Joint-Statement on the 55^th Anniversary of Mon National Day

February 28^th, 2002

Among the inhabitants of Burma today, the Mon are the oldest. They came to settle in Burma as early as 2500 B.C. The Mon established their own sovereign kingdoms, developed their own civilization, and enjoyed freedom and prosperity for millennia. The last Mon kingdom, known as Hongsavatoi or Pegu, was established by the two prince brothers, Samala and Wimala, in 572 A.D. The day of the foundation of this last Mon kingdom was designated as Mon National Day by the present-day Mon people. This last Mon kingdom was invaded and occupied by the Burman King Alaungphaya in 1757.

Following the invasion and occupation of our Mon Kingdom, the Burman king persecuted the Mon by genocidal mass execution. Thousands of our Mon people, including children and women and 3,000 Mon Buddhist monks were cruelly executed. The most famous Mon monk writer, namely "Akworh" of Waw Myoh (a nearby town of Pegu) who experienced the mass execution, noted that King Alaungphaya was the most blood-thirsty king. The Mon have ever since become a people without a country and have been reduced to a minority race in Burma.

The current situations of Mon people are worse and worse. Even though the military junta took a lot of credit for reaching the so-called Sham Peace Agreement with the various ethnic minority groups including the New Mon State party, the people in those areas are still being subjected to gross human rights violations. Many of Mon leaders have been sentenced to long terms in prison for their support of the plan to convene the people parliament.

The Mon people have struggled for the survival of their culture and language under the massive Burmanization measures taken by the ruling military dictatorship and have been deprived the fundamental rights of self-determination. Nevertheless, as enshrine in the charter of the United Nations, we have never given up the struggle for our self-determination right and freedom of Monland. To restore our own homeland is our birth duty. We will be struggling until our death towards the ultimate fulfillment of this historical duty. If we do not regain our homeland in the near future, we will win for sure some day before doomsday. When the old are dead, the young will carry on the struggle to victory.

Today, we are on the same boat with the Fourth World peoples, who are not represented in the United Nations Organization (UNO). We will be struggling hand in hand with them internationally and non-violently. We will also be working to the best of our ability through the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), of which our Mon Unity League (MUL) is a member, and through other international communities.

On the occasion of the 55^th Anniversary of Mon National Day, we, the Mon people, therefore demand the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of Burma:

(1) To release all political prisoners, including our Mon leaders.

(2) To initiate tripartite dialogue with the democratic opposition and ethnic leaders as soon as possible.

(3) To stop human rights violations in Monland.

(4) To recognize the Mon as a nation.

This is a joint statement by:

1) The Australian Mon National Day Organizing Committee

2) Monland Restoration Council (MRC) (USA)

3) Mon National Day Committee (Ohio, USA)

4) Mon Canadian Association (Toronto, Canada)

5) Mon Community of Canada (Vancouver, Canada)

6) Mon Cultural Society (Calgary, Canada)

7) Association of Finn-Mon Community (Helsinki, Finland)

8) Mon National Day Organizing Committee (Thailand)

9) Overseas Mon Organization (Denmark)

10) Overseas Mon National Students Organization of North America

11) Mon Organization of Sweden