KAO WAO NEWS No. 44

An electronic newsletter for social justice and freedom in Burma

May 14-29, 2003

READERS’ FRONT

MONS FLEE TO REFUGEE CAMP

ARMY ISSUES IDENTIFICATION CARDS

JUNTA DISROBES MONKS IN PEGU

MON DRAFT STATE CONSTITUTION

OVERSEAS MON REMEMBER THEIR SOVEREIGNTY

KAO WAO VIRTUAL ROUNDTABLE: DOES BURMA NEED THE U.S?

IN PURSUIT OF CORRUPTION

MONKS CONFRONT LOCAL POLICE FORCE

EARN ABROAD, SPEND AT HOME

MIGRANT WORKERS ATTACKED BY MAFIA

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READERS' FRONT

Dear Readers,

We invite comments and suggestions on improvements to Kao-Wao newsletter. With your help, we hope that Kao-Wao News will continue to grow to serve better the needs of those seeking social justice in Burma and Thailand. And we hope that it will become an important forum for discussion and debate and help readers to keep abreast of issues and news. Above all, we hope the newsletter will be used as a vehicle for those who want to share their views and experiences.  We reserve the right to edit and reject articles without prior notification. You can use a pseudonym but we encourage you to include your full name and address.

Regards,

Editor

kaowao@hotmail.com

http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1215&lo=d&sl=0

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Dear Editor,

Regarding “the Joint-statement on 246^th of the fall of Mon Kingdom”, I don't think the Mons were that early in SE Asia, check with Dr. Emmanuel Guillon’s, The Mons: A Civilization of Southeast Asia, 2500 BC is awful early. Professor Guillion points out that it is difficult to date with precision a protohistorical period for the Mons even around 1000 BC. He does however say that around 1000 BC there were a number of groups related to the Austroasiatic language family, which Mons belong to and the presence of trading networks and a record of material culture consisting of artifacts such as jewelry, Funan coins and gold trinkets. Little else is known of this early culture or cultures other than jar burials. The archaeological record gets a bit clearer for the Mons at around 200

I really believe it is important to get the correct dates, 500 AD is a reliable date to say with great confidence the presence of a Mon civilization, because there’s lots of evidence in the archeological record, especially that of stone inscriptions found in Lower Burma, Southern, Northern, Central, and Northeast Thailand, and Laos. Going back to 2500 BC is calling into question Mon credibility: it's an argument that is flawed when justifying political power in that region. It's already accepted anyway that the Mons were in the area (Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Laos) well before the Thai and Burmese, and if I may make a suggestion to the Mons: don't get too dogmatic about dates on early arrival, coz there is not enough proof yet to demonstrate you guys were there, it just gets everyone bogged down. There are no Buddhist temples dated to 2500 BC in Burma, but there is still a lot of archaeological work to be done in Lower Burma and Thailand to determine early dates and the presence of Mons.

Ms. Indiana Jones

Abbotsford, B.C

(Canada)

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Dear Editor,

As a strong supporter of the Mon people’s identity and their right to retain and promote their own language and culture, I have profound sympathy for the Mon People.

I hope and pray that they will be able to realize their aspirations before long.

Prof Bush Gulati

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Number of internally displaced persons increases

MONS FLEE TO REFUGEE CAMP

(Kao-Wao: May 20, 2003)

Burmese military offensives against armed groups in southern Mon State is causing impact on the civilian population with villagers fleeing to Halockhanee refugee camp, Karnchanaburi Province at Thai-Burma border.

According to Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC), new families with children and women have requested food from the camp committee. These families settled in the camp in April and May of this year. “In May, there are 30 refugees and in April, 67 refugees who have arrived in need of shelter. Every three or four days, groups of refugees arrive at the camp”, said Nai Kao Chan, a camp committee member.

Many people from Southern Ye have fled from their homes to avoid taxation and armed conflict between the Burmese Army and the Mon guerrillas in the war torn area. The numbers of refugees has gradually increased in the Halockhanee camp, reported the MRDC.

Nai Blai, a new arrival said they fled from his village due to ongoing violence between armed groups and the harsh living conditions. Most villagers live below the poverty line and are unable to endure further hardship related to violence. They are not free to go to the farms and get food and have no income because of restrictions imposed by the army, which affects their livelihood. Most of them fled from southern Ye Township where the Burmese army is enforcing strict conditions on villagers to hold identification cards issued by the Army, which allow them to travel to and from the farms.

“When we go to our farm, we have to hold the proper card and a confirmation letter of the village headman. If not, we have to choose between paying a fine or be tortured. We also have to pay porter fees and taxes to both the army and the Mon splinter group. The army allows us to stay on the farms between 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (in order to cut off civilians’ support to Mon guerrillas). The army orders us to stay in our houses throughout the rest of the day. Since we cannot move about or work we face difficulty in feeding ourselves. As we can no longer stay in our villages, we decide to flee”, said a recently fled refugee family who talked to the Independent Mon News Agency

The source from MRDC reported, Mon refugees received over 30% of rice supply of the total required amount of rice from humanitarian NGOs last year.

After the cease-fire agreement between the New Mon State Party and the military regime (an agreement pressured by the Thai government), Mon refugees are forcibly repatriated back into Burma from Thailand in 1996. Since Mon refugees are living on the Burma side of the border, they are unable to fully receive international assistance. However, due to grave human rights violations inside Mon state, more refugees or internally displaced persons have since arrived from southern Ye Township, to settle in three resettlement camps supervised by the MRDC.

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Mon State at war

ARMY ISSUES IDENTIFICATION CARDS

(Kao-Wao: May 19, 2003)

Civilians in the southern part of Ye Township are ordered by the local battalion to hold an identification card, which allows them to work on farms.

According to local sources, all civilians between the ages of 15 to 40 years have to apply for a special travel allowance card issued by the Burmese Army battalion, signed by the military officer and stamped with the name of their battalions. If the villagers are arrested outside of their village without holding these cards and supporting letters from village headmen, they may be fined, beaten or shot.

A Yaen-Rae villager from southern Ye said the card specifies the name and age and they must present the cards to a soldier when they go to their paddy farms or go fishing in the sea. If a villager is arrested without this paper, they will have to pay 20,000 Kyat fine to the army. If they lose the card, they also have to pay 15,000-20,000 Kyat to have a new one issued.

According to IMNA Mon news agency, fighting continues between the Burmese Army and a Mon splinter group in the southern Mon State and in the northern part of Tenasserim Division. During the military operation, the Burmese Army tries to restrict the movement of civilians to block off support to the rebels and to be able to distinguish between the civilians and the rebel insurgents. However, movement restrictions against the civilian populations impacts negatively on the villagers ability to feed themselves, reported IMNA.

The Burmese military operation is launched at the beginning of the dry season to wipe out the Mon splinter group led by Nai Hloin and Nai Bin who broke away from the New Mon State Party after the Party reached a cease-fire agreement with the military regime in 1995.

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JUNTA DISROBES MONKS IN PEGU

(Independent Mon News Agency: May 18, 2003)

A Mon monastery was locked up (restricted from the public) after the special branch police arrested 6 monks and 8 civilians.

A monk from Pegu reported last month on April 29 that a special branch and No. 3 police station of Pegu went into a Mon monastery named “Tasaik-jot-loka” in the western part of the city. The police arrested 6 monks, 8 laymen and women who stay at the temple, and disrobed the abbot of that monastery, Rev. Kesara. Others were detained without any trial.

“Accordingly to Buddhist principles, they (the police) need to ask permission from the Chairperson of the Sangha Association to disrobe a monk. Only if the monk is found guilty can they send him to the court thru the permission of the Chairperson”, said the monk.

The police force led by Zaw Min Aung disrobed the abbot of Mon monastery with an allegation of using fraud seal. They also arrested other monks Rev. Wimala, Rev. Kema, Rev. Wisaya, Wareida and Panita but did not disrobe them. 8 pilgrims who visited the city from Mon State were also arrested with the monks.

All of them are in detention without trial since then and the reason for arresting others (except the abbot) is not known. Pegu is located 50 miles from Rangoon and it is the capital of Mon kingdom until 1757.

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Mon national affairs

MON DRAFT STATE CONSTITUTION

(Kao-Wao: May 16, 2003)

Leaders of the New Mon State Party and Mon Unity League gathered for a two-day meeting from May 13-14 to draft a Mon State Constitution, held in the liberated area.

The Mon State Constitution Drafting Committee discussed mechanisms on how to fully exercise the legislative, administrative and juridical powers in a Federal Union of Burma, reported the leader of the Mon Unity League.

In the first part, the Mon State Constitution consists of the name of Mon State, the official Mon language, the political system and the flag. It also defines the structure of the parliament, the government, and civil servants, including the armed and police forces. In drafting, the Committee borrows concepts from western democratic countries, such as the formation of an independent commission, employment and labour relations, and social security.

It’s the second time Mon leaders have come together to share their views and participate in an effort to bring together important articles. The drafting committee was formed at the Mon National Affairs Seminar held in 2002, organized by the New Mon State Party, where over 80 Mon representatives attended, coming from overseas, Thailand, and from within Burma. The Drafting Committee is comprised of leaders from the New Mon State Party, the Mon Unity League and Mon politicians from inside Mon State.

“We will distribute the Constitution to all Mon people who want to participate in any further discussion on important issues which will affect their lives. We plan to hold another seminar soon,” said the NMSP representative speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ethnic nationalities and representatives of the Mon Unity League, an umbrella organization based at the Thai-Burma border, attended seminars in Europe and Thailand in the past years to pave the way for building a federal Union of Burma. The State constitution is to be applied within the Federal Union and is agreed to by the ethnic nationalities in Burma, except some Burmans.

According to the Mon Unity League, the ethnic nationalities have demanded the Burmans be in one State in the Federal Union to guarantee equal rights for all ethnic groups. Other nationalities including the Chin, Arakanese, Kachin, Karenni and Shan have also drafted their own State’s constitution.

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OVERSEAS MON REMEMBER THEIR SOVEREIGNTY

(Kao-Wao, May 25, 2003)

Overseas Mon communities commemorated the 246th Anniversary of the Fall of Hongsawatoi Kingdom (Pegu) by issuing a joint statement.

In a joint-statement released by Monland Restoration Council (USA), Mon Cultural Society (Canada) and Overseas Mon Organization (Denmark), the Mons demand the ruling Burmese military regime to stop land confiscation and withdraw military operation in the Mon areas; to allow the practice of Mon literacy, traditional and cultural activities; to release all political prisoners including our Mon leaders; to start a genuine tripartite dialogue; and to recognize the Mon as a nation.

In the USA, the MRC members from Indiana marched to Washington D.C and staged a demonstration in front of Burmese embassy.

In Calgary, Canada, members of the Mon Cultural Society from Calgary and Edmonton gathered on Sunday, May 18, 2003 to commemorate the fall of Hongsawatoi, which had flourished in peace and prosperity for several centuries in lower Burma. Nai Khaing Waeng (Ramanya Kelasa) and Nai Cham Toik spoke to the younger generation about the current situation and the history of the Mon kingdom on how it lost its properties and valuable literature, with Mons being forced to disperse and flee into Thailand in the 18th century. Mon ancestors up until that time had established a flourishing, peaceful, and prosperous Mon sovereignty until 1757 when it was invaded by the Burmese king Alaungpaya, who brutally killed tens of thousands of innocent Mon people including women, children and over 3000 Mon Buddhist monks.

Back home in Burma, while the teaching of Mon language is banned and the celebration of Mon National Day is restricted, the New Mon State Party and Mon community in the rural area modestly commemorated the fall of the Mon kingdom.

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Kao-Wao's Virtual Roundtable:

Discussion on Burma needs US not the UN: By Kanbawza Win

Some Clarification on the Need for US

Dear Editor,

First of all I would like to covey my profound and sincere thanks to Janelle A Saffin,

of Australia, Prof. Bush Gulati of Toronto, DSM and Lita Davidson of Vancouver for their lively comments. I would like to clarify some of the following points.

(1) I don’t need a lesson on Burmese history, as after getting my honours degree at Rangoon University I work in the Department of History itself. (Please confirm it with Prof. Dr Tun Aung Chain, Dr Kyaw Thet who are all my teachers and also with Saya U Aung Kin of London who is my contemporary) before I became the Foreign Affairs Secretary to the Prime Minister of the then Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma.

(2) I am not an arm chair traveller, empty activists or a politician (who usually just air out their perspective) but a simple active academic with down to earth experience dashing from one continent to another and giving speeches at the UN, think tanks gathering, lobbying as well as visiting the peripherals of Burma (currently I am in Paris to monitor the talks between Jacques Chirac and Taksin Shinawatra concerning Burma. Please verify with the place where I have put up 7 Ave. Bosquet Paris VIII Tel 01 45 51 12 59) and as such my way of thinking will be quite different from those who are static and have only the news media, heresy and gossip as resources.

(3) As a pragmatic practical men there are several confidential things which I cannot diverge the approach which I have out lined is not that of economics, social, cultural, geo politics or even that of globalisation and realpolitik but the psyche and rationale of the American people which have dramatically changed after Sept.11. In the entire history of America, this is the first ever successful pre emptive strike and as such the Burmese pro democracy and ethnic nationalities should exploit the American moral sensitivity to their advantage. This is the gist of my message. The Anglo American forces have achieved what the UN has been doing for years. This is the simple message. The Burmese saying is Ma Thi Thu Kyaw Thwa and Thi Thu Phaw Sar literally translated is that if you don’t know walk over it but if you’re wise take the advantage, meaning if you cannot read it between the lines better stay on the side lines. Take it or leave it.

It will be very naïve of dreaming of marines landing in Burma (as in Iraq).There are several ways which we can do it. I did not belong to the group of people whose parochial business interest far outweigh world peace and stability, when narcotics drugs from Burma is slyly use as weapons of mass destruction (not only to the US but to that of the world). Rather I would like to see the actions of these so called constructive critics including hook nose farangs (posing as a Burma expert and meddling in Burmese affairs) and also especially those lazy Burmese who are longing for the Minlaung (a saviour who would deliver from the clutches of the Burmese Generals) for actions speaks louder than words. Last but not the least is that I never said that Americans were good and free from human rights violations, what I am trying to paint is that it is the lesser of the two evils if compared to the Burmese Junta. In my research works I have never come across Americans having a record of shooting in the crowds of demonstrators, not honouring its own elections, indulge in ethnic cleansing or religious persecution, using massive rape as a policy or indirectly involve in producing massive narcotics and so on. If my critics found that the Mudane Tadmadaw which has rule Burma for nearly half a century under various façade is far better than the Americans let us stay put.

Yours sincerely

Kanbawza Win

Email btwin@skynet.be

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IN PURSUIT OF CORRUPTION

(Based on IMNA report, May 17, 2003)

The Woman and Child Rights Project (Southern Burma) issued a report titled: “Corruption and Oppression against Ethnic Education in Mon Territory”.

The 40-page report released by a Thailand Burma based non-governmental group say there has been a high drop-out rate of students, arguing the Burmese government educational system and its servants are corrupt and suppress the Mon educational system.

Divided into two sections, the first part concerns the current educational situation in the southern part of Burma, the second part reports about the SPDC’s systematic oppression of the Mon national education and of widespread corruption within and outside of the government schools in the southern part of Burma.

The report describes how poverty and the lack of educational support by the regime’s education ministry created a high drop out rate even within the primary level of schools and that educators and administrators are corrupt because of low salaries.

The teachers are not interested in teaching at schools but would rather operate private tuition centers to attract students who can pay a fee to attend private classes. If students cannot afford private classes they will likely fail the final exam. Private tuition classes are mushrooming in southern Burma with students spending more of their money on education by attending private classes.

The report describes how the authorities, military intelligence and army officials have planned to close down Mon national schools, to arrest Mon teachers and will further implement other measures to suppress the Mon national education.

It also points out that General Khin Nyunt had agreed to allow the teaching of the Mon language outside of and within the government schools after the cease-fire agreement, but the local authorities later rejected this agreement.

The report recommends to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which Burma ratified, to ensure children in Burma have access to their educational rights and for the SPDC to respect these rights and Mon education. It also recommends that a child belonging to an ethnic people enjoy and practice his or her own native language.

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MONKS CONFRONT POLICE FORCE IN MON STATE

(By Channai, Monland / May 2003)

A group of Mon Buddhist monks confronted the local police force in Moulmein to defend the human right’s of local farmers and ordinary civilians in Mon State, the Union of Burma.

Rev. Wareinda, Secretary of Supreme Monks Association, an official body to the Buddhist monk community in Burma pressed the sub-inspector of police, Aye Thaung, in Kyeik Ma Yaw Township to take legal action against Maung Toe, head of Police box from Nyaung Pin Seik station near Moulmein, the capital city of Mon State.

At the beginning of March, a local farmer, Nai La was arrested by Maung Toe for failing to do his duty and sell paddy to the government, heavy flooding during the rainy season had destroyed his farm. The policeman took him into a cell and tortured him for failing to produce the set quota imposed by the government. Soon after, the story was leaked to Mr.La’s family who then told Mon monks and members of New Mon State Party who have begun legal action against Maung Toe accusing him of being a human rights violator.

Rev. Wareinda had told the offending officer Muang Toe that: “You deserved punishment for what you did.” Maung Toe confessed he made a mistake for torturing an honest farmer and would compensate all costs of medical treatment. But the Monk refused his proposal.

After the monks lodged a formal letter to the Chairman of the Mon State Peace and Development Council in the second week of March, the case of the human rights defenders attracted the attention of senior Burmese officials. A legal proceeding has taken place but no firm action to punish the police officer has occurred, said Rev Ajeinno, Mr La’s son.

Local policemen visited Mr La’s residence at Kaw Seik village in Kyeik Ma Yaw in the southeast of Moulmein city asking family members about the leaking of stories to the international media and the distribution of confidential reports to the exile community. However, the family members know nothing about how information is being leaked to the press and obtained by local Mon News Agencies or the (Buddhist monks’) human rights’ defenders.

According to Rev Ajeinno, who has communication links to the New Mon State Party in Moulmein, policemen and local militia groups hoped to extort Kyat 50,000 from Mr La and his family for his release from the police cell. Mr La plainly said to the policemen that he had no paddy and no cash at home to give them as his farm was destroyed by the flood.

“I urge local officials of the New Mon State Party and local senior monks to work together to take legal action against policemen who abuse the human rights of farmers,” Rev Ajenno said.

Since the incident took place over a month ago, local police and Burmese officials have approached the monks in an effort to tighten up communication channels that report news about confidential reports released by the police department. In defense, the monk groups protested against such measures saying that it is for sake of the victim to receive fair treatment by the government.

Human Rights Foundation of Monland based on the border lodged a special report to Hina Jalini, a Representative of Human Rights Defenders on May 20 with the full report of the case of Mr La with a photograph of his injuries as evidence of the beating.

The Mon monk’s organization is preparing to discuss formally with local police officials in Kyeik Ma Yaw Police Station.

“It is time for us to tell the true story of how farmers are abused and threatened by the junta”, Nai Pohpha, the elder son of Mr La said from the border area.

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Feature article:

EARN ABROAD, SPEND AT HOME

(By Lita Davidson and Banya Hongsar at Three Pagodas Pass)

While news of reconciliation is spreading around the world, the most pressing concern among Burma’s population is immediate survival.

The political future of Burma is not on the minds of the many thousands of men and women from Mon State who migrate to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore looking for good job and a better future. Every morning in the local markets and public meeting places in Mon state, people spend their time talking about making money abroad. A family member living abroad is the source of income for many families in Mon State.

“How much did your children send home this month” is the normal question heard spoken in local markets and meeting places. Mi Chit Su Htaw, a university student from Moulmein said: “I simply don’t want to stay in the village, lunch for the family cost Kyat 1000 and it’s not enough to feed the whole family”, she added solemnly “It’s either go find work abroad or live in poverty, or risk being raped or killed by the army.”

In the morning or afternoon, parents, wives and siblings of migrant workers wait by a phone at local cellular phone shops, waiting to hear from a family member working overseas. Many older people get their first lesson using a handset as most make the mistake of holding the phone upside down. A special message from their son or daughter is the most important.

“If you don’t deposit money now, our farm will be confiscated by the government!” said an old lady to her son who works in Malaysia. Many farmers suffered heavy flooding after their farms were wiped out last season. Failing to provide the full amount of paddy to the government - 12 baskets per acre, will result in the government confiscating land outright without any form of compensation. Many farmers rely on cash from their children who work in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore in order to pay the penalties owed to the government’s draconian system.

“Send me money or I will have to pull the children out of school!” a lady from Kha Yah village in Kyeik Ma Yaw Township, said to her husband who works in a restaurant in Malaysia. At the beginning of the school season every family struggles with various fees they are made to pay to the school council. They have very little choice, whether to pull the children from school or leave them and face an increasing debt at home.

“I need money to build a new house son!” says an old man from Tarana village to his son who works in Thailand.

After New Mon State Party, a political organization of the Mon State, reached a cease-fire agreement with the government in 1995, many local men and women took off to Thailand to find a job. Under military rule since the 1988 coup the economy in Burma has steadily deteriorated, as there are no factories and no jobs at home. The military government established a Committee for Border Development after the cease-fire agreement but it only encouraged local farmers, young men and women to leave for Thailand as they could easily cross the border by bribing the border police on both sides and then crossing over the border illegally.

After the rainy season, there are several festivals held by local authorities regardless of the public interest in it. Local residents must pay to sponsor organizations that put on the festivals, celebrated in local villages and towns. Cash flow from abroad is the only main source of income to cover the cost of living at home and pay for the several fees collected by local police, militia groups and village headmen. In many other instances where villagers are most vulnerable to human rights abuse by the Burmese army, others are forced to pay for porter fees, fire watch fees, and fines to exempt them from road construction. Living under such unspeakable hardship and the pervasive threat of the army leaves little hope for a future; most will try to find a way out of the country.

“If there is no cash flow from abroad, I can’t imagine how they would survive,” Mr Taloh Mon, a businessman based in Mae Sot said. A massive labour force comprised of men and women of all ages from Mon State have contributed significantly to the economies of neighboring countries. According to Nai Taloh Mon, the cease-fire agreement gave people the opportunity to go abroad and work. For Mon youth there are no future prospects other than working in abroad. Working in Rangoon requires connections and the ability to speak Burman, jobs granted to Burman civilians. However, more Mons are finding themselves working in the fishing sites or farms with low pay in Thailand as the only alternative to working abroad.

The border area is like a magnet to which almost every village and town in Mon State is drawn to that provides easy access to local brokers working on both sides that get people across the border and working at a job. “I graduated last year, but I still cannot find a job,” said Miss Ja Mow from Than Phyu Za Yat. She now works as a dressmaker in Thailand earning about Baht 100 (US 2.40) per day, which is a good wage compared to the same job back in Burma that pays about 4 US a month.

While the governments and citizens of Thailand and Malaysia have argued at length the issues of migrant workers and human trafficking, Burma’s citizens mainly think about finding a future abroad. Not counting the refugees on the border, there are over a million Burmese migrants comprised of all of Burma’s ethnic groups, the Mon, Karen, Shan, and Burman living in just Thailand alone. Over half of these illegal migrants are young women and girls.

While Burma is politically unstable and therefore weak to speak for their citizens, Burmese migrants living overseas face continual discrimination and run the risk of being jailed on false charges or are deported and extorted of all their income. In several cases in different provinces in Thailand migrants are killed or beaten by their employers and women raped and harassed by the Thai police. In some cases, migrants, many of whom are uneducated, are unable to work electrical equipment and die of electric shock; in 1996 20 Burmese died this way.

Recently, a migrant worker from Mae Sod, Tak province was severely injured through electric shock and became handicapped following an accident at work. According to the Thai-Burma border based Democratic Party for a New Society (DPNS), the victim had an accident while he was working at Bang Song Kwae Garment Factory, in Mae Sot of Tak Province on March 14, 2003.  His two arms had to be amputated at the hospital. As he is an illegal worker, he receives no compensation from the factory. Maung Saw Win had crossed to Thailand as illegal labourer to earn some money for his parents but he and his mother was facing difficulties for their survival in Mae Sot. When he goes back, they will also face increasing difficulty in finding ways to survive at his native, Waw Township, Pegu Division in Burma.

A University of Michigan study reported 25 cases of abortion after rape; one involved an 11-year-old girl, named Than Soe, who was raped by the police. It was very serious case in that province. There were also 12 cases of extra-judicial killing by police and local gangs, 85 cases of refusing to pay wages, 5 cases of human trafficking to brothels and over 150 robbery cases and lots of arrests, and instances of workers forced to use drugs. 1 worker died by electric shock. All of these took place within one year and within one province with 67,000 workers.

Migration and employment remain the most difficult challenge to governments in Southeast Asia, but the most amazing thing is the attitude of the Burmese who are happy to be living in a free country, that being Thailand, and having the chance to send money home to support their families.

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MIGRANT WORKERS ATTACKED BY THAI MAFIA

(By Bop Htaw, Bangkok)

Four local Maharchai mafia gang members attacked a migrant worker in the early morning and took over one thousand Baht from the victim who was seriously injured.

The Thai mafia attacked Nai Ah Soe of 25, who is from Pa Nga village in Than Phyu Zayat Township, Mon State, he was on his way home after his night shift at Wat Khok Buddhist Temple near his apartment on April 30, a local source said.

“I was asked for my wallet and while handing it to them they suddenly attacked me with a large piece of wood,” Mr Soe said. After his sister and roommate shouted for help, the gang took off on two motorbikes into the dark night. The victim was sent to the local hospital for treatment on the same morning.

“His eyes were injured and he is unable to see properly right now. His forehead is badly smashed in,” the friend’s victim said. His received an operation on his head.

Mr Soe works at Maharchai Fishery Factory and the Manager (Boss) of the company reported to local police officer but no action has yet taken place to investigate the whereabouts of the criminals, said a Mon community worker.

Mahachai (also known as Samutsakhon) is home to thousands of migrant workers from Burma. Local, young mafia gangs openly target migrants and attack them for cash and gold. A similar story occurred in the last week of April.

In the second week of April, a mafia gang in Hat Yai and Sa Dao district also robbed local migrant workers in rubber plantations. The mafia took away two (home used) motorbikes and thousands of Baht in cash from migrant farmers, a local source said. Mon migrants work at Klong Nge district near the Thai-Malaysia border.

“I was slapped several times on my face,” said Mrs Mi Aye, a 40-year-old native from Mudon, Mon State said. “I was so scared after the attack that I couldn’t sleep for many nights”, she added.

In early April, a hut occupied by migrant rubber plantation workers was robbed in Surat Thani, the robbers took away over twenty thousand Baht (20,000), the victim said. A considerable fortune for migrants who are paid below Thai standards.

“I do not keep cash on hand, but leave it in my hut with my sister,” Maung Hla said. “They (robbers) robbed my place and took away all my money”, he added. Migrant workers hold valid employment card under the registration of Royal Thai government; Ministry of Labor.

Rubber plantation workers work over ten hours a day and earn half of their produced income after it is deposited by the owners. They start at 2.am and finish at 10.am for six days a week. Migrant workers dare not sleep in their homes away from the rubber field (garden) but will remain as a group and sleep overnight in the field.

“They (mafia) spy on us during the daytime, then come at night to attack and rob,” Mr Pine Done who works at Kong Nge district said.

Migrants attacked and abused have no recourse to seek legal action against the Thai mafia, they rely on each other to pass along the story among them.

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