STUDENT DEMONSTRATORS FACE POSSIBLE

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Media Release
September 5, 1998


          STUDENT DEMONSTRATORS FACE POSSIBLE VIOLENT CRACKDOWN

The students are demonstrating on the campus of Rangoon University
(Hlaing Campus). They have set September 7, 1998 as the last date
to meet the demands, otherwise they will go out on the street to
continue more extensive demonstrations. There are about 1,200
students encircled in the university campus by riot police forces
while food is running out and fear of possible violent raid by the
riot police to end the protest may happen either today or tomorrow.

The student demonstrators have been marching around the campus,
since 6 P.M yesterday, chanting slogans and songs. They are based
at six hostels in Hlaing campus namely, Kabaung, Du Ya, Zi Wa Ka,
Inlay, May Kha and Han Linn Hostels. (These students are actually
attending YIT but live in Hlaing campus hostels because there are
not enough hostels in YIT.) The protest is the continuation of
Wednesday's YIT student demonstration that was broken up by a riot
police attack at 10:30 P. M on Wednesday. 

Military authorities and police have totally surrounded the campus
in order to cut off contact with outside. Three roads which could
reach to the campus namely; Min Dahma Road, Insein Road and Prome
Road were sealed off by 4 truck-loads of soldiers on each road and
deployed with almost 300 riot polices.  While authorities are
trying to arrest the student leaders actively involved and showing
photos and video coverage of demonstrating students to students
involved and their families to pressure them not to continue. 

Aung Thu Nyein, General Secretary of the ABSDF said " The SPDC
should solve the student demands peacefully and encourage to
restraint using forces.

The ABSDF totally support the student demands. It is a right time
that SPDC should consider drastic change, suppression will not
work, and it could lead a spark to flame, a popular uprising." 

The students who started the demonstration have raised concern
regarding the examination management, and other educational issues
rather than more general political issues.

Students are complaining about;

1. Holding the examinations without enough class time to prepare, 

2.  Inequality of teaching status between evening unofficial
diploma classes (language classes) and their official
curriculum-evening-courses for which the teachers are not putting
much effort into,


3. No arrangement of school buses between the examination centers
and their hostels,

4. YIT students arrested in 1996 December and last week's
demonstration (August 24, 1998). 
They demand to the SPDC;

1. Postpone the exams scheduled on September 7, 1998.

2. Release the YIT students in jail including prominent student
leader Min Ko Naing.

YIT (Rangoon Institute of Technology) was shut down again by the
authorities following the recent re-opening of this campus for the
exams.

Exams for final year, fifth year and fourth year students have
taken place while exam for first year, second year and third year
students will be organized on September 7, 1998. 


Central Committee
All Burma Students' Democratic Front (ABSDF)

For more information, please contact - 01-6544984, 01-9120325