We, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn the latest instance of brutal and indiscriminate assault by the police and vigilante groups against the students, monks, and residents in Letpadan who have been peacefully exercising their civil and political rights. We further call on the Burmese government to immediately stop the violent attacks, harassment, and arrest of students peacefully protesting against the National Education Law, which centralizes power over the education system, hampers academic freedom, and was approved without proper public consultation.

Since 20 January, hundreds of students have been marching from Mandalay to Rangoon to demand changes to the National Education Law, passed by Parliament in September 2014. The students’ 11 demands for changes to the law include ensuring the freedom to form student unions, mother-tongue language instruction in ethnic areas, greater autonomy for universities, and the allocation of 20% of the national budget to education.

On 2 March, students resumed their protests after the government failed to meet their demands to amend the law by 28 February. A group of students in Letpadan, Pegu Division, were subsequently blocked at a monastery and prevented from marching to Rangoon. In a show of solidarity, students and other supporters in Rangoon and other parts of the country also held peaceful protests at the beginning of March.

On 5 March, police in Rangoon violently cracked down on students peacefully protesting in front of Rangoon City Hall, injuring several and arresting eight protesters, including women’s rights activist Nilar Thein. On the morning of 6 March, police in Letpadan also violently dispersed the student demonstrators held near a monastery and their supporters. Police arrested five students. These detained protesters have since been released.

On 10 March, after the protesters in Letpadan were initially allowed to go to Rangoon, police and members of vigilante groups surrounded the peaceful and unarmed protesters and proceeded to brutally attack them. Injured students, monks, and Letpadan residents who had gathered to express their support were then taken away by the police.

We strongly condemn the use of excessive force and violence against the peaceful protesters by the police. The government must take responsibility for the unlawful and aggressive actions of its security forces against the peaceful protesters. These aggressive actions are reminiscent of the tactics of past military regimes that have been infamous in using lethal violence against students and crushing any form of dissent. Of particular concern is the cooperation between police forces and vigilante groups, who participated in the crackdown and used excessive force against these young women and men.

If President Thein Sein is serious about making educational reform one of the priority measures of his government, it is in his interest to take an inclusive approach by having a dialogue with the students, including leaders of the National Network for Education Reform (NNER) and other student groups in the formulation of education policy.

The violent crackdowns against student protesters further intensifies the backslide on the government’s efforts to transition to full democracy and reveals the government’s continuing reliance on repressive actions. They substantiate the critique that the Burmese government is merely putting up a façade of democratic reform for the sake of gaining political legitimacy and economic engagement from the international community.

We, the undersigned organizations, urge the Burmese government to:

– immediately cease and desist using excessive force and violence against the peacefully protesting students, monks, activists and residents and ensure that security forces exercise the highest degree of restraint in any interactions with the protesters who are exercising their civil and political rights.

– continue to hold the next hearing sessions for the draft law amending the National Education Law with the representatives of the diverse student movement, including those from ethnic and religious minorities, and to provide the students with an effective avenue to voice their concerns and propose solutions on these matters.

– prevent any actions that violently repress the right of the students to be heard on issues that directly affect them. This includes protecting the students from the violent actions of vigilante groups that have been harassing them. We condemn the Letpadan police’s threat of using the provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Law against the right of the student demonstrators to freedom of speech, and peaceful assembly.

– investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the violence, and institutionalize nationwide measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.

– drop all charges against the arrested students, and unconditionally free any students still in detention.

– amend without delay the National Education Law in line with students’ demands to ensure authentic educational reforms that address the needs and concerns of the stakeholders.

Signatories:

1. Action Committee for Democracy Development, Burma/Myanmar

2. Actions Birmanie , Belgium

Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh

4. All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress, Burma/Myanmar

5. Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma

6. Article 19

7. ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights

8. ASEAN Sogie Caucus

9. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development

10. Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition

11. Assistant Association for Political Prisoners, Burma

12. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters, Burma/Myanmar

13. Association Suisse-Birmanie, Switzerland

14. Ayerwaddy Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

15. Backpack Health Worker Team, Burma/Myanmar

16. Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha, India

17. Burma Action Ireland

18. Burma Campaign UK

19. Burma Issues, Thailand

20. Burma Link, UK

21. Burma Medical Association

22. Burma Partnership

23. Burma-Initiative, Stiftung Asienhaus, Germany

24. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK

25. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association- ADHOC , Cambodia

26. Centre for Human Rights and Development, Mongolia

27. Child Rights Coalition Asia

28. Chin State Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

29. Christian Solidarity Worldwide

30. Civil Authorize Negotiate Organization, Myanmar

31. Civil Rights Defender

32. Coalition for Refugees from Burma (USA)

33. Colorful Girls, Burma/Myanmar

34. Directorio Democratico Cubano (Cuba)

35. Empower Foundation Thailand

36. Forum for Democracy in Burma

37. Free Burma Campaign, South Africa

Globe International Center, Mongolia

HAK Association, Timor Leste

40. Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma

41. Hong Kong Committee for Children’s Rights

42. Htoi Gender and Development Foundation, Burma/Myanmar

43. Human Rights Foundation of Monland, Burma/Myanmar

44. Human Rights Working Group, Indonesia

Imparsial, Indonesia

Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), Indonesia

47. Info Birmanie (France)

48. Interfaith Cooperation Forum

49. International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), France

50. Just Associates Southeast Asia

51. Justice for Women, Burma/Myanmar

52. Kachin Peace Network, Burma/Myanmar

53. Kachin State Women Network, Burma/Myanmar

54. Kachin State Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

55. Kachin Women Peace Network, Burma/Myanmar

56. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand

57. Karen Community of Canada

58. Karen Human Rights Group, Thailand

59. Karen Women Organization, Thailand

60. Karenni National Women’s Organization

61. Kayan New Generation Youth, Burma/Myanmar

62. Knights for Peace International, Philippines

63. KontraS, Indonesia

64. Lanna Action for Burma, Thailand

Law and Society Trust (LST), Sri Lanka

66. Magway Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

67. Malaysians against Death Penalty and Torture, Malaysia

68. Mandalay Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

69. MARUAH, Singapore

70. Migrant Forum in Asia

71. Mindanao Action Group for Children’s Rights & Protection, Philippines

72. Mon State Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

73. Myanmar ICT for Development Organization

74. National Youth Congress , Myanmar

75. Natural Resources Accountability Myanmar

76. Network for Democracy and Development, Burma

77. Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma

78. Norwegian Burma Committee

79. Pago Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

80. Palaung Women’s Organization, Burma/Myanmar

81. Panzagar , Myanmar

82. People’s Empowerment Foundation, Thailand

83. People’s Watch, India

People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), South Korea

85. Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on Human Rights, India

86. Pergerakan Indonesia, Indonesia

87. Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocates

88. PILIPINA Legal Resources Center, Philippines

Potohar Organization for Development Advocacy (PODA), Pakistan

90. Programme Against Custodial Torture & Impunity, India

91. Pusat KOMAS, Malaysia

92. Radanar Ayar Rural Development Association, Myanmar

93. Rakhine State Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

94. Right to Know Campaign, South Africa

95. SAARC Youth Association

96. Sagaing Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

97. Shan State Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

98. Shwe Gas Movement, Burma/Myanmar

99. Society for Threatened Peoples, Germany

100. South East Asian Committee for Advocacy

101. Students and Youth Congress of Burma

102. Suara Rakyat Malaysia

103. Swedish Burma Committee

104. Taiwan Association for Human Rights

105. Taiwan Free Burma Network

106. Tanintharyi Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

107. Task Force Detainees of the Philippines

108. Tavoy Women’s Union, Burma/Myanmar

109. Tavoy Youth Organization, Burma/Myanmar

110. Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, Thailand

111. Thai Volunteer Service Foundation

112. The Life Skills Development Foundation

113. The Seagull, Myanmar

114. Think Centre, Singapore

115. Union of Karenni State Youth, Burma/Myanmar

116. US Campaign for Burma

117. Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights

118. Voluntary Internship Program, Myanmar

119. William Nicholas Gomes, Human Rights Ambassador for Salem-News.com, UK

120. Women Peace Network Arakan, Burma/Myanmar

121. Women’s League of Burma

122. World Merit, Myanmar

123. World Student Christian Federation – Asia Pacific

124. Yangon Youth Network, Burma/Myanmar

125. Yayasan LINTAS NUSA Batam, Indonesia

126. Yayasan SEJIWA, Indonesia

127. Zo Indigenous Forum, India