KAO WAO NEWS NO. 80
An electronic newsletter for social justice and
freedom in
**********************************************
READERS’ FRONT
LIVING STANDARD
IMPROVES IN MONLAND
ILLEGAL CASH COW business
Forced labor still exists in
SPDC CASHES IN ON
SEIZED CARS
theives prey on NAPPING women
FORGOTTEN MON
REFUGEES IN
PRESERVING A
CENTURIES OLD TRADITON
QUEEN CHAMMA DEVI
WRAPS UP THE KING’S BIRTHDAY
MON GALA ON KING’S
BIRTHDAY
*************************************
READERS’ FRONT
Dear Readers,
We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kaowao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kaowao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs
of those seeking social justice in
Merry Christmas!
Editor
kaowao@hotmail.com,
kaowao_news@yahoo.ca
********************************************************
The good, the
bad, and the ugly in Mon State
LIVING STANDARD
IMPROVES IN MONLAND
(Reported by Cham Toik:
Many villagers are promoted to towns and have become more
populated. The streets are bustling with activity, new motorcycles and
vehicles roar up and down the streets, new houses are being built and old ones
renovated according to former residents of the area who recently visited
there. Several karaoke bars are packed with young people, including Mon,
Burmese and Thai patrons. All who travel frequently and conveniently to
A former resident, a Mon Canadian, said local civilians
appear to be content with their daily lives and show little interest in
discussing politics despite the Burmese government’s strict rules and
suppression. Relatives working abroad support family businesses and
activities. Most villages in
Since thousands have left for economic reasons and human
rights violations committed by the military regime, communities face a shortage
of farm laborers. Thousands of internal migrant workers from the delta
region (Myitwa Kyunbaw) and
upper
Migrant workers told Kaowao, who
just arrived in Thailand, that the daily wages for a farm laborer is about
3,000 Kyat a day in villages in Thanbyu Zayat Township while wages in Rangoon are half that and 500
Kyat in upper Burma. With such economic disparity as well as milder
weather in
“They work hard, save their money and then go back home
like us (local Mon people) who go to
“When I came here, I expected to see only older
people and women in the village. But I was really surprised to see many
different kinds of people in the markets. Ten years ago there were no
Burmese speaking people in my village. But now, I hear many people
speaking Burmese, some have married the local Mon people to settle here and buy
some land,” said Kloy Toi
who works in Thailand’s Maharchai fishing factories
on his recent visit back home in Ye Township.
Many travelers and local people from Thanbyu
Zayat and Ye Townships confirm their lives are
improving; they can easily travel to the city by cars. In the past,
traveling was very difficult except for the Ye-Moulmein
railroad, which stretches for about 100 miles from
“Before the cease-fire agreement, we had to flee from the
Burma Army when they came to our area. Now there is no fighting and it is
peaceful. I have not seen (Burmese) soldiers in years,” said Nai Kyaw Zin, a local farmer from
Andin.
In
Nonetheless, there are good and bad aspects, two sides to
the story. While some have grown complacent from their living standard
and cultural rights, other villagers in
Several political communities and the Mon Buddhist Sangha concluded that the SPDC government is unsympathetic
to their needs and exercises complete control over Monland
by expanding its army. The ceasefire agreement between the NMSP and the
junta has led to no political solution and the people have gained little.
The Burma Army and militia groups (PyiThuSit)
march in to confiscate thousands of acres in
“During these past years the Burma Army has confiscated
over 8,000 acres of land and built military bases, many outsiders flock to Mon
state and work here replacing the local work force that fled, the population
transfer is a new challenge here,” said a senior member of the New Mon State
Party. Soldiers, militias and counter insurgency forces have increased in
*************************************
ILLEGAL CASH COW business
(By Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi:
Militiamen in Yebyu
The head of militia known as Nai
Winn Myint of Mayan Kyaung
village seized two cows along with 80,000 Kyats from other villagers; the
buyers had initially come to his village to buy cows.
“He accused the cow buyers of wanting to transport the cows
to
Some local businessmen in the area buy cows and bring them
to neighboring
Traveling in the dense jungle can be a risky venture,
especially with tigers roaming around, the tigers leap out of nowhere and the
cows become instant cat food. Those who get through are transported to the
The cow business is a cash cow for local big businessmen,
not only in this area but the whole of southern
According to a source from Pha-An township, Karen
state, when the businessmen arrive with their cows at the checkpoint they must
pay up to 50,000 Kyats as permission to cross over into to Myawaddy
opposite Mae Sot.
“The checkpoint near my village collects 100,000 Kyats for
two oxen,” said Nai Wongsa
from southern Pha-An Township to Kaowao recently.
The checkpoint guard, he said, suspected the cow
transporters as illegally transporting the cows to the Thai border since there
are many smugglers with oxen that cross from that checkpoint.
The businessmen pay a high price, up to 500,000 for an ox.
Someone else from
Local businessmen in southern
*************************************
Forced labor still exists in
(Taramon/ Sangkhlaburi,
The Burma Army in southern Karen state is using forced
labor to construct motor roads, a source from the area said.
“I have to work on the road construction for one day, the
whole day on orders from the village headmen,” said a young Mon man who
recently spoke to Kaowao after arriving at Myawaddy border town opposite Mae Sod.
Every household in the village, he added, must provide
unpaid labor for constructing the motor road even though there are bulldozers and
road construction trucks. The road construction managers tend not to use the
equipment to prepare the road; they resell the fuel to the outside and use
instead unpaid labor, he added.
Some houses belonging to two Mon villages in the area have
been ordered demolished to make way for the road construction, he added. “The
village chairman wants to quit his position, but he cannot because of
restrictions from the township authorities,” Wongsaparla
said.
There were, he said, many cases of people being used to
provide the construction, but usually not for the whole day. As the road is
being built in a wetland or low area, it can be easily damaged by flash floods
during the monsoon season. The road needed repair after the season since last
year.
“If we don’t provide forced labor we will be locked up at
the township detention center as ordered from the township,” he quoted the
village chairman, his relative, as saying.” He added that the villagers were
too afraid of going to the township, which forced them to work in the
construction project.
There are about 500 houses in his village. “About ten of
the houses were destroyed in the village because they were in the way of the
road,” Nai Lawi Mon,
another villager explained to Kaowao. The road is
situated along the
***********************************************
SPDC CASHES IN ON
SEIZED CARS
(Taramon/ Sangkhaburi:
The State Peace and Development Council are selling their
seized cars at rock bottom prices to local people according to a businessman
who has close ties with the local authorities.
Vehicles that were seized from various owners last month
are being sold at low prices to the local people and Buddhist monasteries the
source said. Because of the special offers, the abbots are eager to buy
the discounted cars and have asked their devotees for donations.
“The devotees and followers collect money to purchase the
cars for their abbots and the temples,” a Karen resident said.
A leader of Mon women organization in Ye Township told Kaowao that many Buddhist monks and monasteries now own
vehicles in
Former owners whose cars were seized by the SPDC do not
dare to purchase their old motorcars back fearing another seizure.
The prices of vehicles range from 7 to 10 million Kyats,
these vehicles were originally confiscated from various car owners after the
sacking of
*************************************
thiEves prey on NAPPING women
(Banyar Toay,
The high price of human hair in the black market has prompted
unscrupulous individuals to sneak up on woman napping on the bus to cut their
long hair, which is then sold on the black market for a high profit.
A commuter in
The source from Shwe Pyi Thar
“Buses during rush-hour are jam packed with people so
women have to tie up their long hair or hide it down their back to prevent hair
thieves from stealing it,” said a young Mon to Kao Wao recently.
She added that her aunt told her to be careful when
traveling around for she has very long hair; most Burmese women grow their hair
long. Very often though, the women in
“A Muslim woman in Ngan Tay track cut her hair and sold it,” said Nai Kunba a businessman who
witnessed it.
Women in rural areas have sold their long hair to
collectors who come from other areas to get it. The high price of hair has
impelled some women to cut their long hair for money. They cut it off to sell
it because of lack of income and to survive, the source from rural area said.
“One Viss (1.3 Kilogram) of hair on the current hair
market is over 60,000 Kyats,” the women from Mon state said. “The longer the
hair, the higher the price,” the women said.
******************************************
FORGOTTEN MON
REFUGEES IN
(Gong Ong and Kun Yekha in
Four
“No Mon nationality has been recognized as refugees
before,” said Nai Khit Ral Mon, Vice President of Mon National Democratic Front
(Liberated Area). More than a hundred
According to a refugee seeker, the UNHCR officials accept
only a few refugees per day, so those seeking refugee status must queue up and
sleep on the street outside of the UNHCR office the day before the registration
starts.
“Ethnic Chin and Rohingya
refugees are favorably accepted into the office more than us because of the
good contacts they have through missionaries and religious groups. Many
“Some worry the police will come by and arrest them in
front of the office after spending all night there, thus losing their chance of
registering,” he added.
“It’s unfortunate that we are Buddhists and our case is
forgotten in the Muslim dominated country and Christian dominated
advocacy. Rohingyas are granted asylum here,
many Chin refugees are taken to a third country (such as
Mobile teams will be deployed in an urgent effort to
register refugees hiding in the jungles on the fringes of Malaysian cities
ahead of the imminent government crackdown on illegal immigrants, reported by
AFP on
According to
Amnesty International, the Malaysian government has announced an amnesty
period during which an estimated
one million 'illegal immigrants' can return home without penalty. Initially
from 29 October to 14 November, it has since been
extended for an unidentified
period. Mass deportations could start at any time after this. Penalties include
jail, fines and caning.
The UNHCR in
However,
other refugees remain vulnerable to deportation. “I’m so
happy that I was finally recognized as a refugee, but am still concerned about
the security of my colleagues because now the
*******************************************
Basics
learning Mon now available in VCD
PRESERVING A
CENTURIES OLD TRADITON
(Layeh Rot,
Mon community is pleased to announce the release of
learning the basics of the Mon language in VCD, produced by a youth in
Zahan Ong
produced 500 copies of learning the basics of the Mon language with the help
and sponsorship of the Mon Youth Agriculture Organization based in Prachuap Kirikhan province,
The CD has seven chapters: how to read and write the Mon
alphabet and vowels, how to form consonants with other consonants, how to
combine consonants and vowels, how to read and write the ten superscripted devowelizer arc (Gajot 10),
including learning Mon for beginner in VCD.
“I won’t preserve the copy rights for the VCD, anyone can
produce it for their own personal use or for their organization, they can copy
as many as they want,” explained Zahan who created
the VCD.
Most Mon migrant children have no access to education and
learning their own language is very limited due to their living conditions in
“To overcome these barriers, we should solve this
illiteracy problem and encourage migrant workers and children to learn Mon by
VCD,” said Nai Hong Chan, the Secretary General of
MYAO.
It is very important for migrant workers to learn Mon and
to be able to access other Mon publications while they are far away from their
motherland. Mon is one of the earliest languages in
The distinctive bubble script which was often written on
palm leaves and stone slabs in days gone by was derived from the ancient Indian
Pali script and is spoken by about 4 million people
in
Zahan Ong,
a native from Durae in
Zahan and his group are also
seeking funds from interested organizations or individuals abroad or in
Those interested please email
**************************************************
QUEEN CHAMMA DEVI
WRAPS UP THE KING’S BIRTHDAY
(Kun Yekha:
An exciting drama presentation of the legend of Queen Chamma Devi was the finale
feature of a 5-day birthday celebration of His Majesty King Bhumiphorn
of
The popular legend of the Davaravati
Mon Queen was rendered in a gripping drama performance portraying the
introduction of Buddhism and Mon culture to the Haripunchai
kingdom, an ancient northern town in present day Lamphun
near Chiang Mai in northern
Many Thais, including academic scholars and foreigners,
were captivated by the show held at Sala Chalermkrung Theatre in
“It’s a brief history of Chamma Devi, they portray the best characters combined with hi-
technology supported by authentic setting that depicted the way of life then,
it was as if we were back in the Mon kingdom era,” commented Nai Sunthorn, General Secretary
of Mon Unity League, after watching the second evening show on November 28.
Background music featured the “Anonta
Mitta” song, which means infinite kindness, softly
sung by Khon Lawar Pung (a) Suta Wongraman,
Nai Ork Pung’s
daughter. The song is a blessing that all living beings in the universe be
happy and prosperous. The original lyrics of the song are written by Banyar Samoin (aka) Banyar Kwain.
Nai Ork Pung
is a Mon musician from Sangkhalaburi who composed the
pleasant tune.
The play narrated the story of the famous queen’s life, how
she was chosen and fostered by a holy hermit in the “Jomper”
jungle to establish the kingdom in Haripunchai in 768
A.D. As the legend goes, she learned her skills of defense while playing with
monkeys in the jungle. When she grew up, through an arrangement by the holy
hermit, she was sent to Lawa (Lopburi,
central
The climax of the play was when the Lawo
king demanded Chamma Devi
not to go into the battlefield. The audience grew silent at the moment when she
rose up to defend the kingdom. The Mon cultural influence in the old
The Culture Ministry, Matichon,
AIS and other companies and firms were the main sponsors for the show that
started on November 27. The tickets were sold at different prices 500, 800 and
1000 Baht (Thai currency), an expensive night out by Thai standards.
**************************************************
MON GALA ON KING’S
BIRTHDAY
(Gore Lawi: December 6, 004)
In honor of His Majesty the King’s 77th year
birthday,
The king’s birthday is known in
The Mon Youth Community of Bangkok, led by the newly
elected and ambitious Chairperson, Nai Oong Bangjune, joined in the
celebration with
On the eve of the king’s birthday, a Mon traditional dance
from Pakret,
“As on Mother’s Day with “Ta Pao
and Ta Bo” dance, we had to rehearse over and over the intricate dance moves (Samarr Bangae) for two months,”
said by Nai Lomyom Mon, a
dance trainer. The trainer also explained the meaning of the song, how the
Out front of the “Thai-Mon Pavilion” hundreds waited
patiently to indulge themselves on Mon traditional food. Long tables were
packed with banquet-sized bowls and plates of steaming rice, noodles, fish,
soups, and curried dishes; especially the popular Mon dishes Khanom (Mon noodles) and Gajip (roselle) vegetables. Food was prepared exactly as it is by
the rural folk in
In front of the parade the Mon carried two great big lotus
flowers, others joined in the march from the
Although facing difficulties in organizing members and
gathering funds, their activities were given a boost by joining up with the Mon
Youth Community in Bangkok and The Light of Mon Youth Organization.
Following their combined effort on the Queen’s birthday and
honoring Dr. Su-ed Gajaseni on his 80th
birthday, it was the third of joint events of the two organizations, composed
of both
**************************************************
Posted by
KAO WAO NEWS GROUP
Email: kaowao@hotmail.com,
kaowao_news@yahoo.ca
Tel: + 66 7 169-0971 + 66 1
561-0860 (
Tel: + 1- 403 - 248
2027
(
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0
Online
ABOUT US
Kaowao Newsgroup is committed to
social justice, peace, and democracy in
Our motto is working together for lasting peace and
change.