Monland Update (January 2008)
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
Politics/ National Movement:
Mon National Day Committees are Formed
Since the early of January 2008, the Mon communities in Mon State especially from Moulmein, Mudon, Kyaikmayaw, Thanbyuzayat, Ye Townships held meeting and they have formed ‘Mon National Day Cerebration Committees’ in order to cerebrate Mon National Day on 22nd of February, which come to 61st Anniversary.
Similarly, Mon National Day Cerebration Committees are also formed in Pa-an Township and Kawkareik Township in Karen State by Mon communities. In Pegu, the Mon National Day Cerebrating Committee was formed and the committee plans to show Mon descents in Pegu to know how the civilization of Mon people in the past and how the Pegu (Hongsawatoi) has been prosperous in the past. (Source: MUL Information Sheet)
Due to the restriction by Thai authorities against the Mon migrant workers in Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon Provinces, the Mon mirgrant workers are unable to form Mon National Day ceremony like previous years. In previous years, from 2003 to 2007, the migrant workers communities in Mahachai area of Samut Sakhon Province, the Mon National Day Cerebrating Committees formed with migrant workers cerebrated MND in Siri Muang Khon Mon monastery and thousands of Mon people attended to ceremony. Regarding to restriction of MND in Mon migrant communities, Thai Mon communities in Bangkok and sourronding areas have also complained against Thai authorities.
While the Mon migrant workers are unable to hold MND as usual, Thai-Mon communities in Bangkok, Samut Prakan area and Lopburi Province are formed MND Cerebrating Committees and they planned to hold MND ceremony in their own areas. Some Thai Mon youths also challenged Thai authorities if they come and prohibited MND ceremony, further action will be taken. Mon Unity League (MUL) has been involving in forming MND Committees among Thai-Mon communities in Bangkok and Samut Prakan area in Thailand. (Source: MUL Information Sheet)
MND Committees are formed in overseas Mon migrant communities in Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan. These migrant communities have said that they will hold MND ceremony in their workplaces or in their cities in the appropriate days. It seems there is no restriction against MND in these countris like in Thailand. Even the companies or the workplaces are happy to encourage Mon workers to hold these important in order to recognize the idendity of Mon people.
The overseas Mon communities in United States, Canada, Europe and Australia already formed MND Cerebrating Committees and they will hold ceremony on appropriate days especially on Sunday duing February when many of them have a weekend holiday. (Source: MUL Information Sheet)
New Mon State Party (NMSP) formed Central MND Cerebration Committee and they arranged to hold MND ceremony on 22nd February in Palaing-japan village near Three Pagoda Pass town. Military parade by Mon National Libration Army (MNLA) will be involved in celebration. (Source: MUL Information Sheet)
Mon State authorities and SPDC’s Ministry of Culture changed the name of Mon Culture Museum to Culture Museum and Library by taking out the name of Mon. This former Mon Culture Museum locates in the heart of Moulmein, the capital of Mon State. Accordingly to Mon academics in Moulmein, the government has intention to delete out the word ‘Mon’ and symbol related to Mon national identity. Recently, at major points in the capital city of Mon State the highly symbolic Mon Brahminy Ducks (Golden Sheldrake) have been substituted with lacquer. (Source: Kao Wao News and HURFOM)
Economics
The Burmese military junta, from the new capital Pyinmana (Naypyidaw), has ordered seizure of unlicensed vehicles in Mon State in the 3rd week of January, said the New Mon State Party (NMSP). The regime stopped seizing unlicensed cars in the middle of last year but now it has started all over again, said the local residents. The Burmese authorities who are close to NMSP officials told party members in Mon State early this month that they will seize unlicensed vehicles after January 20, said an NMSP official. The authorities have already started seizing unlicensed vehicles in Moulmein in the 3rd week of January. Hundreds of vehicles were illegally imported to Burma via Mon State and Karen State especially in the border routes under the control of ceasefire groups. These vehicles were imported before the current regime SPDC dismissed out Intelligent Chief, Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt in late 2005. (Source: IMNA)
The Myanmar Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) has been silenced again after promising to local phone communication service to take fees for renewing satellite license. The Burmese MPT gave a verbal order to residents wanting to renew their license in the beginning of this year. They have to pay 1000000 kyat for renewal each year. Last year, the residents only paid 6,000 kyat. According to residents, the verbal order said that those who do not pay 1000000 kyat have to return the equipment for satellite service although they had already bought it. If do not return they would be sentenced to three years in jail. The MPT also put a deadline for the payment or to return the satellite dish to MPT by this month. However, there is still no confirmation or official order about it. (Soure: IMNA)
Farmers in Mon State could have produced a lower yield of paddy if compared to last year due to heavy rain during blooming time in southern Burma Mon Sate. The yield of paddy in Mon State started decreasing from last year. This year is even worse said the local farmers in Mon State. A farmer from Mudon Township said “this year I got paddy lower than last year because of the heavy rain. The farm in around the Winphoanon dam project in Mudon Township got low paddy yield because of the distribution of water and heavy rain. In the previous years the farmers who have about 10 acres of land can produce nearly 500 baskets. But last year, a farmer from Mudon Township who belong about 20 acres of lands produced about 450 baskets of paddy. This year she got only 150baskets from 20 acres, she said. Farmers are facing difficulty because of the low priceof paddy and increase of essential commodity prices. Recently Township PDC authorities said they will take one basket of paddy from the farmers per acre or 1500 kyat per acre. Last year TPDC had taken about 30,000 to 60,000 baskets from each township forcibly without payment. (Soure: IMNA)
Education
The number of Burmese monks sitting for examinations has dropped significantly despite the military junta giving them a longer time to apply, said abbots in the country. About one third of the monks did not apply to sit for the examination in Mandalay, Rangoon and Pegu Divisions and Moulmein, the capital of Mon State. Every year, the monks have to apply for the examination from October and the deadline is in November. The exams begin in March. However, the government set the deadline adding two months more this year. The exams will begin the same month as it did last year. Most of the monks in the cities such as Rangoon, Mandalay, Pegu, as well as Moulmein have gone back their hometown when the junta cracked down on last year's anti-regime demonstrations in September and October. According to abbots a majority of monks broke their Buddhist lent when they were ordered to go back to their home towns. (Soure: IMNA)
Only a handful of migrant students are able to attend their classes due to the Thai crack down on migrant workers, according to local sources in Maharchai of Samut Sakhon Province of Thailand which is close to Bangkok. The arrest on migrant workers with or without proper documentation continues with many youths fearful of being arbitrarily picked up by the Thai security. Oftentimes, Thai security resorts to illegal acts and forces bribes on migrants by taking their cards from them. This type of behavior is typical of Thai police who work in migrant areas. Several thousand Mon live in Maharchai working to support themselves and their families back home in Burma. The majority have had very little education due to the increasingly dire situation in Burma with Burmese government troops forcing people off their land or into forced labour for the building of infrastructure and military battalions. (Soure: Kao Wao News)
Health
Patients without referrals from doctors at private clinics are denied treatment at the public hospital in Moulmein (the capital of Mon State). Mi Soe, a woman from Thanbyuzayat township, sent her son to a public hospital in Mawlamyine. When she arrived, nurses told her that if she did not have a signed patient registration from doctors her son would not be treated or allowed to stay. Mi Soe and her son were then sent to the Yadanar Mon private clinic so that they could get a doctor’s signature. The doctor gave them his signature as soon as her son arrived at the clinic because he knew he could not handle the boy’s illness, Mi Soe said. “He was worried my son would die at his clinic. So he just signed the registration,” she added. Mi Soe’s son died in a public hospital soon after. Most private clinics in Mawlamyine do not want patients who seem likely to die because they worry their reputations will be sullied. The reputation of private clinics is very important, because each prospective patient who chooses a different clinic represents lost profits. Dangerously ill patients, the very people who most need the advanced care offered by private clinics, are sent to public hospitals where care is of poorer quality. (Soure: HURFOM)
Human Rights
Forced Labour: The Southeast Military Command based in Moulmein (Mawlamyine, the capital of Mon State) has ordered local residents in Mon State to build a fence along the Moulmein – Ye Township highway motor road in order to protect from the rebels’ attacks. According to the villager from Mudon Township , they (local authorities) are in a hurry to build the fence along the highway with bricks and barbed wire. Plantation owners and residents who live along the highway are also forced to build fence even in front of the lands or plantation, but the local authorities are not allowing bamboo fencing. Some owners have to spend 0.1 million Kyat and some 0.3 million Kyat. That's why they are not willing to fence the highway. The authorities want them to make the fence with bricks if the owners have enough money, but those without funds have to build with barbed wire. (Source: IMNA)
Taxation/ Extortion: The Burmese Army in Mon State is forcing farmers to hand paddy for soldiers when farmers carry paddy from the farm to their homes. The farmers have been taking their paddy from the farms after harvesting from the end of December. The soldiers in Mudon Township put up checkpoints on the main roads and checked the farmers who carry their paddy to see whether they gave paddy to the army. If the farmers do not give them, they do not allow the farmers to go past the checkpoint and take paddy home. Most farmers give paddy to the army because the farmers want to carry the rest of the paddy home as they have invested and worked in the farm for over four months. (Source: HURFOM)
Forced Cultivation: The Burmese military regime is forcing farmers to grow rice this summer while withholding necessary water supplies from the government controlled dam, alleged farmers in Mon State. The regime attempts to increase summer agricultural production throughout the country every year by forcing farmers to plant during the hot season. But, every year, it refuses to supply the necessary inputs such as water, fertilizers and pesticides that make cultivation during the hot season possible. (Source: HURFOM)
Migrant Workers
Burmese migrant workers were robbed by a group at Surat Thani Province, Tha Chana District, on 15th January night. Eight people, including two young Mons looted the property of Mon migrant workers. The police arrested two Mons but the rest of the robbers are still disappeared at large. A group of burglars destroyed seven huts. They robbed money and a mobile phone. The robbery took place when the migrant workers were scraping the rubber plantation. A Mon migrant woman living beside the destroyed hut said that they have been facing such robbery often. The robbers damaged and robbed their property 14 times during 2007. The robbers do not get much money because the migrants do not leave the money in their huts. A Mon youth working for four years said he had seen such things happening many times since he started working there. (Source: IMNA)
Two Mon migrant workers were attacked by a Thai gang and one was stabbed in his abdomen by a Thai man in Mahachai Township. The victim, Mehm Chit (23) was sent and treated at Mahachai hospital, Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand. Mehm Chit and his brother were attacked by two Thai men near a shrimp factory when they went out for dinner at about 9 p. m. last Friday. His brother was drunk and was not injured. Mehm Chit and his brother were walking for dinner when the Thai men pointed a knife at his abdomen and asked for his wallet. He was stabbed after he refused to give the wallet. The Thai men took his wallet after he was stabbed. Burmese migrant workers are often attacked by Thai gangs for money. Although it happens frequently the authorities in the region have not tried to curb the menace involving Thai gangs so they continue to rob migrant workers said Burmese workers. (Source: IMNA)
In January 2008, thousands of migrant workers have moved into Thailand and they have to pay a lot of taxes to various armed groups along Three Pagoda Pass – Thanbyuzayat Motor road and pay Thai currency, Baht, to SPDC’s border security authorities. Each migrant worker also has to pay about 700 Baht to the authorities in order to get permission to cross the border. On the other hand, the migrant workers who were deported back to Three Pagoda Pass always have to authorities in order to take temporary shelters in Thailand. (Soure: Kao Wao News and MUL Information Sheet.)