ON THE 57th ANNIVERSARY OF MON NATIONAL DAY

February 6, 2004

Among the peoples who live in Burma today, the Mons are considered to be the oldest. The Mon people established their own sovereign kingdoms and enjoyed freedom and prosperity for many centuries before the modern era began. Their civilization was among the most distinctive and influential in pre-colonial Southeast Asia. Significant aspects of the language, art and architecture, political and legal arrangements, and, above all, the religion of the great Burman and Thai civilizations were derived from the Mon society which preceded them and which acted as a vector in the transmission of Theravada Buddhism and Indianized political culture to the region.

The last Mon kingdom, known as Hongsawaddy or Pegu, was established by two princely brothers, Samala and Wimala, in 572 A.D. The auspicious day on which this last sovereign kingdom of the Mons was established - the 1st waning day of the 11th month, according to the Mon lunar calendar -- has been designated as our National Day by modern-day Mon people. Mon communities both at home and abroad celebrate this National Day every year with the aim of strengthening unity among ourselves and safeguarding our ethnic identity.

Since the fall of out last sovereign kingdom in 1757, we Mons have become "a people without a country" and have been reduced to minority race status in Burma. Undoubtedly, the restoration of our lost Mon nationhood ranks as the highest and ultimate political goal of the present-day Mon people.

Among the nations of the world today, we, the Mon people, are on the same boat as the Fourth World peoples who do not even have representation in the United Nations. But we have not forgotten our lost nationhood and we wholeheartedly welcome and support the establishment of a genuinely democratic Federal Union of Burma, in which all ethnic nationalities, including the present dominant race, the Burman, enjoy racial equality and the right of self-determination.

The present Burman-dominated military dictatorship in Burma, officially known as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), has continued to oppress and abuse the peoples of Burma by various means. The ethnic non-Burman peoples have lost their right of self-determination under chronic Burman ethnocentric rule. Recently, this ruling military regime announced a seven-step plan aimed at setting up what it called "genuine and disciplined democracy" in Burma. But the announced program set out no timeframe and, in fact, has been conceived in order to hoodwink the Burmese people as well as the international community and to prolong the stay in power of the current regime.

The SPDC is planning to reconvene its long-adjourned "National Convention", even while it continues to detain hundreds of political prisoners, outlaw most opposition political parties, and seriously restrict freedom of expression, assembly and association.

On this occasion of our Mon National Day, on behalf of our Mon people, we appeal to the Governments, of the world, the United Nations and the international community to increase pressure on the Burmese military junta aimed at speeding up the process of democratic transition in Burma.

In particular, we ask the international community to come together in solidarity and support our call for:

· The release of Mon leaders and all political prisoners in Myanmar before the National Convention;

· The holding of a tripartite dialogue, comprised of democratic groups, ethnic nationality groups, and the military regime;

· The withdrawal of the Burmese army from the ethnic nationality areas and an immediate halt to land confiscations, forced labor, forced portering and relocation;

· Unrestricted access of international bodies such as the ICRC and Amnesty International to all detention centers and rural areas;

· The institution of the rights to freely assemble, organize, and protest peacefully, and to freely practice Mon literacy and other traditional and cultural activities.

Australia Mon Association & 57th Mon National Day Committee

Euro-Mon Community

Mon Canadian Association (Toronto, Canada)

Mon Canadian Society / Mon Cultural Society (Calgary, Canada)

Mon Community of Canada (Vancouver, Canada)

Monland Restoration Council (USA)

Mon Unity League (Thailand)

Mon Women Organization (Canada)

Mon Women Organization (USA)

Mon Workers Association (Malaysia)

Mon Workers Union (Thailand)

Mon Youth Community (UK)

Mon Youth Liberty Organization (Thailand)

Overseas Mon National Students Organization (North America)