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.

Students have rallied against the legislation in recent months, demanding amendments to the legislation to decentralize the school system, teaching in ethnic languages, and allowing the formation of student unions.