History of the Mon
The Mon was one of the earliest distinct groups to occupy Burma, moving into the area possibly as early as 1500 BCE. The first Mon Kingdom, Suwarnabhumi, was founded around the port of Thaton in 300 BCE. They were converted to Theravada Buddhism in the 200s BCE. The Mon prospered in southern Burma until around 1000 when they came under pressure from new ethnic groups arriving from the north. Successive waves of Burmese and Thai groups slowly eroded the Mon kingdoms until their final collapse. The last Mon kingdom was Hongsavatoi, which fell to the Burmese in 1757. The British conquered Burma, including the Mon territories, in 1824, after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The Mon aided the British in the overthrow of the Burmese. The British promised Mon their own leadership and recognition after defeating the Burmese; however, Mon sovereignty was never realized.In 1947, the Mon presented a demand to safeguard their rights after independence, but the Prime Minister of Burma rejected it saying that no separate national rights for the Mon would be contemplated. Despite this, Mon National Day was created to celebrate the ancient founding of the Mon Kingdom of Hongsawatoi, the last Mon Kingdom, which had its seat in Pegu.
The desires of the ruling Burmese were forcefully imposed on the Mon people and resulted in a civil war. The Mon revolted against the central Burmese government in 1962 through the New Mon State Party (NMSP). A partially autonomous Mon state, Monland, was created in 1974 covering Tenasserim, Pegu and Irrawaddy. Resistance continued until 1995 when NMSP and SLORC agreed to a cease-fire. The following year the Mon Unity League was founded (MUL). That same year, the Mon people joined UNPO in their struggle for democracy and the preservation of human rights in Burma.
 |
| (Source: All Things Burmese) |
The desires of the ruling Burmese were forcefully imposed on the Mon people and resulted in a civil war. The Mon revolted against the central Burmese government in 1962 through the New Mon State Party (NMSP). A partially autonomous Mon state, Monland, was created in 1974 covering Tenasserim, Pegu and Irrawaddy. Resistance continued until 1995 when NMSP and SLORC agreed to a cease-fire. The following year the Mon Unity League was founded (MUL). That same year, the Mon people joined UNPO in their struggle for democracy and the preservation of human rights in Burma.
