7 July 2012

Thein Sein Regime Reveals its True Colours: Student Leaders Arrested On the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the 7th July Massacre
More than 20 student leaders were arrested on Friday evening, 6 July 2012, on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of the 7th July Massacre. The leading student activists in Rangoon, Mandalay, Shwebo, Lashio and Myingyan were arrested by the local authorities. University Students across the country have been preparing to organise the historic anniversary event of the 7th July Massacre for a few weeks. In July 1962, student protesters in Rangoon University were gunned down in the university campus, and the Students Union building was dynamited by the Revolutionary Council, the military junta led by Gen. Ne Win. To mark this historic and tragic event, university students across the country have been preparing to organise talks and religious ceremonies at designated venues such as the monasteries and restaurants halls. Despite such programmes of peaceful commemoration, the local authorities prohibited students from organising the events by arresting leading student activists. The office of 88 Generation Students in Rangoon was also raided by the Special Branch and local authorities on the ground of whether unregistered guests stay at the property. All these oppressive measures of the Thein Sein regime reveal its true colours of military dictatorship. This series of incidents points out that the Thein Sein regime is deceiving the people of Burma and the whole world that they are committed for further democratic reforms. It is doubtful that whether the recent violence in Arakan State and these events were orchestrated by the regime for the return of military rule. These arrests of student activists could provoke widespread public opposition and street protests which would be used as a pretext for the military take over. Thein Sein regime must free all those who have been arrested immediately and unconditionally. Furthermore, the 7th July Massacre events across the country must be allowed in order to prove that the present government is not relating to its predecessors, the military dictators, and the current reform process is truly irreversible. We strongly denounce the regime for such oppressions against the student activists. We call on the Thein Sein regime to release not only those arrested today, 6 July 2012, but all remaining political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.

Burma Independence Advocates Park House 111 Uxbridge Road Ealing London United Kingdom W5 5LB

The Burma Independence Advocates (BIA) is a London-based advocacy organisation and think tank working for the restoration of democratic values in Burma. The organisation is registered as a private company limited by guarantee and was founded in 2009 with the aim of helping the people of Burma achieve the full enjoyment of their fundamental rights and freedoms in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Company number: 7111145.