Mandalay protest denounces Thein Sein
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About 1,000 people took to the streets of Mandalay to denounce the President Thein Sein administration for lack of ability to deal with problems facing farmers, students and workers.
Hosting the protest on January 16, they also held a regional meeting where representatives of farmers, students, political groups and workers discussed their demands.
Thein Aung Myint, from the committee organising the Mandalay regional meeting, said: "Farmers protest against farmland seizures which have seen a sharp rise under President Thein Sein. Workers protest as their rights are cheated. [The government] restricts students with the National Education Law although students do not accept it. We are protesting to denounce violent crackdowns and the jailing of farmers, students and workers.”
Farmers, students and workers from Mandalay, Sagaing and Shan State attended the meeting to discuss their issues.
A statement released after the meeting called for the government to address the death of the female farmer, Khin Win, during a protest at the Letpadaungtaung copper mine in Sagaing Region, unemployment and to create a democratic education system. It called for more meetings in other regions.
