Interview Ong Banjoon, president of the Bangkok Mon Youth Club, on preserving Mon culture in Thailand

"The Mon in Thailand look down on some of the people in Mon State, saying they’re impolite and eat and dress crudely. The people in Mon state blame the Mon in Thailand for forgetting their mission of national liberation. The attitudes of both sides have to be adjusted. They should try to understand each other better and get along. It’s part of our duty to foster that understanding. "

As a child, Ong Banjoon felt alienated from his Mon identity. He had to be prodded by his father to take classes in the language. The day came, though, when he started absorbing what it really means to be Mon.
Now a writer with publications in Mon and a reputation as an historian of the ethnic minority, he is deeply involved in preserving Mon culture in Thailand’s Samut Sakhon province. He is the president of the Mon Youth Community Bangkok and, through the website he developed – www.monstudies.com, shares information about every aspect of Mon life.


Ong is a regular contributor to magazines, and his latest feature – “The beginning of the journey from Moulmein”, in which he described crossing the border in disguise – won second prize in the 2006 Nai Inn writing competition.
He is currently working on the last two chapters of his master’s-degree thesis on “The role of Mon women in the Chakri dynasty”.


The young writer talks about his seven years as a Mon activist in Thailand with the Salween Post.

Q: Where is your home?
I’m from Samut Sakhon, and I’m of pure Mon blood. My great-grandparents were Mon, but they were born in Thailand too. We’ve been here for six or seven generations already.


The Mon in Samut Sakhon come from peasant stock – from the people who moved from the old city of Mon in southern Burma 300 years ago. It’s now Pegu , Martaban and Moulmein. When they first came to Thailand they kept mostly to themselves and stayed isolated, and that’s why we still have the same traditional Mon lifestyle and language. I speak, read and write in Mon. At home I have to speak Mon, because my father won’t speak Thai to me [laughs].

Q: Why are you so interested in Mon matters?
I was born a Mon in a Mon village. I speak Mon and have a Mon lifestyle. I felt alienated in primary school. It was in a Mon temple and 90% of the people there were Mon, but we’d be punished if we spoke Mon because the teachers were Thai.


Because of this prohibition and because my friends teased me if I spoke Mon, I was shy about using the language, and I even used to hate Mon people. I didn’t want to be Mon. I hated myself and my father, who wanted me to learn the language.


I tried to run away from the situation at home but I couldn’t because I needed my father’s financial support. That’s how he got me to study the language that I so detested.


When I went to Silapakorn University to study interior design I had more opportunity to read up on Mon history. I discovered the significant role we played in Thai history, including helping the Thais fight their wars. There are many important people in Thai history with Mon lineage.


I read a book by a Mon writer, Arpinsan Paladsingh, called “The Stateless Mon”, which proudly depicted the Mon civilisation of old. We used to have our own country and religion that served as models for many nations in this region. I could feel the sorrow in his writing. There was so much blood spilled by the Burmese, and the blood rushed to my face [laughs].


I wrote to the author and told him, “I am of Thai-Mon lineage and don’t know anything about my roots. I want to know more.” But I couldn’t get hold of him. Then, many years later, I came across another book by Arpinsan and wrote to him again. This time he replied and invited me to his house. It was the beginning of my serious participation in the Bangkok Mon Youth Club.

Q: What does the club do?
We work in language, religion and cultural preservation. It’s called a youth club, but the people who founded it in 1975 are now over 40, and there are members who are in their 70s. We keep the name to attract young people so they can make the club their own.
We have 1,000 members nationwide. I’m the second president.
We arrange celebrations for Mon National Day and participate in the festivities for His Majesty the King’s birthday on December 5 and Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday on August 12, and we’ll get 10,000 Mon people joining in. We provide Mon food for the occasions.

Q: Is there any politics involved?
That was one of our main objectives in the past. We originally had a separate unit called the Thai Raman [Raman meaning Mon] Association working on cultural issues, while the youth club was intended to focus on political issues and work closely with New Mon Party in Burma. But after the political situation changed, the political aspect was dropped.

Q: How many Mon are there in Thailand?
It’s difficult to give an accurate number. In 1969 Professor Dr Su-ed Kochasenee roughly estimated there were 100,000. I believe there are many times more than that, especially if we include the mixed lineage – up to three or four million by now.
Sometimes I don’t want to count some people as Mon, such as my brother’s children. His wife is half-Thai and doesn’t speak Mon and his children can’t speak Mon, although they know about Mon culture.

Q: Where are the biggest Mon communities?
The Mon live mostly in the middle of Thailand, in the Maeklong, Tha Jeen, Pasak and Chao Phraya river basins.
In the north they’re in Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang, in the south in Surat Thani, Chumphon and Prachuab Khiri Khan, and also in the Northeast in Chaiyapum and Nakhon Ratchasima.
There are about 34 provinces, according to my research, where Mon live. Our club members come from 20 different provinces.

Q: Tell us about your award-winning story about travelling in Mon State.
We get to know many young Mon people through the club who are working in Thailand. In 2006, after the National Day celebrations – which involve a big festival for the Mon and include ordinations, weddings and funerals – I followed them to Mon State via the Three Pagodas Pass checkpoint.
When I applied for a border pass I dressed like the Mon do in Burma, in a sarong, and spoke the language. I intended to meet with members of the New Mon Party in the town of Ye in south Burma and then visit friends in the town of Moulmein in central Mon State for a few days, and then return to Thailand via Ye. I ended up changing my mind and going back to Moulmein a second time.

Q: What happened?
Before I went I was curious about the lifestyle and culture. I wondered whether we’d have anything in common, and whether we’d even be able to communicate with each other.
I was really into it when I arrived. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, but close. The Mon there are tranquil, warm, religious, humble and lively. Their lives aren’t as difficult as I imagined. The Burmese military don’t have much control over Moulmein and let people live normally, except businessmen, who are taxed more and are closely monitored.
As a result, few local people are interested in doing anything about the situation, unlike in other areas, especially in the rural south. In Ye they still face serious oppression, and there is rape and seizures of rice harvests.

Q: How long did you stay?
I’d planned to be there only 10 days, but I stayed about a month, because it’s not easy to get there in the first place.

Q: What kind of feelings did you experience?
It was very enjoyable learning something new every day. I will always remember walking around the village and observing the old traditions, such as the rainmaking ceremony, which has a procession with a buffalo head. Other times I was relaxing by the river and I saw people ritually paying respect to the river for safety’s sake, praying and pouring whiskey into the current before taking their cattle across. Some people might not pay attention, but I like witnessing these kinds of things.

Q: Did anyone notice that you weren’t a local?
Yes, people always asked, but they thought I must have come from some nearby village they didn’t know. They tried to guess at my accent, but I’d only tell them I was from Thailand if we were having a long conversation.

Q: Why didn’t you want to tell them?
I was worried it would make them feel uncomfortable – in case the Burmese authorities were monitoring them.

Q: Did you have to be more careful about everything?
No, I wasn’t that concerned, especially in Martaban and Moulmein. I was quite outspoken. Some people I talked to boasted that they’d been to Thailand too. I felt very comfortable there since the military has little influence in these areas, but I was trying to look like a native, so I tried not to stand out. If I was taking notes I’d do it secretly, or if there was something I wanted a picture of I’d borrow an old compact camera instead of using my own. If I’d gone as a tourist, taking pictures and notes wouldn’t have been a problem, but I went as an “insider”.

Q: Had you always planned on writing a book about the trip?
No, I just wanted to do research for my thesis, and collect some old palm-leaf manuscripts. This is the kind of work I think I will do for the rest of my life.
I did find some old scriptural artefacts and newspapers, but I was still disappointed because monks regularly told me there were none left anymore. The one we found had been copied from Thailand. The local people told us to look for them in Thailand [laughs] because the Burmese authorities had burned all theirs.


When I got back I saw an announcement about the Nai Inn awards for feature writing and decided to enter. I used to occasionally write articles for the Internet and Silapa Wattanatham [Arts and Culture] magazine. Mostly I wrote travel and historical features about the Mon, sometimes on Cambodia. I wrote about the places I’d been and the differences between the Mon in Thailand and Burma. I didn’t write as an academic, just as a Mon.

Q: Do you adhere to the belief that the Mon in Burma should be better able to preserve their traditions than those in Thailand, since that is their country of origin?
I don’t think so, because people are seriously oppressed there. Those who flaunt their Mon identity are targeted. Anyone who wants to be safe has to dress in the Burmese style and speak Burmese, not Mon.

Q: How does Mon identity differ between Burma and Thailand?
I’ve found that it’s quite different, but there are still some connections. Some of the traditional Mon music in Thailand has Thai instruments blended into it. They sound very different, but they’re still all right. Similarly, costume and cultural lifestyle are influenced by the country where you live.
But I think the Thai influence is marginal – we can still find the real Mon community here.

Q: How do the Mon in Burma view the Mon in Thailand?
They’re surprised that we’re still able to speak Mon here. You hear the national legend that the Mon royalty escaped to Thailand, and if there is to be liberation, it must come from Thailand because the royal lineage is here. People are still attached to this old story. The Mon in Burma are more serious about liberation than those in Thailand, but they remain hopeful and are always glad to meet us.

Q: What’s the current situation with the Mon army?
In my father’s day they were strong, but the people have been disappointed for a long time. The leaders of the New Mon Party fought among themselves and some fled to France, which caused the Mon in Thailand to lose confidence and curtail their financial and moral support. So we lost that sense of solidarity.
Hopes have faded and the army has no significant role. After the New Mon Party signed the ceasefire agreement they couldn’t do anything. There are only a few small groups wandering along the border. I heard that they’re more concerned about protecting their bases, out of fear that, if they split up, they’ll be severely persecuted.

Q: Do the young Mon differ between Thailand and Burma in terms of their enthusiasm for their cultural heritage?
It’s certainly different. Those in Thailand don’t care much anymore. Some of the Mon migrant workers in Thailand regard themselves as Burmese. But they get here and have the opportunity to learn about their history. Some have asked me to set up language classes for them in Mon, English and Thai, which has given me experience in a different sort of activity.

Q: How many clubs are there like yours, involved in Mon issues?
There are normally clubs set up in their local areas, such as Samut Prakan, to arrange religious or other activities, often involving people from their home villages, who can support one another. Some of these groups still distrust us, however.


A rough survey by both Mon and Thai academics found a million migrant workers from Burma in Thailand. Of these, 60 to 70 per cent are Mon – not Burman Burmese, Shan or Karen.
The Mon immigrant community in

Mahachai doesn’t accept Burmese people. Thais may be prejudiced toward the Burmese because of what happened in history, but the Mon in Thailand are twice as hateful toward them, even if they know nothing about the history. So there aren’t many Burman Burmese in these areas. Sometimes two factories next door to each other have to choose sides – do they hire Mon or Burman Burmese? [laughs]


When I visited the Mon villages in Burma, I found Mon, Burman Burmese and Karen living together peacefully, in villages side by side, because they’re all oppressed by the military. But when they come to Thailand they want to revive their individual ethnic identities. Almost every Mon in Thailand changes his name into Mon from the Burmese name they used back home.

Q: Are the Mon more concerned about preserving their culture than other ethnic groups?
In Thailand the emphasis is on cultural issues, while in Mon State it’s more about ethnic issues. Actually, what we do here culturally is also political. When we arrange a Mon food festival, the Mon who are hiding from the authorities in the forest are encouraged to hear that the Mon in Thailand are united and strong. News of these cultural activities spreads to the Mon living in Canada and Australia too.


The news of these activities is spread under an image of the hansa – the swan – which is the national symbol. Mon people in many places see this and they’re encouraged.

Q: What are your future plans as president of the Bangkok Mon Youth Club?
Actually I didn’t want to be president for a second term because I needed more time to write my thesis, but so many people insisted that I accepted. I just I told them I’d have to curtail my activities a bit.


Over the next two years I’ll be focusing on education. We’ve been trying to get Mon-language classes into the curricula of all the Mon schools in the 34 provinces that have Mon communities. We’d like to have two hours a week. We have to build up our manpower to handle it, but if any schools are ready, they can start immediately, like Wat Moung School in Banpong in Ratchaburi, where there are many seniors who speak the language. The school there has been teaching the language for four or five years, but only recently added the course to its formal curriculum.


There are other areas – such as Samut Sakhon and Prapadaeng in Samut Prakhan – where we have extracurricular Mon classes, but the children aren’t keen since the lessons don’t count toward their grades, and the parents see it as a waste of time. So we have to include the classes in the school’s regular curriculum. That way the parents will be more supportive.

Q: What other issues are you tackling?
The curriculum issue extends to the program I developed with the Ministry of Education, which builds communication skills for migrant workers, and this benefits both government officials and employers.


These workers’ very existence can be denied, especially if they’re unable to communicate in Thai. So we’ve prepared a bilingual curriculum that starts with Mon, with content suited to adults.


The ministry is very interested in community access. We haven’t been able to reach many of the Mon communities in the country, and we’re trying to learn more about their individual histories and recruit more club members. I go around to various communities – the ones that aren’t already strongly self-sufficient – when they hold festivals or other special activities and try to promote our organisation and recruit new members.

Q: Do the Mon generally have good communication within their own communities?
Not enough. They can only communicate well in small groups. The Mon in Thailand look down on some of the people in Mon State, saying they’re impolite and eat and dress crudely. The people in Mon state blame the Mon in Thailand for forgetting their mission of national liberation. The attitudes of both sides have to be adjusted. They should try to understand each other better and get along. It’s part of our duty to foster that understanding.

Q: What are your expectations for the future?
At the very least, I want every Mon community in Thailand to be strong. I wish I could just call up the community leaders in all 34 provinces when they have an activity and be assured that they can manage well. All of the people from Mon State should first of all be able to communicate with one another so there’ll be full understanding.

Q: How do you see the attitude of Thai people toward the Mon?
Those who know the Mon know that we’re an ethnic group with a very close relationship to them, even with our unique language and culture. But few Thais know about the Mon liberation movement in Burma, and sometimes they’re uncomfortable hearing about it. A lot of Thais don’t really know what a Mon is, but there is no racism – there are no insults thrown at Mon people here, like there have been toward the Lao and the Chinese.

Q: What is your personal view of Mon politics?
I believe profoundly that every Mon shares the same ideal: If we can achieve natural liberation, many people will join in the celebrating. There might not be many Mon who want to return home, but having a nation of our own again would compensate for our long-standing inferiority complex about being stateless.

Q: What about the dual Mon and Thai identity within you? Is it harmonious?
I consider myself a Thai who loves Thailand, loves the King and everything. I feel no sense of separateness, so I try and do my duty to both Thailand and the Mon community, at the same time, as best I can. We preserve Mon arts and culture, but they are also a part of Thai art and culture.

Translated from the interview in Salween Post Magazine
Vol. 35( November 16- December 31, 2006)