State Administration Council Chairman Senior General Min Aung Hlaing sends Message of Greetings to 47th Anniversary of Mon State Day

March 19

Esteemed national, ethnic parents, brethren and people in Mon State:

First, I have much honour and pleasure to convey this message of greetings on the occasion of the 47th Anniversary of Mon State Day, which falls today, 19 March 2021. I wish for all Union-born nationalities and Mon ethnic brethren full of auspiciousness and well-being.

Formerly, Mon State was embodied within the Taninthayi Division (1). Taninthayi Division (1) was historically recorded on 19 March as Mon State in Section 30 Article (c) of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma Constitution (1974). Since then, 19 March was designated and celebrated as “Mon State Day” year after year until it has been 47 years now.

Mon nationalities have been living in weal and woe together with other fellow ethnic brethren. Joining hands in solidarity with other national races, Mon nationalities, with Union spirit, have been taking part in regaining Independence and upholding sovereignty both during the colonial times and after the Independence struggle. Mon people possess a high-calibre culture and lengthy history. By constantly preserving such noble historical significance, national races are most importantly required to coexist in solidarity for the Union’s sustainability, State stability and tranquillity and eternal peace.

Mon and Bamar are the majority population of the Mon State. Still, other nationalities such as Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Rakhine, Shan and Pa-O are also living together peacefully in the state. Mon State has a fair climate and green scenery full of forests, rivers, creeks and plane sandy beaches. Mon State is one of the states and regions that has developed an invaluable and unique cultural heritage for ages. Such entities should be more enhanced towards the development of the country. Based on the genuine spirit of the Union, people participation and collaborative efforts in solidarity are of vital importance for the development of the nation. Hence, we can successfully build a Union based on the democracy and federal system we all aspire for.

When we look back on our background history, there have been bitter experiences triggered by the blow of political disputes among Myanmar society since the onset of Independence. National brethren could not have negotiated and settled their political differences and distrust among one another. Consequently, it has been still far away from internal peace up till now. Successive governments have been sparing no effort in various ways to resolve the armed conflicts that erupted among national, ethnic brethren. However, they could not have politically solved the pivotal issues -- political disputes. It entails no cessation of armed conflicts yet.

These decades-long political disputes have left us behind our neighbouring countries regarding our political and socio-economic spheres. Nowadays, lessons should be learned from those bitter experiences to cease controversies. It is high time for all nationalities shall join hands in hands with one another, whenever bad times and good times, to coexist and undertake eternal peace all over the country.

The State Administration Council has been making efforts to build good foundations for the State to move forward steadfastly on the democracy path. In this regard, it has laid down five future programmes and nine political, economic and social objectives in line with the prevailing circumstances.

One crucial point of the objectives, as mentioned earlier, is to follow the customs and traditions of all ethnic nationalities and preservation and safeguarding cultural heritage and national characters. Thus, the State government emphasizes implementing it.

In conclusion, I am conveying this Message of Greetings on the occasion of the 47th Anniversary Mon State Day with my sincere wishes for all ethnic nationalities, including Mon, Bamar, Kayin, Pa-O, good health and prosperousness, and for their successful implementation in unison of the benefits towards Mon State and the Union.