Newsletter for social
justice and freedom in
Readers' front
Mon woman leader almost loses job over slow mail service
Long wait in store
for new refugees
Ethnic leader awarded Martin Luther King Prize
Rising fuel price after border tension
Murder of new abbot shocks Mon refugee community
Burma Army confiscates land, farmers pay to work it
New Year's Eve Bombs Kill 2 in
A New Year and an
old system: By Banya Hongsar
The people of Burma: By Roland Watson
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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
Regards,
Editor
Kaowao News
kaowao@hotmail.com,
www.kaowao.org
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Mon woman leader almost loses job over slow mail service
Kaowao:
Ms. Mi Sardar is back on the political stage after being
suspended from her post as head of the Mon National Education Department.
The woman leader was suspended from her post for not having sought approval
from senior members of the New Mon State Party to buy land for a Mon national
school. The land is located near Beeree camp
and cost 20 million Kyats.
However, according to the local source, Ms Sardar
had indeed sought approval in a letter she mailed to the head office, but the
letter failed to reach the office in time before her purchase of the land. When
NMSP heard she bought the land, they suspended her. But upon arrival of the
letter the incident was sorted out and Ms. Sardar was
reinstated.
Mi Sardar graduated from
She was elected as a Central Committee member in January 2006, the
first woman to be elected to the post of the NMSP.
The Mon Education under the MNEC is well established and supervises a massive
school administration system in the strong hold areas with a staff of about a
thousand teachers and a student body of over 50,000 students. The schools are
self-supported by the local Mon communities and teachers are appointed on a voluntary
basis.
The MNEC provides basic stipends to over one hundred schools in
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Long
wait in store for new refugees
Kaowao:
Sangkhalaburi -- Burmese refugees at Ban Don Yang
camp bound for resettlement in third countries are still in limbo and may have
to wait up to a year to be resettled, according to local sources.
According to Nai Thow,
about 400 refugees entered the camp and over 200 were resettled in the third
countries. Now there are over 600 refugees waiting to resettle in the third
countries. They are categorized as persons of concerned (POC) recognized
by the UNHCR and those recognized by Thai Provincial Administration Board
(PAB). Most of the 400
asylum seekers recognized by the PAB are Karen. The remaining PAB are composed of about 150 Mon, Tavoyan, and Burman who fled from forced voluntary labour and
other human rights abuses imposed by the Burmese government over the past
years. The Thai government at Ban Don Yang refugee camp relocated them
with another 4000 Karen refugees from
Nai Pagoh, a Mon refugee
with his spouse and two children have been waiting for 2 years; they were
interviewed after being promised a slot to be resettled in the
The refugees recognized by the UNHCR will be leaving for third countries,
mostly to the
Nai Chit, another UNHCR recognized refugee with his
family, said he had no idea when he would have an interview. His
previous application to
The Thai government is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees and hundreds of thousands of refugees from
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Ethnic leader awarded Martin Luther King Prize
(Kaowao:
The General Secretary of Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC), Dr. Lian Hmung Sakhong has been awarded the Martin Luther King Prize
for 2007 in
“I am extremely happy to have this award not only for myself but
also for the movement”, said Dr. Sakhong over the phone. The prize
awarding ceremony will be held in the Swedish parliament on January 15, the
birthday of Martin Luther King.
According to the Awards committee, Dr. Sakhong is the third
recipient of the Martin Luther King-Prize; the first King Prize was handed out
on
The Martin Luther King Prize was established in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. for his contribution for peace and harmony among humanity regardless of
race by the Swedish based global peace groups including the Baptist Union of
Sweden, Christian Initiative for Peace (Peace Initiative), Christian
Association for Combat to Racism, and Afro-Swedish Association in 2003.
Dr. Sakhong is General Secretary of United Nationalities League
for Democracy (UNLD), a coalition of political parties formed by the ethnic
nationalities of
Dr. Sakhong, along with the ethnic leaders, the late Dr. Chao
Tzang Yawnghwe and Harn Yawnghwe founded the National
Reconciliation Program (NRP), and initiated the drafting of the State
Constitution for a future Federal Union of Burma. Dr. Sakhong published
numerous articles on Chin history, traditions, and politics of Burma, including
his Ph.D. dissertation: Religion and Politics among the Chin People in Burma
(Uppsala University, 2000) and his book, In Search of Chin Identity: A Study in
Religion, Politics and Ethnic Identity in Burma (Copenhagen: Nordic Institute
of Asian Studies, 2003).
Mon representatives of the Forum for Ethnic Nationalities of the
Union of Burma,
“We, Mon representatives, are very proud of Dr. Sakhong and of the
great honor he has brought to the ENC and to all ethnic nationalities. We also
honor his struggle to bring peace, justice, and liberty to all of us and to
establish a genuine Federal Union of Burma,” said Nanda
Suraman of Monland
Restoration Council leader based in the
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Rising fuel price after border tension
(Kaowao:
The price of gasoline has gone up due to tension between the
Burmese and Thai authorities on the Thai Burma border town according to the
business community.
The Thai and Burmese relations soured after the Burma Army sent
bulldozer trucks to repair a road claimed by
Nai Pan Ong reported that the
relationship between the two sides has been tense after a Thai soldier shot a
Burmese villager near to Three Pagodas Pass. The victim from the
“Even though a formal border closure announcement has not been
made, the people and their goods at the gates are thoroughly checked and the
Thai in retaliation of the claimed road put a prohibition on the export of
diesel into
"It is very difficult for us to do business. Vehicle
owners have to raise their prices on all goods and merchandise is getting
expensive,” said a villager from Palaing
The business communities on the Thai-Burma border area have been
negatively affected in previous years due to unstable relations between the two
governments.
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By EDITH M. LEDERER, AP:
UNITED NATIONS -
The vote was 9-3 in favor of the resolution, with
The two argued that the U.N.'s most powerful body was not the proper forum for
discussing the Southeast Asian nation because the country doesn't threaten
international peace.
Multiple vetoes in the Security Council are rare, raising questions about unity
in the months ahead when the council will have to deal with difficult issues
including
"This resolution would have been a strong and urgently needed statement by
the Security Council about the need for change in
Still, he said, "the people of
All 15 council members "recognize that there are problems in the areas of
human rights, social issues, political freedom," he said.
The last multiple veto was in 1989 by the
"We find that attempts aimed at using the Security Council to discuss
issues outside its view are unacceptable,"
He urged the military regime to move toward "inclusive democracy" and
"speed up the process of dialogue and reform."
Though he abstained,
"
Wolff said the
He accused
The
Along with the
*********************************************************
Murder of new abbot shocks Mon refugee
community
Kaowao:
Sangkhalaburi -- Waengka Mon community on the Thai
Burma border, once known as a peaceful haven, is shocked after the murder of
its new abbot who succeeded Rev. Ajar Uttama.
The new abbot, Rev. Sandimar aged 69 was shot by a
gunman in
Authorities of the New Mon State Party later arrested Nai
Parnee (age 41), a native of Wae
Janok village of Ye, at the Three Pagodas Pass border
town on December 31 while the fugitive is believed to be on the run to Burma.
According to Nai Tun Lwin, officer of the NMSP, the fugitive said Nai Aung Nyein, Nai Win Mon, Nai Nit, Ah Bae and a monk are involved in the assassination of new
abbot Rev. Sandimar. All suspects are Waengka villagers and the native of the late Rev. Uttama,
Hong Mon of Waengka village said the whole village is
shocked about the tragic news and it is a shame for devotees still mourning the
death of Ajar Tala Uttama
who passed away in October. The villagers are now also concerned about
their security and their status living on the Thai-Burma border.
The Waengka Mon village was crowded with devotees
from
The Thai and Mon authorities are investigating Nai Parnee and searching for the prime suspects who escaped
from the village.
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Burma Army confiscates land, farmers pay to work it
Kaowao:
Ye -- The Burma Army demands money from farmers who want to work on confiscated
land once belonging to them.
According to a local farmer from Sonnathar (Jomsai) of Ye Township, Burma Army’s Light Infantry
Battalion No. 586 demands money from farmers who want to harvest rubber plants
that once belonged to them. Farmers are normally ordered to provide up to
25% of their harvest to the BA. For 2007, they are required to pay 650 Kyats
per plant and the price will go up in the coming year.
The LIB No. 586 confiscated over 300 acres of lands belonging to Thu-myaing and Sonnathar villagers of
Ye to build military battalions and for the expansion of troop deployments in
2002. According to the Burmese Army they have the right to confiscate land for
national security purposes under the national security act and the farmers as a
result are not compensated. “This land is for troop deployment now,” said one
military commander after he confiscated hundreds of acres in 2001 according to
said purpose.
However, the reasons for the confiscation not only include the building of
battalions, but also for settlement expansion of the Burman population, to push
back rebels to the border, and to keep the NMSP at bay if they wish to resume
fighting again.
According to Human Rights Foundation of Monland based
in Sangkhalaburi, Thai-Burma border, land
confiscation in
Land confiscation has a devastating impact on the lives of Mon farmers, who
suffer from economic deprivation and human rights abuses with the presence of
soldiers. Farmers must apply for permission to work on their own land in the
form of recommendation letters acquired through bribery from the village
headman. Once land is confiscated the BA removes all fruits and
vegetables for themselves and their families. At the present time, rubber latex
is being tapped en masse by the army which is fetching a good price on the market,
and now thousands of farmers without land, in addition to their hired
labourers, will face devastating consequences and their ability to survive
through the dry season, when they have little or no other income.
Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 586 led by Colonel Ngwe
Soe was infamous in the southern Ye
area for his brutality. In 2004, he executed over ten villagers suspected
of being connected to Mon rebel-supporters, with many being tortured or either
restricted in their daily movements or forcibly displaced during Burmese
military operations against Mon guerrillas led by the Hongsawatoi
Restoration Party.
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New Year's Eve Bombs Kill 2 in
By DENIS D. GRAY, AP:
The bombings late Sunday and early Monday capped a year of unrest in
Six near-simultaneous explosions Sunday night killed two people and injured 26.
Hours later, near the same shopping complex where thousands of people had
planned to count down the New Year, three blasts minutes after midnight wounded
eight people, including a foreigner who was rushed to the hospital after her
legs were blown off, the iTV television station
reported.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
National police chief Gen. Ajirawit
Suphanaphesat said he did not believe insurgents were
behind the attacks in
Bangkok Mayor Apirak Kosayothin
ordered the cancellation of the two major public New Year's Eve countdown
celebrations and other smaller ones.
"Due to several bomb explosions in
Police and soldiers fanned out across
Several embassies issued warnings on their Web sites to avoid
Bomb attacks are rare in the Thai capital. Several small bombs exploded during
the recent political turmoil but they were apparently set to create unrest
rather than cause casualties.
"No, I'm not scared. I'm from
In
"I heard a loud explosion and I thought it was fireworks. I ran there and
saw a bleeding woman at the bus stop," Somrak Manphothong, a receptionist at the Saxophone bar along a
busy traffic circle near the Victory Monument, where one of the initial six
bombs went off. "Another guy was lying on the floor, covered with blood,
and his wife was shaking his body."
At a vegetable market in the Klong Toey slum, where another bomb went off, a pool of blood and
egg yolks covered the roadside next to an overturned motorcycle.
But festivities continued in some areas of
In September, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a bloodless coup by Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin. The
military installed Surayud as the interim prime
minister until elections in October 2007.
But Thaksin still enjoys widespread support and a
number of arson attacks in provincial areas have been blamed on his followers.
"There are two potential suspects, Muslim insurgents and Thaksin's residual power. I tend to think it's residual power. I suspect the previous regime,"
said Thitinan Pongsudhirak,
a political scientist at
Bombings and shootings occur almost daily in
Muslims make up the majority in overwhelmingly Buddhist Thailand's deep south, where they have long complained of
discrimination.
The insurgents have carried out numerous attacks in the south, but are not
known to have launched any in
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A New Year and An Old System: Opinion on Burma’s Political Change
(By Banya Hongsar,
A 13-year-long
business on drafting a new constitution is an ongoing game in moving toward
democracy in
Much like army
ants on the move in relocating their nest, in 2006 the Burmese junta moved a
new capital and a new authority came into being. The National League for
Democracy, plus 17 cease-fire organizations, banned political parties, and the
exile based politicians have attempted to solve the political deadlock by all
means possible, but the senior military authority have not accepted any
democratic proposals.
The State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) have been on target in signing ceasefire agreements.
The military government persuaded the remaining armed organizations like the
Karen National Union and its arms wing, the Karen National Liberation Army to
an informal cease-fire agreement in line with the other organizations like the
New Mon State Party and the Kachin Independent Organization. On January 3, a
delegate of the 7th Brigades Commander led by Brig-Gen Htain Maung called a meeting with the delegates of the military
authority led by Col. Myat Tun
Oo. The remaining KNU leaders distanced
themselves from this meeting and a new political challenger has emerged within
the organization.
Has there been any change of
The smaller armed
organizations have agreed since 1994 to a cease-fire but the opposition party
led by National League for Democracy has been denied political or even social
activities including visiting the Shwedagon Pagoda for religious purposes. The
General Secretary Daw Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest and its
nation wide members are blocked to hold any kind of informal meetings or any
public gatherings. The leaders of the 17 plus cease-fire organizations
have not made any public statement on the arrest of students’ leaders during
the New Year.
The students and
local civilian politicians are jailed from time to time but no single leader from
the cease-fire organizations have been arrested for political activities.
Furthermore, over the past ten years, no genuine political talks or meetings of
any kind by the cease-fire leaders and civilian political leaders have taken
place in the public to discuss the political issues of the country. The people
who are supposed to lead our country into the 21st century have
grown mute, while others have taken up the challenge. Everything community
oriented to solve problems is done away from the public eye, behind closed
doors. The behaviour of the army ants is a good analogy; a new generation of
political forces are on the march.
A promising development is the nationwide ‘White Expression’
campaign for the release of political prisoners. Protestors wore white in
solidarity and gathered over 100,000 signatures with that much more in so many
days. Other peaceful solo protests are on the rise and it clearly demonstrates
that the spirit of fighting for democracy and human rights by civilians is very
much alive and shows the world that Burma’s people are clearly on the right
path and motivated to take part in changing their political system, contrary to
what Asian political analysts’ have been saying that the country is devoid of a
political will.
Over the past 18
years, after the 1988 national uprising, the non-Burman ethnic armed leaders
played an insignificant role in pressuring the SPDC for further political
change. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s famous speech comes to mind when I think
of the actions of the ethnic armed leaders: “It is not power that corrupts but fear.
Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of
power corrupts those who are subject to it.” And within a
climate of unregulation and fear, the cease-fire
groups are weakening due to its corrupt business practices and trade along the
common
In the case of the
Mon, the cease-fire agreement in 1995 took place with nothing seen on the
political horizon by the New Mon State Party. All Mon living
in the major cities that have been pushed off their land or denied jobs by the
Burman majority and especially those living in the remote areas who endure a
much greater hardship at the hands of the Burmese military all have been
waiting for decades for some substantial change to take place by their
political leaders.
The pressure by
the western countries in particular the
The 17 plus
cease-fire organizations, the remaining ethnic armed groups, the National
League for Democracy and the SPDC top leaders have to come up with an
affirmative statement to the 50 million people of Burma that a transition
government will be formed with equal representation of all stakeholders within
3 years. An equal representation in the new transitional authority will
oversee the steps for a democracy proposed by all stakeholders in 2 years after
it legally takes over the government.
For the interests
of the people,
The cease-fire
agreement tactic was a move forward to build trust among enemies but the role
of civilian participation is a far more crucial factor in introducing the
concept of democracy and human rights. The system of the government will not
change overnight but the participation of the local community in social and
political dialogue is a step in the right direction that guarantees equality
and fairness, not just for individual human rights, but also for the groups’
rights of the ethnic nationalities. This was the aspiration of the Panglong agreement signed many decades ago by the founders
of democracy in our country lead by General Aung San.
If
Let this be a
liberation century for the downtrodden. The people elected the government of
Hongsar is a
freelance writer in Mon politics and he is a member of Kaowao
Team.
****************************************************
THE PEOPLE OF
Roland Watson: January 2007
2006 was not the year for freedom in
There was positive action both inside and outside the country. However, there
is still a disproportionate focus on international assistance.
Freedom will come from – it will be won by – the people of
In every society on earth, power lies with the people. In many, it has been
delegated via democratic systems to elected leaders. In others, though, the
people have allowed their power to be expropriated by individuals or small
groups and then turned against them. The public still has the power, but it has
been deceived to believe that it does not.
If you are the subject of a dictatorship, freedom is first and foremost your
responsibility. Then, when it is won, the credit is yours. You are not in a
position where you have to accept that you have been saved; where you have to
concede that you couldn't do it on your own and that you needed someone more
able and more powerful to intervene. You are therefore also not in a position
where you have residual doubt and insecurity, and obligations, as you confront
the next big step, that of fashioning a workable democratic system.
As this suggests,
The question, then, is what will it take to get the people of the country
moving, so that they demand their freedom and do not relent until it is
achieved? Said another way, why aren't they making this demand right now?
Many theories have been proposed, including inadequate leadership, and also a
messiah complex. But this raises the question, how can any leader live up to
the role of messiah?
Another explanation is that the conditions in
In the cities and towns in
For example, the signature/White Expression campaign and now the Open Heart
initiative are fantastic projects, but in a way they also illustrate my point.
You sign petitions and write letters when you are unhappy. You fight back – you
launch a revolution – when your conditions are unbearable. These campaigns are
a good start, but they are not revolutionary acts. The question is, when, and
how, will the new Burmese popular revolution begin?
(The huge number of migrant workers from the country, many of whom send money
home, also relieves pressure.)
All of this reflects a careful strategy on the part of Than Shwe, and Ne Win
before him. Moreover, it is a continuation of the nine hundred year old policy
of the Burmese kings. Slaughter the ethnic groups, the Karen and the Karenni
and the Shan now, and the Mon and the Arakan before them, but for your own
people, oppress them, even brutalize them, but don't quite push them over the
edge into open revolt. However, if some of your own people do object, then imprison, torture and kill them as well.
Some people romanticize the kings of
When the Burmese kings raised an army they would forcibly recruit soldiers,
just as the SPDC does now. And they would keep the soldiers' wives hostage, and
then kill them if the soldiers deserted.
The psychologist Carl Jung explored the idea of a culture's collective
unconscious. This is composed of the beliefs and traditions that are so
ingrained that they go unrecognized. In recent years people subject to
political dictatorship in many countries around the world have revolted and won
their freedom. My theory is that the people of
I of course could be wrong, but if I am what's the alternative?
Than Shwe and his gang also benefit from the financial,
military and diplomatic support of
It is here that the International Community can be of most use, by ending this
support.
Even with such backing, though, the people of
DICTATOR WATCH
Contact: Roland Watson, roland@dictatorwatch.org
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