Nine Letpadan residents face charges for aiding students

 

 

"A total of 12 people are to face a charge for illegal protest under Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law," Letpadan Township police officer Win Zaw said. 

"Our police station has lodged a complaint with the township court to sue nine of them, as the rest are still at large. The search is on for them." 

Local protesters, who were demanding to meet with the students, staged a demonstration on March 9 in the township in support of students who were demanding changes to the National Education Law.

Over 127 were arrested after the police crackdown on March 9.

The police beat more than 60 students and local people in Aung Myay Beikman Monastery in Letpadan and destroyed the vehicle used by the student protesters. The students' belongings were also seized during the crackdown. 

“The government made a promise to us not to use violence against the student protesters, but they broke it. The police destroyed our vehicle and our belongings. They entered the monastery and beat us. Their actions were hostile and ugly. If possible, those who committed these destructive acts must face legal actions. The police’s actions were beyond the limits of the law,” second-year student Htet Lin of Hmawby Technological University said. 

Several student activists were released from Thayawady Prison.

Kyaw Zin Thant, a student at Thanlyin Technological University, said that there are plans to publicise the police’s violent crackdown and violation of human rights. 

“We have plans to take legal action,” Kyaw Zin Thant said. “In the prison vehicles, we had to place our hands on our heads. The police mainly beat our heads. We covered our heads with our fingers while the police were beating us. That's why our fingers were broken. The government has no plan to treat our injuries. The police who beat us violated our human rights. We will seek justice.”

Another released student, Thant Lwan Wai Chit from Toungoo University, said some 30 police officers beat arrested students on the way to the prison vehicle. “The police kicked us with their shoes and punched us as well as beat us with batons. My fingers were in a lot of pain. I am undergoing medical treatment for my wounds.”

Ei Phyu Phyu Tun said that police told her that they missed three meals because of us. 

“They said: 'Did you think we were happy to guard you while you were sleeping? If you were our children, we would kill you.' The police photographed us one by one and immediately posted the photos on social networks.”

Hein Soe Kyaw, a physics student from Monywa University, said that during the three days in prison, the police wanted to divide the students from local people and kept threatening them. 

The authorities have taken action against 2,082 police officers and 5,463 other officials under disciplinary law of the Myanmar Police Force to date. 

Now, they are calling on the government to form a commission investigate the disappearance of their belongings.

 “We lost our belongings during the police crackdown. The worst part is that they took our phones. Facebook accounts can be hacked from our phones. This can be abused. We want the government to settle our losses,” said third-year industrial chemistry student Yi Mon Mon Aung.

They said that after the crackdown, all left their phones, laptops, purses, backpacks, clothes and other personal items at the scene. Most of the students did not get anything back.

“I lost many items. When I claimed them, the police told me local people came and took them. I will sue them. I lost Ks53,000, a Polo brand backpack, an OPPO Power Bank and clothes,” said Tint Tint Khine, a law student from Yangon University (East).