How Burmese thugs first approved, then attacked a protest by students against a law they say threatens academic freedom.

Someone I know wrote:

The Myanmar Police went completely out of control today in Letpadan, which is a reflection of poor discipline, training and leadership. Senior police officials let things get out of control and this was a huge failure on their part and they bear full responsibility. Where were they when their officers were pummeling unarmed students who were in no way fighting back or resisting? Where were they when marauding police entered houses and blocked highways in their effort to find students who were trying to escape capture and beatings? Protesters did try to push their way out and they did destroy the barbed-wire barricades, but the violent and brutal police response far exceeded what the police needed to do. To their credit, I did see small groups of Myanmar Police working hard to keep their undisciplined colleagues from beating students, and in some cases it looked like police were fighting among themselves as the good cops tried to protect the students and activists with their own shields. In one instance, I saw police put a helmet on the head of a Buddhist monk and hold their shields over his body while he was being taken away. So maybe some of that EU police training paid off.

Here is what happened after.