Myanmar authorities disperse striking students attempting to force through to Yangon

Myanmar authorities Tuesday afternoon dispersed striking students attempting to force their way through to Yangon from Latpadan, Bago region, by pushing through security blockade after negotiation between the two sides broke down, official sources said.

Although the main group of striking students were first granted to continue their journey to Yangon on condition in the morning, the students later defied the condition and began the attempt to push through the security line, resulting in clashes between the two sides.

At least 60 students were so far arrested in the disperse action of the security force, sources said.

The authorities are chasing the run-away students trapped in Latpadan where they had staged days of demonstration.

The main student group's sit-in protest involving a number of Buddhist monks was staged near a monastery compound in Latpadan in defiance of an ultimatum order of the township administration to halt protest.

Despite end of the deadline on March 4 evening, hard negotiation still continued since then between the two sides until the disperse action took place on Tuesday.

Other local reports said students in Yangon are planning more protest against the authorities' crushing of the main striking student group in Latpadan Some roads are being sealed by the authorities to prevent students from gathering for the renewed demonstration.

On March 5 afternoon, the Yangon authorities had also cracked down on student demonstration in front of the City Hall in Yangon in support of Latpadan main student group's strike with regard to the issue of amendment of National Education Law.

In that disperse action, 15 students were detained after the authorities urged them to dissolve themselves within half an hour.

Meanwhile, some student representatives of the Network for National Education Reform (NNER), invited to join the parliament's hearing on the education amendment bill last week, boycotted the session which was also taken part by political parties.

In its bid to prevent the protest from descending into violence, the home ministry reiterated earlier its warning of action to be taken against students' planned non-stop protest march towards Yangon as hearing of the students' demand for the change of National Education Law is in progress in the parliament.

In a four-party talks on Feb. 11 involving the government, the parliament, the Leading Committee for Democracy Education Movement and the National Network for Education Reform (NNER) and the government agreed in principle to protest students' all 11 points of demand on the amendment of the education law. Endi