Burma Courier No. 233 May 27, 2000

HONGSAVATOI ANNIVERSARY REMEMBERED IN MON SCHOOLS

SANGKHLABURI, May 25 (MUL) -- Graduation exercises were scheduled to take

place for over 40,000 students in Mon language summer schools in southern

Mon state on May 25. In Mudon township alone 12,000 were expected to

complete the study program and another 10,000 in Ye township.

 

In many cases, the schools are run by Mon monasteries in co-operation with

local education committees. Programs in most areas have to conducted in

the summer break because of military government restrictions on instruction

in the Mon language and literature during the regular school year.

What make the choice of May 25 rather special is that, this year, it also

happens to co-incide with 243rd anniversary of the fall of the Mon kingdom

of Hongsavatoi, a key rallying point in Mon historical recollection, when

their territory was finally conquered and annexed by the Burman king U Aung

Zeya and thousands of Mon monks and tens of thousands of ordinary people

were massacred or taken captive.

 

Mons were holding their breath to see whether the military authorities

would clamp down on the graduation ceremonies or allow them to go ahead.

In February, in Rangoon plans for the celebration of Mon National Day were

curtailed by direct order of the military authorities.

 

Members of the Monland Restoration Council (MRC) in Fort Wayne and

Philadelphia marked the Hongsavatoi anniversary by mounting a demonstration in front of

the junta embassy in Washington.

 

A statement issued by the Mon Community of Canada in Vancouver called for

the results of the 1990 elections in Burma to be recognized and restoration

of full rights to the Mon National Democratic Front, presently outlawed.