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A ceremony in downtown Rangoon remembers those killed when security forces opened fire on people protesting against the one-party rule of Gen. Ne Win. / The Irrawaddy ![]()
Last week, 8 August, 2017, marked the 29th anniversary of the 8-8-88 uprising in Myanmar[1], the largest people power uprising against military rule the country has ever seen. Yet the ideals and aspirations that these nationwide protests were fighting for have yet to be fully achieved, none more so than peace and democracy for non-Bamar ethnic nationality communities. The events of 1988 in Myanmar were the catalyst for a new generation of activists engaged in the long and ongoing struggle for democracy since the first military coup of 1962. A nationwide strike organized by students starting on 8 August, 1988 mobilized hundreds of thousands of monks, students, workers, opposition politicians, civil servants, even some members of the armed forces and people of all ethnicities and religions of the country marching through the streets demanding democracy. The uprising, however, was brutally subjugated with the brutal crackdown on 8 August, and again on 18 September, 1988 as the Myanmar Army took back the streets through arrests, beatings and thousands of killings across the country. The democracy movement, however, did not die on that day. Despite the violence committed by the military regime against political dissent, democracy activists continued their efforts underground, from border areas of ethnic regions and Myanmar's neighboring countries or in exile, often cooperating with ethnic nationalities' movements to achieve a federal democratic system of governance and overthrowing the military. Today, while strides have been made, including the election to Parliament of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party that the 1988 movement gave birth to, the Myanmar Army is committing the same abuses as it did in 1988. The victims of such abuses are overwhelmingly ethnic and religious minorities of Myanmar. On 8 August, 2017 - the day that marked 29 years since the first day of mass, nationwide demonstrations - over 300 villagers in Namtu Township, northern Shan State, had to flee armed clashes as the Myanmar Army launched offensives against the Ta'ang National Liberation Army. Such clashes are not unusual. Large parts of northern Shan State and Kachin State have seen fierce fighting over the last few years, with hundreds of thousands displaced and villagers bearing the brunt of abuses committed by the Myanmar Army as it seeks to wipe out ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) that have been fighting for ethnic equality and self-determination for decades. In Rakhine State, a 'clearance operation' after an attack on a Border Guard post by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army led to tens of thousands of people fleeing over the border to Bangladesh. A flash report by the UN Office for the High Commission of Human Rights detailing atrocious human rights abuses committed during this operation has led to allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar Army. That the Myanmar Army continues such offensives and abuses in ethnic minority areas, despite the NLD being able to form a government, shows how far away the achievement of peace and democracy is for people in these communities. The Myanmar Army, despite the political and economic changes in recent years, remains unaccountable to the civilian government, maintains key levers of political power, and remains intent on destroying the aspirations of ethnic nationalities. A true democracy must include all stakeholders, and by ignoring the concerns of ethnic people, such dreams will be unfulfilled. As Ko Mya Aye, one of the leaders of the '88 Generation Students, stated in a recent debate, "We never started this fight without thinking of the principle of national reconciliation." In today's political context, an ostensibly freer environment than 29 years ago has facilitated a plethora of contrasting narratives on how to move the country forward, making the path towards a full democracy less clear. Yet the values and principles that formed the basis and the unity of the people's uprising of August 1988 - inclusivity and human rights - remain an aspiration for civil society, activists and ethnic nationality communities throughout the country. Sacrifices have been made and much more work remains, but to ignore the realities on the ground, particularly in ethnic nationality areas, would be to go against the spirit and aspirations of 8-8-88. |
