Monland Update (May 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

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Politics/ National Movement:
Watch on SPDC’s Referendum

Despite the ruling regime declared that they won in  the Referendum with 92. 42% with 99. 07% of voters cast their votes in Referendum, but it is very impossible in Mon State. 

The Mon State Peace and Development Council also said 93 percent of voters in Mon State supported the draft constitution according to a Mon ethnic activist who went to check in the office.  In Mon State, he thought that only about 50 percent went to the polling station. People were busy with their daily work in the farms, rubber plantations, or migrating to neighboring countries and did not go to the polling stations, said a Mon ethnic leader. About 500,000 people working as illegal migrants in neighboring countries such as Thailand and Malaysia could not vote.  (Source: IMNA)

However, the Referendum Commission and USDA members collected all the names of migrant workers and their ID number and the staff of poll stations wrote these people’s names and put their ID card number and ticked Yes vote.  Many young Mon people, at least one in each family, are working in Thailand and Referendum commission cast Yes vote for all of them. (Source: MUL Information Sheet)

At the same time, the local authorities and the Burmese soldiers in the local areas have threatened the local villagers to cast yes votes.  If they did not cast Yes vote, they can be imprisoned.  As an instance, Khaw-zar Sub-Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) members are exhorting people to vote "Yes", for those voting "No" would be sentenced to jail.   Recently the Khaw-zar TPDC held a meeting with village headmen from the surrounding and pressured the headmen to keep a close watch on those who vote "No". The commander of local military battalion IB No. 31 also ordered to the village headmen that he did not want to see anyone casting No vote.  (Source: IMNA)

The Burmese ethnic ceasefire group the New Mon State Party (NMSP) will not recognize the government's constitutional referendum which was neither free nor fair, said the NMSP a day after the junta held the referendum.   The government will approve the constitution for sure. If they had not been certain of getting supporting votes they would not have announced holding of elections in 2010, said Nai Ong Mange a spokesperson of NMSP.

Before and during the referendum, the government launched a one sided propaganda appealing to people to support the constitution by broadcasting propaganda songs on TV and radio, placing newspaper advertisements and put up signboards on the high way, said Nai Ong Mange. The government also had propaganda songs sung and distributed pamphlets at the polling stations, he said.     (Source: IMNA)

Disaster: Cyclone Nargis and Problems in Burma

The Cyclone Nargis from Indian Ocean with winding rate of 190 – 200 miles per hour has hit southwestern part of Burma including Irrawaddy Division (Ayeyawady Division by SPDC term), Rangoon Division (Yangon Divison), Pagu Division (Pago Division), Mon State and Karen State.  Among these regions, the cyclone a serious death, missing of the local population and destroyed thousands of huts, houses, schools, hospitals and clinics, monasteries and others.   The death tolls have increased up to 120, 000 people accordingly to UN Agencies.  Relief efforts have been delayed because the Burma military regime does not allowed visa to UN staff and INGOs staff, who tried to get involved into the country.  

The SPDC just accepted the foreign aids in Rangoon (Yangon) airport and did not allow the aid workers to get access into the area.  Due of lack of responsibility to cyclone victims, the International Community has frustrated to the regime and UN General Secretary, Ban Ki Moon, paid a visit to Burma and pressured Burma’s military leaders to allow international aids freely including aid workers.  (Source: MUL Information Sheet)

The news agencies from the Mon community have closely followed the situation and IMNA has reported as below:

The Mon community is quite unhappy on the regime’s responses to the refugees and displaced victims of Cyclone.  The Mon organizations outside of Burma has declared about the impact of Nargis, SPDC’s response to aid agencies, and request International Community to act seriously toward the military regime.  (See the Statement of Mon Community and Formation of Cyclone Nargis Relief Program in MUL Activities)

Economics

Rice prices have risen 25% in Three Pagoda Pass on the Thai-Burma border in 2nd week of May.
Two weeks ago, a 60 kilogram bag cost 820 baht. Today, the price is 1030 baht.   While much of South East Asia is facing a rice shortage, unseasonably early rains have made the roads along which new supplies of rice must travel to Three Pagoda Pass impassable. The early rains caught some traders by surprise, and they have not had sufficient stocks to handle the supply disruption.   The rice shortage has been worsened by the fact that over 300 bags of rice a day has been crossing the border into Thailand, reports a source in Three Pagoda Pass. Officially, the border crossing has been closed for more than a year. Last week, however, Township authorities held a meeting with rice traders to announce a ban on rice sales to Thai agents.   Non-commercial buyers of rice are also facing restrictions, and sources in Three Pagoda Pass say that they must provide officials with an excuse if they wish to purchase more than three bags. Similar restrictions have been put in place elsewhere, both in South East Asia and in the United States.
 (Source: HURFOM)

Price of rice has soared by 34 per cent in Southern Burma in the 3rd week of May and the price is increasing by the day.   Before the cyclone the price of paddy was only around 500,000 Kyat for hundred baskets (Burmese measurement). Now it is 670,000 Kyat. Kaughkyi rice (30 Kgs) was 7,000 Kyat in the previous month and now it is 13,000 Kyat in the capital of Mon state in Moulmein.   Mi Ma Lay, a daily worker complained that "the price of rice has jumped and our family is facing a lot of difficulty. If the price keeps increasing, we will not be able to buy it and will starve," she added.    According to a daily worker in Moulmein, they earn 2,000 to 3,000 Kyat per day and they need to spend at least 4,000 to 5,000 Kyat for food daily. Currently people in Mon and Karen state are concerned over the rise in price of rice and essential commodities. Prices of fuel, vegetables oil, chili, onion, salt and other commodities such as fish, pork, and chicken have also gone up.    "We know during the monsoons prices usually go up. But this time it is not the same as last year and the prices are too high," a rice exporter to Thailand told the Mon media.    A farmer complained that they would have to spend more in their farms due to increased commodity prices during replanting paddy in the coming month. (Source: IMNA)

Human Rights

Killing: A retired New Mon State Party (NMSP) medical worker was beaten to death by local Burmese Army soldiers. He was being tortured and was being forced to admit to exploding bombs in a nearby polling station in Khaw-zar sub-township Mon State. Retired NMSP members fear a similar fate.    The 35 year old medic, Nai Show died on May 20 following severe injuries sustained at Khaw-zar town police station, where he was sent by Infantry Battalion (IB) No.31 army officers. He was accused of causing explosions in Yindein polling station on May 10 and of distributing fliers advocating people to "vote against the draft constitution".   He was arrested with two other villagers and the army seized some fliers and a video CD of the "monk led demonstration in September 2007 (Damma Kun Are)" from his home.   According to family members he admitted, while being tortured to distributing the fliers but denied exploding the bombs.    According to family sources, the man was subjected to electric shocks, severe beating and food deprivation.  He was kept at the battalion base during interrogations by army officers with two other villagers, former village headman Nai Owen Ngwe and Nai Jaw Tun.    (Source: IMNA)

Arbitrary arrests: Seven residents of Mudon Township, Mon State were arrested by the police while the Burmese military junta was holding the referendum on Saturday.     Seven people hurled stones  at a car carrying junta officials when it was going around Mudon Township, Mon State telling people to vote "Yes", said Nai Htwe, a Mudon resident.    Nai Htwe said that "People hated the sight of the authorities in the car; therefore they throw stones. Now they are under detention.   The Burmese junta held the referendum on Saturday despite people's misery following Cyclone Nargis lashing Rangoon and Irrawaddy delta.   Another Mudon resident said when she went to vote she didn't see the "No" booth. So she had to vote "Yes". (Source: IMNA)

Forced labour: Villagers in Thanbyuzayat Township, Mon State, are being forced to guard a section of the Kal Bauk to Myine Kalay gas pipeline in response to rumors that ethnic rebels will bomb the pipeline during a national referendum, scheduled for May 10th.    Recent rains have destroyed fences and removed soil, exposing previously protected sections of the pipeline. Burmese Army Infantry Battalion No. 6 has ordered shifts of three villagers to guard sections of the pipeline, day and night. The civilian guards are not paid, must provide their own food and water and have also been ordered to repair fences along the pipeline.   This is not the first time villagers have been ordered to guard for the pipeline; the practice is common throughout Mon State, and it has only been six months since villagers in the area have had to act as an unpaid security force. Villagers must assume full responsibility for the safety, and have good reason to fear reprisals if the pipeline is successfully attacked under their watch – in Kwan Hlar village, Mudon Township in 2006, a village headman was arrested and tortured after a nearby pipeline was attacked. (Source: HURFOM)

Refugees

With camp authorities in Ban Don Yang, on the Thai-Burma border announcing a cut in rations for next month more and more desperate refugee camp inmates who are attempting to find work outside.   Many refugees grow paddy on the mountainside for food. Some look for vegetables or bamboo shoots while others hunt for wild animals in the jungle to earn money, worried as they are about an imminent food crisis in the camp, said a Mon refugee in the camp.    With many of them working in the jungle, 60 refugees were afflicted by malaria, a type of virus PF last month. This is the first time malaria has been detected in the camp, he said.   Recently, the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) has made an urgent request for USD 6.8 million as aid to the Burmese refugees.   The camp will provide full ration for this month.    The camp recently provided one basket for adults and half a basket of rice for children under five years old.   Many are worried about the impending food crisis in the wake of the cut in rations next month. Not many know how much of the rations will be slashed.   There are 15 kilograms of rice in one basket. One basket is made up of 64 cans.   "We will not have enough rice if they cut off rations. We have to work outside the camp. If not, we will starve," said the refugee.   Many refugees are worried because many NGOs are focused on cyclone victims now and they will be neglected. (Source: HURFOM)

Migrant Workers

The Pattaya (in Thailand) court has ordered an employer to make full payment to Burmese construction workers. The workers had complained to the court that the employer at the construction site had not paid the payment 300, 000 Baht for their work contribution.    The court has told the Thai employer to make all payments by June 1.    16 Burmese migrant workers constructed two buildings in Pattaya city Chonburi province last year but did not get their full wages. The wages for construction workers totaled 500,000 Baht but the owner paid 200,000 after they finished the construction.    A Mon migrant worker, Nai Wai Aung, head of the construction workers said they asked for the money repeatedly. However the Thai employer told them that they would not pay the rest of the money.    In October 2007, Nai Wai Aung moved the court in Pattaya city. (Source: IMNA)

Burmese migrant workers in Ranong and Phang Nga Provinces are becoming jobless because the Thai fishing industry in the area wants to stop fishing for three months.   Thai fishing boats are returning to port and Thai businessmen in the fishery sector have told workers that they can't afford rising fuel prices, less fish being netted and are afraid of natural disasters.   An experienced fishing worker from Burma quoted his boss and told IMNA, that about 80 per cent of the fishing boats in Phang Nga and Ranong Provinces had stopped fishing and they plan to cease fishing for three months.   But some small boats which have names like Werlart are still going out fishing but are getting few fish.   (Source: IMNA)

Despite heightened security at check posts and arbitrary arrests, Burmese migrants are flocking to the Thai borders of Three Pagoda Pass (TPP) and Mae Sot to enter Thailand for jobs, said residents on the borders.    About a 1000 migrants are stranded en route to the TPP border 3rd week of May. They are waiting to enter Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, said Nai Tee, a local trafficker.   More and more migrants are entering through the TPP border recently compared to last month, said a Thai intelligence officer. About 30 migrants are arrested every day, he said.   Last month over 54 Burmese migrants who entered Ranong were found dead from asphyxiation in a 10 - wheeled container truck when its refrigeration system failed. They had entered Thailand with the help of touts looking for work.    At lease 10 boats with about 30 people in each operate on the TPP route border every day, said the man in-charge of the check points for boats. (Source: IMNA)