Aiming to accelerate Mon national activates, two prominent Mon political parties agree to unite.

Jury-Chai – In order to reinforce Mon national issues, a preliminary decision has been made by the Mon National Democratic Front (MNDF) and the All Mon Region Democracy Party (AMDP) to unite the two parties, according to central committee members.
The call to unite the two Mon parties was led by eight Mon abbots of the Rehmonya-nikarya Mon Monk Association and leaders from the AMDP and MNDF. The discussion was help at the Sarsanar 2500 Monastery in Moulmein, on the morning of Tuesday 24th January.
“Both sides agreed to reunite [the] two Mon parties. [We] will meet again in the second week of February and the decision will be confirmed at this time,” said Nai Soe Myint, a central committee member of MNDF.
According to Nai Soe Myint, attendees of the discussion included: Representing the MNDF, Dr. Min Soe Linn, Dr. Min Kyi Win, Nai Soe Myint, Nai Raja, Nai Laye Tama and Nai Pan Ong; and representing the AMDP were, Nai Chit Oo, Nai Oak-sar, Nai Chan Myint, Nai Tala-Chan, Nai Myint Nai, Nai Tint Lwin and Nai Kyaw.
Upon the unification of the two parties, a new name will be given to the party. Senior monks have suggested “Mon Democratic Party” as suitable.
The AMDP was formed on April 2nd in 2010 and contested 34 seats in the 2010 elections, subsequently winning 16 of those seats.
“Why our party didn’t register is that the AMDP has already been registered and [because we believe that] there should be only one party amongst Mon nationals. We don’t want any divergence [between the two Mon parties] so we didn’t register,” continued Nai Soe Myint.
A political observer who lives in Three Pagoda Pass in the Thai-Burma border commented that Mon youth associations could undertake their activities more freely if the Mon parties were united.
The MNDP was formed on October 10th in 1988 and contested 19 seats in the 1990 elections, of which they won 5.
The legitimacy of te MNDF was denied by the military government on March 19th, 1992 and its leaders have been jailed many times.
The Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) and the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), whose legitimacies were also denied following the 1990 elections, have recently been preparing for registration.