Mon History

A BRILEF HISTORY OF THE MONS

ORIGIN OF THE MONS

It is to be thought that the Mon-Khmer who probably came from the Yang-Tse-Kiang valley were established in Tonkinese basin from the 4th century B.C Thence they began their migration to the west. The Khmers settling mainly around Tonle Sap and the Mons at the mouth of the rivers to the west such as: Menam, Salween, Sittang and Irrawaddy. During this same time another wave of Mon-Khmer migrants descended the Brahmaputra to settle in middle valley of this river.

The Mons established their own countries in lower Burma as well as in the southern and central part of present Thailand since the first century of our era. The Burmese immigrated to the area now so-called Burma in 850 A.D and the Thai immigrated into Thailand in 13th century.

In the period of stable community, round the 14th century up to 18th century, the Mon had established their national Kingdom quite widely. The demarcation of their territory was covered almost the whole part of lower Burma from Thayet Myo down to the Victoria point.

OLD MON KINGDOM IN OLD SIAM

Territory of Dvaravati
According to the historical evidences, many of famous historians including Thai scholars recommended that there were Mon Kingdom in the present Thailand in the period during between the 6th to the 15th centuries A.D.

Some scholars used to say that Thailand was Monland before the arrival of the Thais into that area. The first Mon Kingdom in old Siam was known as Dvaravati ( or Dvaravatoi) and was at its height from 600 to 1100 A.D. It was situated at Nakorn Pothom (P'ra Pathom) about 30 miles due to the west of Bangkok. The Dvaravatoi Kingdom seemed to be overrun by Khmers in the first half of 11th century.

The last Mon Kingdom in Old Siam was called Haripunjaya (modern Lamphun) some 18 miles south of Chiengmai, in northern Thailand. It was established in the 11th century and flourishing up to the 15th A.D. in spite of successive attacks by the Khmers. At that time the Mon of Haripunjaya were fled to Suvannabhummi from cholera epidemic, and it was coincidently happened that waves of immigrants of Thai peoples rolled into that area. The Thai people became as though a big barrier that hindered the relation between East-Mons and West-Mons i.e. Mons in old Siam and Mons from Suvannabhummi and Hongsawatoi. From that time onwards, Old Mon in Thailand was utterly disappeared. The Mons in Thailand today is not only those indigenous old Mons, but also the Mons who fled away form the Burmese oppression and took refuge under the sympathy of Thai, since only over two hundred years ago.

OLD MON KINGDOM IN SO CALLED-BURMA

The first Mon kingdom in Burma was Suvannabhummi (or Sudhammavatoi), now known as Thaton district in Mon state, which was established in 646.B.C. ( in the year of 49 of Anjana Era-the era of grandfather of Lord Buddha) and flourished until the Burmese King Anorahta of Pagan utterly destroyed it in 1057 A.D. Mon King Manuha ( or Makuta) and his nobles, artisans, Scholars including well-learned Buddhist priests were taken to Pagan as captives. Another well-known Mon Kingdom was Hamsavati (Hongsavatoi) or Pegu. Dynasty of Hongsavatoi appeared three times. The first Hongasvatoi was established in 1116 of Lord Buddha Era or in 573 A.D. rivalry to Thaton, and disappeared in 1043. The second Hongsavatoi began in 1287 A.D. by Megedu or Wariru and his successors. It was lasted when the Burmese Kings Tabinshwehti and Brueng Naung of Taung-oo seized the capital and destroyed it in 1538 A.D. The third Hongsawvatoi was again attacked and annexed by the Burmese King Alaungphaya of Moksobo in 1757 A.D. Since thence, the Mon National Kingdom and its sovereignty in Burma was ceased lastly.

MON EXODUS FLED INTO THAILAND.

Mon and Burma became comparatively rival to hold power for supremacy in the mainland. They became important enemy of each other. The battles between the two nations had been occurred throughout along the whole history seemed to be endless. In such the battles of power contest, the Burma rulers and they themselves had to live like slaves.

Under the ruled of the military-feudal-imperialists of Burma, the Mons had no more political right what's over, and even their language and customs were proscribed. Under the bondage of the Burmese military-feudal-imperialists the Mons were more and more suppressed and exploited. All over the country, the Burmese troops robbed, raped and slaughtered the innocent peoples, even their leaders. They exacted unlimited tributes, unreasonable duties and labor, such as land-tax, house-tax, family-tax and levy-tax or corvee survice from Mons. Anyone who was unable to submit the taxes of any kind would be set on fire, buried alive, drowned in the water as disasters. Or otherwise, would be sentenced to imprisonment and confiscated all of their properties or even to death penalty.

As a result of such cruel suppression and relentless of exploitation the exodus of defeated Mons were inevitable fled into Thailand as refugees. Mon exodus of great numbers fled into Thailand, especially in the reigns of Tabinshwehti, Bureng Naung of Taung-Oo (1531 to 1605); in the reigns of Minye Dippa, Thalon and Pintale (1630 to 1688) in the reigns of Mahadhammaraja Dippati, Alaungphaya (1747 to 1757); and in the reigns of Bodawphaya (1815).

The Mons who could not leave their homeland and did not like to flee to elsewhere had suffered from various suppressions and exploitations that caused by the military-feudal-imperialists of Burma. This consequently became the main reasons of the Mons to hold up armed resistance activities, and subsequently their escaped into Thailand when their independence movement was unsuccessful.

The Mons who were always discontented over the Burmese rulers, oftenly staged independence movements against the Burmese rulers. In case of failure, they sought refuge in Thailand where they have good shelters to settle.

Besides these significant influxes there were several minor groups fled into Thailand through all over the time up to the present day. The majority of them are fleeing to Thailand voluntarily for they were unable to stay under such cruel oppression and exploitation of the Burmans.

Descendants of Mon people release birds and fish as part of the merit making ceremony for Songkran at Wat Protket Chettharam on 20th April 2008.

THE CURRENT SITUATION OF THE MONS IN BURMA

The affairs of the Mons are connecting with the affairs of Burma in somehow. It is impossible to separate the affairs of Mon and Burmese each other. Therefore it is better to relate the current situation of Burma in brief and Mons affairs will already insist in it.

The whole Mon Kingdom was occupied by the Burmese in 1757 and the whole Burma was seized and all of nations including Burmans were enslaved by the British colonists in 1885. Then the country was rescued and attained her independence in 1948 by the unitedly attempt of all the indigenous nations such as: Arakan, Burman, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Kareni, Mons and Shan and so on.

After attaining the independence, the Burmans tried to retain the country as in singleness and discarded all of the indigenous nations who had fought for independence together with them. They were proscribed almost of their rights of nationality and even were subdued.

The largest level plain and the best part of the country where it is good to dwell, fertile to cultivate and easy to communicate was made the Burman's area. Even some mountainous and hilly parts from where can get precious stones and some parts of the forest from which can produce valuable timber were added into the mainland of Burmans. The rest parts were devided into small areas for the other nations who dwell there. Almost of the area of non-Burmese indigenous nations were mountainous.

They made area of Burmans as mainland while the small areas of non-Burmans nations were formed as states and set up a country of so-called "Union of Burma." The states are subordinating to the mainland of Burma.

The Mon as like as other congeneric is suppressed and exploited in all fields of political, economical and social welfare such as: -in administration and jurisdiction, communication, education and health. Council of each state is to be formed by Burmese government with the majority of Burmese military commanders who are apparently resigned from the rank and outstanding peoples of concerned nations who are mostly their yes-men.

There are no good roads connecting from where to where and no good railways in the states. There is not even a metre of railway in Arakan state, Chin state and Karenni state. Electricity is not enough and there is no electricity in some part of the state. Schools and teachers are in such a very low standard and poor condition, and not enough. About over ninety percent of young children and teenagers of all states are being turned into cow-herds instead of learning in the schools. Most of the girls are missing their chance to learn and have married in their under-aged.

Majority of peoples of non-Burmese nations are uneducated. Numbers of unemployment among them are fiercely increasing the same amount may be more than in the big cities. Due to lack of business and work almost everybody spends their times in gambling: card-playing, bull-fighting, cock-fighting and are drunk most of the times. Consequently they sometimes commit robbery, and other small or big criminal actions, and subsequently are sent to prison. Their living standards actually fall to underdog. Having a lack of sufficient income their peoples including children are underfed, and subsequently they have suffered from several kinds of sickness and disease.

Hospitals in the state are small and not sufficient. It is not fit to their population. Equipments used in those hospitals are out of date and not enough. No dispensary units and no doctors, no physicians appeared in the rural and remote areas. The sicks and peoples who are suffering from any kinds of disease and injuries are mostly have to rely only on untrained and unqualified physicians who are very expensive. As for poor peoples, they are being carelessly and left lying on floor-beds without any treatment except home-made herbal medicine or traditional ways of treatment as superstitious spritual spell, or otherwise, they have helplessly to wait for the last breath in bed.

In Burma, due to outmoded systems in cultivating system and lack of priviledge and favourable chance and less of interest under the Burmese socialist programme party, farmer and planters are not cultivating industriously on their farms. They get no useful supports from the government except loans of 20 to 30 kyats per acre. The farmers have to pay back these loans by crops. But all of the farmers and planters, those who either receives loans or not must have to give up their crops to the government equally. A farmer is capable to producing differently 15 to 50 baskets of paddy according to condition of the soil of his land. It can be said that they can produce 35 baskets of paddy in average per acre. But they are compelling to give up their crops to the Burmese socialist government at the rate of 10 to 35 baskets per acre according to quality of the soil and effectiveness of their administration.

Almost every kind of crops such as paddy, rubber, corn, pea, sesame and so on must be delivered up to the government at a certain low price that is limited by them. They also have to carry the crops at their own cost to the regional collecting units. Anyone who fails to deliver his crops in due time is arrested and put into the lock-up, or sentenced to imprisonment or his properties may be confiscated. The term of imprisonment is unlimited and he may be released only after he delivers the amount of crops due. Or he may be revoked his rights of cultivating in his farm that he had succeeded it from his ancestors for years and then it will be given up to the other one.

If anyone tries to evade delivering his crops to the Burmese government and goes to another place one of his relatives or his wife even though she may have a newly born baby or even his grandfather or grandmother may be taken into custody and kept in the lock-up as a substitution. In order to obtain their release the crops due to the government must be purchased from the blackmarket at four times of government limited price and delivered to them, then the victim will be released soon.

So that farmers and planters are badly desperated and unwilling to work in the farm and leave it aside. Many of them are fleeing mainly to Thailand in search of good business and better livelihood. But a present period, Thailand is not the same as the olden days. They are no more willing to receive Mons as formerly. Instead Mons are being pushed out.

BURMA LOSS OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Now the government of Burmese chauvinist military dictatorship is mounting heavy offensives in every part of minorities regions. So that, they are badly in need of porters to carry burdens for the operations.

Peoples in Burma are forcibly compelled to accompany the Burmese troops in either major or minor operation as porters. These porters are collected form small towns and villages, especially from the region of minorities. Therefore, almost of those porters are peoples of minority groups.

Burmese soldiers are catching common peoples for porter service. Porter catching events are often appeared in the villages, in the cinema houses, theatre rooms and even on the ships in the river and on the trains while they are innocently and quietly proceeding to their destination. They always have to travel in scary and anxiety.

People scatter all over the fields, plantations or in the forest or on the roads when the Burmese soldiers appear near by and try to catch them for porter service. Sometimes though they are not yet seen but just only overheard about the coming of the Burmese troop they have already run away. Under usual conditions young children, women, government service men, old-aged and monks are not catching. But when they are badly in need of porters those old-aged of about 60 to 70 and women are also forced to be porters.

Burmese soldiers steal the properties of the peoples that are left in the house while the owners are absent. Crockery, clothes, fowls, money, gold, ornaments and everything are being taken buy them also.

Peoples who are caught for porter service are being handcuffed and kept in the lock- up for months. It may be easier to bring them to the front line in case of urgent need.

The majority of those porters were died on the battle fields. Very few of them arrived back to their homes with serious injuries or sickness of acute malaria or some kind of local disease. Some of them came back with mental disorders caused through fright due to the terrible experience and miserable views of the battles. Many of them who were unable to walk or carry their burdens were killed by the troops. Some of them were killed as they were trying to escape.

Over a hundred of porters were died when the Burmese troops launched their offensive against the Mon National Liberation Army of the New Mon State party to the Three Pagodas Pass, base in April 1980 and about one hundred in May 1984. As in Three Pagoda Pass, more porters might die in other battle fields.

A SINGLE WAY FOR MONS TO ATTAIN FREEDOM

At present Mon people are mainly locating along the Tenassarim coast, Pegu district, surrounding of Rangoon and in some parts of Irrewaddy delta. In Thailand, the Mons can be found all over the country except in the northeast and the south. They are settling round about the capital at Pak Kret, Paklat, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhun, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Kanchanaburi, Loburi and Tak province.

Their principal problem is their refusal of the dominant powers of the moment and to accept assimilation by the ruling nation: Burmanisation, Thaisation. From thence stems their liberation movement in a certain revolutionary party for they are all conscious of belonging to their own homeland and one of the oldest cultures of Asia.

MON NATIONAL LIBERATION MOVEMENT

Although Mons was subjugated by the Burmese rulers for many years, they were still co-operated with the Burmese especially in the attempt for independence against British colonists. Sir J.A Maung Gyi and U Chit Hlaing, the president of the General Council of Burmese Association (G.C.B.A) were the famous leaders and politicians in the Burmese national liberation movement. They were Mons in collaboration with the indigenous nations together with Burmese tried hard without having a narrow sighted racialism and selfishness.

Through several facts and figures and bitter experiences for years, Mons has learnt better lessons. They became realized that they can not rely on any alien peoples and must have their own struggle programme. Therefore to guide their line of national movement, they are inevitably acquired to have an association of their own.

That is why all Ramonnya Mon Association, a national progressive association was founded in 1937 by some intellectuals and Buddhist monks. Line of their activity was purely cultural and religious.

Nai Pho Cho
Mon, Pho Cho
(18 Nov. 1905 - 11 May 1984)
Not long after, political associations were set up. On 9th November 1946, United Mon Association was formed by Mon Po Cho. In 1947, Mon freedom league and Mon United Front were set up leading by Nai Shwe Kyin and Nai Hla Maung respectively.

In the very 1947, all Mon national associations in collaboration and in self-same opinion, Put up a seven-point demand to safeguard their rights from the government of A.F.P.F.L, an interim government under control of Great Britain. But the A.F.P.F.L government which was in power waived aside representation of the seven-point demand of Mons. But the Burmese, who pursued colonial policy and practiced Chauvinism, slyly tried and hindered the inborn rights of the Mons. They tried to deceive Mon by saying that Mon and Burmese are indistinguishable in racial identity and characteristic and so separate rights should not be contemplated. Therefore, the United Mon Association and the Mon Untied Front held their Mons conference separately in 1947, at Kamawak and Pha-Ouk in Mudon Township respectively. But the same demand was decided by both of the conferences that claimed to create a Mon State by any possible means as quickly as possible.

When the demand for creation of a Mon state became a popular and an upsurge of Mon mass support, the Burmese government took measures to detain many of Mon leaders and assassinate some of them including Mon Buddhist monks. Besides they particularly created racial conflict between Mon and Burma that struck at the Mons adversely at an enormous loss and caused them in great distress.

In order to defend and save their inborn nights of self-determination of nations and democratic rights, the Mon had no alternatives but to rise up in armed-struggle against the government of the Burmese Chauvinist that pursued colonial and racial discrimination policy. That is why Mons was compelled to resort to unconstitutional armed-struggle on 22th August 1984.

THE MON PEOPLE'S FRONT (M.P.F)

The armed-struggle of the Mons did not begin singly. They were many groups uprising in armed-struggle separately according to their significant and different circumstances. Although they were actively participated their movement in each of their regions, their consciousness was coordinately stuck at one aim to create a Mon state as quickly as possible.

In 1953, all of the scattering Mon groups that actively took in armed-struggle in the jungle were assimilated into one and formed a progressive political party named Mon People's Front. The president was Nai Ong Htoon.

When the movement of the M.P.F was seriously developed and was supported by majority of the Mon, the enemy wickedly tried to ensmoke and blacken the opinion of the Mon, i.e. To learn Mon language in primary schools in Mon area, to celebrate Mon cultural exhibition once a year, to broadcast in Mon language about 20 minutes in the state broadcasting programme and to create a Mon affair Council. However, we shall have to recognize these were beneficial that prevailed as an out-come of the armed-struggle.

But when the government led by Prime Minister U Nu flared out on the air to create a Mon state, the Mon People's Front surrendered and legalized itself to the government in 1958. Therefore, the Mon's armed struggle that had participated for Mon national liberation about ten years in the jungle was easily dissolved.

But on the aspiration of democratic rights and in favour of the rights to self-determination of nations, some Mon leaders recollected the remnants of the Mon People's Front and some other Mon forces left in the jungle that were not surrendered and founded a new progressive political party under the name of New Mon State Party (M.N.S.P) in 1958. The leaders were Nai Shwe Kyin, Nai Dhammanay and some others Nai Shew Kyin was a president of the party.

THE NEW MON STATE PARTY (N.M.S.P)

The New Mon State Party is a party which is holding up in armed-struggle against Newin-Sanyu's Rangoon government in the form of resistance war for the survival of Mon nation and re-establishment their own country separately unless the Burmese government does not agree to set up a real federalized country insisting all indigenous nations with the right to self-determination. The Burma herself must include in the federal as a state the same as others. The rights of nation must provide equally to all indigenous nations. The country will not be divided as mainland for the Burmese and small states for other nations.

The Party was founded in 1958 by Mon peoples soon after the Mon People's Front had surrendered to the Prime Minister U Nu's, the government. It carried on the struggle under the leadership of President Nai Shew Kyin until 1981, when he departed from the party. Nai Nonla succeeded to his role as president of the party.

The Party stands fast on the general program of national democracy basing on nationalism as their political line .The Party claims five districts; Pegu (hongsawatoi) district, Thaton (Suvannabummi) district, Moulmein district,Tavoy district and Mergui district, as their new state, that will recover only one over fifth of the old Ramonnyadesa.

UNITED FRONT AND THE ROLE OF (N.M.S.P)

The party believes that it can be able to overthrow the Rangoon government and can seize the state power quickly only by the force of United Front. Therefore, all of the parties and forces that are actually fighting against the Rangoon government must assimilate into singleness and from a United front with solidarity.

With such a viewpoint the N.M.S.P took part very actively in forming of such a United Front. In 1958, it formed the National Democratic United Front (N.D.U.F) that was leading by the Burmese Communist Party. Due to the reason of remoteness and difficult to contact each others, the front was unable work very much.

Then the New Mon State Party (N.M.S.P), Parliament Democracy Party (P.D.P) and Karen National Union (K.N.U) formed the United National Liberation Front on 5th May 1970. The New Mon State Party was dismissed from N.D.U.F by B.C.P fro it had joined with U.N.L.F in 1970. The United National Liberation Front also collapsed in about the year of 1977 for its leading party P.D.P was divided into splits and dissolved. Then lastly, the New Mon State Party enrolled in the National Democratic United Front (N.D.F) which was formed by the initiative of (K.N.U) on 10th May 1976. It is an active member of N.D.F.

POPULATION OF THE MON

Due to lack of accurate statistics, the existing Mon population is roughly estimated as being about 4,000,000 in Burma in maximum. It is unreliable census of the Newin- Sanyu's government in 1974, that there are over 1621000 of Mon population in Mon State. It means that this number refers to the population of Mon in the Mon State only. This number therefore cannont be taken as correct, as it shows less than the actual existing population. It is to be suspicious that may underdone. There is Mon in Tavoy district, Mergui district, in Pegu city and its surrounding townships, in the capital Rangoon and its suburb area, in Htantapin Township, Dala Township, Syriam Township, Twarnte and in some regions of Irrawaddy delta.

Mon population in the Karen State is in the second status. Besides, there are many Mons who innocently or forcibly have been enumerated themselves as Burmese.

In short, it can be seen obviously that numerous Mons are being counted into other list, out side of the Mon State. Therefore, the estimation of four million of Mon population in Burma is not too far from the right.

The Mons in Thailand is almost the same as in Burma. The Mons can be found all over Thailand as I have already described somewhere above in this article. Therefore the Mons in Thailand also may not be less than three millions in our roughly estimation. Nevertheless, both Mons in Burma and Thailand are being gradually exhausted by the ruling nations.

  

Distributed by the Department of Information;
New Mon State Party (Central)