Independent Mon News Agency (IMNA)

June 2, 2003

Moulmein University Closes, Students Are Barred to Enter the Campus

The entrances of the Moulmein (Mawlamyaine) University in the capital of Mon State are guarded by university guarded and the students are totally barred to enter the campus, said by the student source in the Moulmein.

The university closure is ordered by the professors and teachers, added by the students.

“They announced that nobody is allowed to enter into campus and the university closes for a while”, said by the students.

“As the university opens, we arrive to Moulmein. Now I heard from the teachers that the university would close at least 3 months. We have a lot of time waste as already attended the private classes (operated by the university teachers for extra income). Anyhow we are now planning to return home again”, said by a female student.

“We dissatisfy for not allowing even to enter into campus, in the past, even the university closed, we were allowed to enter the campus”, said a group of Second Year students loudly after they are not allowed to enter into campus.

Moulmein university has over 8000 students, most are Mon ethnic students come from various parts of Mon State. University provides education in majors of Arts and Science subjects including a Marine study. Marine study is only one major subject, which could be learned only in Moulmein University.

In 1996, there is a demonstration in the university and it was closed for 4 years. Then in 2000 the university was re-opened, but did not allow the students to stay at hostels. Most students had to stay in the private hostels with higher pay. They also faced travel difficulty between the private hostels in city and the university outside of the city.

In the current closure of the university, Mon State Peace and Development Council still does not say officially for what reason the university is closed. Normally when the regime SPDC is afraid of student demonstration, they close the universities, colleges and basic education schools countrywide.