooperation in
the fight against terrorism and trade will be
key themes, but
Suu Kyi has spent more than half of the past 15 years under
house arrest. Her
National League for Democracy won elections by a landslide
in 1990 but the
military ignored the result and
locked up many of her supporters.
After months of bickering nearly scuttled the gathering
minister-level officials to
Minister Tin Winn, a senior official in Khin Nyunt's office, is leading the
delegation.
The EU said in a statement issued in
as demanded by the EU.
"Today, Oct. 7, these conditions have not been met. As
a result the EU will, at
a meeting on Oct. 11, impose
stricter sanctions on the regime in
Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot
said in the statement.
The
attending the
The EU will expand a visa ban,
prohibit EU-registered countries from financing
state-owned companies in
extending it loans.
The EU is also to draw up proposals to curb the export of
teak from
_________________________________________________________
"STATE
TERRORISTS"
Suu Kyi's fellow Nobel prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu accused world
leaders of ignoring oppression in
"The words of protest at her detention from world
leaders ring hollow when they
do not translate into action,"
the South African anti-apartheid icon wrote in
the International Herald Tribune
newspaper on Thursday.
"There in
leaders," Tutu wrote.
British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said in a
statement he would press
concerns about what he called the
unacceptable situation in
continued lack of progress toward
democracy.
Despite the harsh language used by the EU to pressure
a leaked draft of the ASEM
chairman's statement to be issued on Saturday used
much more diplomatic words.
the EU would welcome the early
lifting of restrictions on Suu Kyi and her party
and called on
reconciliation process.
One diplomat in
delegations would discuss over
dinner on Thursday whether or not to
specifically name Suu Kyi and her
party in the chairman's final statement.
(Writing by David Fogarty, editing by Robert Birsel; Reuters Messaging:
david.fogarty.reuters.com@reuters.net; +844 825 9623)
************************************************
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