STATEMENT OF THE MON UNITY LEAGUE
ON THE FORCED ANNEXATION OF LANDS IN MON STATE
BY THE SPDC GOVERNMENT

1. Even though a cease-fire has been in effect between the New Mon State
Party and the ruling military junta of the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC/SLORC) since 1995, the Agreement has not led to a political
solution.

Instead, local battalions and troops of the junta continue to violate and
suppress the human rights of the Mon people on a daily basis.

Moreover, the regime has depleted the natural resources in the region and
increased ecological and human misery at an alarming rate.

Some of the most common human rights violations include the forced sale of
paddy by local farmers at heavily discounted rates, the banning of the Mon
language curriculum and the closing of Mon national schools, the collection
of porter fees and several unofficial taxes, the expropriation of properties
and lands, torture, arrest, forced labour and forced relocation, all of
which are regularly committed by order of the ruling military government.

2. Since the fighting between the two parties stopped following the
cease-fire agreement, the military regime has taken advantage by illicitly
expanding its control into Mon areas covered by the Agreement. In many
places its troops have taken over land belonging to the people for the
construction of military camps.

In 1999 alone, under the order of the South East Military Command, Light
Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 299 siezed farms and gardens amounting to over
200 acres from Ko Maing Village in southern Ye Township, while LIB No. 343
appropriated 900 acres from Aru Taung Village in northern Ye Township in Mon
State. These farms, owned by local Mon farmers,had been planted with
several kinds of tropical fruits, vegetables and rubber trees worth at least
90 million kyat (at current valuation of $US 260,000).

Following the annexation, the owners requested compensation from the
authorities concerned and relocation for the farming families on new lands,
but up to now their demands have been ignored.

3. The violation of human rights and the suppression of Mon civilians by the
military junta have increased their dissatisfaction with the government. It
has also ruined all attempts at building trust and good relations with armed
ethnic groups. Actions of this kind have clearly shown that the military
government SPDC is taking the advantage of the cease-fire agreement.

4. On behalf of the civilian who have suffered severely from these abuses,
the Mon Unity League demands the military junta:

a) to cease forthwith from the appropriation of lands in the area covered by
the cease-fire agreement and to provide
compensation to those whose lands have already been
annexed;

b) to cease forthwith from its program of military expansion and the
construction of bases and battalions in order to
achieve trust with the armed ethnic nationalities;

We also strongly urge:

a) that discussions be initiated with the ethnic nationalities, based upon
their right of self-determination, and

b) that a tripartite dialogue aimed at solving the political crisis in
Burma be initiated.

5. Continuing human rights violations are the cause of the political
tensions in Burma and they are in clear contradiction to norms established
for international behaviour.

Therefore we condemn the SPDC government for its abuses of the Mon people
and other nationalities.

Central Executive Committee
Mon Unity League

1st June, 2000