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Rangoon University
Background story:
year 1962 On July 7th, the university students held a meeting in response to the government's actions, and demonstrated in the university compound. Such a continuing expression of dissent was intolerable for Ne Win. A police security group came to scatter the demonstrators with the tear gas, and arrested the All-Burma Students Union Chairman, Ko Thet, as well as the University Students
Union Chairman, Ko Swe Lay.Gen. Ne Win Slaughters Unarmed Burmese Youth. Then the abominations began. At about 5:00 pm, two army trucks came into the University compound. The soldiers jumped out and began shooting down the students. Ne Win's crony General Sein Lwin, who titled himself "The Lion", led this disgraceful terrorist operation against the unarmed, innocent students.
1983Rangoon University Annual magazine 1983-84 cover page Polaris Burmese Library Collections
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14-Jul-10Infantry Unit #4 was given the order to shoot. For three minutes, all you could hear was shooting, shouting, screaming, glass breaking, people running, bullets hitting the wall, and the wounded students moaning, as if the world was on fire. Other students heard the gunfire and started to run away, but the soldiers started shooting again, until the dead bodies began to pile up around the compound. Thus, the helpless Burmese students, running for their lives, were grudgingly and cruelly shot down by their own army.
Even at the great battle in front lines of war, those soldiers could not see such a pile of dead and wounded enemies. In this case, about 200 students died. But the government, ashamed, announced that only 15 students had died, with 27 wounded. On July 8th, to be sure that the students had gotten the message, the army also blew up the Student Union Building. It came down with a loud explosion of army mines. Along with the building, Ko Kyaw Win of Myaung Mya, who had been hiding himself in the building, died.
When the University was finally reopened, the students who lost arms or legs, who were shot in the face or in the stomach, arrived at school with bandages still covering their wounds. Later these students were sent to other universities, and we lost contact with many of them. Some died from their wounds. (Source) http://dathana.blogspot.com/2005/07/7th-july-pictures-in-yangonuniversity.html
DICTATOR GENERAL NE WIN DESTROYED STUDENTS UNION BUILDING IN YANGON, MYANMAR the education lost to the nation. The Professor explained about his experience in Britain during the War with Hitler. The British had done all they could to keep the education system going on during the battles. They said that, even if they should win the war, to close the schools would severely damage the country. To stop teaching made no sense, and would bring great destruction of the people?s morale. Finally, Dr Thar Hla said, No rebel will shoot at the students in the University. I dare to stand guarantee for that.? On hearing these words, the members of the U Nu government felt a great pain in their hearts, as if they had received a strong and unexpected blow. Indeed, the rebels never did shoot at the students. But later, in the years under the Ne Win BSPP military dictatorship and its offspring SLORC and SPDC, the Burmese Army itself tortured, killed, and blew up with mines hundreds and thousands of students.
So great was Ne Wins fear of education that he then proceeded to close down the private schools. He also rejected the high school final examination in Rangoon Division, so graduates could no longer find employment easily. Finally, he declared severe disciplinary measures against the university students. On July 3rd, the students demonstrated, demanding to keep the student hostels free of Ne Win?s control. On July 6th, the Revolutionary Council military dictatorship replied by creating the University Senate, staffed it with Ne Win cronies, and then chose new Committee Members for the student hostels. On July 7th, the university students held a meeting in response to the government?s actions, and demonstrated in the university compound. Such a continuing expression of dissent was intolerable for Ne Win. A police security group came to scatter the demonstrators with the tear gas, and arrested the All-Burma Students Union Chairman, Ko Thet, as well as the University Students Union Chairman, Ko Swe Lay.
DICTATOR GENERAL NE WIN DESTROYED STUDENTS UNION BUILDING IN YANGON, MYANMAR were grudgingly and cruelly shot down by their own army. Even at the great battle in front lines of war, those soldiers could not see such a pile of dead and wounded enemies. In this case, about 200 students died. But the government, ashamed, announced that only 15 students had died, with 27 wounded. On July 8th, to be sure that the students had gotten the message, the army also blew up the Student Union Building. It came down with a loud explosion of army mines. Along with the building, Ko Kyaw Win of Myaung Mya, who had been hiding himself in the building, died. When the University was finally reopened, the students who lost arms or legs, who were shot in the face or in the stomach, arrived at school with bandages still covering their wounds. Later these students were sent to other universities, and we lost contact with many of them. Some died from their wounds. The rest of the students soon regrouped, and they erected a temporary student union building, a big wooden hut. In memory and in honor of the But in hundreds of students who died, they also put up a stone pillar, 2.0 meters in length and 1.6 meters in breadth, ?The Pillar of the Hundreds?. going civil war, Ne Win deployed the army again. This time he destroyed both the temporary student union building, as well as ?The Pillar of the Hundreds?. Concerning the exploding of the Student Union Building, Ne Win tried to blame his officer Aung Gyi. But at the second attack to destroy the temporary student union building, Aung Gyi was not even in his unit. Dropping all pretense, Ne Win, who had ordered the first shooting of unarmed students, now made his famous speech to the students: If you try to cause conflict, we are ready to counter you, a dagger for a dagger, a spear for a spear. Moreover, I am going to use the army. They will not shoot above you, but directly at you. Thus spoke the bloodthirsty Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, General Ne Win, to the unarmed Burmese youth. November 1963, during another student demonstration for an end to the on-
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DICTATOR GENERAL NE WIN DESTROYED STUDENTS UNION BUILDING IN YANGON, MYANMAR never kill their revolutionary spirit. There are many Min Ko Naings and Moe Thee Zones to lead the forces, and we go on fighting without dismay. The flag of the Fighting Peacock will always be flying. The army dictatorship is an unjust, deceitful, cunning, and crooked family. They will not have a good ending. Their oppressive power will surely fall Upon their own shoulders. Sooner or later, the bloody and stinky shadows will Exact a terrible retribution upon them.
http://burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199908/msg00085.html
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