SPDC bullies teacher and Mon school students

(Kaowao, February 10, 2006)

 Sangkhalaburi -- Mon National School students in southern Mon State were forced to work as laborers, while the local State Peace and Development Council commander scolded the teacher after she complained she would have to stop the classes, said the teacher, Ms. Mi Wa to a Kaowao reporter.

“The commander and his troops came to my house and threatened me not to teach at the Mon National school, instead they want me to teach at their (SPDC) school and offered me three times the salary I make now,” said Ms. Wa who just arrived at the Thai-Burma border four days ago after she fled from the area.

Ms Wa teaches English, Mon, and Burmese and, earns 5000 kyats (6 US); an average soldier makes 6000 kyats per month as stipend. 

“He said bluntly to answer his question on whether I will teach at Mon National school or at the SPDC government school.  I couldn’t make such a decision and suggested to him (SPDC commander) to discuss the matter with the higher officials of the education department, not with me,” said the teacher who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. 

Ms. Wa said her students in Khao Jear (Khaw Zar in Burmese) sub-township were forced to work as laborers on the construction of the SPDC high school, carrying food and water for the military camp, feeding the camp pigs, and doing other odd jobs such as cleaning the toilets and picking up garbage around the camp.

"The students are very afraid to attend the (Mon) school, despite me encouraging them to come,” she claimed. 

“Students near the village such as Krone Ka-nyar have to walk 90 minutes to get to the school in the Khaw Zar sub-township and were sometimes stopped by the SPDC’s troops who guard the village,” she explained further. 

Students sometimes cannot enter their village because of the 5 p.m. curfew for villagers to be back by 5 p.m. from working on their farms or risk being shot or tortured, so students have to sleep outside the village. 

“I have a total of 70 students, but only 50 attend the class because they are afraid of the Burmese authorities and their restrictions,” she added. 

“I was told that I must close the Mon National School and let my students attend the government (SPDC) school,” Wa added. 

“The continual threats on us to report on our activities including staff meetings have forced me to leave the area,” she said. 

The Burmese government represses the teaching of the ethnic languages in all of Burma’s States, including the Shan, Mon, Chin, and Karen. The crackdown on the Mon National Schools began in earnest in 2003, at that time the SPDC launched an offensive in the area against a Mon guerilla armed group who has been active in the jungle since 1997, two years after the New Mon State Party reached a ceasefire agreement with SPDC, the Burmese government.