Protest breaks out in Loikaw over Bogyoke Aung San statue

04 July 2018
Protest breaks out in Loikaw over Bogyoke Aung San statue
Photo: Kayah Police/Facebook

Protesters and police scuffled due to the casting of Bogyoke Aung San statue by Kayah State government without consultation with local people.
Khun Barnard Bote, leader of the protesters, said, “The protesters said go ahead when I asked them what to do and we continued to march in procession peacefully without bearing any arms but the police beat us with police batons.”
About 100 protesters marched at about noon on July 3 in procession from Loikaw clock tower to the Kandar Haywun Park where this Bogyoke statue will be erected, but Khun Barnard Bote said that there was no serious injury to the protesters.
Kayah State government said that they would erect the Bogyoke statue in Kandar Haywun Park in Loikaw before Martyrs’ Day which falls on July 19.
Seven Karenni social organizations issued a press statement on June 18, 2018 objecting to the building of the statue.
There are similar plans to build Bogyoke Aung San statues in other States and Regions and there were similar protests in Kayah, Chin and Mon States.