Newsletter for social
justice and freedom in
Readers' Front
Mon entertainer charged for rural bridge accident
Burmese government restricts ethnic national dress
Attacks on ethnic women during military operation
Final tribute to revered Mon Buddhist Monk draws thousands
NMSP urged to maintain arms amid gov’t
pressure
HTM: the silent killers in lower Burma
Ivanhoe Mines in the process of divesting from Burma
Canadian Parliamentary Friends of
Identity, Conflict and National Reconciliation in
Climate Change vs Mother Nature
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Readers' front
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Mon entertainer charged for rural bridge accident
Kaowao:
Ye -- One of the most popular Mon entertainers has been charged
with negligence after causing an accident in early in December that killed two
people.
Chit Soe (aka)
Nai Soe Tin, the owner of
Mon Chit Soe Dance Troupe was charged by Ye township
police and will be brought to the court for the final verdict today according
to his manager.
Two entertainers died and others were injured in a car accident on
December 2 while the entertainer’s vehicle loading the group crossing the
bridge between Hnit-kayin of Ye
and Anin of Thanpyuzayart
Township suddenly lost control striking the guardrail and crashing into other
vehicles.
Chit Soe had negotiated with the local
authorities to close the case spending 10 million Kyats to settle the
lawsuit. However, authorities say damage to the railway and bridge will
cost more.
The Independent Mon News Agency, on
A fan of Mon Chit Soe said the performer
was not at fault for causing the accident, because the bridge is equipped to
handle many vehicles, even a train and that his truck was within the overall
weight capacity. However, it is thought that the bridge was already in a poor
state and that the government itself is to blame for the accident due to poor
infrastructure.
The local Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association organized
the three-night performance. Chit Soe from Taung Bon of Northern Ye, with a talent for dancing,
singing, and acting, developed the modern Dance Troupe fifteen years ago. He
became very popular and has not only attracted a following from among the Mon
but also other Burmese. His troupe is one of the biggest entertainment
groups in southern
According to a Mon leader, the government’s charges against him
stem from the government’s tactic in suppressing non-Burman entertainers.
A vehicle belong to Chit Soe was confiscated by the Thanbyu Zayat SPDC in 2004.
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Culture and literature
Burmese government restricts ethnic national dress
Kaowao:
The State Peace and Development Council authorities have
prohibited students attending the
"Since July this year, the SPDC had ordered us to wear the college’s
uniform, white shirt and blue longyi, but the
teachers (in this campus) who understand our traditional spirit don’t restrict
us too much, but we still can’t wear our traditional clothes,” complained a Mon
student from Pa-Auk campus.
This year in September, the SPDC’s Southeast Military Command
prohibited
To preserve their cultural identity, Mon university students
normally wear their dress (red sarong and white shirt) every Monday out of
respect for their indigenous culture, as do most ethnic groups in
However, recently all ethnic nationalities have been ordered not
to wear their traditional clothes on university campuses. In the face of
increasing repression of social activities, Mon students feel most affected because
many Mon attend GTC and MU in the capital of city of
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Attacks on ethnic women during military operation
Kaowao:
Ye -- Several women were rounded up and tortured by the SPDC’s
Burmese Army in retaliation for an ambush attack by a Mon guerrilla group
during a military operation in southern Ye, Mon State early this month.
According to Mon refugees, who recently fled from the Khawzar area, Mon women were beaten up and the men were
given electrical shocks by the Burmese troops from Infantry Battalion No. 31.
“After the guerrilla group carried out a surprise attack on the
Burmese troop, they accused the local villagers of giving information on their
movements. About a hundred villagers nearby were summarily tortured including
children and women,” says an eyewitness, Nai Lin Aung
from Khawzar, who gave testimony to a human rights
worker on the border. The accurate number of people tortured is unknown and
humanitarian access is not possible due to the insecurity.
The BA has had a skirmish with the dissident group led by Nai Sook Gloin
(nicknamed long hair) on
“The more the villagers are tortured, the more support will be
given to the guerrilla group, the villagers are extremely unhappy with human
rights abuses by the Burmese Army," commented Rev. Aopaesa,
a young monk from southern Ye,
“The lives of ethnic people have no value, no one comes to their
aid and the army will not be punished for their actions,” says a human rights
worker from the border. Mon women and children are increasingly subjected to
violence and restriction of their movements whenever the Burmese Army is active
in their area.
After the New Mon State Party reached a cease-fire agreement with the military
junta in 1995, Nai Hloin
split from the party to take up arms against the Burma Army. The two
brothers, Nai Hloin and Nai Bin were active until early 2005 before they sought a
safe haven in
Thailand Burma border based, Human Rights Foundation of Monland, on December 12, has called on the international
community to pressure the military junta to immediately halt the arbitrary
arrests and inhuman treatment of innocent civilians.
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Final tribute to revered Mon Buddhist Monk draws thousands
Kaowao:
Sangkhalaburi – Amid stormy skies and lightning strikes
in Sangkhlaburi on the Thai Burma border, Mon
civilians are gathering to pay final tribute to Ajar Tala
Uttama who passed away in October at the age of 96.
Colonel Nai Kaorot,
a senior leader of the New Mon State Party said the Abbot's devotees from
southern Burma, neighbouring Sangkhlaburi, will be
bussed in by the NMSP for their journey up to Waengka
Wiwekaram Buddhist Temple in Sangkhalaburi,
a tiny hilltop town in a mountainous area of Kanchanaburi
province on the Thai Burma border.
Civilians, dignitaries, politicians, devotees, and members of NMSP
from Thaton,
People are gathering to remember the compassionate deeds of Reverand Uttama, a Mon Buddhist
monk who was widely respected by the Thai people including government
officials, the Thai military and the Thai royal family. After two years
of medical treatment at
He was born in Mawkanin, Ye Township of
Mon State and fled to Thai Burma
border when the Mon people took up arms against
the central Burmese government during post independence civil war in
The Reverend fought for the rights of the Mon people on the
Thai-Burma border, he was the force behind securing citizenship for many and
earning him a place of deep respect among the Buddhist community in
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NMSP urged to maintain arms amid gov’t
pressure
Kaowao:
Mon grass roots communities have urged the ceasefire group, New
Mon State Party not to lay down their arms amid pressure given by the military
regime. Public opinions have been heard during the party’s public
campaign in Ye, Yepyu, and
Three Pagodas Pass Townships under its administration this week.
“We (Mon public) cannot give up our arms to them. We have
sacrificed for so many years. The SPDC will surely take away our rights
if the NMSP gives up their arms,” said a villager at the public gathering on
The Mon population has grown increasingly frustrated since the
SPDC resumed its National Convention with rumors circulating that ceasefire
groups will be disarmed.
Over the past 3 months, the NMSP conducted a
survey report among the public that shows the majority want the NMSP to
maintain its arms but opinion is divided on whether to join the National
Convention or to walk out.
NMSP’s Military Commission member, Colonel Nai Kaorot spoke to Kaowao that the NMSP would take the public concerns
seriously and reiterated its position for self-determination. However, they will continue to observe its cease-fire policy and solve
the political crisis through a dialogue. “We have no option but to continue on
with the peace process and hope for a positive outcome for our aspirations as
an independent people,” he added.
The NMSP is one of the strongest ethnic ceasefire groups and occasionally
speaks out in support of an open dialogue with the military regime. It
also supports the UN Security Council decision to include
Established by late President Nai Shwe Kyin in 1958, the NMSP
is the only major political party with a military wing, the Mon National
Liberation Army, which has fought against the regime for almost five
decades. It reached a cease-fire deal with the ruling Burmese junta in
1995.
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HTM: the silent killers in lower Burma
Reported by Gong Ong and Lita Davidson
World AIDS Day,
In observance of the 19th commemoration of World AIDS Day today
activists around the world are working at the local level to build a
comprehensive approach in fighting AIDS. But a region in
Senior leaders of
According to the World Health Organization and as demonstrated by
Africa, to make any progress in such programs health workers need to work from
the ground up with the local communities and its procedures and operations need
to be transparent. To combat malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS effectively,
community leaders who understand community concerns need to recruit the local
people, for example, mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters, who would play a
vital role in treatment and prevention. Encouraging ownership in implementing
prevention, educational awareness, and treatment programs are measures that are
the most effective and positive way to ensure a sustainable success in fighting
infectious diseases, especially in remote areas that need to be tackled at all
levels. This is being done worldwide to produce practical methods at the
local level in treating the three killer pandemics.
But the majority of Burma ’s population in both the rural and
urban areas are poorly informed about AIDS and lack any capacity building
programs or a community health network which are critical to strengthen the
‘collective response’ in prevention and intervention.
The population of Monland in lower
After two years no progress has been seen and many believe its
getting worse. Locals say the situation may be out of control, but it is difficult
to monitor and there is no access for people to get treatment, no accurate
statistics are being kept which are critical for monitoring, with many
suffering alone and afraid of speaking up due to social stigma. Some have died
in the villages due to financial problems without ever having been to a clinic.
Besides Northern Ye, there are other big communities in
“It is not easy to get the right figures and education on AIDS is
rarely given out in the community even though they have experience of death
from this disease. Thousands of local people, most of them are women,
could be HIV positive through their spouse who work in the neighbouring
countries as migrant workers”, said Soe Mon, a local
medic from Durae.
A young widow women who was struggling to survive, who had never
been outside of her village, died of AIDS in March this year. Her husband
who worked in
“It is very unfortunate that an innocent woman died without
knowing about this problem. The local community now
realize that AIDS is a deadly disease and are becoming more concerned,
but it is only a gossip among the community and there is no education on how to
prevent and treat it,” Soe added.
These communities need immediate access through empowerment and
design intervention that considers the needs of a migrant worker community.
Northern Ye Township of Mon State captures the magnitude of the
problem. A medic from Kawdut said many
people contracted HIV from their husbands who worked in
Many villages have benefited from migrant laborers, where they
send money back home to boast the local economy. However, some have died from
AIDS and most likely have spread the disease to their spouses.
There is no official statistics on this problem and some activist
estimated, northern Ye township and Thanbyu Zayat is the most HIV infected area in the region because
many people in these areas work as migrant labourers, a high risk population
that moves around a lot and visits brothel houses for pleasure.
The
Sumit Punnakari, who heads Humanitarian Assistance and
Reconciliation Project (HARP) in
Large migrant communities have no services and are often
discriminated against and, arrive from
"There is a lot more to do for pubic education on AIDS. There
should be grass-roots campaigns to achieve better results,” said a Mon Unity
league representative based in
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Ivanhoe Mines in the process of divesting from Burma
News report by Canadian Friends of Burma
(
It is a confirmation of a major institutional investor on the
position of Ivanhoe Mines that hinted in its press release dated
Ivanhoe initially announced its intention to sell off 50% of its
joint-ventured assets in
Meanwhile, public pressure is rapidly mounting on CPPIB to divest
almost 3 million shares it holds with Ivanhoe Mines in the market value of CAD
$32 million. Activists from Canadian Friends of Burma and Friends of the Earth
challenged unethical investment of public pension fund contributed by 16
million working Canadians in the evening consultation. A report on CPP
investment in
Ivanhoe invested USD $150 million in mid-1990 and an additional
USD $390 million was planned to invest in the expansion of Letpadaung
project, located six miles southeast of the existing Ivanhoe-operated mine in
Burma.
However, operations had to shut down for one month in April this
year, citing expected decreases in production, inability to import additional
mining equipment, and an additional 8% tax imposed on copper exports from
Ivanhoe earned US $47 million from operations from
In the consultation, CPPIB senior executives also expressed their
concerns, given the nature of political risk in Burma, and informed the public
that they have met with Ivanhoe Mines executives a number of times and
exchanged dossiers, making their concerns known since early this year.
The Government of Canada discourages investment in
Recently, the new Conservative government assured
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Canadian Parliamentary Friends of
Kaowao:
The Parliamentary Friends of Burma was officially launched with 25
MPs and Senators joining to support democratic change in
Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB), formed on December 7, is
now the biggest Parliamentary friendship group in the Canadian Parliament,”
said Tin Maung Htoo,
Executive Director of the Canadian Friends of Burma (CFOB), the organization
that helped form the group.
According to the Ottawa based CFOB statement, 25 MPs and Senators
from all political parties joined PFOB and membership includes important figures
such as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the ruling party’s Caucus Chair. The
group also consists of leading political figures such as Mr. Jack Layton, the
leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), the Chair of Senate Standing
Committee on Human Rights, and the foreign affairs critic from Bloc Quebecois.
Dr. Sein Win, Prime Minister of the Burmese government in exiled
and Mr. Charles Chong, the head of Singaporean
Parliamentary Caucus on
“The launch of Parliamentary Friends of Burma (PFOB) last
week in Ottawa is a timely and important initiative in the cause of restoring
democracy and the rule of law to 50 million nationals of what should be a peaceful, important
and prosperous member of the international community,” said Hon. David Kilgour, former Secretary of State (Asia-Pacific) and a
member of Advisory Council of the Canadian Friends of Burma. He chaired the
official launch of PFOB on Dec. 7.
Successive Canadian MPs have supported Burmese Democratic Movement
since a nation-wide Democratic Movement broke out in
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Identity, Conflict and National Reconciliation in
By Nehginpao Kipgen
Identity
In sociology and political science,
the notion of social identity is individuals' identifying themselves as members
of a particular group - such as nation, social class, subculture, ethnicity,
and so forth. It is in this context that sociologists and historians speak of a
national identity of a particular country. The Union of Burma is comprised of
more than 100 different ethnic groups and sub-groups, making her one of the
most ethnically diverse countries in Southeast Asia. According to the State
Peace and Development Council, Burma’s military government, ministry of foreign
affairs website (www.mofa.gov.mm),
there are 135 “ethnic races” in Burma.
Although there has been no reliable
census under the present military regime, the country’s population is estimated
to be over 50 million; ministry of foreign affairs puts estimated population at
52.4 million as of July 2003. According to CIA – The World Factbook as updated
on the 30th November 2006, ethnic groups of Burma is categorized in
percent as: Burman 68%, Shan
9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon
2%, other 5%. The same source provides religious composition as Buddhist 89%,
Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%.
Burmese, spoken by ethnic Burmans, is the lingua-franca while minority ethnic
groups also have their own languages and dialects.
The Union of Burma is made up of 7 states and 7 administrative
divisions. The ongoing National Convention, which first convened in January
1993 and supposedly drafting a constitution, plans to change these divisions
into “regions” in a hopeful “disciplined democratic
Although the 1947 constitution did not make any specific mention
of federalism, its purpose was to establish a federal government in which the
individual states would have self governing responsibilities. However, on the
contrary, the country, in post independence, has never been even quasi-federal.
It should be noted here that prior to independence, the British ruled
At the United Nations,
Nature of Conflict
The conflict in
For example, in the mid 1940s, the Chins, the Karens
and the
Although
There have been a number of cycles in the history of modern
National Reconciliation
Since the 8888 uprising and the subsequent events, there has been
a considerable shift in the philosophies of revolutionary groups. Almost all
armed ethnic groups have been pushing for the restoration of democracy and the
establishment of a federal society. Whatever the causes are, one thing is clear
that the stalemate between the Burman government and ethnic insurgent groups
will continue to persist if the government ignores the doctrines of equality,
liberty and fraternity at the national level. Solutions to the ongoing
political imbroglio in
In resolving any conflict involving two opposite groups, the
intervention of a third party is one most viable solution. Noticing the
different levels of interventions such as diplomatic intervention, economic
sanctions, and military intervention, political strategists need to explore
which does best work for
The successful placement of
Ibrahim Gambari said
the good offices process of the UN Secretary General toward
To bring a long lasting solution to the decades' old conflicts in
(Nehginpao Kipgen
is the General Secretary of US based Kuki
International Forum and a researcher on the rise of political conflicts in
modern
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Environment
Climate Change vs Mother Nature
By Geneviève
Roberts, The Independent:
Bears have stopped hibernating in the mountains of northern
In a December in which bumblebees, butterflies and even swallows
have been on the wing in
Bears are supposed to slumber throughout the winter, slowing their
body rhythms to a minimum and drawing on stored resources, because frozen
weather makes food too scarce to find. The barely breathing creatures can lose
up to 40 per cent of their body weight before warmer springtime weather rouses
them back to life.
But many of the 130 bears in
The change is affecting female bears with young cubs, which now
find there are enough nuts, acorns, chestnuts and berries on thebleak mountainsides to make winter food-gathering
sorties "energetically worthwhile", scientists at the foundation,
based in Santander, the Cantabrian
capital, told El Pais newspaper.
"If the winter is mild, the female bears find it is
energetically worthwhile to make the effort to stay awake and hunt for
food," said Guillermo Palomero, the FOP's president and the co-ordinator
of a national plan for bear conservation. This changed behaviour,
he said, was probably a result of milder winters. "The high Cantabrian peaks freeze all winter, but our teams of
observers have been able to follow the perfect outlines of tracks from a group
of bears," he said.
The FOP is financed by
"Mother bears with cubs make the effort to seek out nuts and
berries if these have been plentiful, and snow is scarce," Mr Palomero said, adding that
even for those bears - mostly mature males - who do close down for the winter,
"their hibernation period gets shorter every year".
The behaviour change suggests that
global warming is responsible for this revolution in ursine behaviour,
says Juan Carlos García Cordón,
a professor of geography at
"Meteorological data in the high mountains is scarce, but it
seems that the warming is more noticeable in the valleys where cold air
accumulates," Dr García Cordón
said. "There is a decline in snowfall, and in the time snow remains on the
ground, which makes access to food easier. As autumn comes later, and spring
comes earlier, bears have an extra month to forage for food.
"We cannot prove that non-hibernation is caused by global
warming, but everything points in that direction."
Spanish meteorologists predict that this year is likely to be the
warmest year on record in
Mark Wright, the science adviser to the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) in the UK, said that bears giving up hibernation was "what we would
expect" with climate change.
"It does not in itself prove global warming, but it is
certainly consistent with predictions of it," he said. "What is
particularly interesting about this is that hitherto the warming has seemed to
be happening fastest at the poles and at high latitudes, and now we're getting
examples of it happening further south, and heading towards the equator.
"I think it's an indication of what's to come. It shows
climate change is not a natural phenomenon but something that is affecting not
only on the weather, but impacting on the natural world in ways we're only now
beginning to understand."
The European brown bear, with its characteristic pelt that ranges
from dark brown through shades of grey to pale gold, has black paws and a tawny
face. It has poor vision, although it sees in colour
and at night, and if threatened rears on its hind legs to get a better view. It
can live for up to 30 years. It has acute hearing, and an especially fine sense
of smell that enables it to detect food from a long distance. It is
carnivorous, but has a multifunctional dental system with powerful canines and
grinding molars perfectly adapted to an omnivorous diet.
The animals would normally begin hibernation between October and
December, and resume activity between March and May.
The Cantabrian version of the brown
bear, a protected species, was once as endangered as the Iberian lynx or the
imperial eagle still are in
Other seasonal freaks
*The osprey found in the lochs and glens of the Scottish Highlands
in the summer months, usually migrate to west Africa to
avoid the freeze. This winter, osprey have been
spotted in
* The red admiral butterfly, below, which hibernates in winter,
has been spotted in gardens this month, as has the common darter dragonfly,
usually seen between mid-June and October, which has been seen in Cheshire,
Norfolk and Hampshire.
* The smew, a diving duck, flies west to
the
* Evergreen ivy and ox-eye daisies are still blooming and some oak
trees, which are usually bare by November, were still in leaf on Christmas Day
last year.
* The buff-tailed bumblebee is usually first seen in spring.
Worker bees die out by the first frost, while fertilised
queen bees survive underground between March and September. This December, bees
have been seen in
* Primroses and daffodils are already flowering at the National
Botanic Garden of Wales, in Carmarthenshire. 'Early Sensation' daffodils
usually flower from January until February. Horticulturalists put it down to
the warm weather.
* Scientists in the
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