Brutal, heartless and inhuman are those who did this to the peaceful protesters, monks, civilians and all, in Myanmar/Burma.

Ignominious are their acts. Worth-denouncing.

This is the latest from Burma Digest – depicting the brutal response of the SPDC on the peaceful protesters. They point and shoot with real bullets at the people killing several, ransack and desecrate the monks’ pagodas, arrest, disrobe and detain the monk themselves, use brute force in response to the legitimate calls of the people they have exploited, oppressed and abused.

We denounce the military junta’s actions. They should be ousted from power.

Tomorrow, September 28, at 7:30PM, members of various people’s organizations, institutions, churches, women’s groups, human rights organizations, students and youth groups and other peace-loving individuals in Hong Kong will gather at the Chater Garden in Central, Hong Kong.

The Asian Students Association joins the Asian Human Rights Council as it calls for a candle-light vigil to support the democracy campaign in Burma as well as the immediate stop to the shooting and other atrocities that the State Peace and Development Council has wrought on the protesting Buddhist monks and civilians.

The ASA enjoins all its members and other networks to express solidarity to our fellow students, youth and people in Burma.

Spread the word – Democracy, Peace and Justice in Burma Now!

————————–

This is a very good column written by a staff of the Asian Human Rights Commission on the current situation in Burma. The author, penned under Azwar Thi, called the people’s uprising the Saffron Revolution.

Please click here to read the article.

The tuition schools in Malaysia are experiencing a clampdown as Malaysian police stake out, harass and intimidate tuition teachers.

Recent reports of police raids and harassment have caused teachers to back out and go back in the said schools. This has affected the performance of students in schools.

You can read a news report in the news website of The Star.

For many of us in Asia Pacific, the issue of tuition schools are quite new. Maybe our friends from Malaysia can enlighten on the concept of tuition schools and these recent events.

The National Union of Students of the Philippines, a national alliance of student unions, councils and governments in the country and a member of the Asian Students Association, has demanded government authorities to look into the government policies and circulars that have caused the unabated increase in tuition and school fees in universities and colleges.

Together Kabataan (Youth) Party, they demanded the immediate review of laws related to education as well as decisions made by the former head of the Commission on Higher Education that led and legitimized higher education institution administrations to shoot up tuition beyond the “tuition cap” previously installed by the said commission.

Below is their statement.

The Kabataan Party and the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) today urged incomingCommission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairman RomuloNeri and Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture Chair Senator Alan Peter Cayetano to take decisive steps in salvaging higher education from its pitiful state by regulating tuition and other fees and punishing corrupt education officials.

NUSP Secretary General Alvin Peters underscored the need to regulate the rising cost of higher education in the country and the growing number of college dropouts.
“The unabated increases in tuition and imposition of exorbitant fees have only reinforced the neoliberal thrust to commodify education and treat tertiary schools not as institutions of learning but money-making entities. Such policy however leaves students as primary casualties, forcing many of them to leave and keeping college hopefuls out of school,” Peters pointed out.

He blamed the government’s tuition deregulation policy or the Education Act of 1982 (Batas Pambansa 232) for the incessant increases in school fees, saying the deregulation of tuition and other school fees makes a lucrative business out of higher education.

Peters said BP 232 not only authorizes tuition and other fee increases by private schools but it virtually gives unlimited powers to school owners by allowing them to determine their own tuition rate and miscellaneous fees.

He also blamed CHED’s incompetence in regulating tuition and other fee increases. Peters added that CHED’s lack of political will to stand up to school owners and the inadequacy of RA 7722, the Governing Law of CHED, make it toothless and reduce it into a mere monitoring agency for fee adjustments and increases.

He said RA 7722 does not give clear authority to CHED to regulate fees. “Either CHED does not know its authority to regulate fees, or it just does not exercise its regulatory power after all,” he explained.

“There is an urgent need to review and amend BP 232 and further empower CHED by giving it explicit authority to regulate tuition and other fees.”

For his part, Kabataan Party President Raymond Palatino urged the 14th Congress to initiate a comprehensive review of existing education policies similar to the 1992 Education Commission formed by the 8th Congress.

“A comprehensive review of education policies will give lawmakers and the government the opportunity to institute reforms and solve fundamental problems in the education sector. The ailing state of education in the country shows the urgency to reassess the effectiveness and sufficiency of existing laws and policies,” Palatino said.

He also urged Congress to probe outgoing CHED Chair Carlito Puno for possible connivance with private school owners with the hasty suspension of the tuition cap policy or the CHED Memorandum Order No. 14 last February. The lifting of the tuition cap led to bigger tuition and other fee hikes this semester.

He also called on lawmakers to investigate schools which are frequently included in the top 5,000 corporations in the country and freeze planned tuition increases for the coming school year. Among these schools are Centro Escolar University (CEU), Far Eastern University (FEU), Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), University of the East (UE), AMA Computer University and STI Colleges.

“Our lawmakers and education officials must act now before it’s too late. The education sector is in the brink of a breakdown. Now is the time for elected officials to make their promises a reality.”

Students and youth organizations in the Philippines, some of whom are members of the ASA, have called for an urgent action appeal against they have experienced harassment, intimidation and vilification from the Philippine military.

Early this year, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has started deploying platoons of military personnel all over Metro Manila, the major urban center in the country, and have even entered universities and colleges to justify their military operations in the city.

In these school forums, the military has associated student and youth organizations like the League of Filipino Students, College Editors Guild of the Philippines and the National Union of Students of the Philippines as communist fronts. These allegations, however, were not very well-substantiated.

Such a McCarthyist approach has only led to the vilification and even legitimization of arrest, assault and even murder of their members.

Pls. help in this campaign.

Urgent Action Appeal

UA Title: Students and Youth Harassed by Military

UA Case: HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION AND VIOLATION OF BASIC STUDENTS’ RIGHTS and Academic Freedom

Place of Incident: Philippines

Date of Incident: February 20, 2007; March 5, 2007; July 19, 2007

VICTIMS: 1) Eleanor de Guzman, ANAKBAYAN (Youth of the Nation) National Chairperson; 2) Joanna Rose Adenit, GABRIELA Youth-Philippine Normal University (PNU) chairperson; 3) Ralph Malacad, Associate Editor in English, The Torch Publications (official PNU Student publication/newsletter); 4) Ali Tapar, Student Christian Movement-PNU chairperson; 5) Julie Ann Tapid, writer The Torch; 6) Joseph Ancajas, PNU Student Government member; 7) Joyce Caubat, ANAKBAYAN-PNU chairperson; Alain Mark Zamora, chairperson LFS-Polytechnic University of the Philippines; 9) Rogelio Data Jr., chairperson Center for Nationalist Studies-PUP; 10) Reynante Czar, chairperson, ANAKBAYAN-PUP; 11) Jean Claire Tanilong, chairperson SCMP-PUP chapter and; 12) Carla A. Braceros SCMP-PUP vice-chairperson chapter.

Alleged Perpetrators: Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Civil-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion:

1. Col. Ricardo Visaya, Commanding Officer, Civil Military Operations (CMO) Battalion, Philippine Army (PA)

2. Capt. Orges, Operations Officer, CMO Battalion, PA

3. 2^nd Lt. Brian Lim, Team Leader, Com B, CMO (PA)

4. Maj. Godfrey Obera, PA, C0y Comdr. “B” Coy

5. Salve Romel Lao, member CMO Battalion PA assigned at Barangay 592, Sta. Mesa Manila, Philippines

6. Chardene A. Lalapus, member CMO Batallion PA assigned at Barangay 592, Sta. Mesa Manila, Philippines

7. Lt. Col. Nick Q. Alarcio, the commandant of the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) of the University of Cordilleras, Baguio City, Philippines

Summary of Facts:

On July 11, 2007 the major daily newspapers in the Philippines reported the directive to redeploy 100 soldiers in key urban poor communities within Manila on July 10, after it was pulled out prior the May 14 national elections. The troops belong to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Civil-Military Operations (CMO) Battalion which were first deployed in 27 slum areas since November, 2006 ostensibly for “civic actions”.

The orders that came from AFP Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. also includes additional 160 soldiers for deployment on the succeeding weeks in 27 priority areas (barangays or villages) within Manila, primarily to conduct counter operations on alleged communist recruitment in Manila. Members of ANAKBAYAN (Youth of the Nation), a progressive youth group based in campuses and communities already reported the presence of military personnel in areas like Payatas and Commonwealth in Quezon City.

The deployment is fore-mostly illegal. The Philippine Constitution provides that only the President can call for such urban deployment, and only can be called out when there is real and imminent danger.

Several newspapers like The Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star and Manila Standard Today reported on their July 11 issue Col. Ricardo Visaya, CMO-Battalion commander saying, “This time more vigorous actions will be undertaken to educate the people about the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) deceptions. They will be taught how to counter the recruitment of the CPP”. Col. Visaya, himself admitted to the public, which the newspapers quoated, that the redeployment’s primary aim is counter-insurgency and to win the “hearts and minds” of the people through a “gunless” approach.

The newspapers mentioned above quoted Col. Visaya saying that aside from urban poor communities, the military targets secondary and tertiary schools and even pre-school and day-care centers purportedly to “educate the children why they should stay away from communism”.

On its first deployment in November, the soldiers were in full battle-gear, patrolling around the villages armed with M-16 armalite and conducting house-to-house visits. Residents were alarmed by the irregular deployment, and members of progressive groups in the communities reported harassment and threats from the military in their areas. It was exposed that the “civic actions” were used to justify the urban militarization which has resulted to threat, harassment and intimidation of members of progressive organizations and partylists groups like ANAKBAYAN, KADAMAY (an urban poor group), BAYAN MUNA (People First), GABRIELA and ANAKPAWIS (toiling people party list) who were singled out in community meetings held by the military, and continually harassed by the soldiers through direct threats.

These military activities were not limited inside urban poor communities as the military also started conducting fora in schools. The military’s conduct of operation in Manila was later exposed to be a part of the military’s counter-insurgency campaign, which includes students and youth among its targets.

On March 5, 2007, a forum was held by the office of Civil Military Operations Battalion of the Philippine Army from Fort Bonifacio Headquarters led by Capt. Orbes, operations officer of the CMO battalion, at the Philippine Normal University (PNU) in Taft avenue, Manila. Soldiers in full uniform and armed with M-16 armalites were seen roaming around the campus of the Philippine Normal University that day and were reported harassing and intimidating many student leaders by taking photos during the forum and video footage of the following victims: Eleanor de, Joanna Rose Adenit, Ralph Malacad , Ali Tapar, Julie Ann Tapid, Joseph Ancajas, and Joyce Caubat.

A week prior the said forum, a letter was received by the Office of Student Affairs and Services (OSASS-PNU) from the AFP- CMO Battalion CMO battalion (PA) commander Major Obera, which claimed that they will conduct the forum which will serve as a venue for “The awareness program about the infiltration of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New Peoples Army and the National Democratic Front (CPP/NPA/NDF) in Metro Manila.” The letter further stated that “…nowadays, there are many of our youth who are being recruited by these front organizations supported by CPP/NPA/NDF…. there is an aggressive recruitment here in Metro Manila especially in the student sector…The purpose of this program is to let the youth, especially the students, become aware and inform them of these issues particularly on CPP/NPA infiltration. Through this awareness program we can prevent them from joining any organizations supported by the communist terrorists,”

One of the speakers in the said forum introduced himself as 2^nd Lt. Bryan Lim, who is also the team leader of the military troops stationed at the village hall of Barangay 591 in Sta, Mesa, Manila near the Polytechnic Univesrsity of the Philippines. 2^nd Lt. Lim claimed that he used to be an activist, a former political officer of the New Peoples Army (NPA), the armed wing of the CPP. He proceeded to vilify the various student organizations such as the Anakbayan (Youth of the Nation), League of Filipino students, College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, National Union of Students of the Philippines and Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, which the speakers, through a power-point presentation, branded as “Communist terrorist fronts”.

The soldiers dissuaded the audience from joining these progressive youth groups which they maligned as “anti-family and anti-God”. These organizations are national groups with chapters nationwide and are active in the education rights advocacy and in the protest movement against the recent Commission on Higher Education (CHED) order that lifted the cap on tuition increase. These groups also spearheaded students and youth mobilizations against the alarming extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearance in the Philippines and hold the government and military accountable for it.

In another incident, on February 20, 2007, around 2:00 p.m., student leaders caught and arrested soldiers identified as Salve Romel Lao and Chardene A. Lalapus, who were not in military uniforms and taking pictures and video of the student activists during a protest action inside the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) main campus. The students brought the soldiers at the PUP main Security Office for identification and complaints of harassment.

The two soldiers both belong to the troops stationed at the barangay hall of Barangay 592, Sta. Mesa, about 10 meters away from the university. The unauthorized entry of the soldiers is a violation of the existing Memorandum of Agreement signed among the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines which prohibits entry of state security forces without prior permission to the university administration, especially when entry is unjustified. The memorandum also prohibits any form of interference of security forces with peaceful protest actions by PUP constituents within the university premises.

Among the student leaders of PUP who were harassed by the soldiers are Alain Mark Zamora , Rogelio Data Jr. , Reynante Czar , Jean Claire Tanilong and Carla A. Braceros who all spoke during the peaceful protest action.

On July 1, Lt. Col. Nick Q. Alarcio, the commandant of the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) of the University of Cordilleras, led a forum on the Anti-Terrorism Law at the Baguio City Athletic Bowl, where he also showed the “Knowing Thy Enemy”, a CD the military produced and which was exposed by the media in 2004, listing progressive and legal groups and tagging them as “enemies of the state” and fronts of the CPP-NPA. Included in the list are the Anakbayan, League of Filipino students, College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, National Union of Students of the Philippines, KARATULA (Young Artists for Genuine Freedom) and the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines.

On July 19, in the news report by Dobbie de Guzman on TV Patrol Northern Luzon, which was aired by TV channel ABS-CBN’s, a military officer vilified the legal youth and student groups present in Baguio City, and calling them as fronts of the communists. He claimed that the CPP-NPA has a program for recruitment of young people in the legal groups, and eventually to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (a revolutionary umbrella of underground organizations), and the final rite as the “enlistment” to the CPP-NPA. 

The United Nations Special Rapportuer on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Prof. Philip Alston, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council on March 22 described the implication of this “vilification” campaign after his investigation visit in the Philippines (12-21 February 2007):

“…vilification”, “labeling”, or guilt by association… involves the characterization [by the government and military] of most groups on the left of the political spectrum as “front organizations” for armed groups whose aim is to destroy democracy. The result is that a wide range of groups – including human rights advocates, labour union organizers, journalists, teachers unions, women’s groups, indigenous organizations, religious groups, student groups, agrarian reform advocates, and others – are classified as “fronts” and then as “enemies of the State” that are accordingly considered to be legitimate targets.”

To date KARAPATAN or Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples Rights, had documented that most student and youth victims of the extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearance are members of the groups the government lists as “communist fronts”. The vilification campaign incites violence against these groups and its members, thereby creating more atmosphere of impunity.

Please send letters, emails, fax messages calling for:

1. Stop the vilification of youth and student organizations and other legal progressive groups, and stop other forms of harassment against them.
2. Immediate pull-out of military troops in Metro Manila, Philippines and other urban areas.
3. Withdrawal or stop the government’s counter-insurgency operation known as Oplan Bantay Laya or Operation Guarding Freedom which includes in its targets legal unarmed groups, civilians, and the youth.
4. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions.

You may send your communications to:

1.T.H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

President of the Republic

Malacanang Palace ,

JP Laurel St., San Miguel

Manila Philippines

Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80

Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968

Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462

E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

2. Jesus D. Dureza

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
*Office of the Peace Process
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Mobile:
Fax:+63 (2) 635 9579

Email: osec@opapp.gov.ph

3. Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue
Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2) 911 6213
osnd@philonline.com

4. Hon. Purificacion Valera Quisumbing

Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights

SAAC Bldg., UP Complex

Commonwealth Avenue

Diliman, Quezon City

Philippines

Fax: (+632) 929 0102

Email: drpvq@yahoo.com

5. Hon. Raul M. Gonzalez
Secretary, Department of Justice

Padre Faura St., Manila

Direct Line: (632) 521-8344 0r (632) 5213721
Trunkline: (632) 523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email sad@doj.gov.ph

6. Ms. Hina Jilani
Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders
Attn: Melinda Ching Simon
Room 1-040
C/o OHCHR-UNOG
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 93 88
Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (ATTN: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS)

******************************************************************************************************************

Please send us a copy of your email/mail/fax to the said government official to our address below.

************************************************************************************************************************

URGENT ACTION Prepared by:

TANGGULAN Youth Network for Human Rights

3^rd flr, 879 National Council of Churches in the Philippines,

Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City

Philippines

Telephone: (+632) 9269760

Email: tanggulan.youth@gmail.com or tanggulanyouth@yahoo.com.

Below is a video made by a multi-media group Southern Tagalog Exposure on Jonas Burgos, a Filipino activist who was abducted by suspected elements of the Philippine military inside a department store on April 28, 2007.

Burgos is one of the many victims of enforced disappearances under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s regime. Many of these enforced disappearances are politically-motivated as most, if not all, of the victims were activists.

Burgos is the son of the late Joe Burgos, a renowned journalist once tagged as a “communist” and suffered arrest, detention and torture during the dark Martial Law years of the fallen dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Another crackdown in Malaysia ensued as Myanmese refugees registered with the UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) in the said country were arrested and treated inhumanely by elements of the Malaysian police.

The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM), a friend organization of ASA members in both Thailand and Burma, has released a statement exposing these atrocities done on the refugees.

Below is their press statement.

On 4th August 2007, more than 350 undocumented migrants were arrested by the Immigration Department and Rela during the Ops Tegas in Selayang and Gombak. Out of that number, about 100 of them are refugees from Myanmar who are registered with UNHCR-Malaysia.

Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) was informed by the community members about the arrest at about 3.30am. Many of them could not escape as there are hundreds of Rela officers involved during the operation. Later, we found out that they were taken to Lenggeng detention camp on the same day.

At about 8.00pm on 4th August 2007, MERHROM received another call from the community members about the Immigration and Rela operation in Subang. About 7 Rohingya refugees and many others were arrested.

On 5th August 2007, at about 3.30am again MERHROM received another call from the community members on the Immigration and Rela operation in Ampang and Taman Muda. Estimated about 200 undocumented migrants were arrested. Out of this number about 50 of them are Rohingya refugees consisting of men, women, pregnant women and children. They were registered with UNHCR.

During the operation, Mr. Habibur Rahman, the Secretary General of MERHROM and Mr. Harun, the Information Secretary of MERHROM were also arrested. Mr. Habibur Rahman managed to inform Mr. Zafar Ahmad, President of MERHROM that he was punched at his face and was hit at his thigh by two (2) Rela officers.

Mr. Zafar Ahmad together with his wife and the Vice-President rushed to the Rela Office in Batu 10 Cheras to check on this matter. We reached the Rela office at 5.50am. The Rela officer told us that they received direction from the Minister to arrest all refugees. Another Rela officer told us that the UNHCR is already expired and had no power in Malaysia. We informed the officer that we want to speak to the head of Rela office. We were told to wait for Tuan Haji Musa, the head of Cheras Rela as he just left the office. While waiting, we asked permission to get the details of Rohingya refugees from the officer but it was denied.

We waited until 9.00am before we were chased out by the higher position of Rela officer. We were told that he is the advisor of Rela and holding a ‘Dato’ position. He told us not to wait for Tuan Haji Musa and told us to go. He asked us to deal with the Immigration and the detention camp. Mr. Zafar Ahmad replied that he will also discuss the matter with the Immigration Department. Suddenly he got very angry, shouted at us and chase us out of the Rela premise. He directed his officer to chase us out immediately. One of his officer hold Mr. Zafar’s neck and chase him out. Mr. Zafar’s wife who stood beside him told the officer to remove his hand from Mr. Zafar’s neck. In anger he told Mr. Zafar “you think when you marry a Malaysian, you can say anything you want?” We left the Rela office after the incident as we don’t want it to be worse.

This clearly show that refugees do not have rights to talk and claim their rights. This incident also show how arrogant Rela officers are. We left Rela office with lots of frustration. We were treated like persons without dignity just because we are refugees. There is no respect for the vulnerable people like us. We can’t talk about our rights. They told us to shut our mouth.

We were frustrated as Malaysia is a member of United Nations Human Rights Council but various human rights violations took place especially to the refugees and the migrant workers. The Malaysia government also signed CRC and CEDAW and the state have the responsibility to protect both children and women within its territory regardless of their status.

We also feel very sad as the Malaysia Prime Minister is very concerned about the Darfur refugees but he failed to do the same to the refugees who are really in vulnerable situation in Malaysia soil.

We urge the Malaysian government to immediately stop the Crackdown on refugees and give us chance to live. Every moment we live in fear. We had gone through enough pain and suffering in our life and we had nobody to turn to.

400 hectares of farm lands. 800 rice farming families.

They are the target possible casualties if the Central Mindanao University administration decides to lease out the said lands to big agri-businesses to produce cash crops.

On previous occasions, the administration has responded violently to protesting farmers and their supporters by dispersing mass actions and forcing the farmers out of their lands.

An international fact finding mission even confirmed that security guards working for the university administration were responsible for shooting protesting farmers on June 22, 2007, nearly killing several, including women.

Please express your support to this cause and salvage both the lands and the farming families whose only survival is planting rice.

http://www.foodsov.org/html/petition05.php

Pesticide Action Network Asia Pacific is leading the signature campaign.

A few days ago, media outfits exposed the “smuggling” of 51 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Iraq to work on the US$600 million U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. From the news, the OFWs knew that they would be flying to Dubai to either work as telephone repairman or construction worker somewhere else.

Below is a testimony of Roy Mayberry to the U.S. Senate Oversight Committee holding hearing on the “Allegations of Waste, Fraud and Abuse at the new U.S. Embassy in Iraq”. He testified about the 51 OFWs who were unaware of this false deployment to Iraq.

Condemnation both in and outside the Philippines against the alleged involvement of the Philippine government authorities and the U.S. State Department has ensued.

Commemorating the 19th year of the Democracy Uprising in Burma (Myanmar), The 88 Generation Students issued a statement expressing their grave discontent with the 1974 Constitution which led to several tragedies in the country.

The Democracy Uprising happened on the 8th of August, 1988, hence it is called 8888.

The dictatorship that once led the nation as well as the military government have made the ground fertile for people’s dissent in and along the borders of Burma (Myanmar). Many of the ASA’s members have been martyred fighting with fellow students, youth and the people upholding and defending justice, freedom and democracy.

Many of our members like the All Burma Student Democratic Front, All Burma Federation of Students Unions belong to The 88 Generation Students.

Below is their statement.

The 88 Generation Students’ Announcement
on the 19th Year Anniversary of the 8888 Democracy Uprising

1) Today is the 19th year anniversary of the 1988 popular democracy uprising in Burma, which is remembered to this day as a great event not only in the history of Burma, but also of the world.

(2) We should learn from the lessons of this history. We need to learn and review logically and without prejudice about the immediate and accumulated causes that forced the uprising to be born.

(3) Thousands of peaceful democracy activists, including students, monks and peoples from all walks of life, were killed or injured during the 8888 uprising. Thousands of families were brutally broken by the tragedies as family members were taken to prisons, fled to the borders to live in exile or were killed.

(4) A State Constitution is key to shaping the political, economic and social life of the country. The 1974 Constitution, which cemented the single-party dictatorship and its closed-door economic policy, was created by the previous dictator Ne Win, while politicians who held different opinions were put in prisons.

(5) This was the reason why Burma, a country with the most potential to be developed among the Southeast Asian nations and other newly-independent countries, became the poorest one.

(6) By making it extremely difficult to amend, the 1974 Constitution did not have enough flexibility to timely solve the political, economic and social problems that led to a general crisis.

(7) Both, those who govern and who are governed, had to suffer the consequences as a result of having a Constitution which was drawn by force and intentionally designed to be difficult to amend.

(8) Therefore, the military government had recognized the demands of the people of Burma, who led the 1988 popular democracy uprising. It had promised to implement a multi-party democratic system and market economy when it came to power.

(9) History does not want us to move backward, but to move forward step by step. Today citizens of Burma are the best witnesses of this history. They can compare the situations in 1962 when General Ne Win staged a military coup and in 1974 when a single-party dictatorship emerged from the Constitution.

(10) The 8888 popular democracy uprising in Burma was born because of the peoples’ unhappiness with the 1974 Constitution. It is true that another uprising in Burma today depends entirely on current constitution drafting process.

(11) Therefore, we, the 88 Generation Students, would like to attest that preventing the negative consequences of another disempowered and detrimental State Constitution will be the duty of all people of Burma.

The 88 Generation Students
Rangoon, Burma