14th Anniversary Commemoration of 8-8-88 Uprising in Burma

What happened 14 years ago on August 8, 1988?

Thousands of people in Burma sacrificed their lives, demanding peace and democracy.

In 1962, after 14 years of democracy, a group of army generals staged a military coup, installed a new government dominated by the military and eradicated all traces of democracy in Burma. There was only one party, called the Burma Socialist Party and no other political parties were allowed. Since then, Burma has been isolated from the world communities. The military controlled every aspect of Burmese life, including the media, education and the economy. Throughout the next 26 years, periodic protests and bursts of ethnic insurgency were easily subdued by the army.

Finally in August 1988, due to continued political oppression and economic hardships, Burma erupted with "People's Power" street demonstrations. The nation-wide uprising, on August 8, was brutally gunned down by army troops, killing thousands of unarmed demonstrators, including school children, pregnant women and Buddhist monks.

For all of us, August will always be remembered as a month of bloodshed and crushed hopes. For it was in August 1988 that literally millions of Burmese from every walk of life joined to demand and end to military dictatorship, only to be gunned down in untold numbers throughout the country.