17 Detained on-strike Students Released in Myanmar

Yangon (PNA/Xinhua) — Seventeen students out of those detained in Tuesday’s violent crackdown by the Myanmar authorities in Latpadan, Bago region, have been released after initial scrutiny, official report said Friday.

More will be freed after the interrogation, the authorities said.

In Tuesday’s crack down, a total of 127 protestors including 65 students and 62 civilians were reportedly arrested.

The authorities had freed 10 other Buddhist monks Wednesday involved in the students’ strike.

Violent clashes between the government’s security forces and the striking main student group occurred in Latpadan on Tuesday as the protestors attempted to push through the barricade erected by the security forces to head for Yangon after negotiation between the two sides broke down.

The dispersal action brought the more than one week’s sit-in protest in Lapadan to an end.

According to local media report, the detained students are to be charged with illegal gathering, defiance of order to disband, creation of unrest and injuring the authorized persons carrying out duties.

Ignoring the hearing of the students’ demand for the change of National Education Law in the ongoing parliament session, the main striking group of students planned non-stop protest march in vain towards Yangon although all 11 points of their demand on amendment of the education law were agreed in principle earlier during a four-party talks on Feb. 11.

The four parties involved the government, the parliament, the Leading Committee for Democracy Education Movement and the National Network for Education Reform (NNER). (PNA/Xinhua) FFC/EBP