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ABFSU: The update situation of the



The update situation of the student hostels in Rangoon

The authorities have sealed off the Inlay hostel with barbed wire and by
erecting a gate, as they did the Rangoon University campus. Barbed wire
barricades and gates have also been put up on Mingaladon road, Sule roads
and near Hlaing campus signboard.

The regime also blocked the roads to Min-Dhama, Pagoda bus stand, Thamine
junction and Inya Lay and stationed the riot police trucks and police vans.
The MIS also infiltrated into the student mass. Their intention was to act
violence by some excited students by breaking the glasses of hostels and by
cutting off the electric fuses. Some MIS guys went to the public quarter
opposite of Sinku hostel and started burning the houses of the local
people. They also tried to provoke tension between local people and the
students. Some MIS, merged with the students and by holding the knives,
screamed against the military so that the students would be defamed.   

The MIS, by pretending that their parents were worried, called some
students from Sinku, Inlay, Zewaka, Poppa and Duya to come to the warden
office to meet with the rector. But they were arrested by the MIS. The
parents from the outside Rangoon were also ordered by local authorities to
ask their sons and daughters to return home. If they failed to call their
children they were threatened of arrest. The rector of Mandalay University
has a bad name among them who abuses the parents of the students.

A secret camp, called counter students' demonstration was set up in the
stadium near Ohndaw hostel. The MIS people in civilian clothes came to the
warden of Poppa hostel, U Soe Lwin and inquired the student activities
every night.

The students pointed out the despairing education system, and demanded (1)
to release their brothers who were arrested during 1996 December student
demonstration, (2) the adjournment of their exam, and (3) to establish the
Student Union. They also chanted "Are we, the students united - United -
United! These chanting are shouted from every hostel. 

The people who came to the tea stalls near Oak-kyin bus stand and U Pho
Hman road and read the leaflets and tried to join with the students inside
the campus. The MIS came to notice and authorities ordered to close the
food shops and tea stalls near the college campuses. The students from
Thiha, Zaya and other hostels in front of the RIT and near BPI bus stand
gathered together and discussed. They, ABBESU (All Burma Basic Education
Students' Union), also wrote, "Support the brother students" on the walls
of their bathrooms.

On Friday night, a group of 30 students from RASU (Rangoon Art and Science
University) started a guerilla strike at Hledan junction and chanted
anti-government slogans such as "Down with Military regime!" and "We want
Democracy!" When the MIS came to know that Chinma tea stall and a
restaurant near Khawaijan were closed and riot police were stationed near
the apartments of railway workers near Gyogon junction.

On the night of September 6, 1998, 10 MPs from NLD including Thakhin Khin
Nyunt were arrested by the military regime. (Detail list will be updated
later)

On the morning of September 7 at about 7:30, the vehicles from Education
Ministry arrived in front of Thamine Hostel and the teachers asked the
students to sit the exam. When the students denied the teachers who were
ordered by the ministry forced them. Those vehicles were seen heading from
Mindhama road to RIT (Rangoon Institute of Technology) and about 50
students were arrested. Some of them were from Insein GTI (Government
Technical Institute) not RIT students. Some of the students are continuing
their struggle in RC-II.


For more information call: 01-622-8145