How the Burma student stand-off descended into chaos
A police officer beats a student protester during Tuesday’s brutal crackdown in Letpadan, Burma. Pic: AP. 
Earlier this morning a stand-off between student protesters and police in Letpandan seemed to be on the verge of a peaceful resolution before the police brutally attacked the students this afternoon.
Students have been protesting against the new national Education Bill for months and resumed protests at the end of January after the government failed to amend the bill within 60 days as it had promised the students it would.
About 200 students from around the country started marching from Manadalay to Rangoon to join students in protests there. They were stopped by police in Letpadan, about 130km north of Rangoon, on March 2.
The students sought shelter in the Aung Myay Baik Mann Monastery and were surrounded by about 500 police on March 3 and prevented from continuing.
The students then gave the police a deadline of 10am on Tuesday March 10 to let them continue on their way. If they did not the students threatened to tear down the police barriers.
At one stage this morning it looked as if the situation had been amicably resolved. The Pegu Division’s Border Affairs department said that the students would be allowed to march to the highway at 10am where they could get into vehicles to take them to Rangoon.
Unfortunately, 10am came and went and the police continued to prevent the students from leaving the monastery.
According to a report in the Irrawaddy, at about midday tried to break down the police barriers by forming columns of five people, each led by a monk, to push past the police officers who greatly outnumbered them. The students failed to break out and some people were injured.
The police then used loudspeakers to threaten the students and anyone else involved in the protest with arrest. The students replied saying that the laws against peaceful protest were dictatorial and should be opposed.
At about 1.25pm, according to reports, the police attacked the students. Just prior to the attack the police announced on a loudspeaker: “Arrest the media too.”
The police then attacked the students, monks and journalists, badly beating defenseless people.
Before long pictures showing police violence against students, their supporters and journalists covering the protests started emerging on social media. Most footage and pictures showed groups of police attacking unarmed individuals with batons.
According to a Myanmar Times reporter about 500 police with a large plainclothes security force presence in the crowd took part in the attack. He also saw police beating student leaders who had fallen to the ground and initial reports said some of the student leaders were arrested. BBC Burmese later confirmed that 32 students had been arrested.
There was also footage of the police attacking and smashing up the vehicle leading the student convoy.
An Irrawaddy photographer at the scene said there appeared to be “a complete breakdown of police discipline” with the security forces apparently splitting into two groups, with one group indiscriminately attacking protesters and the other group trying to restrain them.
He also said that police went from door to door of houses near the monastery and dragged out protesters who were trying to escape the violence. He also saw two ambulances ferry injured people away from the scene, other reports said the ambulances did not pick up any of the injured and left empty.
Other reports said that journalists were being attacked with slingshots and bricks.
Several injured protesters are believed to be receiving treatment in the hospital at Letpadan and police with shields have blocked of the roads to the hospital.
In response to the violence students and their supporters gathered in Rangoon at Hledan junction at about 2.30pm planning to march to downtown Rangoon. According to Irrawaddythey were intercepted by 100 baton wielding police. They injured some protesters and detained one who was released after the other protesters pleaded with the police. The group then agreed to disperse.
