The 1st Mon Literature Talk in Andin Village, Ye Township

February 20, 2015

The 1st Mon Literature Talk was held in Andin Village last Saturday evening, led and arranged by a local monk in order to educate the local people regarding politics and the negative impacts of the proposed coal-fired power plant. The talk began at 8:00 pm on February 7th.

More than 300 ethnic Mons attended the event to hear key-note speakers U Soe Myint, who received a Bachelor’s of Engineering in Mining at the Yangon Institute of Technology, and Nai Yekha of the New Mon State Party (NMSP).

U Soe Myint dedicated his talk to the search for energy, involving the audience in the discussion.

“Regarding the danger and impact of a coal-fired power plant, how many of you disagree or agree, please raise your hands,” U Soe asked the audience.
U Soe Myint introduced discourse of alternative sources of energy that may be harnessed for local energy needs through explanation and use of imagery.

“Instead of [a] coal-fired power plant, there are many other sources of energy such as wind power, sea energy, and solar energy we can generate for regional [use] which are close to the sea, to replace [a] coal-fired power plant, which do not harm humans or the environment,” he explained.

U Soe Myint reminded the local people that they must not agree to a coal-fired power plant when the company comes to the village seeking to sign a contract, if the local people are not happy with the agreement for such a project.

In his talk, Nai Yekha spoke about the issue of human resources.

“Farmers, plantation workers, wealthy people, educated people, and youths are all our human resources,” said Nai Yekha, “Even if our people are not educated, but if [we] understand politics, we will not be fooled by the oppressor.”

“In the past, we have had to flee to the jungle if we fought for our freedom,” Nai Yekha continued, “Now things are changing. It is in our hands whether we want to get freedom or not [sic].”

Nai Yekha advised audience members to vote for Mon representatives in the upcoming elections “because in the future, we are going to have federalism in our country,” he said.

Nai Yekha urged the local residents to “act against those who come to destroy our environment and culture”.

Nai Wanna Tun, an Andin youth, expressed his thoughts towards the construction of a coal-fired power plant in his area, “If [the] Toyo-Thai Company builds a coal-fired power plant here, we won’t be able to enjoy the beach as we enjoyed it before, we won’t be able to breathe fresh air, there will no longer be any tropical fruits or fresh seafood, and the plantations around the plant will be destroyed. The speakers enlightened the people from Andin and Phalein region; people who had doubts about this case are now clear. We would like to thank the monk who invited the two speakers. Events like this rarely happen in this village.”

Andin Village resident Mehm Karat Chan, who is involved in social activities in the village, spoke about the benefits of the literature talk.

“The people of Phalon region now understand politics and national affairs, especially [regarding] the coal-fired power plant project, because there are people who misunderstood this project. They [the company] are destroying the unity of the villagers. By organizing this event, the local people have come to understand and gain awareness of this project, and how to oppose it.”

Mehm Karat Chan continued, “U Soe Myint explained other sources to generate energy instead of a coal-fired power plant, which do not have negative impacts on the environment. If we don’t understand politics and are not educated, we cannot analyze or find a solution when a big issue like this occurs. This event is helpful to the local people who have no knowledge of political affairs.”

The villagers thanked the speakers, as the 1st Mon Literature Talk wrapped-up around 11:00 pm.

Written by Modinator · Filed Under News