YANGON: Hundreds of Myanmar university students marched through Yangon for a third day in a row yesterday, in a rare and illegal protest against a new education law they say will curb academic freedom.
Protesters carried bright red flags emblazoned with a golden fighting peacock, a national symbol since the time of the Burmese monarchy.
Students punched the air as they shouted slogans. Some held signs saying: “We need academic freedom” and “Fight for academic freedom”.
The demonstrations follow two protests over the past month over the death of journalist Par Gyi under mysterious circumstances while in military custody on October 4.
Some observers says the protests may be a sign of growing frustration with the government.
The government says the new higher education law will give universities more autonomy and allow an independent body to coordinate their functions. The students say the body will actually reduce autonomy.
“Students are protesting the National Education Law because it does not represent the interests of the people and the students,” said Kyaw Ko Ko, a leader of the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU), one of the protest organizers.
“The law will be an obstacle to academic freedom and the development of education,” he said.
Myanmar once had one of the best university systems in Southeast Asia. Standards plummeted during nearly five decades of military rule as the government clamped down on academic independence and freedom.
One soldier killed in Sorsogon
NPA attack
MANILA: One soldier was shot dead by three suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Sorsogon yesterday, military officials said.
The soldier was on his way to withdraw his yearend salary bonus from a bank and mail it to his family when he was shot dead by the suspects with long firearms in Barangay San Antonio, Barcelona at around 7am local time, according to Colonel Cesar M Idio, commander of 903rd Infantry Brigade.
He said the soldier was riding a tricycle with one of his fellow soldiers when they encountered the suspects. Both were wearing civilian clothes.
Pursuit operation was immediately launched by 903rd Infantry Brigade to capture the rebels who are believed to be still within the vicinity of the area.
Agencies
