Union to fight on for students' freedom

The promise was announced at the commemoration of its 79th anniversary and the two-month anniversary of the crackdown on the student protest in Letpadan Township. The anniversary event was held at the Free Funeral Services Society in Yangon on May 10. Over 500 students and others attended.

Yesterday, dozens of Myanmar students and activists attended a hearing at Tharyarwaddy Court. They were arrested in a police crackdown on a student-led protest that sparked international alarm. Seeking changes in the National Education Law through a march from Mandalay to Yangon, they were dispersed while in Letpadan, facing charges of causing riots.

ABFSU leaders urged the government to release all students and activists from prison and to implement a democratic education system. They also invited all citizens, students, social organisations and political forces to cooperate with them.

In its statement, it said: “The government is behaving like a military junta, and if they continue to do this, they will have to take responsibility for the consequences.”

It has been 79 years since the organisation started to adopt a five-point policy to work toward a democratic educational system, safeguarding student rights and working toward democracy, national peace and reconciliation. 

“The fighting peacock is the symbol of students involved in the movement of the ABFSU. They vowed to continue their fight to achieve democracy, a democratic education system and peace, following the examples of student leaders throughout the history of the ABFSU,” it said in the statement.

A video of student leader Kyaw Ko Ko, one of the imprisoned students, was shown at the anniversary celebration. In the video, the student leader said: “The ABFSU is a student union that involves in politics. The ABSFU has never refrained from engaging in politics. All students from the ABFSU need to understand politics. They should seek to understand it themselves instead of listening to other people.”

A group of 17 organisations sent a formal letter to ABFSU in honour of the anniversary, including the National Network for Education Reform and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front. Parents of three imprisoned students also shared their experiences at the event.

The ABFSU traces its ancestry back to the students union initially founded by Aung San in 1935.