MUL Role & Activities in Mon Community
(January 2008)

1.Preparation for 61st Anniversary Mon National Day

With an aim to celebrate the 61st Anniversary Mon National Day (MND) in the main area of Thai-Mon (Thai Raman) people, MUL leaders along with Thai Raman Association actively prepared for holding of MND in Thailand.  There are over 2 rounds of meeting of 61st MND Committee and they have decided for MND celebration as below:

  • Because of restriction by Thai authorities against Mon migrant workers, Thai Mon communities must have main responsibility to hold 61st Mon National Day ceremony in a location which is close to Mon migrant workers and where many Thai Mon people can join in the ceremony. 
  • Date of holding MND ceremony was decided to hold in Wat Ban Rai Charoempol Temple in Samut Sakhon Province, where thousands of Mon migrant workers are staying and working in various fishing industries.  The MND Committee expected some Mon migrant workers who are registered can come and joined in the ceremony.
  • MND ceremony will be held on 3rd February (on Sunday).  The MND Committee believes that if the MND is held on Sunday, many Thai-Mon people and Mon migrants can come because of weekend holiday. 

Note: The article on Mon National Day and the situation of Mon migrant workers are described in the article “The Culture of Tolerance”, as below, by Bangkok Post.  This article will be sent out by MUL later. 


2.Labour Rights Protection

Since October 2007, the Thai local authorities in Samut Sakhon Province have instructed to Thai police and other law enforcement authorities to conduct various restriction against Burmese migrant workers on their cultural activities and other gathering.  In Samut Sakhon Province, there are many thousands of migrant workers and about 70-80% are Mon workers those worked in fishing industries. 

Because of the registration, the Mon migrant workers the following rights and activities:

  • Many Mon migrant workers have been barred for religious and MND gathering.  The Thai police officers have been closely watching for these activities. They have been totally prohibited for any gathering.  Therefore, in this 2007, the Mon migrant workers can not hold any MND activities like previous years.
  • Some Mon migrant children who are not from registered are afraid of attending schools.  The education providing association and monasteries in Samut Prakan Province admitted that there has been reduced number of students in schools and Mon language teaching centers.  In some cases, since the parents have to send their children, many unregistered parents withdrew their children from schools or Mon language teaching classes.  It is a serious affects to education of Mon children and other migrant children from Burma.
  • Many unregistered patients from Mon migrant communities are unable to treat in public hospital because of fear of arrests by Thai police officials.  Some pregnant women even have to deliver their babies at rent rooms by traditional birth attendants. 

In this situation, MUL leaders and Thai Mon leaders have involved in campaigns against Samut Sakhon authorities’ discrimination against migrant workers.  Nai Ong (MUL PR Officer) have communicated and talked a lot to the Thai media on situation of Mon migrant workers.  Many Thai academics and labour rights groups has been involved for discussion with Thai authorities to delete all discrimination and supported for minimum labour rights to migrant workers.  But the problem was not totally solved.  MUL, Thai Mon leaders and migrant rights groups are planning to meet with Thai authorities again on February 11. 


3. Bi-Lingual Education System in Thailand

In order to facilitate ‘Bi-Lingual Education System’ in ethnic people dominated Thai Schools, MUL has been intensively helping Thai academics in developing Mon language curriculum for kindergarten and Grade I levels.  The Thai education experts has used Wengka Mon village (in Sangkhlaburi) Wat Wiweikaram School to test their project and so that they often travel to have regular training in order to develop curriculums for the kids.  Mon Teachers are also trained how to develop curriculum with local knowledge in order to upgrade the listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of these children. 

The experts instructed that when the non-Thai kids came to school, first they should meet with their teachers who speak the same language or mother tone.  By communicating with mother tones to the kids, the teachers can provide creative thinking among the kids by telling stories and questioning to think.  But they said that the curriculum is very important in order to promote critical thinking among the kids, and the stories must close to their daily life.  Then after Grade I, during Grade II, there will be bridging to move and learn second language, Thai language.  But the Mon language will still remain as subject until Grade VI. 

However, MUL founds that some Mon parents did not welcome on this ‘bi-lingual education system’, and it is a need to have awareness program among the parents.   MUL with collaboration with teachers and community leaders will have to express the parents those do not understand system, to accept the new change. 

 

Note: MUL stands for networking the Mon Civil Society Organizations in building their capacities and coordinate with them for all activities benefit to the Mon people and reach ultimate goal of restoring Monland.