A former secretary of the All Burma Students Union, U Win Htut Zaw, 70, told Mizzima on August 4 that student unions were instrumental in the struggle for Myanmar's independence and the government had no reason to fear the word.

Education Minister Dr Khin San Yee was quoted as saying during a seminar on a draft higher education bill at Yangon University on August 3 that the proposed legislation would require student organisations to be described as associations rather than unions.
 
U Win Htut Zaw said members of the ABSU, the University Students Union and the Students Union of Yangon District were founding members of both the Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association) and the Thirty Comrades group which played pivotal roles in the independence movement.

The secretary of the Dagon University Students Union, Ko Nan Lwin, also strongly opposed the proposal.

“We will never change the word union because to use that word is part of our history,” he told Mizzima on August 4.