Myanmar: Protests mark anniversary of 1988 uprising
August 8, 2021
A third of a century after facing off against a violent military regime, protesters in Myanmar are still on the streets. The flash protests show no signs of stopping.
The military's violent response has not been able to quell the ongoing popular protests across MyanmarImage: REUTERS
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Protesters came out in cities across Myanmar on Sunday to protest against the military junta and to mark the 33rd anniversary of an uprising against military rule that was violently put down.
People took to the streets in the main cities of Yangon, Mandalay, Sagaing and others, local news reported. The military has faced ongoing popular opposition since it launched a coup in early February that ousted the elected government and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Protesters remembered the thousands of people, many of which were students, that rose up against military rule in 1988. That uprising was crushed in a bloody crackdown.
"Thirty-three years ago today, they [armed forces] killed many civilians and they are still killing the people," Thet Naing, a protester in Yangon, told the Deutsche Presse-Agentur news agency.
Protesters adapt to military violence
Demonstrations against the current junta have also faced violent responses from the military. According to a local monitoring group, over 900 people have been killed in clashes with the military.
The regime has not, however, been able to quell the protests. Activists have been organizing flash mobs that quickly rally to express popular dissent and then melt away before armed forces can react.
They also organized online campaigns, bringing people out, dressed in red, to show the eight-finger salute, which has become one of the symbols of the protest movement, and to hold banners saying: "Let's return the old blood debt of 1988 in 2021."
Myanmar: Protesters hit with tear gas, stun guns
Demonstrators were met with ramped up aggression from security forces, following the most deadly days since last month's coup.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
Taking to the streets
A protester wearing a gas mask sits on a blocked road in Yangon on Tuesday, March 2. Police in Yangon fired tear gas on Monday at crowds who returned to the streets to protest last month's coup.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Suu Kyi's visage ever-present
Protesters wearing safety helmets shout slogans and display images of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi during an anti-coup protest behind a barrier on a blocked road in Yangon, on Tuesday, March 2. Demonstrators took to the streets as Southeast Asian foreign ministers prepared to meet to discuss the crisis.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Teargas in Mandalay
This scene, also from Tuesday, shows demonstrators moving away from a cloud of tear gas in Mandalay. Protesters across the country wore hard hats and makeshift shields, and gathered behind barricades while chanting and sporting the three-finger salute.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Three-finger salute for democracy
This three-fingered salute has become a symbol of the protests in Myanmar. Originally featured in the "Hunger Games" books and TV series, it was first adopted by medical staff protesting the coup. There were no reports of any injuries in Yangon on Tuesday, but witnesses claimed that several people were injured in the northwestern town of Kale when police fired live ammunition to disperse a crowd.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Chaos in the streets
Protesters check a police truck's movement during an anti-coup protest on a blocked road in Mandalay on Tuesday, March 2. Protesters also marched through the streets of Dawei, a small city in southeastern Myanmar that has seen almost daily large protests against military rule.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Mourning the dead
People offer prayers next to the coffin of a woman whose family said was killed by the military on Sunday, during her funeral service in Mandalay on Monday, March 1. At least 18 people were killed by security forces on Sunday, according to the UN.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Protesters vs police
A protester throws part of a banana towards police during a protest in Yangon on Tuesday, March 2. Hundreds gathered in the Hledan area of Yangon, where a day earlier police had repeatedly used tear gas canisters.
Image: ASSOCIATED PRESS/picture alliance
Protesters mourn weekend's victims
A mourner attends Tuesday's funeral of Nyi Nyi Aung Htet Naing, who died from a gunshot wound while attending a demonstration in Yangon. Demonstrators have continued to take to the streets across Myanmar despite seeing the bloodiest weekend since February's coup.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
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New generation, same struggle
The military dictatorship 33 years ago responded to the massive pro-democracy movement by firing on protesters and jailing thousands of people.
The movement launched Aung San Suu Kyi — who was arrested at the time of the putsch and is facing a series of charges including possession of illegal walkie talkies — as a pro-democracy activist. She was known for being the daughter of General Aung San who had fought for independence from the British empire.
"In 1988, our country sacrificed a lot — many people lost their lives. But the dictatorship is still alive," Ko Sai Win, a protester in Mandalay, told the AFP news agency. "It is like a black shadow on our country."
