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Background and Objectives of Mon Kingdom, Hongsawatoi Fallen Day and Holocaust Memorial Day of the Mon People
Among the present inhabitants of Burma today, the Mon are the oldest. They arrived in Burma as early as 2500 B.C. The Mon people had established their own sovereign kingdoms and enjoyed freedom and prosperity for so many centuries. However, because of successive Burman rulers aggressive policies toward the Mon, Mon kingdoms were invaded and occupied by Burman many times.
The last occupation of Mon Kingdom by Burman was Hongsawatoi or Pegu, which covered the whole of today's Lower Burma. It was occupied by Burman King, Aung Zay Ya (Alaung Phaya) on the 8th waning day of the second month of the year 1116 of the Mon/Burmese lunar calendar (Christian Era 1757). This occupation became the most cruel military occupations in Burmese history because it was not only conquering the land of the Mon but also attempt to exterminate Mon people. After the annexation of the kingdom, the blood-thirsty Burman king, Aung Zay Ya, cold-bloodily exterminated hundreds of thousands of non-combatant innocent Mon people. In the capital city of Hongsawatoi alone, more than 7000 pregnant women, 6000 infant, and 5000 children were brutally massacred . Most of them were forced in several stockades and burnt them alive. Over 3000 Mon Buddhist monks were also executed in various most cruel methods, including the forced trampling by elephants. The extermination of the Mon people by the Burman king was tantamount to the destruction of Jews by the Nazis during the Second World War. The escape the genocidal operations of the Burman king, hundreds of thousands of the then populace fled into neighboring Siam (Thailand) for asylum. Since the fall of our last kingdom, our Mon people have been left without a country through the present time. Today, we, Mon people, are struggling our fundamental rights such as teaching Mon language and literature, practicing Mon cultures, and self-determination for Mon people in Burma.
Therefore, we mark the Hongsawatoi fallen day as the Holocaust Memorial Day of Mon People in order:
- To Remember the lost of the last Mon sovereign kingdom, Hongsawatoi and raise awareness that the Mons once were independent nation;
- To remember the victims of genocide committed by Aung Ze Ya;
- To raise awareness of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and all forms of human rights violations in Burma.
- To promote freedom and justice and to end all forms of discriminations and prejudices against the Mon and the ethnic nationalities in Burma.
- Monland Restoration Council
- Euro-Mon Community
Joint-Statement on the 250th Anniversary of the Fallen Day of Hongsawatoi Mon Kingdom
(May 8, 2007)
May 8, 2007 marks the 250th anniversary of the fallen day of Hongsawatoi Mon kingdom. Hongsawatoi Mon kingdom was invaded and occupied by the Burmese ruler, U Aung Zay Ya, on the 8th waning day of the second month of 1119 in Mon lunar calendar year (1757 A.D.). It is 250-years since the occupation of our Mon Kingdom by the Burmese, one of the darkest chapters in our history - encompassing the attempt to exterminate the Mon in our own country and the systematic massacre of our people. In the course of occupation, tens of thousands of innocent Mon civilians including women, children and over 3000 learned Mon priests were brutally massacred. Historical evidences such as Mon manuscripts and stone inscriptions were destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of the Mon populace fled into Thailand to escape genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Mon Kingdom existed as an independent, sovereign nation for hundreds of years prior to the Burmese occupation in 1757. Mon civilization was among the most distinctive and influential in Southeast Asia. For centuries, Mon Kingdom held a strategic position in the region. Mon had complex linguistic, economic, political and cultural interactions with each of the surrounding nations, but there is a clear consensus among historians that Mon Kingdom was for many centuries an independent nation-state. Through the centuries, we established diplomatic relations with all nations near and far, conducted free and fair international trade with Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, China, France, England, Portugal, Spain and the Middle East. We had long enjoyed a peaceful and cordial relationship in trade and foreign affairs with other countries in the world.
Since its occupation of Mon Kingdom, the successive Burmese rulers have committed gross violations of human rights of Mon people, and violations are constantly on the increase. Once the immensely prosperous and highly civilized Mon were reduced to people without a country. The basic rights of the Mon people are trampled upon and acute discrimination and marginalization of our Mon persist in every sphere of human endeavour. Illegal detention, arrest, confiscation of land, forced labour, torture and executions continue unabated throughout Monland. The teaching and practicing of Mon language and culture were forbidden in our homeland in Burma. Our rights to self-determination have been constantly denied by the successive Burmese governments. Recently, all efforts to promote a tripartite dialogue between the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the National League for Democracy (NLD) and the ethnic nationalities, have proved fruitless. The SPDC has demonstrated an absolute lack of interest in all efforts to resolve the differences and to bring about national reconciliation. On the contrary, the SPDC continues to aggravate the level of repression inside Burma including in our Monland. In spite of the ceasefire agreement between the SPDC and the New Mon State Party (NMSP), the situation in Monland continues to deteriorate and militarization of our homeland goes unchecked
These gross violations of our rights have therefore heightened the resolve of our Mon around the world to fight harder for the freedom of Mon. The regaining of our fundamental rights such as the self-determination and recognition as a nationality is our Mon people's utmost and ultimate political goal. Today international community sympathizes with us more and more but sympathy alone cannot lead us to our goal. The sympathy must be accompanied with tangible supports and actions. Most importantly, as Ghandi once said "Be the change you wish to see in the world", the tasks of regaining our long lost sovereignty rest mainly on our Mon, not on the others. . It has therefore become more important for all Mon in and outside Monland to accelerate our struggle activities in order to regain our long lost sovereignty and dignity.
Today is a day of remembrance. But in remembering, we are also called to action. Therefore, on this special occasion we urge all Mon regardless of class and status, young and old, to join hand in hand in our national struggle in order to regain our long-lost sovereignty and freedom. History illustrates Mon as freedom loving patriots and we have vindicated the reputation with sacrifices and martyrdom. Today as our struggle reaches a crucial threshold, it calls for further sacrifices and dedication. The tasks of regaining our long-lost sovereignty and national dignity rest upon all of us, no matter where we are, what civil society we represent and what political organization we are affiliated with. We should disregard party politics and the differences that exist among us, and instead work hand in hand toward our common goal of national liberation, sovereignty and dignity. Unity among ourselves is the most important precondition for us to regain our dignity and sovereignty. We have a well-established historical background, a well-developed civilization, our resources both in terms of human and natural resources and our state's infrastructures will support a strong civil society, local governance and an administrative system. There is much work ahead, but we should never doubt that with rock-solid national unity and the consolidated effort of all Mon in our Monland, overseas and everywhere in the world that we will inevitably achieve our ultimate and sacred goal of national liberation, sovereignty and dignity.
This Joint-Statement is issued by:
- The Australian-Mon Association (AMA)
- Euro-Mon Community
- Mon Canadian Society of Alberta
- New Zealand Mon Association
- Monland Restoration Council (USA)
- Mon National League for Consolidating and Aiding (Thailand)
- Mon Unity League (Thailand)
- Mon Women's Association of America
- Mon Women's Organization (Canada)
- Mon National Democratic Front (Malaysia)
- Mon Youth Progressive Organization
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The Burmese army often accuses local Mons people as rebel sympathizers, killings, rapes, forced labours, and lands confiscating by the army are widespread in the areas.
After land confiscation, the Mon farmers in the surrounding areas greatly suffered as below;
- Suddenly being deprived of employment
- Deterioration in social life
- Population Displacement and Flux of Refugees
- Migrating into Thailand
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