High education tax during the school opening days

June 1, 2003, Mon State

Similarly to many other State basic education schools, all schools in Mon State reopened and students and the parents come to school to register for the new enrollment.

The school opening day late and the teachers also took more money from them than the previous years, said by student parents.

“Fees for school enrollment, text books, and fees for sport are not so much. Only over 1000 Kyat. But the fees for the school repairs and new school buildings are too expensive. They ask from 7000 to 20000 Kyat. They collected more money for new students, said by the parents from Moulmein.

When asks an unidentified teachers that why they took more fees from the parents, she said that:

“We did not receive enough budget from the government for school repairs and new building, and therefore we ask more from the parents. We, teachers, asked government supports, but it was too little. So that we have to ask money from parents. As the building materials have been expensive, therefore, we collect more money from parents”, explained by a teacher.

Besides the school fees, the parents also have to pay the fees for computer system at schools in both urban and rural areas. The farmers are also forced to pay for this cost.

Besides the school fees, the parents have to spend a lot of expenses in putting their children in private tuition arranged by school teachers to pass the final exam. One student have to spend about 100, 000 Kyat for tuition fee for all subjects. If he/she needs special tuition teacher, he/she has to pay 10000 Kyat per month for one subject only.

Due to expensive school fees, many children left from schools even the young schooling age. Some students engage in works for income and some also moved to Mon National School, where they don’t have to pay.

Forcible guarding to gas-pipeline between Thanbyuzayat and Ye Towns

June 7, 2003 Mon State

Because of the often explosion of Kanbauk-Myaingkalay gas pipeline and demolition attack by the rebel army, the local SPDC Township authorities ordered the village civilians between Thanbyuzayat and Ye Towns, in the southern part of Mon State, to guard the pipeline without fail.

This gas pipeline passes through Ye Township, Thanbyuzayat Township, Mudon Township and Moulmein Township in Mon State and then enters into Pa-an Township of Karen State to provide energy for a cement factory.

The order instructed to the villagers in these two Townships to send 5 villagers from each village to perform the duty of guarding the pipeline for 24 hours and then to use all villagers on the rotation basis. If one villager failed to perform the duty, that family must be not allowed to stay in the village, said the authorities.

The adults and children including women have to perform their duties, and if they failed they have to pay fine, said by the local villagers.

“The household which could not go and guard (the pipeline), it needs to hire a substitute to perform the duty. If you could not find the substitute, you have to pay 2000 Kyat fine. If you could not pay fine and failed to perform the duties, the village headmen ordered you must leave the village immediately”, said by the villagers.

“We are in difficult situation even for day to day seeking money and food (for families) even when there is no instruction for guarding to the pipeline. We, the poor families, faced the difficult situation, if we go and guard (the pipeline) we could face food-shortage problem. We could not pay them fine, 2000 Kyat per day because we could earn only 1000 Kyat per day. We also concern to send women and children and we don’t know how to manage”, explained by the villagers for their difficulties.

In late February, when a Mon woman, Miss Ma Po News from Page 2

(17 years old), was performing the duty, she was raped by a commander from Burmese Army. She substituted for her husband in duty as he was away for fishing.

When the SPDC constructed the pipeline last over 2 years ago, the authorities and army confiscated villagers’ agriculture lands along the pipeline route. The villagers who lost their lands received only a little amount of compensation from the authorities.

The villagers have been constantly forced to guard the pipeline as a rebel army has operated the activities in the area and if the pipeline is attacked near their farms, the farmers could be punished. Additionally, the villagers also need to rebuild the embankment along the route, if it is destroyed by flood.

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