Authorities stop seizing unlicensed motorcycles in Moulmein

IMNA
February 11, 2006

Military authorities in Moulmein city, Mon State stopped seizing unlicensed motorcycles in the city after university students protested and beat up traffic policemen on February 8.

“We do not see any traffic policemen on the road checking people on motorcycles. There is total silence regarding the protest and the assault on policemen,” Ko Khing Maung Myit a traveller said.

The Southeast Region Command of the Burmese Army had directed the traffic police to seize 300 motorcycles for use in military government department in Pyinmana, the new capital, according to a source in the military.

Traffic police personnel started setting up checkpoints on the crossing of the main road in the city on February 6 and began to seize unlicensed motorcycles including those belonging to students.

During the drive to seize motorcycles the police threw a stick at two girl students who tried to avoid checking. Angry with the policemen about 200 students from the Computer College in Set-Hmu-Zone and Moulmein University joined hands and scoured the whole town in search of traffic policemen. The students beat up some traffic policemen and hurled stones at the police checkpoints around midday of February 8.

The chief professor of Moulmein University intervened to quell the violence and persuaded policemen to return the motorcycles to the students.

Although the police are not seizing anymore motorcycles students said they were not satisfied and are apprehensive that it will happen again.

While hurling stones at the traffic policemen the students destroyed posters notifying the seizure of motorcycles in the city.

Earlier in 2003, students had clashed with the traffic police when they tried to seize their unlicensed motorbikes. When in 1996 Moulmein University students had demonstrated for political change and their rights the military government closed the university for four years.