• Burmese
Tuesday, June 17, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

8 Detained Students Waive Counsel, 3 Others Join Hunger Strike

Zarni Mann by Zarni Mann
October 27, 2015
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
8 Detained Students Waive Counsel

  Detained student protestors gesture toward supporters ahead of a hearing at the Tharrawaddy court in Pegu Division in March 2015. (Photo: JPaing / The Irrawaddy)

4.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MANDALAY — Students and supporters facing trial for peaceful demonstrations earlier this year are taking a new tack in dealing with Burma’s sluggish judiciary, as eight defendants shed their lawyers in protest and several others have joined a hunger strike initiated by one of their peers.

Returning to Tharrawaddy District Court for a hearing on Tuesday, eight detainees submitted a request to waive their legal counsel because they had lost faith in the courts, according to family members and a lawyer present at the trial.

“They said they were boycotting the court because they don’t believe in the judicial system,” said a relative of one defendant, who wished to remain anonymous. “They said they would not need lawyers to defend them because the judiciary fails to protect the truth and is biased.”

RelatedPosts

‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

‘Children Torn in Two’: Witness Describes Myanmar Junta’s School Massacre

May 15, 2025
823
Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

Quake Fails to Quell Russian Nuclear Romance; Naypyitaw Truth Concealed; and More

April 26, 2025
1.5k
Dams Promise Leaves Public in Dark; Dictator’s Global Illusions; and More

Dams Promise Leaves Public in Dark; Dictator’s Global Illusions; and More

January 11, 2025
2.4k

Five students— Khant Aung, Mar Naw, Myo Htet Paing, Swe Lin Tun and Than Htike—and three supporters—Ko Thein, Myat Soe Oo and Myo Myat San—are participating in the legal boycott, which the court has accepted.

“They said no matter how hard they defend themselves, the court will find them guilty. So they will not need any defense,” explained lawyer Hla Myo Myint, who represents some of those on trial but not the eight in question.

A number of other detainees have take up another kind of protest, as three students vowed on Tuesday to join a hunger strike that began late last week.

Aung Hmone San, one of the more than 60 people being held in Tharrawaddy Prison, sent a letter to President Thein Sein in early October threatening to go on hunger strike if all political prisoners throughout the country were not released by Oct. 15. On Oct. 23, he made good on his promise.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy by phone on Tuesday, his wife Le Le Nwe said Aung Hmone San’s health has already begun to deteriorate and he has been moved to solitary confinement where authorities have attempted to force feed him.

“He is a bit weak and he can’t speak very much, but he can still walk,” Le Le New said. “He said the prison authorities put him in a solitary cell, though he requested to stay with the others. He said the prison doctors check his health regularly and tried to give him a glucose drip, which he refused. Then about four men grabbed him and forcefully gave him the drip.”

Le Le Nwe said her husband, who she met with briefly at the courthouse on Tuesday, plans to continue his strike until all prisoners of conscience were released. At least three other detainees—Than Htike, Myo Myat San, Myo Htet Paing—have also vowed to go on hunger strike as of Wednesday.

More than 100 students and their supporters were arrested on March 10 in Letpadan, Pegu Division, when police brutally cracked down on peaceful demonstrations against a new National Education Law.

Scores of those arrested during the violent incident remain behind bars, a full seven months after their arrest, pending a verdict. The students and other detainees face a variety of charges including unlawful assembly, rioting and causing harm to a public servant.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaEducationMore
Zarni Mann

Zarni Mann

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In
Burma

Parents Pull Children From Schools in Yangon as Myanmar Junta Troops Move In

by The Irrawaddy
November 24, 2023
16.4k

Regime’s decision to station troops at schools in Myanmar’s commercial capital and rumors of forced conscriptions puts city residents on...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back
Commentary

Myanmar’s Youth Flee—and They Aren’t Looking Back

by Aung Zaw
February 23, 2024
8.4k

In Thailand and farther afield, they join the wealthy and the educated who have already put down roots and invested...

Read moreDetails
Flag Saluting, Anthem Singing Now Mandatory at International Schools in Myanmar
Burma

Flag Saluting, Anthem Singing Now Mandatory at International Schools in Myanmar

by Maung Kavi
February 23, 2024
3.7k

Junta boss tells nationalist group that the patriotic mandate is intended to counter subversion by young people, says race and...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: New Honors to Flatter Foreign Allies; Playing the Blame Game (Again); and More

by The Irrawaddy
March 23, 2024
2.7k

Also this week, the regime orchestrated Rohingya protests, lost the builder of its capital, and praised Putin after not-so-free election. 

Read moreDetails
Conscript-Hungry Myanmar Junta Turns Sights on Students
Burma

Conscript-Hungry Myanmar Junta Turns Sights on Students

by The Irrawaddy
January 10, 2025
2.5k

Parents are alarmed as local administrations demand student lists from private schools and universities, with details such as whether youngsters...

Read moreDetails
Thai Ministry Shuts Down Six Schools for Burmese Students
Asia

Thai Ministry Shuts Down Six Schools for Burmese Students

by Bangkok Post
September 9, 2024
2.5k

The Education Ministry has ordered local authorities to investigate if there are more illegal Burmese-language learning centers after it found...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Final Voter Lists Announced Nationwide on Nov. 2: UEC

Final Voter Lists Announced Nationwide on Nov. 2: UEC

Tempered Expectations Ahead of Poll

Tempered Expectations Ahead of Poll

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

Is TNLA, Under Chinese Pressure, Conceding Northern Shan Gateway to the Regime?

3 days ago
1.2k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

5 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

    China is Systematically Dismantling Tibetan Monastic Traditions

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Attacks to Reclaim KIA’s Jade and Rare Earth Strongholds

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Protesters Condemn Civilian Govt Toll Charges

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Untested Commander Takes Charge as Myanmar Military Faces Toughest Challenge in Decades

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Sagaing Region Braced for Myanmar Junta Airstrikes After Jet Crash

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.