Min Thuta – Following tensions since the break down of the ceasefire between the New Mon State Party (NMSP) and Burma’s new government, the NMSP held the 64th anniversary celebration of Mon Revolutionary Day with caution in the area of Three Pagodas Pass on 14 August.
The ceremony was led by NMSP leaders and military leaders from the Mon National Liberation Army (MNLA). About 500 civilians joined the ceremony, in which NMSP leader Nai Shwe Thein acted as Master of Ceremonies.
The ceremony was held in Baleh-Donephai Village, where thousands of displaced persons are residing. The ceremony began in the early morning at 7 a.m. with a statement from NMSP. NMSP President Nai Htaw Mon’s speech was also read. There was no special military parade by MNLA personnel to the ceremony.
NMSP’s statement expressed, “When there is no opportunity to solve political problems peacefully, we still have to use armed resistance. We, Mon people and the MNLA, have a strong commitment to fight on for our rights, and we are not alone. Therefore, we will work and struggle together with our ethnic alliances.”
NMSP has been acting with caution, and therefore, they moved the location of the Mon Revolutionary Day (MRD) celebration to areas controlled by them. In the past, the MRD event was held in Palaing-Japan Village, which is just a 20-minutes’ walk from the nearest Burmese Army outpost. This year, the event was moved to Baleh-Donephai village, which is a four-hours’ walk from the nearest Burmese Army’s outpost.
NMSP’s statement calls for unity among all Mon people through the Mon Affairs Union (MAU). The MAU is an umbrella organization, comprised of many Mon political and social organizations. The MAU also released a Statement asking the Mon people to continue working to build up unity and keep the movement strong until the rights of Mon people are guaranteed.
Mon Revolutionary Day is an important day for Mon people and their remembrance of oppression by the central government. It marks a day in 1948 when many youths first took up arms against the central government.
