NEW PSYCH WARFARE

Burmese Army Launches Psychological Warfare in Mon State

(By Banya Hongsar)

October 15, 2003, Thai-Burma Border -- The ruling regime recently ordered public servants to gather in a field to support the 'seven points' political Road Map, drawn up by the newly appointed Prime Minister this week in Moulmein, the capital city of Mon State, Union of Burma.

Thousands of people were sitting on chairs in a large field with nothing to do but listen to various repetitive speeches given by senior officials led by Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).

Over the last ten years, since 1993, senior officials of USDA, led by military personnel in Mon State have launched a psychological warfare by conducting various secret training programs to counter attack the democratic forces and repress civil society movements. Men, women, and children are ordered to dress up in uniforms and non-Burman people were ordered to dress in their ethnic Mon traditional clothing.

According to sources from the New Mon State Party based in Mon State, soldiers of Burmese troops are ordered to purchase traditional Mon dress prior to the events. Despite the local public having no knowledge on Rangoon's seven-point plan, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) exploited its troops to behave like the local public in the rally and public events, and spy on local groups.

Col. Zaw Tun, senior military member of Southeast Military Command based in Moulmein is in charge of conducting the "psychological warfare" in Mon State under the instruction of the Rangoon War Office.

According to a source from the Mon community, key members of USDA were forced to attend a secret training held at the Capital Hall in the military compound.

The training modules include public relation campaigns, overviews on neighboring countries and Strategies on the Peoples' Force with prepared textbooks. Since 2000, the 43rd training session has been conducted in Mon State under the instruction of the "No 6th Propaganda and Psychological Warfare training school," based in Mon State.

After the newly appointed Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt announced his 'Seven Points" political program, the so called "Myanmar Road Map" towards democracy in August, the Rangoon Generals have instructed local USDA members to act as core supporters for the state and be part of the game in exploiting the local population.

According to source from the New Mon State Party based on Thai-Burma Border, members of the party in the capital were approached to attend the public event, but the seniors in Moulmein rejected the invitation. The NMSP is a cease-fire group, since in 1995, but the party has had little room to play a political role or be involved in a peaceful settlement in the country over the last seven years.

Generally Mon people, especially those who are not members of USDA or of the civil servants, mostly support their national political organization, the Mon National Democratic Front, but the Rangoon Generals abolished it in 1992. Most rural based native Mon people are under the control of the New Mon State Party and its armed wing Mon National Liberation Army. The Mon native people have no alternative information of the "Seven Points" political programs because the state restricts and controls the press.

The Rangoon regime's political program aims to grip onto political power both at new "National Convention" and New "Election" regardless of the political mandate in the country. After launching psychological warfare statewide, the Rangoon Generals seem to have the confidence to call a new "Convention and Election" while leaders of democratic camp Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is under house detention.

The State owned media television churns out PR propaganda as part of its political game on prime time. There are over ten kinds of uniforms flashed across the Myanmar TV screen orchestrated daily under instruction of USDA's PR spin team campaign, designed to both brainwash and represent the local public.

The Rangoon regime is expert at dividing the citizens of Burma into two camps: Pro-regime and the Pro-democracy camp.

"This kind of tactic has been used in the past during Ba Swe and Kyaw Nyein era," explains Sunthorn Sripanngern, a Mon political analyst. But finally, "they fail consistently to promote or uphold peace in the country", he added.

Regardless of this massive psychological warfare in Mon State, senior members of urban-based Mon political party have conducted workshops in various places for further debate on "federalism" in the country. These groups of Mon political elite strongly support and work under the leadership umbrella organizations United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) and Committee Representing People Parliament (CRPP).