History Lessons

After the recent violent crackdown at Letpadan, Bertil Lintner reflects on the historic significance of student protest in Myanmar

Once again, Myanmar has been rocked by student demonstrations and, once again, the authorities have reacted with force, to the extent of using hired thugs in Yangon to beat and drag protesters away.

The brutality on the part of the police, who injured dozens during a violent crackdown on student protestors in Letpadan, Bago Region, in March, was condemned by local civil society organizations.

But international reaction to the crackdown was limited to expressions of “concern” and, to the dismay of many, pro-democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has expressed little or no sympathy for the young demonstrators.

Dr. Thein Lwin, a leading figure in the current educational reform movement, was even stripped of his post as a National League for Democracy central committee member in February over a perceived conflict of interest.

Regardless of whether or not one sympathizes with the students’ demands for educational reform and more transparency in such matters, it would be wise to take them seriously and listen to their grievances. Anyone familiar with Myanmar’s recent history knows that student-led movements have been harbingers of upheaval and political change.

That is to be expected in a country with a long and proud tradition of literacy and intellectual life.