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Mon State Government Discourages Support of local for NMSP after signing NCA

HURFOM: The Mon State Government has restricted activities related to Mon Affairs after the New Mon State Party (NMSP) signed the National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) early this year, according to report.

“Even when the NMSP hadn’t signed the NCA, we went to the NMSP military training and gave our support. Now, after the NCA, [the Minister of the Mon State Ministry of Security and Border Affairs] gave us a warning [about supporting the NMSP military training]. It’s unacceptable. [Anyhow], I’ve already decided to support Mon affairs in the future,” said Mon Activist Monk Aot Jae.

Photo: Aot Jae

Hecontinues that their support for the military training was not at the request of the NMSP or other organizations. They decided to support the [NMSP] training on their own because they think they should do so.

Monk Aot Jae and his team went to the military training of the NMSP at Ye ChaungPhyar Region of Southeast Ye Township, Mon State on September 4^th2018 and on September 10^th. According to instructions from the Mon State government, the chief of the Department of Religious Affairs in Chaungzone and his team visited Monk Aot Jae’s monastery and gave him a warning.

“The chief of the Chaungzone Department of Religious Affairs said the [Mon State] Minister of the Ministry of Security and Border Affairs did not like that we supported the [NMSP] military training. Now, even the NMSP signed the NCA, there was no genuine peace between the two parties – the NMSP and the Burmese military. That’s why the minister instructed them to warn us that he didn’t want us to support the NMSP,” said Monk Aot Jae.

According to the reports, Monk Aot Jae and his team did not support only the NMSP’s military training. They supported flood and fire victims, the Mon National Schools, and the Mon students and they also donated blood.

“After the NCA, we think we have the right to be involved in the peace process. So we decided to support [the NMSP’s military training]. We assumed that it’s our national affair,” said the Monk.

If there was a restriction on supporting the Mon national affairs, the number of Mon activists who did support would decline in the future, said NaiJelToiNai, a member of Monk Aot Jae’s Team.

“Before the NCA, together with U ZinZawLatt[Monk Aot Jae], we went to the NMSP’s military training and their Department of Education and supported them very often. Last year, we went to the NMSP’s [controlled areas] three times. No one checked us. Even the [military] check points didn’t inquire about us. But after the NCA, there was no freedom. I feel that there has been a restriction imposed upon us,” said NaiJelToiNai.

After signing the NCA, the NMSP has joined the Union Joint Monitoring Committee (UJMC); however, the party has been not involved in the Mon State Joint Monitoring Committee as they failed to get an agreement with the military.

Similarly, the Mon State government instructed townships to remove the billboards with Mon revolutionary slogans for Mon Revolution Day.

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