Mon Democracy leaders used the occasion of the Mon National Democracy Front’s (MNDF) vice-chairman’s 86th birthday ceremony to call for all Mon people to come together to work for their rights and freedom.
Vice-chairman, Nai Ngwe Thein told those attending his birthday celebrations that Mon organization had become weak and people needed encouragement to advance the Mon cause.
He said, “even though we have worked to get freedom for Mon people for 60 years, we have never stopped; we are always working on it. Now we are showing the way to our people that those who are working in organizations have to work harder to be able to promote our nation, community and organizations as much as we can.”
“We, the Mon nation have been staying under the government’s control for a long time. In order to get our freedom and our own power everybody must work together to obtain it.
Even though the government gave us Mon State, we Mon do not have our rights. So, in the future, people in other organizations must also work harder.”
Nai Ngwe Thein’s birthday ceremony was held at the Mon rest house in Moulmein and led by the MNDF. It was attended by the MNDF chairman, Nai Htun Thein, secretary, Nai Jon Tama, assistant secretary, Nai Hong Don and leaders of other Mon organizations. Altogether 150 people attended the ceremony.
Chairman, Nai Htun Thein told them, “there are not only Burmans living in Burma but other ethnic groups too. If the government does not think about the rights of other ethnic groups the political situation in Burma will never become stable. They must think and must give rights to these other groups. ”
Before Burma gained independent from the British, Nai Ngwe Thein started to work in politics as a Burma Independence Army (BIA) member, then was the secretary of the All Rahmonnya Mon Association, a CEC member of the Mon Peoples’ Front and General Secretary of Mon Youth. In 1948 he was jailed for two years in Moulmein, and then in 1963 was jailed in Insein for a further two years. He was imprisoned in Moulmein twice more: in 1991 for three years and in 1998 for seven years. He had received a National Reconciliation Hero Award from the Norway-based 88 Generation group in exile.
