Historical background of the Mons. Mons of the Mon-Khmer Family migrated from Mongolia into Thailand along the Mekong valley, into Burma along the Salween and Irrawaddy valleys and into India along the Bramaputra valley earlier than 600 B.C. In this respect John F. Cady’s book entitled "Thailand, Burma, Laos & Cambodia" gives some historical facts about the Mons. Extracts from pp. 32-33 & 45 are given below: "Leading Peoples: Mons and Khmers" "The Mon-Kher peoples, who moved into Indochina in B.C. times, were ethnically Mongoloid, but non-Chinese. Their languages are described as Austroasiatic to distinguish them from that of their Austronesian predecessors who also inhabited much of the Indochina peninsula. The Mons probably moved southward from western China via the Salween and Mekong River gorges into Lower Burma and the Menam valley and the Malay isthmus during the first millennium and prior to their making contact with north China civilization of Chou times (edning around 240 B.C.). The Mons may have preceded their Khmer cousins by several centuries. Burma’s Mons were closely associated with the Pwo Karens, probably in a master-slave relationship. Their first capital was at Thaton, which developed in early A.D. times, fruitful cultural and commercial contacts with India’s Telengana section of the upper Deccan and with ports of the lower Coromandel coast. On the eastern side of the Salween-Menam divide the Mons established another state known as Dvaravati, with one center at Lopburi (Lavo) on the lower Menam and a second upstream around a capital known as Harpunjaya. For a time in the tenth and eleventh centuries a loosely structured Mon confederacy called Ramanyadesa included Thaton, Dvarawati and Harpunjaya was in existence.
"The Mons were widely dispersed and poorly integrated. They were seldom dominant politically, but were important both economically and culturally. Their substantial economic skills as hydraulic agriculturalists, craftsmen, shipbuilders, seamen, and traders were matched by their civiliziningrole as transmitters of Indian culture. Indian governmental practices and kingship symbols, Vishnu worship, Buddhism, and Sanskrit and writing systems were all transmitted by the Mons to Burman neighbours, to Khmer cousins located to the east of the Menam valley, and finally to the later-entering Thai peoples."
* * * (…) The Dvarawati Mons also gained control over the mouth of Menam River and down the peninsula extending southward into Malaya. Small but economically important Indianized states, notably Tambralinga and Lankasuka appeared in northern Malaya. It was not until around 800 A.D. that a united Cambodia again emerged as the successors of Funan.
"The Khmer learned much from the conquered Funanese, and also from the Mons, about the Indian symbols of devine kingship, Hinduism, and Buddhism. They eventually demonstrated in the Great Lake region their own superior talents in hydraulic agriculture, governmental organization, art, architecture, and literature (…)"
* * *"Around 800 A.D. a vigorous Khmer ruler, Jayaverman II, finally succeeded in reuniting the states of Water Chenla and in establishing Cambodian control over vassal domains located around the shores of the Gulf of Siam. The lower portion of the Annam coast above modern Saigon was taken over by this time by the Hindunized Chams.
Meanwhile the Buddhist Mon peoples established political and cultural along both sides of the Tenasserim watershed and up the Menam valley. Mon Thaton became the teacher of the Pagan Burmans of the eleventh century, while Mon Dvarawati (from Lopburi southward to Chaiya) and Mon Haripunjaya (at Lamphun) to the north became the mentors of the Khmers and later the Thai. Prince Uthong, a Thai leader long resident in Mon Dvarawati, subsequently founded the Thai capital of Ayuthia in 1350".
Thus history shows that Mons have had independent states off their own tracing over two thousand and five hundred years. The most known in latter days history was Rehmonnya or Hongsawatoi (Homsavati) or Pegu covering the whole of Lower Burma until it was wrested from them by the Burmese in 1757. During the periods when Mons were masters of lower Burma, the people were happy and prosperous. Those glorious periods were expressed by distinguished historians as golden ages under wise Mon rulers. Relations with foreign countries and foreign nationals were peaceful, cordial and harmonious. That was how the Mons blended their native culture with Theravada Buddhism which elevated them as teachers of their homeland, more than half of the Mon populace migrated into Thailand where they were given refuge and treated as equals. Mons when they were masters of the olden days Thailand received the Thais when they migrated south from Yunan with open arms and they were always in close ties in history. This time it was Mons’ turn to receive Thais’ hospitality. Hundreds of thousands of Mons returned back to Burma - their old homeland - when it came under the British.
Mons had developed themselves into a nation possession a rich culture and were a prosperous people. It is one of those cases in history when the people defeated in war conquer in culture.
After under Burmese rule for 67 years, Tenasserim Division which formed part of old Rehmonnya feel into the hands of the British together with Arakan Division in 1826 after the First Anglo-Burmese War. The other part of old Rehmonnya covering the present Pegu and Irrawaddy Divisions fell to the British in 1854 after the second Anglo-Burmese War. Finally, when Upper Burma, known in the chronicles as Ava was annexed by the British in 1885 after the Third Anglo-Burmese War, the whole of Burma came under the British as a colony til 1942, when the British withdrew from Burma dring World War II.
When the British government inaugurated steps for granting independence to Burma after the second World War, Mons urged the Burmese political leaders, who were in power as Executive Councillors to the British Governor, to include satisfactory provisions and safeguards for them in the Constitution which was in the making. The Burmese chauvinists instead of ceding to the Mon aspirations waved it lightly by giving a far-fetched excuse saying that Mons and Burmese are indistinguishable in racial identity and characteristics, and separate minority rights should not be contemplated. But when the demand for the right of self-determination became popular and an upsurge of Mon mass support came to climax in 1948, the Burmese government took measures to detain some of the Mon leaders and assassinate many of them.
A four-point pledge was made between the Karens and the Mons in August 1948 for joint effort to attain Mon and Karen States. The pledge says:
Mons and Karens agreed to struggle jointly for the attainment of Mon and Karen States;
Mons and Karens committed themselves to face all obstacles even at the risk of their lives in struggling for the ultimate goal;
Either party should not go into any agreement with a third party without the consent of the other; and (4) When success is achieved the aspirations of Mons and Karens would be decided democratically. The fourth point was included because the claims made by the Mons and the Karens were overlapping in most areas. The pledge was signed by Nai Hla Maung for the Mons and by Saw Ba U Gyi for the Karens. In a matter of days after the signing of the pledge the Burmese government detained 19 Mon leaders in Moulmein jail under section 5 of Public Order Preservation Act. This move on the part of government prompted the Mons and Kanrens to occupy Thaton and Moulmein together with a substantial part of the present Karen State without bloodshed on the 30th and 31st August, 1948 respectively. A week later the Burmese government announced that it would form a Regional Autonomy Enquiry Commission for the Mon, Karen and Arakanese. At the first meeting of the Commission, Mons put up their claim including Tenasserim, Pegu, and Irrawaddy Divisions covering the whole area of old Rehmonnya to be demarcated as Mon State. The Karens claimed Tenasserim Division, Irrawaddy Division, and Toungoo District, Naunglebin Subdivision, Hanthawaddy District, Insein District and Tharrawaddy District in Pegu Division to be incorporated as Karen State. Later the Arakanese claimed Arakan Division as Arakanese State. Situation worsen and by the third week of December 1948 the government declared illegal the two armed wings of the Mons and Karens, namely, the Mon National Deferce Organization (MNDO), and the Karen National Defence Organization (KNDO).
Thus finding themselves under the same heavy hand of power as practised over other indigenous non-Burmese brethren of Burma, Mons and Karens had no other alternative but to resort to unconstitutional means to defend their democratic rights and freedom. They collaborated, in a commeon cause, with other resistance forces to fight against the Burmese government.
The intransigent and chauvinistic national characteristics of the Burmese showed up in full and no compromise was made to any of the above ethnic groups. The Burmese leadership tried to impose its will through military force which plunged the country into civil war up till this day.
To put an end to all forms of colonialism, a resolution by the Afro-Asian group condemning colonialism and urging the colonialist powers to grant independence to their subject people was passed by the 15th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
But there is still one form of colonialism overlooked, the Burmese colonialism. The Burmese in their hey-day of their imperialist monarchical dynasty, conquered the Arakanese, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Mon and Shan people and usurped their sovereignty and land of birth. They invaded Thailand but failed to hold it, leaving a trial of devastations. From these it is clear beyond doubt, that the Burmese was a colonialist on his own, which role he resumed over the non-Burmese as soon as the British restored Burma her independence under him.
It is therefore only logical and natural for the non-Burmese, to hanker for and ask for their own independence from the Burmese rule; having been under Burmese colonial rule first, then the British, and now reverting back again to the Burmese colonial rule. The Burmese have no justifiable right to be in Lower Burma or old Rehmonnya except by conquest.
After nearly four decades of Burmese administration the country is politically in turmoil and economically in slump. That clearly indicates historical failure of the Burmese leadership.
To ease up the political, economic, social and military crises General Ne Win’s government had demarcated Moulmein and Thaton districts as Mon State in Article 31 of the new constitution published in April 1972 for national referendum. In the same article Arakan and Chin Divisions were demarcated as Arakanese and Chin States respectively. The National Assembly had already approved the new constitution on January, 3, 1974 at 1930 hours. Thus the three states had come into existence since January, 1974.

22667