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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2018)
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC August 20, 2018 Activists mark 30th anniversary of Myanmar uprising By Grace Brown and Min Kyi Thein The Associated Press ANGON, Myanmar — Hundreds of people commemorated the 30th anniversary of Myanmar’s 8888 uprising, a seminal and ultimately bloody episode in the Southeast Asian nation’s struggle for democracy. The flag of the uprising — a fighting peacock — flew on the campus and in a hall of Yangon University, where activists, including those who took part in the mass revolt, heard speeches and viewed exhibits that recalled the events. The August 8, 1988 uprising came after more than a quarter-century of military rule and international isolation that had condemned once-prosperous Myanmar — then called Burma — to poverty. More than 1 million people are estimated to have protested throughout the country, driven to take to the streets after the government’s sudden demonetization of the country’s currency, which wiped out many people’s savings. The revolt dislodged longtime dictator Ne Win but was violently crushed by the army in the weeks that followed. Estimates of the number of deaths range as high as 3,000. Although an equally repressive set of generals took over, the events also marked the founding of the pro-democracy movement of Aung San Suu Kyi, which finally took power peacefully in 2016, although under a restrictive constitution that forced it to share power with the military. Many of the leading figures of the 1988 uprising are still active in political and social work, and several recalled the momentous historical events and how they started. Y “Suddenly, someone put out the student flag, which had been hidden under his shirt, and waved it,” recounted former student protest leader and 88 Generation activist Min Ko Naing. “At the same time, another person brought a bamboo stick to the fence and tied that flag to the top. All the rest started chanting and waving their posters.” All of a sudden, the demon- stration had begun, he recalled, adding that it had been “born in our hearts” many years before. Along with hundreds of others, Min Ko Naing was arrested in the army takeover that followed. He spent approximately 19 years behind bars, before finally being released in 2012 during a mass pardon of political prisoners. An exhibit inside the university showed in detail what took place in 1988. People young and old stopped to read carefully preserved archives of journals and newspapers, hanging like ornaments. Members of the 88 Group, an association of protest veterans, also showed visitors how word spread to the streets in the pre-internet era, relying on foreign radio stations including Voice of America and BBC. Using simple manual printing ASTHMA IS ON THE RISE. Help us find a cure. 1-800-LUNG-USA UPRISING ANNIVERSARY. Members of the National League for Democracy party (left photo) show respect in front of the numbers “8888” during a cere- mony marking the 30th anniversary of the pro-democ- racy uprising, in Yangon, Myanmar. August 8 marked the 30th anniversary of the nationwide protests for democracy against the then-military dictatorship. The protest was referred to as the 8-8-88 (four eights) uprising. In the right photo, a boy holds a portrait of Gen. Aung San at the 30th anniversary ceremony. (AP Photos/Thein Zaw) techniques, transcripts of the broadcasts were shared in quiet teashops from Yangon to Mandalay, the traditional venues for gossip and discussion. Black Pearl Acupuncture Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine are great for: - Acute/Chronic Pain (i.e. neck, back, sciatica & shoulder) - Treating & Preventing the flu and colds - Stress Relief - Headaches/Migraines www.blackpearlacupuncture.com Sita Symonette Licensed Acupuncturist seasymonettea@gmail.com Call to schedule an appointment: (503) 308-9363 505 N.W. Ninth Ave., Portland, OR 97209