Monland Update (August 2007)

Monland Update is a monthly publication of Mon Unity League (MUL) for a historical records of Monland and the activities of MUL in Thailand and Thai-Burma border for the rights of self-determination to Mon people

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Politics

The Mon organizations in overseas and in Thailand has asked for the restoration of democracy, human rights and racial equality in Burma in the memorial day of 8-8-88 prodemocracy uprising.  (Source: MUL Information Sheet, August 28, 2007)  The Statement expressed and demanded as below:

We cannot solely rely on a particular party to bring human rights and democracy in Burma.  All citizens of Burma must be involved in the democratic movements to help bring a change in the country.  To strengthen our democratic movement, we must support the new generations of democratic forces as well as the 8-8-88 generation who has never given up the fight for democracy and human rights in Burma.  

Despite the New Mon State Party agreed for ceasefire with military government, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the party leaders and Mon armed force, Mon National Libration Army (MNLA) held a 60th Anniversity of Mon Revoluntionary on August 28, 2007.  The ceremony was  rememberance of Mon people’s armed resistance against Burman dominated central government for the right to self-determiniation for the Mon people sixty years ago. In an official Statement, NMSP said it is now facing more difficulty in maintaining the ceasefire with the Burmese junta compared to the past. However, NMSP will keep struggling until Burma has a federal government system, which guarantees the rights of ethnic people. (Source: MUL Information Sheet, August 28, 2007 and Independent Mon News Agency). 

Till last year, only NMSP and a few Mons from overseas organization celebrated the Mon Revolutionary Day anniversary.  But this year Overseas Mon Cooperation Committee (OMCC) has formed the 60th anniversary of Mon Revolution Day Committee (MRDC) aiming to encourage all Mon people to involve themselves in MRD. MRDC was joined by most Mon overseas organizations including those in Thailand, Australia, Europe, Canada and USA.   (Source: IMNA). 

About 40 activists staged a protest against the missive fuel price hike in Burma (Myanmar) in Pegu, 75 kilometers northeast of Yangon.    After the 88 uprising, the local town residents saw the biggest protests in Pegu. Many people are wondering whether to support the protesters, said the local residents in Pegu who lent support.  (Source: IMNA). 
In second week of August, Federal Constitution Drafting and Coordinating Committee (FCDCC) of Burma, a facilitation group, which is formed by ethnic nationalities from 7 ethnic states of Burma held a consultation with Mon political organizations and other Mon civil society on the formation of future federal union of Burma.  Facilitation committee said that although they have approached Burman leaders from various pro-democracy organizations to form ‘Burman State Constitution Drafting Committee’ but the Burman leaders could not organize each other and so that they formed ‘Study Group’ for some years.  But according to the Committee, there was no development from Study Group and therefore, the Committee did not invite them in the previous ‘Constitution Seminar’ held in Chiang Mai.  (Source: MUL Information Sheet, August 12, 2007)

Economics

Thailand-Burma border in Three Pagoda Pass area, opposite of Thailand’s Kanchanaburi Province, which has been under clousur situation for 5 months was re-opened for one day by allowing some trucks to carry tin from Three Pagoda Pass, said a local trader.  Although Burmese government authorities in the area wished to open the border point permanently, but they were ordered to close down the border again after order came Ne-pyi-daw, the new capital of Burma. (Source: Consultation with a Mon businessman and IMNA). 

The sudden hike in prices of fuel by 500% in 3rd week of August by the Burmese military regime, SPDC, in the country has created a strange conflict of interest among the authorities and army officers in Mon State. Burmese Army officers of the Southeast Command knew the prior information of hike in oil price and tried to stock up on fuel which they collected energy department for use in the barracks. But instead of using the fuel in the barrack they used to sell it to the people, said a source close to the army.  Some traders those gave advance payment to buy fuel from The Southeast Command were refused to give fuel and paid.  Southeast Command and the local authorities from various departments which stocked fuel sold out as high price to the vehicle owners and other people who needed for fuel to run their businesses.   (Source: IMNA)

Many private companies involve in supplying electricity in Mon villages in Mon State, while military government sell out gas and other types of energy in western sea of Mon State.  A private company KTO (Ko Than Oo and Brothers electric Mart) is supplying electricity twice a day from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. to about ten villages in Ye Township.  The villagers bought for electricity four months ago and they paid Kyat 110,000 Kyat (US $ 86.6) for the meter box to measure the units of used energy.  The private company charge for one unit of electricity is equal to the price of one bottle (six bottles per gallon) of diesel which is about Kyat 700 kyat (US $ 0.5).   Chaung-zone Township’s villages also similarly buy electricity from private companies which supply electricity in villages 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.   Accordingly to the local villagers, there is a high demand for electricity not only for light at home, but for some small businesses, like paddy-husking mills, water pumping machine, etc. (Soure: IMNA)

Education

The Southeast Command Commander based in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, yesterday ordered the Township Peace and Development Councils to collect funds from the people to provide financial aid to the Basic Education High Schools (BEHS).    The commander Major General Thet Naing Win had promised in July that the authorities would make about 10 lakh Kyat (US$) 783.4) available to the BEHS which succeeded well in the final examination with over 50 percent pass in March 2007. But the fund was not allocated by the Ministry of Education.  So he ordered the funds to be collected from the people and give to high school.  Mon State BEHS always succeed in a high grade in every year’s examinations that decide to get access to higher education.  The Moulmein TPDC has earmarked 300,000 Kyat for each large private hostel, 100,000- 200,000 Kyat for each medium sized hostel and 30,000 Kyat for one small hostel in which the BEHS teachers need to support accommodation for students to provide special classes, said a teacher. (Soure: IMNA)

There was some concerns of Mon teachers’ supports in Thai school in Wengka Mon village, which employed about 15 Mon teachers by the support of a local NGO, National Catholic Church for Migrants (NCCM). After providing for about 6  months teachers’ supports to Mon teachers under the Humanitarian Assistance for Reconcialiation Project (HARP) of NCCM, the HARP was abolished and teachers are in a concerned situation to get available financial supports for their service.  (Source: MUL Information Sheet).

The Burmese military regime has ordered school teachers to keep an eye on students and their movement which can make the on-going protests over the fuel and essential commodity price hike stronger.   With the protests spreading to others parts of the country the military regime held a meeting in Nay-pyi-daw and directed the Education Department to monitor students' activities.   The local Education Department officials telephoned headmasters and headmistresses from many schools and asked them to watch the students' activities closely. (Source: IMNA)

Health

International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Burma has started work on prevention of malaria among the poor and the workers who live in the jungles and plantations. They are providing free malaria diagnosis, treatment and mosquito nets in areas where malaria infection levels are high.   IOM teams are especially targeting those most at risk, living in precarious accommodations in the plantations and farms in Mudon, Kyaikmayaw, Thapyuzayart, and Moulmein (Mawlamyine) Townships in Mon state.  According to IOM Chief of Mission, dengue fever is breaking out in Mon State and malaria is at a high level.   (Source: IMNA)

Private clinics and the hospital in Mon State are full of dengue patients after outbreak has been plagued since May.   Most of the patients are under 12 years of age and the illness peaked in May and tapered off slightly when it got cooler in June. Some patients are being asked to leave the clinic without having recovered because the clinic needs to admit new patients.
 (Source: IMNA)

Human Rights

Porter Serive and Torture: Ko San Win, a poor, 37 year old, daily wage earner from Three Pagoda Pass, a town on the Thai-Burma border, was seriously beaten by a sergeant while working as a hired porter for Infantry Battalion No.18. He was beaten up because, due to exhaustion, he was finding it difficult to carry his load of supplies. The following are details about how, from July 9 to 18, he had been tortured from while working on the frontline of the LIB No. 18’s military offensive in Karen Area.   (Source: Human Rights Foundation of Monland - HURFOM)

Mistreatment: Nai Tun Naing (28) son of a top level leader from NMSP was severely beaten with a stick by Captain Hla Khaing of Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 586 after interrogating him when he arrived in Toe Thet Ywar Thit village (in southern part of Ye Township) from Ye on August 25.   Before beating up Tun Naing, the captain asked him where he was going and who his father was. After the young man was assaulted, he was treated by a private medic.   Burmese soldiers from Infantry Battalion (IB) No. 586 under Military Operation Management Comment (MOMC-19) beat up a 45-year old man from Toe Thet Ywar Thit village on guard duty after ordering him to buy alcohol.  (Source: IMNA)

Movement Restriction: The Burma Army's offensive against Mon rebel groups in southern Mon state and northern Tenasserim division is confining people to their villages.   Since April, the Military Operation Management Comment (MOMC) 19 launched military operations in the area.   Villagers in Khaw-zar Sub Township in Ye and north of Yebyu Township Tenesserin Division were barred from going out of their villages to work in the plantations and farms. This was done to effectively cut off contact between local people and Mon rebels.  (Source: HURFOM)

Land confiscation and Extortion: The Burmese Army’s LIB No. 586, which seized rubber plantations belonging to villagers in Ye township have now stopped giving contracts to tap rubber sap to former owners although they signed contact previously.  In using clever way for the fund raising in battalion, LIB No. 586 re-allowed the former owners to tap rubber sap by paying taxes to them.  LIB No.586, held a meeting with 28 local land owners and let them sign contracts in early of the year but now, they ordered to stop contracts.   The owners paid Kyat 950 for each rubber plant for extracting sap for a year, but are stopped before the end of the year. (Source: HURFOM)

Culture

Funding Mon Dance Performers: Mon traditional dance performers’ group has been involving in collecting fund from the Mon people in the whole Mon State by performance of dance and entertainment from one township to another in Mon State.  In their fund raising program, they put the performance show in closed hall in each town and some big villages in Mon State and sold tickets to audience.  (Source: Guidng Star Newspaper August 2007)

Environment/ Natural Disasters

Soil Erosion: One of the longest bridges in Burma, the Salween Bridge, in north-western Moulmein (Mawlamyine), capital of Mon State is causing erosion around the town, said an environmental activist.  He explained the post construction phase of the bridge is very big and the water stream is changing.  He showed evidence that the research and interviews with villagers in Chaung-zone Township reveal there is land erosion over many acres.  According to the villagers in the town, there are many houses of villagers around town which have been resettled in another place to check erosion due to the water flow upstream. A village called Hpa-pun, Kawkareik Township has been moved lock stock and barrel including a monastery to another place, said a monk in the town.  (Source: IMNA & Mon Youth Progressive Organization)

Flooding and Land Slides: Heavy rain on August 9 and 10 caused floods and landslide in Mon and Karen refugee camps in Three Pagoda Pass border area, destroying seven houses. Over 20 houses were submerged.  The flood also destroyed about 30 houses in Chaung-zone village beside Zami River, about 10 miles west of Three Pagoda Pass town.   Some bridges and clinic building in Halockhani Mon refugee resettlement camp were destroyed and Mon relief workers involved in relief program.  SPDC authorities and ceasefire group's officers came for rescue and provide relief to the flood affected people to Chaung- zone villagers who affected by flood.

Immigration

The new curfew laws for migrant workers imposed by the Thai government has led to about 300 labour activists protesting outside the Government house in Bangkok from  9 a.m. to noon on August 30.  Recently, the Thai government announced that migrant workers will not be allowed to use mobile phones, ride motorcycles, and cannot go out after 8 p.m.  Since then many labour organizations around Thailand have rallied against the law by sending letters to the Ministry of Labour. There has been no response from the government yet. That is why "we are taking the next step and have protested around Government house saying we reject the law," said Ko Htwe an executive member of Seafarer Union of Burma.  Many people spoke at the protest in Thai, Cambodian and Burmese, that it is not fair on migrant workers and then they walked towards the International Labour Organization office.(Source: IMNA)