缅甸中部学生与警察爆发冲突

Student protesters and police clashed Tuesday in a central Myanmar town where authorities have for more than a week prevented the activists from marching to Yangon to demand education reform.

Witnesses in Letpadan said riot police used batons to beat back students who tried to push through police lines. A video from the scene appeared to show armored police smashing the windshield of a vehicle used by the students.

The clashes came hours after student leaders told VOA the government agreed to let the activists continue their protest march to Yangon, Myanmar's main city. It is not clear what part of the reported deal broke down. It is also not clear if there were any injuries or arrests.

The group, made up of hundreds of students, set off from Mandalay last month to demand Myanmar's military-dominated government scrap a new education reform law.

The students say the law will centralize control of universities in Myanmar, also known as Burma. They also want more government spending on education as well as the freedom to organize teachers and students.