The 404-mile march to Letpadan
In January 2015, student-led groups began a 404-mile (650 km) march from Mandalay to Yangon. The demonstration opposed the recently passed National Education Law, which protesters argued centralized control over universities and limited academic freedom. The march's route followed the Yangon-Mandalay highway, a modern road that overlays transportation corridors established during the British colonial period. These original roads were constructed to link administrative hubs and facilitate resource movement, embedding a political and economic geography into the geography that persists today.
The march, organized by groups like the All Burma Federation of Student Unions (ABFSU) and the Action Committee for Democratic Education, gathered supporters as it moved south. By early March, the column of approximately 200 protesters reached the town of Letpadan, about 90 miles (145 km) north of their destination. There, authorities established a blockade, preventing the march from proceeding. The students and their supporters, including Buddhist monks, took up residence in the Aung Myay Baik Mann monastery, resulting in a week-long standoff with police.