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Burmese Students for Chanting Anti-Govt Slogans

by Minn Thu
NINE students have been sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a local court for shouting antigovernment slogans and singing the 198& prodemocracy song at the funeral of Myanmar's first democratically elected Prime Minister, U Nu, in February, reports Depthnews.
The students were identified as Maung Maung Oo, Moe Myat Thu, Moe Maung Maung, Aung Zeya, Maung Nyunt, Tin Than Oo, Aye Aye Moe, Moe Kalyar and Cno Nwe Oo. The first six are boys and the rest are girls.
Two other students were
declared abscondees — persons who leave unlawfully to avoid arrest. They were sentenced to a longer jail term of 20 years after they were tried by the same court despite their absence, or what is known as trial in absentia.
The burial of well-known persons and politicians here has become a sensitive issue after the "hijacking" of the body of former United Nations Secretary General U Thant by students and monks during his burial on Dec. 5,
1974. The hijackers felt the chosen burial site did not befit one who served as the world's top civil servant and diplomat.
Authorities took the necessary security measures to prevent a repeat of the incident during UNu's funeral.
No hijacking occurred but in a country that is still under martial rule, 'the mere chanting of anti-government slogans and singing of the prodemocracy sone by the students were enough reasons for the military to send them to jail.
Several students on board buses sang the most popular song during the 1988 prodemocracy movement as Mr. Nu’s funeral cortege left the family residence for the Kyandaw Cemetery.
When the casket arrived at the Cemetery, some two dozen students chanted antigovernment slogans and sang the prodemocracy song. However, their voices were drowned by two loudspeakers, which aired the sermon of a Buddhist clergy and the eu-
logy.
No one was arrested on the spot. Scores of students were rounded up the next day, some of them released after interrogation. When the cases against the 11 students were heard, some of those released appeared as prosecution witnesses.
The court handed down the guilty verdict on April 28.
Since the prodemocracy movement, students referred to U Nu as 'babagyi,' Babami’ or bahagyi U Nu' (Great or grand uncle or dad), while colleagues and juniors referred to him as kogyi Nu' (big brother Nu|.