Myanmar police arrest several student protesters
Myanmar's police have for the third consecutive day cracked down on
student protesters opposing the country's education law, arresting a
number of the demonstrators. On Friday, police officers chased down five
students after they broke off from 200 other demonstrators in the
central town of Letpadan, located about 140 kilometers (90 miles) north
of Myanmar's main city of Yangon. "Some students sneaked out through
police barriers and joined with the people who came to support our
strike," said student protests leader, Min Thway Thit.
Win Khaing, a witness to the incident, said, "Five people, including
a young girl, were dragged into trucks by police."Kyaw Ko Ko, another
leader of protesters in Letpadan, called for the authorities to release
all detainees.
The arrests come against the backdrop of a similar rally in Yangon a
day earlier, where police swooped in, charged at the protesters with
batons and dragged them into trucks.
Authorities on Friday released eight students and activists arrested
without charge.
"What happened yesterday was completely unacceptable," Nilar Thein, a
freed leader of 88 Generation students group, said.
Last September, the parliament passed a law that puts all decisions
about education policy and curriculum in the hands of a group largely
made up of government ministers.
7 Mar HSN News
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