The decision to re-form the MAU was made at the 2016 Mon National Conference, which was held over 3 days from August 22 to 24.

About 446 representatives from the NMSP, political parties, civil society organizations and monks, attended the 3-day conference, held in NMSP’s controlled area, in Taungpauk Village tract, Kyarinnseikkyi Township.

The conference participants also decided to form a cooperative on September 10 with 21 representatives divided equally between the 7 sectors– namely the NMSP, Mon National Day, the All Mon Regions Democracy Party (AMDP), Mon monks, civil society organizations (CSOs), experts and common people. The cooperative will implement the re-formation of the MAU.

“We will soon form the cooperative. Next month, on September 10, we will gather the name list. We estimate we will be able to start forming the group on September 15,” said Nai Win Hla, of NMSP and member of organizing committee of the Mon National Conference.

It was decided at the conference that the MAU would be re-formed based on both the MAU’s prevailing policy and on the NMSP’s draft policy for forming unity amongst Mon people, which was presented at the conference. Additionally, the cooperative will adjust the two policies and make a new policy for the MAU.

To highlight the NMSP’s draft policy, it stated that an organization that represents Mon people must be formed and that the organization must be able to implement unity among Mon people and must have representation from the armed groups, political parties, CSOs, monks, experts and public.

“The name MAU will not be changed. However, they will change the structure of the organization and the formation of the organization,” said Nai Banyar Kazot, former chairman of MAU.

The MAU was founded in 2007 to connect and gather all Mon people to work for Mon people in different areas. The MAU was founded with four sectors, with representation from Mon people abroad, Mon people in Thailand, Mon people on the Thai-Burma border as well as the NMSP and Mon people within Burma.