According to student Ko Phone Myat Moe, leader of Mon State student activities, the group has been forced to postpone the meeting due to budget constraints.
“We are not ready [to hold the meeting] yet, so we will not hold it on [January] 24th. This delay is due to the budget, but we are ready to hold the meeting on [January] 31st,” confirms Ko Phone Myat Moe.
The Mon State Student Union states that the local authorities are keeping an eye on the union and have questioned it about the Mon State student meeting.
“Yesterday, SP came to question us,” said Ko Phone Myat Moe, “They asked what topic and what day we would discuss. Local police are monitoring the students as to when they go to school and when they are at home.”
In regards to monitoring activities and inquiries by the police, when IMNA reached out to the Moulmein Township Police Station, an officer at the station responded that the station does not know anything about it, stating “we are not monitoring the students, we are just busy with security activities”.
According to Burma Student Union member Ko Chit Win Maung, who was involved in the student protest group that walked from Mandalay to Rangoon protesting the country’s education laws, a democratic government should not participate in monitoring or questioning student activities.
“There are always disturbances,” he said, “Only when students across the country participate in the education law movement, will [the movement] succeed. Now, only one or two students from ethnic areas have participated [in the movement].
Discussion topics at the upcoming Students Group meeting will include the teaching of native ethnic languages and challenges of the education system. About 100 participants, including teachers and students, are expected to participate in the meeting, where attendees will be able to learn about Burma’s education system and education law.
