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Among the peoples who live in Burma today, the Mons are considered
to be the oldest. The Mon people established their own sovereign kingdoms and
enjoyed freedom and prosperity for many centuries before the modern era began.
Their civilization was among the most distinctive and influential in pre-colonial
Southeast Asia. Significant aspects of the language, art and architecture, political
and legal arrangements, and, above all, the religion of the great Burman and
Thai civilizations were derived from the Mon society which preceded them and
which acted as a vector in the transmission of Theravada Buddhism and Indianized
political culture to the region.
The last Mon kingdom, known as Hongsawaddy or Pegu, was established
by two princely brothers, Samala and Wimala, in 572 A.D. The auspicious day
on which this last sovereign kingdom of the Mons was established – the
1st waning day of the 11th month, according to the Mon lunar calendar -- has
been designated as our National Day by modern-day Mon people. Mon communities
both at home and abroad celebrate this National Day every year with the aim
of strengthening unity among ourselves and safeguarding our ethnic identity.
Since the fall of out last sovereign kingdom in 1757, we Mons
have become “a people without a country” and have been reduced to
minority race status in Burma. Undoubtedly, the restoration of our lost Mon
nationhood ranks as the highest and ultimate political goal of the present-day
Mon people.
Among the nations of the world today, we, the Mon people, are
on the same boat as the Fourth World peoples who do not even have representation
in the United Nations. But we have not forgotten our lost nationhood and we
wholeheartedly welcome and support the establishment of a genuinely democratic
Federal Union of Burma, in which all ethnic nationalities, including the present
dominant race, the Burman, enjoy racial equality and the right of self-determination.
The present Burman-dominated military dictatorship in Burma,
officially known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has continued
to oppress and abuse the peoples of Burma by various means. The ethnic non-Burman
peoples have lost their right of self-determination under chronic Burman ethnocentric
rule. Recently, this ruling military regime announced a seven-step plan aimed
at setting up what it called “genuine and disciplined democracy”
in Burma. But the announced program set out no timeframe and, in fact, has been
conceived in order to hoodwink the Burmese people as well as the international
community and to prolong the stay in power of the current regime.
The SPDC is planning to reconvene its long-adjourned “National
Convention”, even while it continues to detain hundreds of political prisoners,
outlaw most opposition political parties, and seriously restrict freedom of
expression, assembly and association.
On this occasion of our Mon National Day, on behalf of our
Mon people, we appeal to the Governments, of the world, the United Nations and
the international community to increase pressure on the Burmese military junta
aimed at speeding up the process of democratic transition in Burma.
In particular, we ask the international community to come together
in solidarity and support our call for:
· The release of Mon leaders and all political prisoners
in Myanmar before the National Convention;
· The holding of a tripartite dialogue, comprised of
democratic groups, ethnic nationality groups, and the military regime;
· The withdrawal of the Burmese army from the ethnic
nationality areas and an immediate halt to land confiscations, forced labor,
forced portering and relocation;
· Unrestricted access of international bodies such as
the ICRC and Amnesty International to all detention centers and rural areas;
· The institution of the rights to freely assemble,
organize, and protest peacefully, and to freely practice Mon literacy and other
traditional and cultural activities.
Australia Mon Association & 57th Mon National Day Committee
Euro-Mon Community
Mon Canadian Association (Toronto, Canada)
Mon Canadian Society / Mon Cultural Society (Calgary, Canada)
Mon Community of Canada (Vancouver, Canada)
Monland Restoration Council (USA)
Mon Unity League (Thailand)
Mon Women Organization (Canada)
Mon Women Organization (USA)
Mon Workers Association (Malaysia)
Mon Workers Union (Thailand)
Mon Youth Community (UK)
Mon Youth Liberty Organization (Thailand)
Overseas Mon National Students Organization (North America) |
