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A STATEMENT ON THE 23RD ANNIVERSARY OF 8888 UPRISING IN BURMA Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the 8888 uprising in Burma. Twenty three years ago Burma was under the one party rule led by Ne Win the pioneer of the ruthless military dictatorship that controlled the power by staging a coup in 1962. Burma, once was a democratic country, had faced both setbacks and downturn of social, economy and politic as a result. For twenty six years under the military dictatorship rule, the ethnic minorities had lost their freedom and equality. The general people of Burma had to surrender their opportunities and rights especially in the areas of education, economy and health care as well. As a result, the ineffective education had produced the intellectuals who couldnt find a job in the markets. The combination of unemployment, the sky high foods and commodity prices and the inflation had created the public dissents. The worst of all, the abolitions of its own currencies, which had totally wiped off the peoples savings, by the government, had finally brewed the public outrage. Meantime, the government security forces intervention of a brawl between the engineering students and the local youths at a teashop near the Rangoon Institute of Technology in Rangoon had created an indignation among the university students when an engineering student named Ko Phone Maw was shot dead in due course on the March 13, 1988. Later, the escalation of the governments failure to meet the students call for the justice had led the people to join with the students, calling for the end of the one party rule in Burma on August 8, 1988 (8888) finally. Under the leadership of the students, the people in all walks of life such as the civil servants, teachers, police, the army, navy, air force, farmers and the Buddhist Monks had joined the uprising demanding for the freedom and democracy in Burma. Thus, the 8888 uprising was honored as the milestone of first and foremost prodemocracy movement in the history of Burma. However, the 8888 uprising was despicably suppressed by the military, which promised to restore the law and order, and for the 1990s elections, by staging a coup again on September 18, 1988. Many people like the students, Buddhist Monks and even the fourth graders were shot dead by the army in due course. Nonetheless, the 8888 uprising had introduced many political parties and politicians to carry on the fight for freedom and democracy in Burma ever since then. Among them, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party named National League for Democracy NLD was the most popular among the nation, ending up winning of the 1990s elections overwhelmingly. Still, the military junta had not just refused to transfer the power to the winning party but imposed the 2008 constitution, which was designed to alienate the ethnic leaders, the civilian politicians and the NLD from their participations in its another promised 2010 elections, as well. Thus, the military backed Union Solidarity and Development Party USDP led by the ex-military leaders had won the 2010s sham elections. Nowadays, under the ex-military general Thein Seins USDP government, more than 2000 political prisoners are still in the prisons. The ongoing civil wars against the ethnic groups have destroying the lives of millions of ethnic minorities. The international call for the dialogue with the oppositions, the ethnic groups and all the stakeholders has been denied. The human rights violations such as murder, rape, force labor, child soldier and land confiscation are going on in Burma. Such prevailing political situations in Burma require our unity, cooperation and continuation to fight for the freedom of the people in Burma. While marking the historic day of Burma, we would like to call on the activists overseas and the people of Burma in general to join us vowing to carry on our duty fighting for the freedom and democracy in Burma until our mission is accomplished.

Burmese Democratic Community (The Netherlands) Date: August 6, 2011